We take care of IT. You take care of business. |
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| Technology at It's Best! |
Kardon Tech
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Greetings!
We all realize time is fleeting. What you lose, you will never recapture. Being organized with your thoughts and actions can help you capitalize on results. But, in today's time, is being organized enough?
We understand we are an IT company. There are tools we use, or simply know about, that always surprises folks when I talk about them in my networking circles. I have a great teacher, though. You may not be interested in all of them. Some may not be interested in any of them. However, would you be intrigued if you could capture some of your day?
The articles in this newsletter highlight time saving methods that we use each day. I'm not claiming we are experts in organization. My day still travels at the speed of light. I'm always trying to be sure I don't miss something, but still do. Without the tools, though, I'd miss so much more.
At the end of the day, we all want to feel accomplished. We'd like to enjoy our friends and families without worrying that there was something pending, just gnawing at the back of our minds. And when you really stop to think about it, that really is the important point. We work to live, not live to work.
Kardon Technology offers services that can put your mind at ease, help your day run smoother, and reduce the stress your desk causes. Contact me to discuss our complimentary consult. Let us see how we can help you enjoy your day.
Sincerely,
Brian G. Wilson
Kardon Technology
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Time Really is Money
It's Just Math
Let's start with your salary. Whether you multiply an hourly rate or a weekly salary, calculate your annual income. Now calculate your income taxes; not just what's on your paycheck, but include the employer match. Do the same with your benefits package. Add both your deductions and the employer contribution. Add it all together. Got it? This is the cost of your time.
Now, take this large number (or maybe not so large), divide it by 12 [months in the year], then by 4.3 [the average number of weeks in a month], and lastly by 40 [hours in a work week]. We realize you may work more than 40 hours in a week. O.K., you DO work more than 40. However, we will be comparing the average service hours of nearly every company. Do you see it? This figure is your hourly expense.
O.K., now think back. Start with last week, but you can try to come up with averages or try to remember actual incidents. Continue reading...
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Recycle Your Electronics
Decatur Electronics Recycling Day
 It's that time of year again. The city of Decatur will take that old, broken piece of hardware off of your hands. This semi-annual event has been hugely successful at diverting electronic equipment from landfills, where they may contaminate soil and water.
The event takes place Saturday, October 29th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Decatur High School Parking lot, on the corner of N. McDonough St. and W. Howard Avenue. Electronics dropped off that day will be sorted and disassembled into raw materials or cleaned for re-use. Almost anything with an electrical cord can be recycled. TV's will be recycled for a minimal fee of $10 cash.
We can help make arrangements to dispose of the items taking up space in your office, storage room or garage. We make the run each year, so if you'd like us to handle your items, we can do so for a minimal trip charge. If you are a Kardon Tech client, it is part of your contracted services. Just let us know what you need to toss.
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Client Corner
Services That Work
Oh no. You're computer(s) just went down. Typically, after you've confirmed that your systems are actually down, you need to make the call or log in to the online chat. After describing the issue to the on-call tech and answering a bunch of symptom questions, they start seeking solutions. What if...
Kardon Tech received a client call. Jason noticed the caller ID, and before a word was uttered by the client, he said, " your internet is down, isn't it?" She laughed, and asked how he knew. Laughed... that's a stress release in itself. I'm sure that's different than most tech support calls you've experienced in the past. But, how did we know? Read more here... |
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Helping Others with Your Networking
Effective List Maintenance
You know how you go out networking, and you meet some great people. You can quickly determine who can help your business, and who you can help. Some people just have incredibly interesting job titles or responsibilities.  Even though their industry has absolutely nothing to do with yours, you listen intently.
You go home, you may even send a 'nice speaking with you' e-mail (you do, don't you?). Then you place the card in the pile to sort later. Five weeks later, you are at another networking event. You are speaking with someone you've seen before, and they bring up the fact that they are looking for a particular service.
All you see is colors, and logos, and... What was that person's name? Where did they say they worked? Where else to look... |
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Social Media
Newsletters
Before there was Facebook, before LinkedIn was so dynamic, before you could tweet an opinion, feeling or fact, there were newsletters. They are still an effective way of communicating with your contact list.The nice thing about newsletters today is you can integrate them with your other social media outlets. Once you post your newsletter, you can attach them to a tweet, post them on your Facebook fan page, and link them to your LinkedIn profile and groups. You can reach the preferred media outlet of your readers.
Please let us know if your preferred source of information is anything other than e-mail correspondence. If you would rather use Facebook to view our newsletter, be sure you are connected to the Kardon Tech page. If you'd like to use LinkedIn or Twitter, please let me know so that you can connect to my profile or join one of my groups. Keep in mind, however, that you would need to keep an eye out for the link each month.
If you are like me, you receive a lot of e-mails every day. If you don't have folders or categories set in your e-mail client, it could be difficult to keep up. I typically move reading items I'd like to review into specific folders. Even if I cannot get to something that day (or that week), I know where to look when I get some free time. However, if you need to, you can simply unsubscribe to this e-mail at any time.
At Kardon Tech, we try to make sure the articles we share with you are informative, pertinent and of interest. We are always open to suggestions. If you are thinking it, you can rest assured that someone else is. If there is anything in particular that you would like us to cover, just reply to this e-mail.
Depending on your industry and your client base, you can send something once or twice a month to once or twice a quarter. Try to add a little humor or something light. Not "why did the chicken cross the road" humor. Just something to keep interest.
A newsletter is not going to replace a tweet or a page post. But, it will enhance your exposure. Realize that your contacts are all at different stages of social media acceptance. Don't miss the opportunity to reach those who prefer to just read.
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What Does Kardon Like?
CRM and Project Management
Kardon Technology, like many companies, is growing. As we have discussed in our past newsletters, we work with many virtual applications. As our client and project needs have increased, we found limits with our CRM and project management system.
Our concerns were not unlike those of many other companies, both large and small. You see, what I need on the marketing side doesn't work so well on the project management side, and neither side worked so well with the accounting side. So. with our input, Donna went out on another expedition.
We needed a CRM that captured client and prospect data and provided a way to follow up with people on a consistent basis. However, on the total opposite end of the spectrum, when you have a problem, a job ticket must be generated and managed with the ability to capture detailed documentation. I don't need to know what happens when a ticket is submitted... probably wouldn't even understand it. However, I still need access.
Well, we are getting comfortable with our new CRM/Project/Billing application. What are our initial thoughts?
Donna: I can do everything I need to document information, assign tasks and track my time from within my email. Plus, we have systems automatically create support tickets when they have problems.
Karla: In the past, we entered time in one software package, imported into another and then invoiced. This is much more efficient for everyone to document what they have done client wise and time wise in one location. Then, it is easy to invoice our clients in a timely manner.
Jason: I like the mobile app. It is much easier to use and allows for more functionality.
Christa: I too like the mobile app... I like to review my to do list from my iPhone.
Brian: There are so many places to update every project; ToDo's, project lists, support tickets, sales lead entries, comments, e-mails, calendar events and... from a mobile device. I never realized how much time I didn't capture with other CRM's until I started updating my projects. I can capture nearly every minute of every day, document it, and Karla can invoice accordingly.
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About Us
We want to be your partner, not just a phone number or an email address. If you need someone that works to understand your business needs and wants to help you succeed, if you need an IT staff without actually hiring one, then we need to talk.....
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Contact Us
Kardon Technology,
A Division of the Kardon Group
(678) 292-5001
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PROMOTION
Join Us
Kardon Tech attended the Small Biz Tech Tour last year. It was impressive enough for us to reserve tickets again this year! Be the first to reply, and win a free registration to the conference from Kardon Tech! Just contact me at (678) 292-5001, ext 106.
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