Tag: #software

The Top 6 Easy-To-Use Software Built For The Complexities Of Global Business Growing

The business world has changed beyond belief in the past few years and it’s almost too difficult to comprehend how fast things are evolving. The way that global business now affects our everyday lives cannot be underestimated and companies are vying to get your attention and have some form of influence over our lives.

It can take a little time to get used to new software and learn it for yourself, especially when you are introducing it to your business and asking larger numbers of people to use it. It’s natural for humans to become accustomed to their own routines and habits, but can also be super quick at picking up new things and applying them to work.

All the processes and systems that we now use have been tested and streamlined to the point where they are almost perfect, and make such a huge difference in the way we conduct our business and carry out chores or errands in our personal lives. Without the constant development and progression of software such as simplelegal, companies and sectors are going to fall behind.

 

So What Are The Top 6 Easy-To-Use Software Built For The Complexities Of Global Business Growing?

Maybe you are looking at new opportunities in software to incorporate into your own routine for the first time or perhaps you are a little more experienced and are wishing to add some more to your arsenal, either way, there are some awesome solutions out there to help you streamline and organize your workload.

Google Drive

If you’re not already using Google Drive, you should be. You may well be using Gmail to send your emails and communicate with suppliers and clients, so it’s not a difficult transition as it’s all housed under one roof. Google Drive allows you to create, edit and store all your documents in a safe place, and through the fact it saves automatically live as you do things, there’s no need to worry about not saving and losing all your hard work. You can create documents, spreadsheets, powerpoint presentations, and more.

Email

Email has probably been one of the biggest factors in allowing global businesses to grow, especially at the beginning of the internet boom. The way we can now streamline and segment all of our communication channels through email means both our professional and personal lives are way more organized. We can now categorize and flag important messages when we need to, allowing us to prioritize workloads and conversations we are having.

Slack

It feels like the global business world has been crying out for something like Slack in terms of how simple they have made it to chat and converse with team members, colleagues and clients online. Similar to Whatsapp, Slack allows you to send direct messages to people, along with creating private chats and communication channels so you can effectively organize all conversations.

 

 

Zoom

The way that we all do meetings has changed drastically in the past year or two due to the pandemic and it feels like the founders of Zoom almost saw this coming. Given how many people are now working from home or remotely, Zoom has been the go-to option for millions of workers around the globe to host and run important meetings. You can set timings for meetings, send invites, choose who is the host, and more with this crucial piece of software which has allowed global businesses to keep growing through the pandemic.

ClickUp

If you are looking for a way to plan your days, weeks, and months in a way that the whole team can understand and interpret what’s going on, ClickUp is the way forward. It seamlessly allows you to plan out your content and presents it in a way that means people from internal and external teams can both access it and action anything if they need to. Great for social media and marketing planning if you are currently looking for an option that goes beyond what you have already.

Loom

Sometimes it can be super hard to convey what you mean to someone over email or text, so creating a video where you record your own screen and show someone what you’re working on or what they need to do, is incredibly useful. This is exactly what Loom does and with a free account, you can log on and start creating your own instructional videos in no time.

The software has changed the way the world works and will continue supporting businesses that are aiming to keep growing globally.

Effective Software Development Process Steps

It is evident that technology has infiltrated every aspect of human endeavor. We are rapidly dependent on it for our daily survival. As a result, software development and is becoming in demand because it is the backbone of technology. Every machine we see and use today is an offshoot of software development, and even in years to come, the story wouldn’t be any different.

The software development process is complex, but the results would be overwhelming if one develops an organized approach to it. Organizing the process means that each aspect is divided into tiny manageable bits. With dedication and commitment, you can embark on software development and avoid some fundamental errors bedeviling the system.

     

You’ll find these steps helpful when embarking on any software development project:

Conduct feasibility study

Like in other fields of study, you need to research your market to know if your invention is worth the stress. One of the critical steps to consider is to know if the need exists in the first place or not. If it doesn’t, scrap the idea, but if it does, identify it and determine whether your project can solve the problem. You can also determine the cost implication of carrying out the project and how you would recover your investment after the job is done.

Analyze and Determine the requirements

You don’t identify a problem without coming up with the resources to solve it. Analyzing the problem means that you interact with the end-users and prospective users. You can also undertake a thorough review of the intended software to understand the outstanding features and functionalities it should come with. At this point, you’ll know the cost implications of your project and how to raise funds.

Consider the industry best practices

When designing software, consider the industry’s best practices. Dr. Huizinga recommends a customized and agile process with emphasis on pictorial documentation for requirements and technical documentation. You must follow the standard template else; you would go overboard with your ideas, which would have ripple effects on your work.

Design

During the design stage, embedded companies or programmers put together a detailed design document that outlines how the software would meet a particular need. It is advisable to use mock-ups to accompany the design document to illustrate user-interface elements. In some cases, you may require customization to meet specific needs.

Measure and track the progress

If there is no proper technology infrastructure, it isn’t easy to collect and measure critical project data. As a result, software projects cannot be effectively managed. Project indicators help to ensure the prompt identification of existing or potential problems, thereby allowing them to be rectified early. When bugs are allowed to linger for a long time, they become problematic in the long run. These project indicators can be used to determine product quality and deployment readiness.

Development

The first five stages lead to the buildup of the sixth one. At the development stage, the design document is translated into actual software. If you have gotten the first five stages right, you ought not to make mistakes at this stage. At this point, you’re convinced that the invention would meet the needs of who it was intended for. Project managers usually demand feedback on the user experience, ease of use, task completion times, and other details related to the user interface.

Automation

After developing the software, the next step is to automate repetitive tasks like regression tests, static code analysis scans, and code builds. Automation reduces human-prone errors after the software is implemented. It also facilitates the use of best practices and the collection of project-related data.

Testing

When you’re done with the first seven stages, it is pertinent that you test what you have done so far. All the features should be tested to ensure they are functioning optimally. Testing also varies depending on the procedures adopted by the individual or organization. Testing is a broad subject that consists of staging and quality assurance. When the software is in general use, any bugs found at this point will be addressed critically, and urgent fixes would be done almost immediately.

Implementation

It is one thing to map out a plan, and it is another to implement it. Implementing all these tips above is critical to success. Understanding the importance of a well-thought-out development process places you at a competitive advantage over those who don’t know. If you have ever thought of being like the big wigs in your field, you should look back at those plans you failed to implement and see how they have contributed to your stagnation.

The software development process is a systematic one aimed at delivering the best to end users, it’s credo of development companies like Sirin Software. It is shaped and adjusted to meet market demands. What matters the most is that the final product gets to the customer exactly how they want it. Better still, the end product should exceed the customer’s expectations.

A Handy List Of Tech Terms You’ve Probably Heard But Don’t Know The Meaning Of

Have you ever been in a situation where people are tossing tech terms and you’ve heard them before but you don’t know what they mean? There’s plenty of common terms we hear every day in meetings or classrooms that we are not familiar with. Here’s a list of the top terms you’ve probably heard but don’t know the meaning of.

 

1. The Internet vs. the Web

It’s very true, these terms may seem familiar but there’s a big difference between them.

 

The internet is basically a stream of different networks connected with each other globally so they can communicate and provide for each other. Computers are genuinely faster than anything, they perform millions of calculations and transfer information within seconds. Whereas the web can specify the information in the form of secret folders and documents, these different folders, specifically, are referred to as web pages.

Briefly, the internet is a set of connections and instruments which helps the web to perform or generate data with the help of these instruments.

2. App vs. Software

We are all familiar with the term “Applications”. An App or an application is actually a set of commands which performs a specific function in our mobile phones, laptop, or Macs. Anything performed in a system is basically done by software. So, apps are basically a type of software, but they are way different from the software which runs our iOS, Android, Windows, drivers, or any other utilities within the system.

Terms like exabytes are also common when talking about cloud storage and space. They essentially are made up of bytes and can store around 1 billion Gigabytes of space. Data storage or cloud storage capabilities of any device or platform hold immense importance in the tech world.

Those software are different because they operate the computer as a whole and allow these apps to run in the system. In short, apps cannot be run without software.

3. HTML vs. CSS

HTML or Hypertext Markup Language is the language used to compose website pages and describe their structure. It involves many components like passages, headers, and links. These components provide a structure for the web pages and display different images, fonts, and videos.

Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) advises internet browsers on how to arrange and style an HTML record. It is a simple method of adding style to web documents. At the end of the day, CSS enhances the presentation of the whole record. You can adjust different font colors, animations, and all the different types of things to make your record look flawless and well presented. To lay it out plainly, HTML holds the substance set up, and CSS makes it look appealing.

4. UX vs. UI

People believe that user interface and user experience are basically the same, but they are not. A user interface is basically a built product that communicates with the users to let the users know the expertise of a given website. UI tells how the whole operation is organized. On the other hand, user experience is our experience as a user with the presented website. UX are your thoughts of how you feel about the operation and how it looks. So as an example, the look of the new version of your Instagram feed is a part of UX, but it involves a change to UI.

5. Front End vs. Back End

The specific term front end refers to the user interface which is usually created by using a combination of technologies like HTML, CSS, or java scripts. The main focus of the front end is on what the users will visually see when they open their applications or web pages.

The front finish of a site is the visible part and is responsible for the look and feel of a web page. This incorporates HTML and CSS and the wide range of various things you take a look at in your program. The social media posts that update or the Google search terms that autocomplete are all due to the front-end programming language JavaScript.

The back end refers to the database, application, or server which provides the data on request, and is handled by people often called programmers or web developers. The back finish of a site is the part that makes it work. It incorporates several applications that instruct sites, and users cannot see the back end work but it is the code that communicates the database information to the browsers or the web pages.

On YouTube, for example, the appearance of your channel is the front end, and all the information is put away in the back end.

These are some terms mentioned in our daily lives, commonly heard over the TV, in our classroom, or in job meetings as well. It’s good to have a basic understanding so we don’t get confused every time somebody tosses one of these terms around. You probably heard them before but never knew their meaning, so go ahead and get yourself familiar with them.

Which are the casino software companies behind your favorite slots?

The fact that most online casinos provide customers with way more games than their land-based counterparts is one of the reasons why the iGaming industry is as big as it is. Players from various countries can access their favorite betting websites within seconds and enjoy some of the best casino games in the world.

Having the chance to try out all of those games is great, but did you know that they are not created by the online casino? That’s right, almost every big name in the iGaming industry uses slots and other casino titles developed by other companies. This has its pros and cons, but it seems like the positives outweigh the negatives because most gambling users are happy with what they can play.

With that being said, let’s check the companies that are responsible for your favorite casino slots.

Playson

The first company is called Playson, and you can find it once you visit Betenemy and check their casino list, which contains some of the best online casinos in the iGaming industry. 

This casino software developer is notorious for its innovative approach. In other words, it uses the latest technology in the business to create unique casino games that are available in numerous countries around the world. That’s one of the reasons why almost every top-rated online casino allows its clients to take advantage of this feature.

 

Some of the company’s most popular titles include Burning Wins: classic 5 lines, Hot Coins: Hold and Win, Hand of God, and more.

FUGASO

The next company that many people will come across once they visit one of the online casinos found on Betenemy is called FUGASO. While it is true that this brand may not have as much experience as other names on this list, it also uses the latest tech in its slots. Speaking of games, users can avail themselves of things like Jewel Sea, Book of Tattoo, Stoned Joker, and much more.

Another reason why FUGASO is often among the preferred betting platforms is because of its mobile-friendly games. Most mobile users have probably heard of the brand because it is known for its top-rated mobile titles.

Spinomenal

Perhaps the most popular name on this list is Spimonal, a company that you will probably find on almost any online casino. This casino software supplier offers numerous creative games that have thousands of fans from all over the world.

Spinomenal is one of the iGaming leaders that have more than 100 HTML5 games. So, don’t be surprised if you have the option to play some of the games created by this brand while you are on the go. Users can expect to find things like Book of Champions, Lucky Score, Book of the Divine, and more.

1x2gaming

Lastly, we have one of the biggest and the most respected names in the iGaming industry. 1x2gaming is a company that offers slots, virtual football, and other types of casino games to online betting platforms. The brand has more than 19 years of experience, which explains why some of the games are so user-friendly.

What is a Dispatch Software and How Does it Work

When you are running a business you want to ensure that you are doing everything you can to keep customers and employees happy and satisfied at all times. It can be very hard creating and striking a balance and ensuring that everyone is kept well informed and up to date but it is possible. To strike a balance you have to think carefully about what you want to achieve and why. For example, do you want to keep customers happy, are you going to keep them informed about when their order has been dispatched or perhaps when they have an engineer or maintenance person on the way. What are your customer service aims, and also what are your employee aims? With employees, a dispatch system will keep all employees aware and in the loop about what is happening and when.

What Is Dispatch Software

Dispatch software is a clever digital tool that allows you to handle and manage technicians and employees who are working for you. With dispatch software, you can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of technicians and employees and as a result, you can ensure that customers are happy and satisfied. When dispatch software is used for managing and handling technicians it is used to assign them to work, plan out routes, monitor and track their movements and even reassign them if you can see that there are other jobs nearby them.

 

What You Should Look For When Buying New Software 

When it comes to buying new software you do not want to just jump in and purchase the first one that you see. Dispatch software can impact your business’s efficiency and productivity and as such, it is only just that you invest a considerable amount of time into establishing what software is on offer and just how it can benefit you and your business. Price may be the main consideration of yours but it should not be your only concern. You should also look at the brand and the manufacturers and the seller as well as the specifications you want. For example, do you want a cloud-based piece of software from 10-8Systems.com or are you after an older fashioned piece of software that takes longer to update and change? Your business needs will of course determine what you buy, but the price mustn’t be the only deciding factor. Looking at what you get in return will help you establish what you need. Before making any commitment, think about what you want and think about your return on investment. Never be afraid to ask questions to accurately establish just what you are looking for and why.         

How Can Software Integration Help Your Business

When you integrate new software into your business you look at making processes more effortless, more efficient and more seamless for everyone involved. Software integration will save you time and it will save you money, it will ensure you can make all processes used within your businesses quicker and easier. Software integration can keep your business out there and ahead of your competitors which is important. Software integration can allow you to keep a close eye on the inner workings and goings-on of your business. When you pay close attention to what is happening within your business you get the opportunity to see clearly and quickly what needs improvement and work. Making improvements swiftly will save your business time and money.

How Does Dispatch Software Work

Dispatch software whether cloud-based or not works by sending a message via text or email from the operations base or a technician out on the road. It is an automation process that allows seamless and quick interactions between your workforce on the road and customers that they are visiting. 

What Advantages Are There To Having New Software Within Your Business

When you implement new software into your business you improve its efficiency and its productivity which will ultimately improve your bottom line. You need to keep ahead of trends and you need to keep ahead of competitors to ensure you maintain your position within the marketplace. The major advantage of integrating and incorporating new software is that you can improve your business efficiency and keep both customers and employees happy.

 

Your business cannot and must not stand still and this is why it is important to always be looking at new ways of working that are better and more beneficial. The software can change and alter all of the time but if you get the best that you can afford and you get the software that is advantageous to your business then you will get a good return on investment and you will strengthen your business position.

Why Software Development Is Important For Expanding Your Business

It only makes sense that you’re always on the prowl for ways to keep your business relevant in a competitive market. New companies and even the old are busy getting their businesses online in this day and age. The benefits of transitioning to the digital space with software developed for your company far outweigh the costs that you’ll incur. The software that you develop for your business will help you immensely with productivity, customer experience, and process optimization.

With the increasing penetration of the internet deep into new and uncharted territories, the avenues for growth are endless. You can reach out to more potential customers since the majority of people are using mobile phones and web browsers to access the internet. In this opportune time, it’s up to you to utilize the opportunities presented. We’ll be taking a look at why software development can help your business grow.

1. Increased Scalability

Perhaps the greatest benefit of having software developed for your business is the scalability offered. You can expand and shrink your business according to your needs without having to overspend or compromise on the features. You can decide to add new features to your business anytime you feel like it’s growing fast and needs more bells and whistles to better serve your customers, or you can simply cut back on the features that are not needed and don’t serve any real purpose.

2. More Reach

You are extremely limited in your outreach if you don’t utilise the proper software to grow your business. When you have an online presence that’s optimised, you can grow your client base much more easily. Software that’s specifically developed for your business can help you out immensely, the specialists at https://apro-software.com/ say that web applications and mobile applications are some of the most widely used services. Integrating and utilising specialised additional tools like AI can help you increase your reach even more.

3. Customer Experience

In the world of business, the customer is the king and custom-developed software can help you serve them better. The user experience is something that most modern businesses focus on since it’s highly efficient at increasing your brand’s sales and recognition. If you can provide your customer with increased convenience and a pleasant user experience then you’ll be able to capture their loyalty which will keep them coming back for the same delightful experience. Not only will the newly developed software help your customer interact with your business better, but it’ll also help you to engage in a much more effective manner with your customer.

4. Better Integration

With the modular nature of modern software development it’s rather easy for you to integrate your services with additional features. You can integrate multiple offerings together which include payment gateways, analytics tools, artificial intelligence, and tracking tools. All of these tools might not be very useful individually but when you integrate these with the basic offerings, you can easily create a mighty impressive software that will offer an unmatched experience to your customers.

5. Cost-Effective

The biggest benefit of the rapid technological advancements seen in the IT industry is the reduced costs of every possible hardware or software service. The software that you get developed for your own business will be far more effective than any other generic ‘one size fits all’ software. The effectiveness will be clearly evident when you’ll see an increased turnover due to the implementation of the custom software. 

The investment will be rather small compared to other means that you can utilize for the advancement of your business like offline marketing or hiring full-time employees to do the jobs that software can easily automate. Seeing the steady decline in the prices of the software development services provided by many reputed developers, it’s safe to say that you’ll be making more money from the software than you’ll be investing in it.

The above-mentioned benefits of getting custom-developed software should be enough to make you stop and consider getting one for your own business. You should definitely seek out a software developer to help you create a customizable solution that will have immense benefits for your business. In this era of rapid advancements, if you don’t utilize the technological edge then your competitor will, and that means loss of your customers to the competition. 

It’s critical for you to get custom software developed for your business if you want to stay relevant and compete with the other contenders. If you don’t invest in software soon then it might be too late to do so later since your competitors will have already left you behind.

Are Sales Enablement Tools Worth it? Here’s how they can Benefit your Business

It should be a no-brainer that sales act as the most integral part of the pathway of improving the growth of your business. It is the aspect that requires most of your attention. It does not matter if your business is small, medium, or large-sized, its sales will directly correlate to the revenue generated. Sales can become the defining factor in which businesses will prosper and which of them will get devoured by the fast-paced, ever-changing market. The only business that can manage to come out at the top amidst all this rising competition is one that boosts its sales.

So, how can you boost your sales, you might ask? The answer is simple – with the help of a sales enablement tool. These programs help to provide your sales teams with all the right resources and modern technology that they would require to conduct their sales successfully. 

How does a Sales Enablement Tool Boosts Sales?

In order to conduct effective sales, all the successful companies of the world wish to provide their sellers with information regarding their customers. Sales enablement softwares makes this process significantly easier by creating a customer-centric environment to help the sales reps understand customers’ ambitions and motivations. Moreover, they keep track of all the data and changes in market trends to keep them aware of what approach they should take. This also helps you to make sure that your company’s sales always stay above a certain threshold by continuing the successful aspects of currently implemented strategies.

Another key aspect of a sales enablement software is its training program. When your sales reps are well-trained, they can predict the market better and perform in an optimised fashion. The tool helps to keep a schedule for such a training program where you can also keep a track of how much training is being done. New suggestions are put forward by these software’s as well, depending upon the effectiveness of the current programs.

Communication is the key to a department performing at its max potential. Hence, sales enablement tools provide a platform where your sellers, buyers, and even marketers can share information with one another. This information exchange can be performed in the form of questionnaires, feedback forms, and also content reports. It is kept well organised and easily accessible to all the relevant people.

Thus, a sales enablement software equips your sales team to handle any real-life scenarios that may occur during their trade deals.

Why is Sales Enablement Important?

In order to keep the consistency levels up, your sales team needs to close as many successful trade deals as possible. Providing them with the right resources, training, and counselling will increase their efficiency. After all, the ultimate goal is to perform in the ever-changing market trends.

So how can a sales enablement program help you increase your business revenue?

  • Boosting the interactions with customers:

When your sales reps have access to all the data regarding their product at their fingertips, and that too organized in an efficient manner, the customers are bound to get impressed! They can be persuaded much more easily if they can receive access to the content specific to their needs. These impressed and satisfied customers can then turn into returning customers in the future.

  • Saving time:

Sales enablement softwares takes control of all the repetitive mundane tasks of the sellers. They no longer have to focus on the monotonous activities, and instead can concentrate on more important tasks such as analysing the market and developing client relationships. Even the research work can be automated by the sales enablement tools.

  • Departments cooperating with each other:

Connecting the different departments together, especially the sales and marketing, means that the information exchange about the product performance and specifications can be performed quickly. This ensures that your business has a continuous flow of ideas and strategies between different branches.

Final Notes

Hence, it has been established that sales enablement programs are almost a necessity for your business in modern times. A rare gem among the heap of different software’s available is Content Camel which is a cloud-based tool that checks on all the requirements for a sales enablement software. This tool will not only help you maximise your current sales strategy but also pave a pathway for future advancements so that you too can enjoy the profits from a successful business.

How to Better Manage a Field Service Team

If you have a business in the service industry, there’s a big chance that some of your operations will extend beyond the office. As the business grows, you will have one or several teams out there in the field performing various tasks daily or occasionally depending on the current demands. Whether you are the manager or the owner, managing such a team can present a wide spectrum of challenges. 

For instance, it can be a bit daunting to tell whether all members of the team are at work in the required hours and are diligently performing their roles as stipulated in their employment contracts. Some might give themselves time off or not show up for work. It is even harder to keep track of progress and monitor performance on field service tasks when dealing with outsourced teams.

While all this can cause frequent headaches, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the trigger to your downfall. You can streamline field service operations and keep track of everything, provided you have focus and use the right approach. Without further ado, here are some tips on how to better manage a field service team.

1. Embrace Technology for Better Response and Delivery 

There is no lie in the fact that the world has changed greatly over the years, especially due to technological advancements. Most of these advancements are designed to save time and money while increasing convenience and reducing the manual effort spent. When managing a field service team, technology can help streamline processes and make the job easier for you.

If you guessed right, you need to embrace technology even more if your business is located in countries like China, the US, or the United Kingdom, where technological expertise is immensely utilized. If you are providing field services in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, or Scotland, field service management software in the UK can help ease your worries. The best part is that you don’t always have to be behind a desktop computer screen to utilize this software. You can get a version that is mobile compatible for better team management in real-time even while away from the office. A reputed field service management solution also comes with features like:

  • Job sheet management
  • Instantaneous job detail updates
  • Progress and time-tracking
  • Job location tracking
  • Productivity tracking
  • Inventory management
  • Real-time communication with customers
  • Real-time communication with team members
  • And much more

All these features can help make it easier for you to manage and monitor your field service team regardless of how far from the office they are.

2. Ensure Improved Communication

As a manager, your job is to act as the coordinator of the team. It is your job to make sure that the individual members of the team collaborate for efficient service delivery. A field service team will of course not be enclosed in a single room working towards a common goal. Maintaining collaboration in a team that is out there in the field requires effective and efficient communication. With that in mind, if you want to effectively manage such a team, you need to make sure communication between you as the manager and the team members is top-notch. Communication makes every member comfortable with each other and the management as well which in the end makes the execution of tasks more effective.

3. Have Clearly-Defined Operation Protocol in Place 

As a team with common goals, you have procedures you follow in service delivery. As a manager, you are tasked with making sure any delivered service should adhere to that protocol. To make this possible, every member of the team needs to clearly understand every relevant procedure. This reduces the amount of work you have to do as a manager and also increases the effectiveness of work execution. As a way of enhancing this, make sure that every member has access to this information from anywhere they are. This promotes service delivery in general.


4. Always Have a Back-Up Plan

Optimizing your service operations can improve customer satisfaction, save time, and minimize your scheduling headaches. One of the ways to do this is to be prepared with a backup plan in case anything goes wrong. For instance, you could consider having some members of the entire team on standby in case the ones in the field fail to deliver. This means conducting thorough research on the current demand of your services to balance it with your capacity. It also means being on the lookout when demand is on the rise so you know when to bring in the new force in case of delays. This helps improve efficiency for your team and the company at large.

In a field service business, the last thing you want is to violate contracts or consistently fail to meet the agreed deadlines between you and your customers. Keeping your customers waiting shows a lack of proper team management, which can be detrimental to the organization in the long run. Thankfully, the few tips above should help improve your team’s productivity and company performance.

4 Signs You’re Taking Your Monitoring Too Far

If you’re like most employers, you probably got the employee tracking app last year when everyone started working from home. We get it, you were in a completely new place, your entire team was suddenly working remotely, and it wasn’t easy managing everyone’s time and making sure people are staying productive.

And employee tracking software is amazing! It helps quantify and improve productivity, keeps you in the loop on your team’s usual activities, etc.

However, there are some lines you shouldn’t cross when using an employee tracking app.

Let’s see what they are.

Tracking Employees Without Their Knowledge

Monitoring employees’ computers in secret is only okay if you’re suspecting malpractice and you need to catch the perpetrator in the act. In most countries, this is the only time you’re allowed by law to monitor your team’s activities without their knowledge or permission. 

However, if you’re using the software so you could improve your business, you should give them a heads up. Depending on where you’re located, you might need to tell your employees a few weeks in advance, or even have them sign consent forms and create policies that exhaustively explain everything about your monitoring practices.

What can happen if you don’t do this? Well, your employees will find out at some point, leaving you open to lawsuits. Not only that, but you can expect that your workers will be outraged, potentially quitting your business and giving it a bad reputation.

Using the Tracking Software Outside of Working Hours

Depending on how you set up your employee tracking app, it might be monitoring your employees since they turn on their work computer until they turn it off. Or, they need to clock in and out. If you’re using the second option, you can move to our next tip. If you belong to the first group, keep reading.

There’s no scenario in which it is good to collect employees’ private data, even if they’re doing private things on their work computers. So, if you have an option to make the tracker active only during specific hours – use it. It will automatically start at 9 AM and turn off at 5 o’clock. This way, you’ll avoid potentially catching their Facebook newsfeed, private emails, or whatever else they decide to check after hours.

The same goes for tracking during breaks – your employees should have an option to pause the tracking when they go on a break.

Collecting Private Data

 

As we said, collecting private data isn’t okay in any case. But, how can you prevent this if your employee decides to scroll through social media or pay some bills during working hours? Well, it depends on the employee tracking app you’re using.

Ideally, you should have the option to either turn off tracking or turn off screenshots (if this feature is on in other cases) when your employees are browsing through the aforementioned websites. You’ll still probably want to know that they’ve spent some time on social media, but you don’t need to see what they were doing there.

Not Using the Data for Improvement

Collecting the data about employees’ everyday activities just for the sake of monitoring doesn’t make much sense. It’s a waste of time, money, and other resources. The reason why you implemented such software should be connected to your business goals, or to the improvement paths you’re creating for your teams or individuals.

Don’t go around “catching” employees who slack off for short time periods. Track their behavior on a weekly or monthly level, and see how that “slacking” affects their overall workload or deliverables. If they’re doing a good job – you don’t have to give them a lecture on how they use their time.

On the other hand, if you do see that such behaviour affects your worker’s performance – talk to them. Tell them that you’ve been reviewing their data, and how it doesn’t look so good. Work with them to find the cause of this issue, as well as the potential solutions.

Wrapping Up

It’s not that hard to use employee tracking software “the right way”. Essentially, all you have to do is avoid being a snooping micromanager and you should be good to go.