Small Business News

Today’s customers are more demanding than ever. They want:

All these things will become commonplace for customer service in the future… The problem is customers want them now. Manual processes and disconnected systems just aren’t suitable to meet the increasing demands, and what this all boils down to is this: Your business can’t be successful without a complete tech solution.

The customer experience is more important than price.

Think for a minute about companies you particularly love — maybe Amazon, Virgin, Zappos, or any number of other companies — and chances are they have one thing in common: a great customer experience. Service and support have become differentiators, and t

The new payment integration between PaySimple and Profit Rhino will remove many of the obstacles home service businesses face when trying to accept payment in the field.

Plumbers, electricians, gardeners and handymen are all examples of the home service businesses keeping homes up and running when something goes wrong. But the way in which they bill and collect for the services they provide is in most cases not optimized for today’s digital world. The partnership between PaySimple and Profit Rhino will make payments possible no matter where these home service providers are working.

In most cases, home service companies are small businesses operating without new payment technologies. But as consumers move away from cash, checks and even credit cards in some cases, the latest technology has to be part of the overall payment system a business has in place.

David Sharp, President of PaySimple, said in a recent press release, “Our integration allows contractors to get paid on-the-spot, enjoying vastly accelerated cash flow and improving the experience for the homeowner.”

PaySimple is a service commerce platform for businesses with a single end-to-end solution which allows them to do everything from acc

Take Your Dog to Work Day is June 22.  Small Business Trends spoke with spokesperson Beth Stultz about the 7 best practices for bringing Fido to the office and the good the event does.

“Pet Sitters International (PSI) created Take Your Dog to Work Day in 1999 as a unique way to celebrate the great companions dogs make and promote their adoptions. 2018 marks the 20th annual celebration,” she said adding there’s a free downloadable toolkit available here.

Almost everyone loves dogs, but not always at the office. The first step to a successful event is checking to make sure you don’t work with people who are afraid of, allergic to, or just generally opposed to you bringing your dog to work.

“Be respectful of those you work with and plan an alternate celebration, if necessary,” Stultz says.

Is Lassie nervous around new people? Does Rover get a little shy and defensive when there’s a crowd? Keep in mind if you dog has been aggressive or fearful around strangers before it might

In-home service providers, especially those providing telecom installation, need to give customers a better timetable about when they plan to visit and then be sure to show up on time. Those are just some of the findings of a study focusing on customer perceptions of the industry.

The first J.D. Power U.S. Telecom In-Home Service Technician Study was recently released, and it reinforces how most customers already feel about on-site service technician visits. The survey provides some valuable insights into what an in-home service business should — and should not — do.

In the study, J.D. Power evaluated the perceptions customers have of onsite technician when they come to provide a service. The services included installation and post-install service of residential wireline products such as high-speed data, phone, and TV.

For small businesses providing in-home services, the data this study has revealed can be used to establish policies and implement measures to deliver uniform and consistent service. This will ensure expectations are met in getting the job done while delivering great customer service.

In a

Thinking about selling online? Or perhaps you’re already selling online and are looking to expand your ecommerce offerings with a new product line? Either way, what do you sell to make the maximum amount of sales and optimum profits?

To give you a nudge in the right direction, take a look at the following 15 most popular products to sell online.

Being expected to grow by as much as 2.01%, maternity wear would be a good choice of products to sell on the internet. What’s great about becoming a maternity wear brand is that you can easily extend your product range to other related items, such as babywear and even pregnancy health and wellbeing products. If you’ve already had a baby, you might want to start your own maternity wear online store by selling your own second-hand maternity clothes.

As video games tend to be pricey, consumers often turn to independent sellers to pick up a bargain. If you’ve got an eye for a good game, try your luck at buying and selling video games. Even the old retro Amiga and Amstrad games from the 80