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5 tips to lower your printing costsYour growing printing expenditures may be the result of an over-dependence on paper files, the lack of an effective printing workflow, or obsolete printers. With some fresh ideas, clever problem-solving, and the following tips, you could significantly cut down your printing budget. Replace outdated printers Your outdated and cheap printers may meet the absolute minimum […]

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5 tips to lower your printing costs

Your growing printing expenditures may be the result of an over-dependence on paper files, the lack of an effective printing workflow, or obsolete printers. With some fresh ideas, clever problem-solving, and the following tips, you could significantly cut down your printing budget.

Replace outdated printers

Your outdated and cheap printers may meet the absolute minimum requirements, but they're taking a bit out of your IT budget.

Any piece of equipment that is five years old (or older) requires frequent repairs and causes more trouble than it’s worth. Because old printers are no longer under warranty, fixing them is costly and challenging. It’s also difficult to find replacement parts for old printers because manufacturers have stopped carrying them.

When you replace outdated equipment with newer, multi-functional upgrades, you’re investing in hardware that will pay for itself with increases in productivity and efficiency.

Avoid purchasing unnecessary supplies

A poorly managed printer environment will result in a stockpile of cartridges, toners, and reams of paper. This happens when, for example, an employee mistakes a basic malfunction for a lack of ink and then makes an unnecessary supply request. This is more common than you may think, and definitely more expensive.

In the absence of a dedicated printer manager, you can avoid this situation by automating supply replacement. Assign a point person to proactively place orders when supplies are about to run out, so one person is accountable for avoiding needless orders.

Impose strict process workflows

Submitting expense reports, filing trip reimbursements, and other administrative tasks require a proper document workflow. Without proper guidelines, employees and administrative staff end up printing unnecessary documents.

Automate your company’s document-driven processes to reduce or prevent redundant print jobs that result in stacks of abandoned documents. These print jobs aren't just wasteful, they're also a security and privacy concern.

Go paperless

Designing a document management solution that reduces paper consumption is an effective way to save money. It may not be possible in every department, but those who can do their jobs without printing should be either forced or incentivized to do so. Printing lengthy email chains that can be discussed in a meeting is just one example of a wasteful practice that should be avoided.

Reduce IT support calls for printing issues

Calling on an in-house IT technician to assist with problems like paper jams, printer Wi-Fi issues, and other concerns probably does more harm than good. You and your IT personnel could avoid dealing with these productivity killers by identifying the problem areas of your print environment. Then, you can work on solutions specific to your office, such as drafting a printing workflow or getting help from document management experts who can recommend time- and budget-saving solutions.

Partnering with experts to manage your IT workflow will make your day-to-day operations more efficient and save money on printing costs. Our experts will gladly recommend best practices and tips on document management. Call us today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Your business’s future is bright with VoIPVoice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a phone system that’s been around for over two decades. Though that may seem surprising, it actually makes sense because that’s about how long the internet has been mainstream, and VoIP needs an internet connection to function. Small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) should definitely consider VoIP if they want […]

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Your business’s future is bright with VoIP

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a phone system that’s been around for over two decades. Though that may seem surprising, it actually makes sense because that’s about how long the internet has been mainstream, and VoIP needs an internet connection to function. Small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) should definitely consider VoIP if they want to advance in the future.

First, we’d like to give you a quick rundown of what SMBs get from a robust VoIP calling plan today:

  • Convenience – It’s easy to manage.
  • Scalability – It’s even easier to expand.
  • Economy – Calls over the internet are cheap.
  • Portability – Access from anywhere with high-speed internet.
  • Efficiency – Attach emails, send e-faxes, conduct virtual meetings, etc.

These are the core qualities that make VoIP systems so beneficial to SMBs. But how will value propositions like these be affected by future telephony trends? Could advances in internet technology possibly have adverse effects on VoIP, or will the two continue moving in harmony?

Here’s how VoIP and the internet are changing the future of businesses today.

The cloud + VoIP

Many companies’ first step away from their traditional phone system is to a premise-based VoIP system. It’s a great option, but one that may not fully capture all the benefits of VoIP such as lower costs and easy expandability.

A better solution is “hosted VoIP.” Because your whole VoIP system is cloud-based, you have low upfront costs, lower maintenance costs, and the lowest hardware costs.

Social media + VoIP

Present-day online applications like Skype, Line, and WhatsApp deliver an internet-calling function as part of the package. They are the present-day syntheses of social media with VoIP functionality.

Today, you can program a chatbot to engage interested customers through Facebook, converse with them via an automated Q&A session to find out their needs, and end by inviting them to connect with your CSR via video chat. A VoIP/CRM integration could easily handle it, bringing you that much closer to potential clients and closed deals.

IoT + VoIP

The Internet of Things, or IoT, is a term given to the variety of devices, gadgets, vehicles, and household products transmitting information over the internet. Examples would be data from earthquake early-warning systems delivered to first responders, or your heart rate sent from a wearable heart monitor to your cardiologist’s office.

The IoT has the potential to coalesce with VoIP in many productivity-enhancing ways such as:

  • Notifications can be sent from your calendar app to your VoIP interface
  • Mobile-phone text messages can be programmed to drop into your VoIP mailbox
  • GPS information can be used to automatically update employee statuses on their VoIP extensions

The future of VoIP is already here. So if you think your business would benefit from a cutting-edge VoIP solution, give us a call today, over the internet or otherwise.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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7 Essential Office 365 add-onsMicrosoft Office 365 productivity applications like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, and Outlook have allowed businesses to meet client demands efficiently, and its numerous productivity add-ons have enabled users to deliver more in less time. Here’s a handful of Office 365 extensions that help you improve workflow. #1. Teams Teams is ideal for organizations that collaborate […]

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7 Essential Office 365 add-ons

Microsoft Office 365 productivity applications like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, and Outlook have allowed businesses to meet client demands efficiently, and its numerous productivity add-ons have enabled users to deliver more in less time. Here’s a handful of Office 365 extensions that help you improve workflow.

#1. Teams

Teams is ideal for organizations that collaborate frequently. It’s an instant messaging and document-sharing platform which seamlessly integrates with Office 365 programs and services. Users can create channels to work on projects, discuss topics, hold meetings, and more. And like similar programs such as Slack and Google Hangouts, Teams is customizable and accessible across mobile devices.

#2. Office Tabs

Office Tabs allows you to open multiple files in one window, which saves you from having to go through each opened document until you find the right one. It also lets you save or close the list of tabs in a single click, with an additional option to close everything except the active document. You can also directly rename files by clicking Rename, instead of going through the tedious process of clicking Save As and then changing the file name of each file.

#3. Grammarly

The last thing you want to send your clients is a confusing, poorly written email or document. Grammarly solves this by performing rigorous grammar, spelling, and plagiarism checks. It then provides vocabulary suggestions and recommends writing style changes to polish your writing further. This add-on is available in Word and Outlook, and its Premium counterpart is priced at $11.66 per month (annual plan).

#4. Pexels

Professional documents and presentations require high-resolution, blemish-free images, and Pexels helps you get them easily. Its free stock images are under a Creative Commons Zero license, meaning you can search high-quality images and use them in all your documents for any purpose with no legal repercussions.

#5. DocuSign

DocuSign for Outlook and Word lets you or a recipient securely sign a document electronically and send it through email, save it in the app, or store it in your company’s server. DocuSign complies with eSignature legal standards and is secured with end-to-end Digital Transaction Management, ensuring your files will never be leaked or breached.

#6. FindTime

Setting up a meeting time is tedious and difficult, especially if your employees have different schedules. FindTime scours every attendee’s schedule to locate open slots, and creates meeting time options for everyone to vote on. A meeting will then be scheduled according to whichever slot gets the highest vote within a specified amount of time.

#7. Translator

Businesses that deal with foreign companies will find communication much easier with Translator. This add-on recognizes and translates more than 50 different languages, including English, French, Spanish, and Chinese. Not only will you spend less time deciphering foreign-language documents, but you’ll also be able to work with clients from various parts of the world.

Start improving work productivity and make the most out of your Office 365 with Microsoft productivity add-ons. To get started or to learn more about Office 365, Microsoft add-ons, or anything Microsoft Office related, contact us today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Are you using these 6 Firefox features?Firefox is known for its versatility, a quality that only gets better with each new upgrade. But a feature is only good if you actually use it. Here are Firefox features that you can use to empower your business: Firefox’s secret tweak interface Catering to the more tech-savvy users, Firefox’s secret interface gives you a […]

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Are you using these 6 Firefox features?

Firefox is known for its versatility, a quality that only gets better with each new upgrade. But a feature is only good if you actually use it. Here are Firefox features that you can use to empower your business:

Firefox’s secret tweak interface

Catering to the more tech-savvy users, Firefox’s secret interface gives you a peek behind the curtain into the world of coding. This helps you make adjustments to improve browser performance.

Customize your toolbar

Choose which tools you want to see in your Firefox toolbar and maybe even discover new ones you haven’t heard of! Click on the menu button on the top-right corner and then click Customize. Drag and drop desired items into the toolbar, which is located along the address bar near the top of the browser page.

The master password

‘One can never be too safe’ is the mentality you should have every time you log on. Enter the master password. This acts like a key that unlocks all your vital passwords and information that could be detrimental if left exposed.

Create your own password by going to the menu button > Options > Privacy & Security. Then check the box next to “Use a master password” and follow the directions in the pop-up window.

Customize your own shortcuts

If Mozilla’s current shortcuts take too long to master, consider your problem solved. With the help of the Shortkeys add-on, you have the luxury to design your own shortcut sequences. No more confusion, no more time wasted.

URL autocomplete

To spare you the fuss of entering prefixes or suffixes, Firefox lets the new URL autocomplete feature do the work for you. For example, type in “wordpress” in the address bar followed by Ctrl + Enter (Mac: Command + Enter) and voila! Firefox fills in the www and the .com parts.

Firefox Send

This feature enables you to share files up to 1G in size. The files you send are encrypted for added security. Your recipient doesn’t even have to have an account — all they need is a password to receive your file.

Firefox is still developing and with the browser market becoming more and more competitive, there is no doubt that this smart tool will only become smarter and more versatile in the future.

If you want to discover new ways to make Firefox work for your business, just give us a call.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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