Posts Tagged ‘knowledge base’
Mobile Applications Growth
December 7, 2010 | 
Author There has been an explosion in apps for mobile devices over the past few years. Spearheading this assault on the minds and pocketbooks of mobile users are a myriad of apps for managing most aspects of one’s personal life. Personal apps run the gamut from those enabling the purchase of movie tickets, social networking, GPS navigation, managing multimedia, and much more.
While this explosion has undoubtedly occurred on the personal side of mobile device interaction, it seems a more sedate pace has taken place on the business side of things. While many providers have released mobile apps for such things as Sales CRM or even GPS mapping for the dispatch of technicians, mobile apps have not become as prevalent in the business world.
The Information Economy has seen the advent of the dissolution of the difference between the private and the business realms. The ability to do pretty much anything anywhere has seen a convergence of what we consider ‘work’ and what we consider ‘personal.’ Business apps on mobile devices may only further accelerate this convergence.
Despite potential social ramifications, developers might instead think in terms of the huge gains in productivity this enables business users and deliver more options for work related tasks.
Novo Solutions | www.novosolutions.com
Posted in Knowledge Base | 
Tags: applications, CRM, knowledge base, knowledge management, mobile | 
No Comments »
Preparing for Disaster – Knowledge Management
Being situated on the East Coast of the US, we are no strangers to the effects of hurricanes and tropical storms. As of today we are watching hurricane ‘Earl’, which is slated to bring us bad weather at the very least –and hopefully nothing worse. But as cautioned, we take the time around here to be prepared for the worst….just in case.
Nobody likes to have to think about disaster preparedness, but among other catastrophic losses, it can mean the difference between your business making it or going under with ‘the storm’. Critical company knowledge must be retained and readily accessible to return your business to its ‘normal’ operating state as quickly as possible.
Examples of critical knowledge are:
- Employee knowledge – employees may not be able to get to work; others may need to perform their tasks. Documented knowledge empowers others to step in and do essential jobs.
- Emergency procedures – this is critical to every business. Having documented emergency procedures for physical facilities, customer/employee care, financial, and organizational management will not only help reduce crisis, but for some businesses may reduce injury and harm (not to mention law suits).
- Legal Documentation – copies of tax and legal documents, licenses, warranties, insurance documents, etc.
- Business recovery – document what is involved in restoring your business to normal conditions, such as employee communications, customer communications, and data communications (logins/passwords, setting up computers/servers, etc.).
It is essential that the knowledge is web-based, so that it is accessible everywhere. You may not be able to get to your physical building….anything stored there may be useless if you cannot access it. In addition, if you are prepared you have more to offer the community (who may not be as prepared). This is one way we can all support one another.
So take the time to ensure your business is prepared for any unexpected disaster, whether it be hurricane, flood, fire, or earthquake. You have invested so much of your time and resources building your business….ensure you are protecting your investment.
For informationon our knowledge management software see: http://www.novosolutions.com/knowledge-management-software
Posted in Knowledge Base | Tags: crisis management, knowledge base, knowledge management | No Comments »
What is Normal Anyway? – Customer Support Software Solutions
It seems like here at Novo Solutions we are always telling everyone how our software helps organizations ‘Do more with less’. More tasks in less time – More information sharing with less fall through – More productivity with less manpower. Well, this mindset seems to be the trend in businesses today.
With recent economic challenges organizations across the globe have had to make [sometimes drastic] manpower cuts. Many of us have found ourselves working harder and smarter than ever before. And while recent reports show many businesses producing second quarter profits – still businesses are not hiring and thus unemployment is not going down? Why is this? Businesses are learning to work ‘leaner’ – and economists are projecting that this may continue to be the case for awhile, as we are all mindfully sober of the vulnerable business climate of these times.
As you find yourself ‘still having to do more than less’, take the time to review all of your internal processes. Consider implementing solutions that automate common tasks and improve efficiency in your organization. As some economists say – this is the ‘New Normal’ …at least for the meantime.
For more information on the Novo Solution’s suite of support products please visit our website – www.novosolutions.com
Grow Your Novo App
January….it’s that time of year to take a thoughtful look at your tools and procedures to see where performance can be improved. We recommend you take a good look at your Novo software.
Many people purchase our software for an initial purpose and later learn that it can do so much more. For some this means adding modules to increase functionality within a single department while for other is means rolling it into other departments. Here are some ways to grow your Novo App to get the most out of it:
-
Check out our companion modules: The scalability of our software allows many of the tools to be used independently, but used together you can have a powerhouse of functionality. Give us a call and we can show you how adding modules can streamline tasks and save you time.
- Invite other departments in: The software you are using to manage IT requests works great in Human Resources, as well as other departments. Flexible permission settings allow each department to keep their data secure, and your company will be saving money managing a single app.
- Grow your administrator base: Need more administrator licenses? Adding more administrators to your existing app is just a phone call away.
We are committed to your continued success. Please give us a call for a free evaluation of how you are using your Novo software and suggestions on ways to improve your processes.
Don’t lose valuable company knowledge in a crisis!
It seems everyone was taken back by the upheaval that the volcano in Iceland has brought to the airline industry; stranded passengers, lost revenue, not to mention the chaos still to unfold when flights resume. Of all of the scenarios that airlines have to plan for I am sure this is one that they never saw coming. These events make us all take a look at our own businesses?
What if your business had a crisis tomorrow? What if you couldn’t operate – or had to cease operations and then resume after an extended period. Would your managers and employees know what to do? Where to go? Who to call?
Of course we are all taught to have an action plan in place in the event of a crisis – that is good business. Having solid, documented procedures in place can make the difference between your business surviving or not, not to mention maintaining client relationships after an unexpected event.
Organizing emergency procedures into a searchable, knowledge management system serves as a ‘go to’ place for employees to get information in a crisis. Important policies and procedures can be placed there for both present and future potential use. Emergency information can be documented and kept private, until management makes it available for departmental or even public viewing. Having a centralized repository improves communication, reduces chaos and ensures that vital information is effectively dispersed.
You have insurance for your business infrastructure…..knowledge management is insurance for your most valuable asset…your company knowledge!
For information on the Novo Knowledge base please contact us!http://www.novosolutions.com/knowledge-base-software/
Posted in Help Desk Software, Knowledge Base | Tags: crisis management, knowledge base, knowledge management | No Comments »
Tame Your Support Issues with Novo Customer Support Software
You know what they say about March – in like a lion…out like a lamb. This reminds me of some of our customers and the problems that we help them solve with our solutions.
They call us because of the wild……important knowledge spread all over the place, unable to be easily located or searched. Inefficient manual requests for issue tracking, with details and timelines falling through the cracks. Assets spread about with no record of ‘what’ is ‘where’. Yes, it makes for a ‘wild’ environment.
At Novo we tame the lion. Knowledge gets organized into a central, searchable repository. Requests are logged, tracked and executed within a single tracking system. Managers can run reports and know exactly where all of their assets are located. Very quickly operations are streamlined and efficiency is improved.
With support running smoothly operations look more like a lamb; gentle, smooth, passive. But under the hood – is a powerful tracking system keeping it all together.
Contact us if you would like us to tame your lion. We can have you up and running well before the month’s end.
Provide transparency with the Novo Knowledge Base
Transparency is back in the news, as the US government is moving towards a more transparent relationship with its citizens. Perhaps you are experiencing the shift towards transparency in your own business. If you are not yet, we believe it is coming your way – either through public demand or through regulation. So what can you do now to get prepared?
Your Novo software has some great built in tools to improve transparency. The Novo Knowledge Base is a great tool for storing and managing your company information. Perhaps you are only using it internally now. With its flexible settings, you can also use it as a public facing tool to provide valuable information to your customers. Security settings allow you to determine which groups get to see what information – so private information is kept secure.
The knowledge base workflow tool allows you to automate processes so that you can easily review, change, and manage feedback on articles – saving time and improving efficiency.
On the help desk side of the Novo software the workflow tool allows for easy communication with customers by providing the ability to ask questions within the system. Once a question is posed, help desk workflows kick in to route the question to the appropriate department for response. The workflow automation pushes the request through the system, so you are not wasting manpower by having to manually route information internally.
We are always making improvements to the Novo software to keep up with technology and the changing times. Contact us of you would like more information on any of our software applications.
Posted in Knowledge Base | Tags: knowledge base, knowledge management, transparancy, transparency | No Comments »
How does your company manage internal policies and procedures?
As regulations and accountability are on the increase, organizations everywhere are taking a closer look at how they manage their internal documentation. This is not only beneficial for internal efficiency, but also for accountability if disclosure is required or called upon.
Best Practices Include:
- A central repository to hold important information
- High searchable functionality
- Ability for management to review any changes or revisions to documentation
- Ability to archive and review all previous versions of any document (policy)
- Secure settings which allow personnel to see only the level of security they are permitted to view
- Security of content – from internal or external sources
Knowledge Base Software is a great tool to manage your internal documentation. For a limited time the Novo Knowledge base software is only $2010. Please contact us for a free trial.
Posted in Knowledge Base | Tags: change management, change management software, knowledge base, knowledge management, privacy act, transparency | No Comments »
Knowledge Management Wisdom from the groundhog!
Wouldn’t it be nice to know if the ‘economic winter’ has passed and spring is on its way? It would help us with our hiring decisions, production, spending, and more. After all, success is in taking ‘the right risks’ at ‘the right time’ and giving ear to the season.
We may not know yet if we are in the positive recovery phase the news reports that we are – or if the business climate will stay ‘chilly’ for a while longer, but one thing is for sure - almost all of us have been impacted by this ‘winter’ season in our business. We have some thawing out to do – some cleaning up and reorganizing of our business plans – and for some even starting over.
Either way we encourage you to get your ‘knowledge’ in order. Having company knowledge in a central place is essential for any business climate. Through March 31, 2010 the Novo Knowledge Base is only $2010.00. If you would a like ‘no hassle’ demo or a free 30 day trial to test it out please contact us.
Gearing up for 2010
Well, here we are – another Christmas passed and making plans for 2010. This last year and decade have certainly passed quickly. Seems like we were just working our way through Y2K concerns – now we have seen the rise of a new expression of relating (Social Media), phones that can do amazing things (and virtually everybody has a cell phone now), affordable electronics boasting incredible advances, and the ability to find most anything on the Internet. So what will the next decade bring? At the rate at which technology is accelerating one can only imagine.
How do you prepare for the changes to come – and how do you position your business for the changing climate? None of us has a magic ball to see the future - we are all in the same boat – making our plans, and modifying them as technology brings about changes.
We do know one thing….knowledge and time will continue to be very valuable commodities. So as you prepare and launch your plans for 2010 and the decade ahead, we encourage you to remember the lessons learned from the past.
Tracking and storing company knowledge in a knowledge base continues to be a huge asset for many companies. Keeping a central repository of organizational information – that is easily retrievable – will save time and aid in future decision making. If you are in need a good knowledge base, give us a call and you can try ours for free.
We wish you all the best in 2010…godspeed as you navigate this next decade! We’ll be right beside you!