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Can Microsoft Save Itself, Or Is It Too Late?
Even as a self-confessed Microsoft fan boy, I have to admit that Windows Vista is one catastrophe that a $300 million advertising campaign can’t save. Here’s why …
Why Multitasking is a Waste of Time
You often hear people extolling the virtues of multitasking: you get more done, It’s the way of the future.
Balls.
Multitasking is great if you want to fill your time doing a lots of things not very well, over a long period of time. Sure you can: flicking between checking your email, Twittering, writing a report, trying a new web app and chatting on Facebook. Are you busy? Probably. Are you productive? Probably not.
As I see it, there are two key problems here:
- Doing non essential tasks
Due to procrastination and self-distraction you are putting off certain tasks, by doing everything else but, the task you are supposed to be doing. - Task switching
The other often overlooked issue is that of task switching — moving between one task and another. This is the issue I want to draw your attention to in this post.
Task switching
Your conscious mind effectively works like a single thread processor. We do things best in a linear fashion. One thing followed by another. Multitasking is like trying to make yourself a multithread processor. Unfortunately, evolution hasn’t caught up yet, so you are stuck with your good old fashioned single thread brain. Sure you can sort of do multitasking, but …
Get Out and Boogie on the Customer Service Dance Floor!
One part of my role at SitePoint is to manage our Customer Support team. I often refer to this team as being “on the dance floor” with our visitors and customers, while as managers we’re just “sitting on the balcony”.
There’s no prize for second best!
At SitePoint we’re blessed with an ability to get great insight on what people think. We have a great forum, customers review our products all the time, I’ve mentioned Twitter before, there’s Google news and so on…
One style of coverage that very hard to miss is when your compared against the competition. What’s even harder to ignore is when you’re ranked number 1!
So what does this tell us? Perhaps that just one person, on one blog thinks we are the best, or maybe that generally we’re heading in the right direction.
The real lesson here is that you must find time in your day to actively seek and listen to what your customers are saying. Look for trends and be prepared to change. At the end of the day if you’re offering a product or service, what YOU think doesn’t matter. It’s your customers that will ultimately drive success.
For Sale: Web Application - Unused
It seems to me that web applications market is heading for its very own dot com-esque bust. The basic ingredients are all there, VCs investing huge amounts of money in start ups. A general air of: if you build it, they will come. Then (of course) Google, Yahoo! or Microsoft will buy it. Underlying all the hype there seems to be an increasing number of start-ups going to the wall. Why? A few of the reasons (IMO) are:
- they are incredibly niche
- they are frivolous and of little practical use
- their revenue models are fundamental flawed
New web apps are launching because VCs are throwing money at new startups in the hope that they will get in on the ground floor of the next Facebook or YouTube, and therefore, be part of the next billion dollar sale. A lot of these startups seem to be missing the most basic business principle of — making money! I’m all for startups, but if you are going into business it should be about building a product that can stand on its own two feet without being bought out by one of the big three.
A lot of the current wave of web apps are just time wasters – …
Freelancing: Handling the Midnight Client Call
One point that came up from my last post (3 Golden Rules For Working From Home) was; how to handle phone calls during and after normal business hours, whilst working from home. There are three basic scenarios:
1. Client call during work hours
Pick up the phone. Using voice mail has its place after hours, but during work hours: pick up the phone. An answering machine says to a client – I’m not here and that (in a client’s mind) can translated to, you being unreliable and you don’t care about their business. Think of it this way: a client takes an extra (perceived) risk using you — a freelancer — as you are not as ‘safe’ to use as a company. Therefore, it is vital that the client ‘feels the love’ and can speak to you during business hours. This helps to reassure them that their business is safe in your hands and you are not some ‘fly by night’ amateur.
2. Personal calls during Work hours
It is pretty standard for your mates or family to call you during work hours at home, and it is an issue you will need to deal with sooner, rather than later. Friends and family …
3 Golden Rules For Working From Home
One of the great things about working from your own home is freedom. Freedom to start work when you want, wear what you want and work the hours that you want. Right? Well actually, probably not.
In reality working from home doesn’t work like that –- well not in my experience anyway. You usually end up working normal business hours plus a few more to boot (though you may still be in your PJs).
Expectations
The main problem with working from home is everyone’s expectations.
- your expectations
- your family and friends expectations
- your clients’/ employer’s expectations
All these expectations create their own pressures that lead to longer working hours and a less than perfect work/life balance. To keep your working hours and sanity in order, these expectations need to be managed and managed carefully.
Your Expectations
When you first start working from home you might think life is going to be all rosy — late starts, time to do all those things during the day you would not normally get time to do. Then, reality strikes: if you want to successfully work from home. You are going to have to work. Then, there are insidious extra pressures that come …
Save the Planet and Save Cash
Now there are lots of good reasons to be more “green”, saving the planet, moral obligation, yadda, yadda, yadda. But, let’s get a bit selfish here — what’s in it for me and my business? I mean, of course there is the feel good factor about doing the “right” thing, but what about saving some cold hard cash?
As it turns out (not too surprisingly), being a bit “green savvy” with your hardware purchases can save you a fair amount of power and money. So, before you buy your next computer here are a few handy resources to help make your decision:
- The Electronic Product Environmental Asset Tool can help you discover the most environmentally sound desktop, laptop and monitor.
- The energy star rating.
- Calculate the savings in terms of money, C02, trees and cars (Excel Spreadsheet).
- Investigate the efficiency of you power supplies at 80 Plus.
- Calculate your server efficiency using the SWaP (Space, Watts and Performance) metric.
You can also check how your current computer performs, using power management tool like LocalCooling for Windows or monitor your CO2 output on OSX using SusiClimate (both free).
Being energy smart with your next computing purchase will save you money. Go on. Save some cash and help …
Are Your Customers Promoting You?
In this post I am going to discuss, how going that extra mile with customer service can make a big difference to the bottom line of your businesses.
Recently the exhaust broke on my car. I needed to get it fixed, but where? Did I take it to the nearest or cheapest place?
Nope. I took it to the place that had repaired the exhaust on my old car 4 years ago — 115 miles (185km) away. Why?
Customer service.
Last time I went there, not only did they do a first class job with the exhaust, but they also went the extra mile with customer service.
- they stayed open past their normal closing time, so we could pick up the car (as we were running late)
- they fixed another minor issue at the same time for no extra charge
- they were friendly and customer centered
- they made the tiresome irritation of a broken exhaust into a positive experience
- they even made our little boy’s day by letting him have a go with a remote control car
At the end of the day - I, as the customer was made to feel special and not like a “walking wallet”. They did what they said they would do …
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