Zinc Blog

While there are plenty of ways that a business can cut costs in the long term, one very effective way that this can be accomplished is by adopting more paperless solutions and printing less. As an added bonus, these solutions are also better for the environment as a whole, as they reduce the amount of resources being expended to do business. Let’s go over a few ways that you could cut back on your business’ paper expenditures over time.

Whether your motives are financial, or you are actively trying to be more environmentally conscious in your business, there are plenty of ways to encourage ‘green’ behaviors in the workplace. We’ve taken the liberty of assembling a few of them for your consideration:

Some of the best technologies blend in with everyday life. For example, smart speakers are designed in a way to be both functional and inconspicuous. Conversely, some technology that you may have dismissed initially can present some serious benefits for your company. One of those technologies is the digital sign. 

Business processes and procedures are a key component of any successful company. There are plenty of examples of businesses that have literally been built on the practices that they have implemented. We’ll go over a familiar example here, and how you can start to tighten up your own processes.

Your business email is a very useful tool, if used properly. Unfortunately, there are plenty of ways that your email can also serve as a major time sink. For this week’s tip, we wanted to explore a few ways to help keep email useful, rather than distracting and stressful.

If your business is in retail, you’re going to need technology that makes it easier to function. In many cases a Point-of-Sale (POS) system--or a Point-of-Purchase system--is the right tool. The POS system looks as though it is a common device you would see in most retail or service businesses. POS platforms are available for more than just retail businesses, but it is in retail that the solution really shines. Today, we’ll take a look at the benefits a POS system will bring your company and how to ensure that your solution is right for your business.

There are a lot of words that a business owner doesn’t like to hear. One of the worst? Downtime. While this word may seem essentially harmless at first glance, it signifies a much larger range of issues. Here, we’ll examine how to calculate the impact of a downtime event.

Productivity is a core component of any business endeavor, but unfortunately it is often difficult to stay productive with the immense amount of distractions that intercede. In order for anyone to maintain productivity, they need tools aligned with the tasks they are presented. For the modern business, management software has connected most of a business’ core processes to streamline workflows for most people. The use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms keep people in the groove longer, while also providing management metrics designed to give them an idea about how their business is functioning.

In today’s highly competitive business environment, any advantage that you can claim will be useful to you. One big advantage you should seek to have is a trusted and reliable resource you can turn to so they can help you manage your IT solutions, consulting you on your business’ future in terms of its technology.

For all the paperless solutions that are available, we understand that some businesses still rely on printed hardcopy documentation. This doesn’t mean, however, that there aren’t ways that you can optimize your printing habits, saving your business a pretty penny in the process.

The average business has a lot that management needs to keep an eye on. Closely monitoring some aspects of yours can help you to secure it, while promoting your productivity. Let’s review a few of these aspects to help you direct your attention to the important facets of your operations.

Have you ever heard someone refer to an activity as “yak shaving?” Also known as “bikeshedding,” this is effectively a way to describe a specific kind of procrastination. For this week’s tip, we’ll explore how a freshly barbered yak relates to your business’ productivity, and how to keep you and your employees on the right track.

If there’s a single concept that modern businesses are being built around, that concept would have to be collaboration. Group effort and communication are increasingly central to the workflows of today - but there is more to collaboration than just these features. Here, we’ll review what the term collaboration really means, and how it can be leveraged in all its forms.

Let’s face facts - you went into business to serve a need that you saw the market lacking. What you didn’t do is go into business to repeatedly have to shift your focus and fix whatever was going wrong with the technology you require to serve that need effectively. Many businesses are in the same boat, which is why managed service providers like us offer remote monitoring and management services.

“Half the time men think they are talking business, they are wasting time.” - E.W. Howe

Do you know how much time is wasted in your business? Despite the appearance your employees may have of busy productivity, a study from the Harvard Business School strongly suggests otherwise. How is this possible, and how can it be fixed? Let’s find out.

There are quite a few factors that can lead to boosted productivity, but unfortunately, the opposite is also true. Your business’ productivity can be hampered by a variety of issues. Below, we’ll review some sources of productivity deficits, and how these deficits can be eliminated.

Managed IT services are a great way to make your small business take advantage of a smaller budget while still getting all of the services that are critical to everyday success. One of the best ways you accomplish this is by using proactive maintenance to ensure unforeseen issues are accounted for. If a managed service provider only solved issues after they appeared, then it wouldn’t be any different from your typical break-fix IT solution. We take proactive measures to save your business in the long run.

The Internet of Things has verifiably exploded in popularity in almost every conceivable fashion, as was more or less expected before 2018. What can we expect from the IoT in 2019? We’ve compiled a few predictions.