PathFinderTom

Those of you who hate calling HRIS System technical support departments please raise your hand. I stopped typing for a second so I could raise mine. Look, I am a fairly technical guy but yes, even I hate calling HRIS systems tech support departments. We all do. Sometimes I get the people who think I am stupid. You know, the “Is your computer and monitor turned on?” people. A few times I have actually said “Look, I know you are reading a script of steps and questions. Let’s assume I am not a complete moron and let’s skip to step ten.” Then there are the times I get the opposite extreme where the tech support guy seems to believe I am mister tech wiz and starts speaking a language I am completely unfamiliar with. “I would answer your question if I had any clue what you were talking about.” Frankly, I am getting frustrated just thinking about calling a tech support department. I am thinking about the last time I had to call Microsoft. I have to call them today for something else.

After this little rant, you might find it amusing that I started my career in HRIS systems working in a HRIS system technical support department. If you think you are frustrated during these calls, trust me, the guy or gal on the other side of the line is just as frustrated or maybe even more so. I was required to work in support for six months before transferring to another position and that is exactly what I did. Tech support is a job that wears on you. It’s hard to go home chipper when all day long people have been telling you that your HRIS system does not work. Be nice to the human resource technical support people of the world; they have a hard job. Sometimes even I forget.

These are some of the reasons that people, all of us, hate talking to HRIS system tech support departments; but what is the alternative? If you try the tips I have laid out below, you will be surprised how often you can answer your own questions or correct problems without having to go to tech support. Even if you have to call tech support, you are more informed about the problem and will be able to more accurately describe your problem than had you not researched the solution.

HRIS System Help Files – Pretty much any HRIS system you will use offers help files. Most of the systems I have viewed or tested offer extremely detailed help files. Use these; there is a lot of information in these tools.

Online HRIS system Knowledge Databases – Not all HRIS companies offer these but if your HRIS system provider does, I highly recommend accessing the service. A knowledge base is an online database of issues related to your application. You simply type a question, problem or error code and a list of the most likely answers is provided. It’s likely that when you call tech support, they will use this exact tool to resolve your issue.

Test the problem – Being a good HRIS systems support person really involves testing problems to determine the answer. If you are good at deductive reasoning or enjoy a good puzzle, this is the job for you. Let’s say, for example, you are having problems printing a report. The first question I would ask or test is if this is only happening on one computer. If it is, then it is likely a local computer problem, not a software issue. If not, then the next question is “What has changed since the printing worked?”.

Most HRIS systems will come with a sample company specifically for the purpose of allowing you to test a make believe company instead of your live data. Let’s say you want to test a new benefit or test using a mass update feature. A sample company can work great in this example. You may also find that if you need to setup a new benefit plan, a very similar plan may already be created in the sample company for you to copy from.

Closing

The big message I tried to relay with this article is calling HRIS system tech support departments does not have to be a hassle. If you research and try to solve the problem before calling tech support, you will find you will understand far more about your problem and in the end you will be far more proficient with the application.

Clay C. Scroggin has over fifteen years of experience in the human resources software industry. Clay is currently the President and owner of http://www.CompareHRIS.com – a web site dedicated to assisting HR professionals with their search, selection, implementation and use of HR software.
Comparehris.com offers an extremely comprehensive HRIS selection tool, http://www.Comparehris.com/survey/ to assit you with your HR software selection process.

Anyone who has ever had to deal with a company’s technical support team knows that good technical support is invaluable. This holds true for home inspection software companies. Before a home inspector purchases a program to use as their reporting software, it is important to check out the technical support that is offered. This article is going to discuss some things to keep in mind when investigating.

Methods of Contact

When a home inspector is in need of technical support, how are they able to contact their software’s technical support staff? Good technical support will allow a home inspector to reach them with a variety of methods. The two most important methods to a home inspector are going to be by phone and email. If an inspector is in the field during an inspection and they run across an issue, they need technical support ASAP. They don’t have time to wait for a response. Good tech support should be available by phone on all normal business days. They should provide a live, friendly person that can quickly troubleshoot the issue and get the home inspector back on track. The last thing an inspector wants is to call a number and go to a general company voicemail and have to wait for help until they get called back.

Home inspectors may also have questions about their inspection reports, and in these cases, it is often easiest to contact the support staff by email. This way the inspector can include any attachments needed to make troubleshooting easier. Email is also great when an inspector has a question after business hours. Good tech support will answer all emails in a timely manner so that the inspector is not left waiting.

Other Methods of Technical Support

Phone and email contact are extremely important, but there are other ways a tech support staff can help their clients. Good tech support will give their clients the tools they need to educate themselves. They can do this by posting information to their website, such as step by step How To guides, video tutorials, FAQ’s, webinars and more. This kind of information can help a home inspector by giving them a visual to better understand what they’re trying to do. It also gives inspectors a place to go to look for answers when they may not be able to contact their software provider immediately, such as on the weekend. These online tools allow inspectors to find the answer they are looking for on their own, and educate themselves in the process.

Software Updates

Software updates are a big part of any home inspection software. It is important that the company is constantly working on updates to fix any issues and add additional features. Good technical support should offer the updates on their website so the client has easy access to them. They should also be willing to help a client download and install the latest update to whichever device they may be using.

Good technical support can make all the difference when working with a software company. Any home inspector looking for software should do their homework and check out the tech support team before buying. If an inspector is out in the field when they have an issue with their software and they are with a client, they will be happy they took the time to research and know that they have good technical support waiting to help.

To get started with Palm-Tech Home Inspection Software visit Palm-Tech.com for a free demo. Also, go ahead and test out their excellent technical support staff. Palm-Tech Home Inspection Software is the perfect software for any home inspector looking for something Fast, Flexible, and Easy!

Businesses are often faced with the purchase or development of major software systems. We often refer to major business systems as “enterprise software” or “workflow” or “process automation.” There are many varieties of these big systems, but what they all have in common is that they represent unique challenges, especially to businesses which don’t have their own software project teams (which most don’t). We distinguish enterprise software from commonplace business applications, such as web browsers, email, and office suites – as well as from specialty applications such as CAD/CAM, video, animation, and so on. Both the commonplace and specialty applications are generally personal productivity tools or high-powered workstation products.

In contrast, enterprise software interconnects individuals and systems and orchestrates their activities. Unlike conventional applications, individual users may have completely different experiences when they interact with enterprise software, as the tools, information, and capabilities they work with will be tailored to their roles and positions in the larger process. However, generally the user interfaces, though varied, run on conventional personal computers (not high-powered workstations), sometimes in web browsers. What makes enterprise software a challenge is not (necessarily) its vast number of features, huge processing power, or complex algorithms. Rather, it is challenging because of its highly interconnected nature tied to large-scale operations and major processes, and also because it is deployed in a unique business environment and must interact and integrate with pre-existing systems and databases. Therefore, it almost always requires a custom perspective, and can be very difficult for organizations to plan without expert guidance.

There is a gap in expertise that often happens when organizations plan large-scale software. (Large-scale is relative to the size of the organization, and even small companies can face these challenges, especially if they gain competitive edge through unique processes.) If the organization lacks internal resources to develop the system, it will first identify software vendors or consulting companies, and then will hire them, purchase systems, or both. In some cases the organization will hire new employees or contract workers to staff the project. These are all big decisions, with a lot at stake and high expectations for positive results and return-on-investment. However, the organization may not have adequate internal expertise to perform the due diligence necessary to make the best choices.

This is a chicken-and-egg problem, because the real expertise only arrives once the big financial commitment is made, which is too late to help the business when making the commitment — and too late to ensure wise use of its internal resources in the planning stages. Often high level managers put in large amounts of time and effort in the preliminary system planning. Much of this effort may be wasted or only marginally effective – and worse, can result in very poor technology selection, and ultimately a failed system, or else one that is overpriced and underperforms.

The traditional RFP (Request for Proposal) illustrates the problem. RFPs are often used to solicit proposals for big, custom jobs. Yet they are often of very poor quality, and may omit critical pieces. This is a recipe for a disgruntled client and a disgruntled consultant. Organizations may have technical people (such as the IT staff), but often these are not the individuals putting together the RFPs. Instead, the department managers write them.

There is a technology professional we refer to as the Tech Advisor or Tech Advocate, who offers a genuine alternative, and can fill the gap. Tech advisors do not generally come in as total solutions providers – not because they are lacking in qualifications, but because they choose to do advisory work as their service. What’s more, they can and will come in for a short engagement, before major planning is done and the big decisions are made. Since they typically only represent a small commitment of the organization’s time, money, resources, they can usually be hired without the extensive screening required of the ultimate solutions providers, who represent big budget items.

Tech advisors can assist with early project planning and technology selection, and make them both more efficient and effective. In fact the time and energy high level managers can save because they have the expert support will often more than pay the total cost of bringing an advisor on board in the early stages. Moreover, the tech advisor’s role will ensure that the results of that planning are truly useful for the incoming solutions provider, and that the solution laid out in the plans will be an optimal fit for the organization’s needs, goals and priorities.

A tech advisor is more than just a software expert. The profile includes a number of other characteristics, such as communications skills, project management experience, leadership abilities, enjoyment in working with a range of people, creativity, and a history of solving problems and thereby enabling companies to get out of precarious situations and move forward. Tech advisors generally have at least twenty years of experience in software, with diverse backgrounds spanning a variety of industries. They may work in teams, in order to cover a broader range of technologies.

Patrick D. Russell, Copyright (c) 2012

Founder, Russell Kennedy Partners

Russell Kennedy Partners designs innovative and powerful new technologies, and develops custom software and enterprise system solutions to automate processes and increase productivity. Our specialties include system architecture and design, artificial intelligence, computer simulation, process automation, web applications and systems, e-commerce, website design, and social network-based applications. In addition, we work with database design and development, as well as data synchronization and migration, and the integration of new and legacy applications.

We also offer technology advisory services to organizations who want to vet and evaluate technologies before making large-scale choices and commitments. These services are available to small, midsize, and large organizations, as well as to groups such as technology investors. These services can start out as brief conversations in a phone or conference call.

Please contact us:

PRussell@RussellKennedyPartners.com

[http://www.RussellKennedyPartners.com]

Pat’s Tech Talk Blog:

[http://www.softwaretechadvocate.com]

Finally internet has brought the incredible way to support your secrete passion. Make your own music beat online independently; not pestering anyone to contribute for high tech production equipments. Just make others (especially your parents) astounded with your creation, the sound of your heart.

Buy software for making beats at home. Such specialized music composers or software applications are available online mostly for free. The paid versions are amazingly cheaper than what you could ever expect. You can either get them from online tech support service providers or directly from the manufacturers. Most of these software applications are quite capable of producing unlimited unique beats that you can use in your own track.

Its true, you can find computer program for just about anything over internet. You don’t have to buy expensive recording equipments to create a composition; things can be done instantly with online software applications. Such software programs come preloaded with beats of drums and the sound quality is just as good as the original ones. You just need to download the tracks as MP3 file. Following online tech support suggestions you can mix pan and rearrange the beats with your added instrumentations.

You really don’t have to have a prior technical training or expertise to access the online music files; everything is available in your all-in-one beat making software. In fact there are several benefits of using beat making software applications over traditional composing process. You have to arrange a spacious studio either or have to go to a hired place along with your musicians. Now consider the amount of expenditure where you are supposed to pay for the room, the musicians and instruments. Now if you think you can do all in your home, involving no other professional, you will be in need of mixing desk, MPC, drums, synthesizers and many more, which would cost no less. This is the reason why most of the music aspirers just fail without getting a chance to start even.

Not only armatures but professionals musicians are also using such software applications. Here you just need a computer with high speed internet connection. Tech support technicians are there to help you get music composers online. You can get such software for about $40-$50. Commonly the software applications come with detailed tutorials to guide a first time user. So don’t think about your technical knowledge or experience. Make your search over net, download one and get started.

One thing I would like to inform you here is, stay away from scam sources. Clicking on such innocent links you may invite virus, spyware or other malicious program suites in your system. Online tech support companies provide authentic software sources that are free of virus threats. However, make sure your system is well protected with updated antivirus applications so that nothing can harm your music files and unique creations.

Beat making software tech support has actually revolutionized the way music composers were used to work on. Today opportunities are at your door step; just get ready to accept them.

Get advanced software support from remote computer help desk. Tech support professionals are there to help you with free and low cost software suites that you could hardly get in the market.

Investing in technology products and services offers entrepreneurs a platform for business profit. Interestingly, steering business and software strategies toward the tech industry scales a venture up for huge potential to contribute to economic development. When it comes to typical tech enterprising, a business is either an SME or a startup, categorically.

The World Bank categorizes small and medium enterprises in general as having less than 50 and 300 employee headcount, with total assets and annual revenues of less than $3 and $15 million respectively. Reflecting different quantitative factors, the yardstick according to the European Union for small and medium businesses are headcounts of less than 50 and 250, and turnovers of less than €50 and €10 million.

While strikingly similar in most other ways, tech startups and SMEs dramatically differ in source funding, funding size, as well as collateral. In terms of maneuvering their business and software strategies, all information to succeed in the game can be very overwhelming both for tech startups and SMEs. Talking about the surefire path to tech startup failure, TechStartups blogcites, among others, a bad strategy, a bad business model, the wrong team and lack of funding.

Small and Medium Enterprises: Tech Talk

Providing hands-on assistance to bring programs to scale, Innovations for Poverty Action or IPA, hails SMEs as drivers of economic growth, employment, social mobility and innovation, owing to the way they respond and grab new opportunities that offer business growth potential. SMEs are often the vehicle by which the entrepreneurial-spirited emerging markets and developing economies want to make a mark in a given industry.

From the perspective of technology-oriented SME customers, there is risk that comes with dealing with small entities, but with a reward may just be worth it. In an aim to enhance their competitive advantage, SMEs are more likely to offer personalized customer service at its best, and with the SME founders, most likely providing easy talk for particular negotiations.

In comparison to established tech vendors, early stage tech vendors are most likely to offer services of “lesser sophistication,” but they offer crucial leaps in product or service effectiveness, productivity and cost savings.

Tech Startups: The Inside Story

In collaboration with market research firm YouNoodle, BusinessWeek has recently released its a-list of 50 tech startups which – after being formed no earlier than 2005 in the United States, China, Russia, India and Israel – are making the buzz and gearing up for massive growth.

A highly particular kind of business, tech startups were formed with the specific goal of creating an enormous value for not only for its customers, but also its shareholders and employees.

Tech startups are likely to go head-to-head with the bigger names in the sector, and may remain in the shadows of bigger companies, or risk competing with them. For startups to win the game, Entrepreneur Magazine suggests taking the innovation challenge, and strategically turning large competitors into acquirers. As such, venturing on tech startups amidst an ensemble of potentially bigger business rivals makes a smart business decision.

Tech SMEs and Startups: Strategizing toward Success

Startup and SME success can be elusive, but those who make it are eventually able to hire and train thousands, employ better international business marketing strategies, and then become global successes that inspire others while they create an indelible mark in the industry. It entails the careful implementation of business and software strategies to determine, grab, or even create opportunities for growth, which does not come without a process.

A Reuters blog points out the value of not over-sharing the venture, because “the plans can spread fast.” Consequently, entry-stage tech entrepreneurs may be compelled to compete with established companies prior to creating a solidified head start. As a classic example, small tech ventures are faced with the temptation of announcing that they have pioneered at something.

Without realizing that their product is yet unready for prime, these entrepreneurs can end up struggling to live up to the hype they have created. Getting caught up in the noise that competitors make can be self-damaging for tech small businesses as well. When being more prudent with better-planned business and software strategies and actions, SMEs and startups become better prepared for success.

Reuters also warns about a common, yet often ignored, pitfall when it comes to first-time tech entrepreneurship: marketing a bad product. In maximizing the opportunities for a tech SME or startup, entrepreneurs can leverage on the marketable, or better yet, create a product that clearly stirs the interest of the target market.

International business marketing, when paired properly with first-rate business and software strategies, can be a great tool for enterprise success. It has the capability to bridge gaps between an organization and its clients.