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Posts Tagged ‘Reasons’

Article by Eric Blaier

1. It completely eliminates geographic disparityThis can apply to anybody doing business anywhere. You can instantly meet with people in your organization, partners, clients, or prospective customers. With products like Reservationless 800 Conferencing, you can e-mail, text or IM a number and access code from your Blackberry or other PDA and participants can join instantly. The proximity to a geographically separated client base becomes instantaneous. 2. It improves productivity in research and developmentThis applies to persons heading R&D in IT, biotech, physical science, product development, marketing, or any other area. The widespread introduction of conferencing and collaboration tools over the past few years has helped organizations better improve research and development among team members. For instance, web conferencing software has allowed company employees in separate locations to collaborate on projects in real-time, greatly boosting operational efficiency. Countless organizations have benefited from this technology and seen time-to-market improve, resulting in competitive advantages not enjoyed before, reduced R&D costs, and quicker ROI.3. It improves investor relationsThis applies to any and all CFO’s and CIO’s. All public companies are scrutinized in their quarterly conference call and earnings report. When the call does not go seamlessly, it makes a negative impression on the operational aptitude of the company giving the presentation. Investors think, “What type of company has an error-prone conference call?”The unfortunate reality is that some companies do botch the investor call, whether having not enough seats/bridges open or a complete lack of moderation/order. Often, they utilize products not geared for such large audiences and/or products that don’t support the unique needs of such an important call. The top conferencing providers have solutions geared toward investor and enterprise-level calls, and a wide variety of solutions exist to accommodate such needs and eliminate highly-visible public disasters.4. It boosts salesThis applies to any sales VP’s, Regional Directors, or Area Managers. Any company with multiple offices needs to have management tools in place to meet with the branch subordinates on a regular basis. As a former sales manager, I learned the mantra “inspect what you expect” very early in my career. Having regularly scheduled calls with subordinates will help prepare the organization better and teach a culture of being prepared and organized. It will also keep senior management informed on the sales activities as they are happening, instead of hearing about things in retrospect. This allows the senior sales executive the chance to act on accounts before they are possibly lost, like stepping in and offering better pricing, terms, or service level guarantees. The best organization leaders I have ever worked for personally made it a point to keep in regular contact with the field sales organization, and it showed in the results.

5. It improves corporate communicationThis applies and directly affects everybody in an organization. Have you ever worked in an organization where you felt like the corporate office was a world away? Perhaps you do now, as I did at one time. The biggest difference between companies that grow successfully and those that do not is not being like-minded in goals and spirit across the organization. The most successful companies (like Google) convey a sense of togetherness and corporate culture that is inspired from a set of values, such as “thought leadership”, “customer-centric”, “caring”, etc….. The organizations that keep their main cultural values at the forefront do so by regularly communicating with their remote and regional offices. Audio conferencing and web conferencing are two of the simple ways to accomplish this high priority.6. It speeds training and educationThis applies to any C-Level who has a training requirement in their company. Organizations spend a lot of money getting new employees trained on company and industry information, internal procedures policies and methodologies. Many industries, such as education, legal, real estate, technology, manufacturing, and accounting, have initiatives that require constant training in order to maintain current standards in the respective industry. Audio and web conferencing are the dominant training tools to accomplish any organization’s e-learning initiative. Companies that utilize this technology save thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, in hard-dollars savings from travel, accommodations, meals and gratuities, and air-fare. The often-overlooked aspect of savings in using conferencing products for e-learning is that it is a definite boost in productivity. Instead of losing several hours (at best) with flight time, your employee is able to return to work instantly. The company that utilizes these communications tools effectively trains their workforce more efficiently, save money, and boost productivity at the same time.7. It improves your internal marketing initiativeThis applies to Chief Marketing Officers and VP’s of Sales. Companies that can roll out new products in unison to a geographically disparate workforce have a greater chance of success. The ability to introduce new offerings in a clear, concise manner and in a positive fashion can boost sales’ attitudes about the new product or direction. In addition, the marketing message is the most important differentiator in our highly competitive society. The roll-out is the marketing organization’s best time to convey those vitally important differentiators to the internal sales team as most buyers want to know “what is in it for me”. Differentiators bridge that gap to the prospect and help the sales team close deals.8. It improves the external marketing initiativeThis applies to the direct and indirect field sales force and client retention specialists/account managers. Similar to the internal benefits listed above, the same benefits apply to external customers. When you roll out new products or services, it is easier to demonstrate it in a clear and concise manner. Audio and web conferencing solutions let a sales force introduce new offerings easily without geographic limitation. Retention and service personnel within a company can use the same conferencing and collaboration tools to introduce new products, conduct account reviews, and keep connected with vital decision-makers in an organization. Since sales is all about relationships, keeping those relationships active is vital to protect your customer base and maintaining contact with the most important positions is the key.And for companies relying on an indirect channel, frequent communication is of paramount importance when driving productivity. Effective presentation done in an entertaining way is the best method to get your channel partners pushing your product and not your competitors.9. It offers mobile proximityThis applies to anybody with a PDA or cell phone. While it is true that cell phones often can cause a lot of static when they participate in audio conferences, sometimes the urgency of the call overtakes the immediate need for everything to be 100%. Most conferencing providers today offer mobile solutions that allow web features to be accessed from PDA’s, so that you don’t miss any aspect of the call that is taking place at that moment.10. It will save your company money, boost productivity and is good for the environmentThis benefits everybody. Whether you measure by hard dollar savings in travel, meals, accommodations, entertainment, or soft dollar savings in areas like boosted productivity, increased sales, and better messaging, your organization will save money. Further, it will help to lessen the carbon footprint that is of such great concern these days. Instead of consuming more fuel, conferencing adopters are making a socially-responsible decision that lessens the impact on the environment.

Less travel = less fuel = better for the environment.So with these 10 reasons, you may be able to see other applications for a conferencing solution and how it could positively impact your organization.

About the Author

Eric Blaier is the founder of Integrated Business Services, Inc, an Atlanta-based telecommunications consulting firm. His client roster includes numerous Fortune 500 clients in the healthcare, finance, technology, consumer goods, and consumer services sectors.He can be reached at http://www.integratedbusinessservices.net or sales@integratedbusinessservices.net

http://goarticles.com/article/Ten-Top-Reasons-Why-a-Business-Should-Be-Using-Conferencing-Services/2016594/

Article by Julie

When it comes to traveling, the people who plan are often in the best position. Tons of things can happen when you leave the country, so it is always smart to plan for contingencies. This is especially true if you are thinking about traveling to South America. Though your best laid plans might seem unbreakable, you never know when you might run into a problem. This is why travel insurance is such an important product. It protects against those things that you might not have seen or anticipated. Many people have car insurance, but not many people have travel insurance. For those taking a trip to South America, here are five solid reasons to buy travel insurance:

1. Because Finding Medical Assistance Can Be Difficult

If you thought finding a doctor in the United States was difficult, then you should see how hard it is to get quality medical care in many of the popular South American destinations. Many will tell you that you are more likely to need medical assistance when you are in a foreign country. Things are less familiar, there are more dangers abounding, and the natural differences can create difficulties. If you are injured while on vacation to South America, then you can be in a world of trouble. Travel insurance can provide you with access to tons of options.

This is a worst-case scenario, to be sure, but worst case scenarios are precisely what insurance is for. What you might not know about travel insurance is that many policies will provide access to hundreds of medical outlets. Likewise, a good travel insurance policy can provide the safety and peace of mind that goes with a medical assistance hotline. When you’re in South America and injured, knowing that you have someone on the other end of the phone will be a great help.

2. Unforeseen Trip Cancellations

This is probably the most popular reason to get travel insurance and it is one that bears repeating. Simply put, you may need to cancel your trip for one reason or another. When you book the trip, this might be the last thing in your mind, but it needs to be at the forefront. What if someone gets sick unexpectedly? What if something comes up at your job and you can’t get out of it? These things do happen, so having travel insurance can be quite helpful in those cases.

The vast majority of travel insurance policies will refund your money in the unfortunate instance that you have to cancel. With more and more hotels requiring payment up front and almost all airlines offering non-refundable fares, having travel insurance can help you recoup these costs. The following are costs that travel insurance might allow you to recover in case something bad happens and you have to cancel:

Hotel deposits Airfare and associated fees Rental car fees Deposits associated with vacation events 3. A Sudden Trip Interruption

When you on a trip and something happens suddenly, you might need to cut your vacation short. You might have to return from South America because someone in your family is injured or because a relative passed away. Maybe something came up in your job and they have to have you in the next few days. When this happens, you will undoubtedly have expenses that are unrecoverable in any other way. The hotel won’t likely give your money back and you may have to pay a premium to fly home early.

Good travel insurance policies will cover these costs, including the increased air fare that can be so troubling. International travel is expensive and things do happen. Planning ahead is the best policy and will ensure that you come out with the best result.

4. When you Forget or Lose Something Important

When traveling to South America, there are tons of things that you’ll likely need both on the departure and the return trip. What if you lose your passport while you are gone? What happens if someone breaks into your hotel and steals your credit card? These are unfortunate situations that will sometimes arise when you take a long trip to South America. The good thing about travel insurance is that the policy will usually provide you with some assistance in these situations.

Losing something important or forgetting something important can be an incredibly stressful experience. Traveling in the modern age is not easy and many countries will not make exceptions for travelers who don’t have the proper documentation. Simply put, you don’t want to get stuck in a South American country just because someone broke into your room and stole your passport. Travel insurance is a cheap enough investment that provides the kind of peace of mind that you deserve while on your travels. Find a website that is able to compare car insurance quotes and travel insurance and will save you money!

5. The Case of Lost Baggage

If you have ever lost your bags or had the airline lose your bags, then you know all about this difficulty. When your bags get lost, it can feel as if your entire world is turned upside down. What do you do for clothes? What about the necessities? What if something valuable is lost? Though the airlines do have some policies that allow for recovery of baggage, what happens if it’s lost sometime after the airline gives it to you?

A good travel insurance policy will cover lost baggage. The policy will cover the value of your lost property and it will also cover the cost of essential items if your baggage happens to get lost for a few days. Having this will be extremely helpful and will allow you to enjoy your time in South America. Since you know that you’ll eventually get full value for your property, you can go about the business of seeing beautiful South America.

The Beauty of Travel Insurance

When you take a trip to South American, it just pays to use travel insurance. Trips are supposed to be fun and there is nothing worse than having to worry while you’re trying to explore a new area. Given the relatively low cost of travel insurance as compared to the benefits, it just makes sense to never travel without it. Go online and compare travel insurance quotes to get the best deal for your travel insurance policy before traveling to South America.

About the Author

For the best car insurance information please take the to time to search for Cheap Car Insurance.

http://goarticles.com/article/Traveling-to-South-America-5-Reasons-to-Buy-Travel-Insurance/5171957/

This being the situation, you might still be hesitant and confused about the advantages that owning a holiday home in Antalya can offer.

Due to this, here is a concise list of the main advantages of acquiring property in Antalya, collated from the results of a customer poll on www.PropertySunTurkey.com.

If you regularly head to work in Antalya then it could be wise to have your own property in Antalya in order to have a place to stay when you visit. This makes sense if you are constantly commuting to Antalya for business. Additionally, having your own Antalya property would be more convenient if you don’t have a clear idea of how long you need to work in Antalya or if you need to extend your stay for any reason. The property could also serve as a great holiday home for your family and you might wish to rent it out as a holiday villa or time share.

Purchasing a property in Antalya will assist you in understanding the local community and neighbourhood. One of the things you miss-out on when you go to Antalya is that you never really get to know the locals because you are staying for just two weeks. But if you purchase a property for yourself you will always remain the same area and be able to build a rapport with the others living in the region. You could even go on to build solid relationships with other inhabitants – by having a property they will know that you are committed to the area.

For those with family living over in Antalya it can be frustrating when they are so far away and that you hardly get to see them. Furthermore, it can also be a pain when you go to visit that you could need to stay in a hotel room, which may mean less time with loved ones. You might then consider a villa of your own so that you can access family easily. The great thing about this is that it can be an incentive for you to see family more frequently.

If you live in the UK then you can always book a holiday, but heading out to the travel agents can be a real hassle. Life is made much easier when you know where you’ll be staying and you don’t have to search around for the best deal. Having your own holiday property in Antalya might mean that you can get away more often simply because it is so easy to head out to your own personal holiday home. The great thing is that all you need to take into account is your air fare. Plenty of people that have taken an apartment in Antalya, from www.PropertySunTurkey.com, have said that they head to Antalya far more often than before.

One thing to consider is that in a hotel you are far more removed from Antalya and the local area. Opting for a room in a hotel might seem like an exotic luxury but it can actually be quite isolating and actually remove you from the culture of Antalya itself. Furthermore, hotel accommodation is often decorated on the safe side in order to be neutral and appeal to UK and American tourists. Whereas, if you were to buy a property in Antalya then you can decorate your environment in whichever way you choose. Your holiday home will reflect the architecture and style in Antalya.

Hopefully now you have a better idea of what a holiday property in Antalya can offer to you, I advise you do a little more research and come to a conclusion on whether buying a property is right for your personal circumstances.

When planning a trip out of the country one of the major considerations, after the booking of plane tickets and hotel rooms are arranged, must be travel insurance. As an American traveling to Europe or in any country other than the United States, an injury or illness while away could bankrupt you. That means there really is little choice but to make sure that you have a good comprehensive travel insurance policy to protect your health should something unforeseen occur when you are on holiday.

No one plans to eat bad shellfish and wind up with food poisoning in Canada any more than they do slipping on ice and breaking an ankle on a skiing trip in Switzerland. So you must make sure you are fully covered for your potential medical expenses. There is no point in having your hospital stay covered and then having to pay for the ambulance ride.

Many good travel insurance plans cover much more than just your health care expenses. These will frequently also cover the loss or theft of personal property including luggage and currency or costs of sending one back to ones country due to medical issues or death, as well as paying the costs of missed or delayed flights. Travel insurance nowadays is not merely a health plan for vacationers. Therefore if you have decided that you want to purchase travel insurance before you leave there are a few things you should know.

First, buying a policy online is way cheaper than going through a health insurance or travel company. That is because even the travel agent who was so helpful in booking your holiday may not be able to offer you a better price than an online service.

It has to do with the overheads or actually the lack of overheads that online companies deal with. They dont require the big offices or fancy rooms with cushy chairs to offer to their clients because they never see their clients. Everything is done online. You fill in forms detailing what you want in a travel insurance policy. After sending this to them you wait a short time for an email to come back to you with a price. If you agree the next step is to make payment by credit care or perhaps using paypal.

If you dont like it then you keep looking at the many other online websites that offer these kinds of policies. You will find what you want fairly easily. Once you have made your payment the company will send you by regular mail all that you need to make sure you are covered for your upcoming holiday. Having the right travel insurance will make your holiday worry free.

Price reductions in air travel are a fact. Airlines implement a price differentiation strategy targeting consumers of economy class that is highly price elastic. For business class, price differentiation is not an option, as airlines are targeting more sophisticated consumers. Besides, business class, although it accounts for 20 percent of aircraft seats, it returns approximately 40% of revenues. Therefore, business class pricing is highly inelastic, while business class market is the driver for segmentation across the airplane.

Online travel agencies have also reduced the air travel prices. Travelocity, one of the most popular online booking agencies, sells cheaper airfares for the Top 100 most popular destinations, both domestic and international, by 50% during peak season. For instance, domestic round trip airfares from New York to San Francisco is under $250 with US Airways or United Airlines (with 1 stopover) or around $280 with United Airlines, American Airlines and several others (with no stopover). International airfares from New York to Madrid are around $540 with almost all airlines (with or without stopovers), while New York to Sydney airfare has fallen to $1,700. (Source: Travelocity 1,2,3).

The reasons for the price reductions in airfares are mainly two:

1)      Major airlines have reduced airfares as a result of the recent peak in oil prices. Having peaked $140 a barrel in July 2009, oil prices increased dramatically forcing airlines to lay off thousands of employees, restructure their operations and reduce their capacity. Through corporate restructuring, they created customer value, while avoiding price war. Consequently, they achieved competitive positioning and were prepared to adjust their pricing policies as soon as oil prices began falling.

2)      Another reason for lower airfares is passenger load. Due to the recent credit crisis and global economic downturn, consumers are often obliged to cancel their vacation plans trying to be prudent and in control of their finances. Last-minute cancellations, not only hurt the profitability of airlines, but mostly they inhibit their ability to estimate the percentage of occupied seats (passenger load). The load factor for Continental Airlines in February 2009 has dropped 4.6% (72.5% from 76%) on a year-to-year basis (Source: Continental Airlines, 4); the load factor for Delta Air Lines in March 2009 has dropped 2.3% (82.4 % from 84.3%) on a year-to-year basis (Source: Delta Air Lines, 5).

Apparently, although airlines are lowering their prices, consumers are not flying more. Major airlines try to match competitive fares, particularly in same round trip destinations. In larger cities with more than one airports, consumers have the option to choose the best fare deal even if that involves flying from an airport they don’t usually fly out of. By all means, consumers try to save money when they fly.

Moreover, there is no room for new players in a low-cost market. The more the airlines reduce their airfares, the more the airline industry becomes concentrated, leaving practically no room for new, low –cost carriers that can implement price differentiation. Besides, if oil prices increase again, airfares will rise automatically. And consumers are aware of that.

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