I recently read a Forrester Research case study profiling one of the primary competitors of the previously referenced restaurant chain I worked with years ago. This brand built customer loyalty and 13 years of consecutive growth. It wasn’t through coupon programs, but an inside-out approach to brand marketing. They leveraged low-cost and user friendly online communities to engage with customers, even at the local store level. Loyal customers voiced their opinions and drove changes in operations, features and menu options as well as other aspects of the brand.

So, is couponing in a down economy a crutch? Maybe. Brands lacking the strength to build loyalty through relevancy, community and interactivity have conditioned their customers and may not be poised to emerge into a better economic climate as well as they could be.

For many other marketers where couponing is a reality of doing business to drive trial and adoption, moving those coupon budgets online can be a big win. The efficiency that can be realized in production and distribution of relevant offers online is a compelling argument in itself. Add online consumer behavior and potential efficiencies in usability, redemption and overall response rates, and you can see that “building a better mousetrap” for a coupon program can work.

Internally here at Knotice I’m pleased to say that we have these types of debates all the time. Our platform allows us to be completely agnostic when talking tactics because the software can facilitate both coupon and relevant marketing.

So, what’s better in a recession-like economic climate – coupons or relevant marketing?

With quilting, one bite at a time works, too. It's how you actually get things finished. Here is just a short list of things you can do when you have ten minutes before you have to be out the door:

• design a block in your ever-present squared notebook

• figure out fabric requirements for the quilt size you want

• figure out how many strips of binding you will need for the quilt you need to get finished

• spin bobbins for your current project

• prepare some practice quilt bats for warming up before you quilt

• Practice a new quilting motif :-)

• computer design a label for your quilt

• print off the label for copying later on the light table

• cut a binding

• attach a binding (be sure to wear an apron if you are already dressed for something special)

• clear off your sewing table

• sort your threads

• organize your needles (machine / metallic, hand quilting, embroidery)

• cut scraps into usable squares

• put away some fabrics

(DO NOT get started looking for just the right fabric! You can lose hours that way!)

Please! This list is not complete! Add YOUR suggestions for how a quilter can use ten extra minutes to make life easier and more organized!

Service providers continue to refer to the challenge of unlimited demand which has to be met with finite resources. Is this still the case? Yes and no. Local authorities are not start-ups. They have been in the 'business' for many years and so they would mostly know the specific patterns of demand they have to deal with. There are also many customer service management (CSR) and response management programmes on the market, offering various outcomes in terms of effective response, data aggregation, back office efficiencies and joined up service delivery. Customer response varies from centralised response at civic centres to several 'one stop shops' at various locations within borough boundaries.

It would also be useful to look at some of the CSR programmes. Which councils are using them and why? How much do they cost to install? In addition to set up costs, what further actions do councils have to take? At the end of all these comparisons, the main question to address remains: is the customer getting the right service at the right time and in the right format? We have not mentioned 'the right price'. Is that not a key factor? No, not if councils are not charging for a service. However, there is a 'price'; it is the cost that the customer has to incur in order to access the service. Customers do pay a high price for service failures.

More of these questions will be addressed in a future analysis. And yes, Ealing will be our first stop.

As we continue down the list of what I'm calling "myths", or rather misperceptions, surrounding the use of recruitment process outsourcing to augment or replace an organization's recruitment/staffing function or processes, somewhere on the ranking order we'd have to come to cost. The notion that RPO, by providing so many of the additional resources, and additional infrastructure not currently present in your existing process, would almost by definition be more costly certainly is not unreasonable. In fact, the question is all but universal.

But think about it for a moment...and allow me to really torture a metaphor, if you will. If I'm riding a horse and buggy to work, and this old mode of transportation isn't cutting it for me anymore and I decide I need to do something more contemporary, I've got three choices. I can design and build from scratch my own automobile, assuming I have the money and resources to do so (to say nothing of the expertise required). Or I can cobble together some of the best aspects of this automobile to my horse and buggy, which may cost less, but which will still not give me a great car.

Or lastly, I can go out and buy a car from someone who makes cars. Now as absurd as it may seem, 100% of the people in this world, save for the odd eccentric here and there, go out and buy a car when they want to own a car, and yet 90% of these same people when they are in a senior recruiting position will effectively choose the option to either a) build from scratch their own "car", or will b) cobble together some hybrid of parts onto their old "horse and buggy" recruiting process, ensuring again that their "car" is neither great, nor even much of a "car" for that matter.

Yes, it's a stretch, I know. But not so much so that the logic is flawed.

And yet looking at the pictures (thank you, Google), it would seem that I've defeated my own argument that RPO doesn't cost more, and can actually cost less, than my existing process, because surely a Ferrari costs more than the old horse and buggy you see up top. And you'd be right.

Unless, of course, you try to build your own Ferrari from scratch. Now we're talkin' serious coin.

Of course everyone doesn't need a Ferrari (I do, but that's a whole different conversation, and a notion my wife has not quite disabused me of), but if you've found that your recruiting process is woefully inadequate and/or antiquated, the most expensive option you can pick to address the challenge is to create everything from scratch. This point is one that I think everyone can agree upon.

But what if you're not back in the "horse and buggy" days of recruiting? What if, actually, every thing is functioning fairly smoothly but you've been asked by your organization to see if additional savings can be found? Are there additional efficiencies that can be squeezed out to further streamline your efforts? Can all this (whatever "this" is) be done for less?

In the current economic environment, this question is being asked daily.

RPO vendors can do one thing that internal recruiting departments can never do -- they can bring economies of scale to an equation just as a manufacturer can bring economies of scale to the fabrication of highly complicated components. But unlike the anonymous and repetitive process involved in manufacturing something, RPO is definitely not an assembly line workflow, as every customer's process is different, and their needs and challenges are going to be unique to them. A complete and thorough understanding of these processes is, in fact, a critical component of a successful RPO engagement.

Aon's RPO group has 400 professionals dedicated to serving our clients. We have the ability to source and assess candidates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our parent organization generated $1B in revenue last year, and the parent company generated $10 billion. To suggest Aon may have more resources available to provide a truly world-class recruiting process to an organization than it would ever consider building for itself would be an understatement, to say the least.

And all of this is why RPO can actually cost less -- and deliver more -- than your existing process is costing your company, and why we continue to save our clients hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars annually on their recruiting costs.

Is it possible that engaging an RPO vendor will actually cost more than what you're currently spending on recruiting? Of course. Some people want a "Ferrari". But for the vast majority of clients, the savings involved are a significant reason, if not THE reason, for engaging with a partner that can deliver these services for less, and can do so more effectively.

RPO costs too much? Not likely.

Michael

The Fed cut its federal funds rate another ¾ of a point today  to 2.25%, 

This is an overnight bank-lending rate.  

It is the sixth cut in the past six months and comes at a time when the Fed is trying to keep the economy from slipping into recession –  

Although many think it's already entered one. 

What’s your thoughts on this? 

The Fed also took the unprecedented step, on Sunday, allowing brokerage firms to borrow money directly from the Fed, a right previously reserved for commercial banks.

In addition, the central bank lowered its discount rate, which is what it charges banks to borrow money, by a quarter of a point. 

As a result, the dollar rose the most it has in almost four years against the yen and gained against the euro.

All this, in an effort to boost the economy and bring confidence back to the financial markets.

Is this being reactionary or is the Fed trying to be proactive?

 Is this too little too late? 

What are your friends and associates saying?

Personally we are hearing a lot of uncertainty.

Most people are hoping it is all just a dream and that it won’t affect them.

However, the signs are real and it is already affecting them.

This is an election year.

Listen to what the candidates are saying and see which one is speaking to you.

Who offers the best plan to address the issues we are dealing with?

Who will address the long-standing issues that have plagued our economy?

I must admit I feel let down.

I always thought that politicians would act in our own best interest to address these issues.

However, too many years have passes and we are still talking about the same things.

What about the hopes and dreams we look to pass onto our children?

What steps are we taking to give them the opportunities we were afforded?

We look to politics to address the global issues,

However what steps can we take to make sure we are not talking about the same issues in years to come.

If you are in business, what are you doing to make it more competitive?

Where do you see your business in 5 years?

What steps are you taking to increase the efficiencies?

What if you lost a key person?

Is there a succession plan in place?

What are your employees saying about health benefits?

Do you have a retirement program in place?

These are opportunities we handle on an everyday basis.

To learn more visit our website

www.hbsadvantage.com

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and discussing them with you.

To convert to PDF use Express PDF.

For more information, see what BNET has to say.

Where did the day go? I had a whole list of things I wanted to get done but that went out the window as soon as I walked in this morning.

Sound familiar! Are you running your day or the day running you?

 Ever think of outsourcing? 

Companies have come to realize that outsourcing is a fairly powerful and effective management tool. It allows you to address an issue, provide a solution; increase efficiencies and profits while keeping your pulse on daily activities that demand your attention.

When a company approaches outsourcing for the first time the most challenging question is the most basic one:

Where do we begin?

A recent executive forum favored starting with generic, transaction based business processes such as finance, accounting and information technology. They felt that these fields offer quick wins, attractive returns with relatively low levels of risk.

Hutchinson Business Solutions….Your Outsource Solution

Today it is more important than ever to take an objective look at your operating expenses.

Below are areas with great opportunities for savings.

• Payroll Taxes – There is a 50% chance you are overpaying payroll taxes.
• Sales Tax – Long thought to be the “cost of doing business.”
• Telecom – Clients are saving from 10 % to 40%.
• Fleet Management – You can now “put your fleet in the palm of your hand.”
• Data Solutions – Ask about our Virtual CIO Managed Service Program.
• Utilities - Deregulated savings for large volume users.
• Insurance – Cost continue to trend from 10% to 20% a year.

Many clients are enjoying the savings and have received refunds for overpayments.

A new global study on business outsourcing relationships finds that:

·        74% use “business outcomes” to measure performance

·        61% say outsourcing helps their companies perform better

·        74% are satisfied with their outsourcing experience

Thinking of outsourcing? Call 856-857-1230 or email george@hbsadvantage.com to discuss what opportunities are available. 

Hutchinson Businees Solutions…Your CFO on the Go

Defining opportunities today, increasing profits for tomorrow.

Below is an overview of some of the projects HBS has been working on recently and the opportunities presented to our clients. We invite you to be one of our success stories.

Opportunity: Payroll Tax

Client spun off from major area bank and set up new company in spring of 2004. New Federal ID numbers were issued and tax rates were assigned by both State and Federal agencies.

 Solution:

Upon reviewing the assigned tax rates, it was determined that the client made duplicate payroll tax payments in three areas. Our client received a substantial 5-figure refund from these agencies.

Opportunity: Voice and Data

Major South Jersey non-profit health organization invited HBS to review their current voice and data configuration and costs.

 Solution:

Multiple solutions were initiated to provide substantial savings as well as insure quality of service. All Verizon platform lines were converted to a local carrier, servicing the Verizon network, for over a 40% savings. The long distance was also ported to the same provider for a 50+% savings. Total annual savings totaled over $50,000.

Opportunity: Sales Tax

Major South Jersey Company, building multiple locations in three states, retained HBS to review the effects of sales tax liability in those states.

 Solution:

Upon reviewing multiple invoices of multiple vendors involved with the construction of these locations, it was determined that our client had overpaid sales tax on real property issues in all three states. Customer received over a $3m refund.

Opportunity: Voice and Data

Growing area Mortgage Company requested that HBS review their current voice and data configuration and costs.

 Solution: Multiple solutions were initiated to provide substantial savings as well as insure quality of service. All Verizon platform lines were converted to a local carrier, servicing the Verizon network, for over a 40% savings.  As a result of our efforts, the customer was able to cancel multiple lines that showed no usage. We are currently reviewing their long distance and data contracts – potential savings over $100,000.

Spread the good news….. share this information with a friend. 

Should you like to discuss opportunities available for your company to increase profits call us at 856-857-1230 or email george@hbsadvantage.com

Hutchinson Business Solutions has a 90% success rate providing savings and getting refunds for our clients.

Hutchinson Business Solutions...Your CFO on the Go. 

Defining opportunities today, increasing profits for tomorrow.

Visit http://www.hutchinsonbusinesssolutions.com/ to learn more about saving opportunities available for your company.

Unemployment is the 2^nd  highest employer mandated tax, yet no one seems to question it.

What is your current rate?

Your Unemployment account is similar to having an open checkbook with the State:

• The State assigns your rates

• The State has total control of all monies in the account

• The State determines the amount of each payment and disburses payments from this account

• The State sends a quarterly reconciliation of all activity in the account

Would you handle your personal account this way?

How much did your company pay into Unemployment last year?

What is your reserve balance? (How much is in your State Checkbook)?

 Did You Know:

• The State of New Jersey has a 12% error rate in the payment of unemployment claims.
  •  The state is overpaying the amount of the claim
• The US Dept of Labor states that there is a 50% chance a company is overpaying taxes if they have been involved with a merger, acquisition or restructuring
  • All the due diligence is done prior to the above activity
  • The papers are then sent to the state to be recorded
  • Who validates that the transaction was recorded properly by the State

Hutchinson Business Solutions ( HBS ) works as an advocate for our clients. The onus is on the company to show that their rate is incorrect and that you may have overpaid Payroll Taxes.

 We have a 90% success rate 

Our team of experts deals only with Unemployment and other payroll related taxes only. We are able to look back over the past 3 to 4 years and determine if your rates were calculated properly. If there is an error, we will review the information with the client and take the necessary steps to have it corrected.

There is no upfront fee, we are only paid if there is a mistake and the client receives a refund and or credit to correct the rates. 

This is a Win / Win

• HBS will validate your unemployment rates are correct.

• There is no upfront cost; we work on a contingency basis.

• These taxes have already been paid!

 You may qualify for a Refund!

Spread the good news….. share this information with a friend. 

Should you like to discuss opportunities available for your company to increase profits call us at 856-857-1230 or email george@hbsadvantage.com

Hutchinson Business Solutions...Your CFO on the Go. 

Defining opportunities today, increasing profits for tomorrow.

Visit http://www.hutchinsonbusinesssolutions.com/ to learn more about saving opportunities available for your company.

An individual hires an accountant to review their earning and verify they pay only their fair share. Tax laws are complicated so you rely on these professionals to review applicable codes to make sure the amount paid is correct.

Corporations pay multiple taxes; they hire professionals’ to review annual revenues and calculate corporate taxes due both the state and federal government. Yet companies fail to review two of the largest taxes they pay on a recurring basis.

Unemployment Taxes – This is the 2^nd highest employer mandated tax. Think of having an open checkbook in the state’s hands. They tell you what your rate is and how much you should put into the account. (The states average a 10% error rate in the calculation of these rates.)  Then they send you a quarterly statement outlining how much they took out of your account.

Would you handle your personal checking account this way?

 10% error rate!! Could you be paying too much?     

Sales Tax – Talk about being complicated. Do you know the laws of what is a taxable item? You are not alone!

It seems when in doubt; tax it.

Why aren’t companies taking the time to look at these taxes?

Is paying taxes a sign of patriotism?

We all agree that we should pay our fair share!

Remember, the government is not asking you to overpay? They have taken the time to detail what should be paid.

We have a 90% success rate recovering overpayments of sales tax.

If you have not taken the time to ask yourself these questions, maybe now is a good time to start.

Next Step

We have a 90% success rate in getting refunds for our clients.

 Remember these taxes (Unemployment Taxes or Sales tax) have already been paid.  

All these issues are time sensitive. We have seen cases where clients have lost out on an opportunity to secure a refund for they hesitated and the statute of limitations to process the claim had run out.

There are no upfront costs for our services. We are only compensated by our ability to identify issues and provide refunds for our clients

Take the step to act now!

Ask the question!

 You may qualify for a refund!

Spread the good news….. share this information with a friend. 

Should you like to discuss opportunities available for your company to increase profits call us at 856-857-1230.

Hutchinson Business Solutions has a 90% success rate providing savings and getting refunds for our clients.

HBS...Your CFO on the Go. Defining opportunities today, increasing profits for tomorrow.Visit http://www.hutchinsonbusinesssolutions.com/ to learn more about saving opportunities available for your company.

 Can you hear yourself saying this? 

How much do we have on our Line of Credit?

 Does this sound familiar? 

What bills can we push off for week or two?

 Do you ever find that cash is tight? What if we can show you how to increase your cash flow? 

Does that interest you?

Hutchinson Business Solutions has great success increasing cash flow by providing saving and efficiencies. We review cost that most companies take for granted and find better ways to produce the best results.

Why wait? Take the bite out of trying to collect slow receivables.

We will help you to lower cost.

Call Hutchinson Business Solutions.

 Let the cash flow so you can meet your commitments more timely.

Spread the good news….. share this information with a friend. 

Should you like to discuss opportunities available for your company to increase profits call us at 856-857-1230.

Hutchinson Business Solutions has a 90% success rate providing savings and getting refunds for our clients.

HBS...Your CFO on the Go. Defining opportunities today, increasing profits for tomorrow.

Visit http://www.hutchinsonbusinesssolutions.com/ to learn more about saving opportunities available for your company.

 Savings is a parity of how much you spend! 

If you are spending $200 a month for one of your services and can save 20%, does that get your attention?

Let’s say you are spending $500, $2000 or even $10,000 a month for a service, can you see how a 20% savings grows.

  Do we have your attention yet?  

Our clients find value with our services for they see tangible results in lower cost and increased cash flow. Many times we are asked to look for additional savings in other areas of their business. That is our forte. We review and validate specific cost and provide opportunities to increase efficiencies and profits.

 You get what you pay for! We all have heard that line before. The real question should be, “Are we getting what we paid for?”  

We all have spoken to customer service reps or sales reps and requested changes on specific accounts. Remember spending all that time on the phone adjusting your cell phone minutes?  That was really going to lower your bill? The invoice comes in the next month and it’s even higher. You find yourself back to square one. The changes were never processed.

 Does anyone ever do what we ask? 

Promoting Accountability

 We pride ourselves in being an advocate for business. Any business, no matter how small or how large, we find the same scenarios.

“We are not getting what we’re paying for.” 

This can change!

Let HBS be your advocate promoting accountability and savings.

Spread the good news….. share this information with a friend.

Should you like to discuss opportunities available for your company to increase profits call us at 856-857-1230.

 Hutchinson Business Solutions has a 90% success rate providing savings and getting refunds for our clients.

HBS...Your CFO on the Go. Defining opportunities today, increasing profits for tomorrow.

Visit http://www.hutchinsonbusinesssolutions.com/ to learn more about saving opportunities available for your company.

As business continues to evolve, our dependency on computers to gather and process all our information needs becomes more frightening. The computer addresses our needs for instant gratification. All we need to know is now at our fingertips.

What happens when there is a hiccup? The system goes down. All of a sudden everyone becomes frantic!! Deadlines, loss of productivity, even lost sales opportunities.

What is the cost?

-         One hour of downtime for a company doing $4 million in annual revenue costs $2000 per hour.

-         The average company in the U. S. experiences 2 hours of downtime a week

$2000/hour x 2 hours x 4 weeks = $ 16,000 a month

 What is the cost for your company? 

IT has now become the # 1 variable cost after HR.

 Is your company being proactive? 

Does this sound familiar? 

-         Failures occur without notice

-         Hard to plan your day putting out fires

-         Everything is a # 1 priority

-         Frustrated users

-         Time spent on tasks that should be automated

Virtual CIO

Our EMS network operation center will monitor and manage your IT and security structure 24 x 7 x 365 days a year.

Our flat rate pricing structure will lower cost and increase efficiencies.

 Contact us today to learn more about our Virtual CIO Managed Services Program.

 Spread the good news….. share this information with a friend. 

Should you like to discuss opportunities available for your company to increase profits call us at 856-857-1230. 

Hutchinson Business Solutions has a 90% success rate providing savings and getting refunds for our clients.  

 HBS...Your CFO on the Go. Defining opportunities today, increasing profits for tomorrow.

Visit http://www.hutchinsonbusinesssolutions.com/ to learn more about saving opportunities available for your company.

When meeting with a new client, it is very important to listen and concentrate on what the client is actually saying. Where is the greatest need for our services?

Have they reviewed all their operating costs? How is their relationship with their existing provider or broker? Do they shop their account every year?

The ability to maintain a client for the long term is directly related to the ability to build a relationship based on trust and to properly service the account.

What Hutchinson Business Solutions brings to the client is a fresh approach. We have built a series of strategic partners who are all experts in their related fields. What makes us unique is the ability to provide excellent service in all these areas.

More important than the ability to provide excellent service is the ability to build a relationship with our client. People like to deal with someone they know, like and trust. It is important to build a bond of friendship with the client for they are relying on your expert advice to provide a solution that works.

We have made it our mission to continually educate our clients so they are presented with all the facts and possibilities, allowing them to make the best decision. Our clients see value in this approach and many times we are asked, “ What else can you help us with.”

 We would like to thank all our clients for their continued support. It is a privilege to have developed friendships with so many great individuals.

Spread the good news….. share this information with a friend. 

Should you like to discuss opportunities available for your company to increase profits call us at 856-857-1230.

 Hutchinson Business Solutions has a 90% success rate providing savings and getting refunds for our clients.

You might even qualify for a refund!

HBS...Your CFO on the Go. Defining opportunities today, increasing profits for tomorrow.

Visit http://www.hutchinsonbusinesssolutions.com/ to learn more about saving opportunities available for your company.

If you could save 20%-40% on your phone service would you be interested in talking further?

If you could deal with the same person each time you had a phone issue or concern, would you be interested in talking further?

If you could have the same reliability that you get from Verizon and ATT without using them would you be interested?

Every week I meet unhappy, unsatisfied business owners who are using Verizon and ATT for their phone service.  When I ask why they are still using them when I can clearly hear unhappiness in their voice, the most common answer is they feel secure.

Yet, when I ask how Verizon and ATT service the account, ultimately I get the same answer. They are very difficult to deal with. We are never able to talk to the same person twice.

Verizon and ATT spend huge dollars on advertising and have totally convinced the public on their ability to provide service. If you speak with representatives from both these companies you will find that both of them have switched their efforts for growth to the cellular world, all but abandoning the local and long distance markets. After taking years to build up the network that feeds our local and long distance services, they have chosen to rent out this network and reap the benefits.

This, however, is not all bad. It has presented a huge opportunity to you the business phone customer.  Because of deregulation, third party providers are able to provide the same security and reliability as Verizon and ATT, but provide better customer service and save you money at the same time.

 Why settle for Mediocrity ………. You deserve more!  

Our clients are saving from 20% to 40% on their local and long distance cost. The best part is they love the personal service provided by these third party providers.

Go ahead; pamper yourself the times are a changing.

Save money and get better service, it is as simple as that. 

Spread the good news….. share this information with a friend.