Top Tips for Choosing a Task Scheduling Partner

Effective task scheduling is a complicated process for many businesses with a mobile workforce no matter how many engineers or field based staff they employ. When scheduling tasks for field based employees there are so many parameters to consider such as: skills; parts; location; travelling time; time to complete previous jobs; traffic; road closures; customer service level agreements; planned and reactive tasks; holiday; medical appointments and more, making the life of a planner a daily challenge. Automating task scheduling is the best possible way of ensuring that all of your customer jobs are completed in the most efficient manner for your business. Developments in task scheduling software mean that there are a wide variety of options when it comes to selecting the best possible solution for your organisation. By evaluating potential partners thoroughly and following a few top tips you could transform your task scheduling, make your planners life a lot easier and uncover a technology partner for life.

First of all you need to decide as an organisation what you are hoping to achieve by implementing task scheduling technology. By communicating your objectives to potential vendors they will be able to tailor their demonstration to show you how their task scheduling would help your business.

Potential partners should always dig down to understand in detail how your business works. This level of evaluation will enable them to draw on previous experience in similar organisations and offer alternatives to the way you currently operate. Keep an open mind, vendors will often offer a fresh set of eyes when it comes to streamlining your processes and making your business more efficient as a result.

Get your engineers or field based staff involved early, not only will it help with implementation at a later date by reducing resistance they will also be a source of great ideas. Your field based staff will prove invaluable when discussing amending processes and with their first hand experience they can tell you what will work and what won't. Task scheduling is about making things easier for your field based teams so be sure to ask them for their suggestions and ensure that you have their buy in before rolling out new technology.

Don't tie yourselves in to an inflexible solution. Your business will evolve and you want to be sure that your task scheduling solution is agile enough to evolve with your business. Try to find a provider who can offer a range of scheduling software, from simple drag and drop solutions to fully automated and dynamic scheduling. Even the very basic task scheduling software will offer significant benefits in terms of return on investment (ROI), however in the future you may want to increase the functionality to increase your ROI. Get this right and you will never need to change your task scheduling provider again.

Find out what support is available to you and your teams and make sure support is accessible when you need it. Is the support UK based? Is it available around the clock? If your teams are responding to emergency call outs 24/7 then you want a partner who is available at all times. Are there different levels of support available? For example, who will complete training prior to implementing task scheduling? Who should you contact should your requirements change? Get the information upfront and make sure it meets your needs.

Effective Ways For a CEO to Relieve Stress

Business meetings, tight schedules, business development activities, conferences, product launches and a heap of other responsibilities leave the CEO and associated management team exhausted, stressed and wanting for some relief out of physical and mental stress.

Here we are some discussing some ways and techniques that can help CEO to relieve stress and tension:

Beautify the Surroundings

A chaotic, dimly lit and disheveled office creates negativity and turns the atmosphere gloomy. On the contrary, a well decorated, adequately illuminated and clutter-free office is all you want for a happy beginning of the day. Some simple Feng Shui tips or adding some living plants to office interior can be enough to make you feel vibrant and energetic the whole day.

Minimize Tech Meltdowns

Technological glitches - system failure, data loss, and slowness - always add to the agony and frustration of the CEOs and the management team. Hire expert engineers and technicians so as to minimize the downtime due to technical issues. Make sure your office computers are updated with data recovery systems, latest firewalls and security software.

It will make you feel relaxed and tension-free as far as technical problems are concerned.

Take Time to Relax and Play

Our body and mind has limitations. You cannot expect your body and mind to work continuously day and night. Give a break to your mind from the hectic work schedule. Indulge yourself in different relaxing activities like exercise, playing and meditation etc.

Here are some effective practices that facilitate healthy and stress-free leaving:

Exercise - Regular exercising help you stay fit and improves your physical and mental health. Endorphins released as a result of physical activities make you to feel good and enhance your efficiency and performance.

Meditation - According to different researches, meditation helps you live happier, healthier and longer. It has also proved its effectiveness in reducing anxiety and stress hence enabling you to feel good from within.

Don't make decisions in haste: Doing so many things at a time leave your mind confused leading to a poor decision-making - the most complicated challenge a CEO faces every day. To deal with this problem, take 5-minute walk around the block, clear your head, breathe deeply, and exhale some tension out of your mind.

When you get back to your workplace a few minutes later you'll feel re-energized, less tensed, and charged up with more creative thoughts.

Make Room for Fun

Some fun-filled moments help you get rid of tensions and stress. Allocate some time for weekly or fortnightly fun activities in the office. Events like office parties, sports pools, sponsored lunches, fun games, and athletic leagues relieve the stress and facilitate innovative thinking.

How Do You Vote for Your Business?

U.S. citizens cast their vote for the next President, Vice-President, and a host of congressional leaders this week. Attention focuses on this once-every-four-years activity with a virtual obsession.

Yet, there is a more important vote you as a business professional cast and more often than every four years. While government leaders are important, your leadership in business has a significant, daily impact on you and the people around you.

How do you vote for your business to increase sales with greater productivity so you can get out of the office earlier to do what you love with those you love?

Here are three significant ways to vote for your business daily:

Vote with Your Attention

You discover ways to make money daily, but have you made any time or energy lately?

These two components comprise your attention. The strategic use of your attention is paramount to achieving your business dreams.

Vote for your business by paying attention to these two most important Work Positive factors:

Positive Thoughts

Avoid the TV remote and cast your vote for positive reading or listening material in the morning. Visualize the day's schedule with positive outcomes. You shape your mental attitude for the day as you do.

Positive People

Who are those customers, team members, and suppliers that bring positive value to your business? Cast your vote for them, offering little time or attention to the negative squeaky wheels.

Vote with Your Intention

Somewhere along the way of choosing your current business profession, you aligned yourself with the mission, vision, and values of an organization. Whether your own business or another's, these guiding principles steer decisions and drive outcomes. Whether written or oral, they are partisan magnets for your intentions.

Orient your intention to the company mission, vision, and values. Vote along those party lines with your intention and attention for maximum productivity. Otherwise, your intention is the road to nowhere.