Posts Tagged ‘Staples Canada’

Ringing in the new year

As the holiday season winds down and 2011 comes to an end, it can be easy to get caught up in the festivities, especially if you’re enjoying time off of work. For those of you who have a bit of down time, make sure to use it to start getting organized for the upcoming tax season. It’s never too early to start planning and preparing for the busy time ahead.

Year-end is also a time to plan for the upcoming year and, if necessary, re-evaluate your current business strategy to strive for improvement. The Government of Canada has some helpful templates you can use.

From all of us here at Staples Canada we wish you a healthy and happy new year and all the best in 2012!

(Please note that some Staples stores will operate on shortened store hours and will be closed in most provinces and territories on New Year’s Day. Check with your local store for more information.)

Posted by Ashley in Lifestyle on December 30th, 2011

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Planning for a Holiday Breakation

By Bonnie Sokoloff

With the holiday season around the corner, you’re probably hoping for some much-needed time off—but there are some important considerations to address before deciding to close up shop. After all, your business is your baby and you would never leave your baby without making sure that it’s properly cared for in your absence, right?

Here are some questions to consider:

Should you shut down completely or remain open with a skeleton staff and relaxed hours?
The answer to this depends largely on the type of business you operate, your customer base, and your business partners. For example, if you run a retail store, you probably won’t want to risk losing what could be substantial sales opportunities, not to mention upsetting customers planning to pre- or post-holiday shop at your location. But if you run a service-oriented business and your customers and vendors are likely to be taking time off themselves, it’s a safe bet that you can safely close down for a few days so you and your staff can enjoy a break.

Who needs to know?
Whether you decide to shut down or remain open, you need to make sure that your holiday schedule is clearly communicated. However you plan to let people know—posting a sign in your front window or sending out letters or email to customers, clients and vendors—you must clarify your availability (or lack thereof) so they can plan around it, if need be.

What is your emergency backup plan?
Even if your neighbourhood is a ghost town over the holiday season, you still need to have a contingency plan just in case something comes up that needs to be handled right away. If possible, make sure your staff and contacts know how to get in touch with you, and make sure you periodically check your messages and emails to avoid missing any SOS calls. If the problem requires a physical presence to solve it and you are out of town or unable to respond, make sure you have arranged for a designated, reliable staff member to step in and take control of the situation—this includes having the authority to make decisions if they are not able to consult with you beforehand.

Anything else?
Make sure you have adequate coverage for the time you’ll be away. If you decide to remain open, make sure the staff members on duty are aware of any tasks or issues that will/could come up over the holidays, as well as the information they will require to handle them. It’s a good idea to put details in writing, so they know what to expect as well as what to do if the unexpected should occur.

Now you’re ready to relax and recharge for the New Year ahead!

BONNIE SOKOLOFF currently works as an Internal Communications Specialist for Staples Canada. She has over 15 years of experience with copywriting, editing and print production.

Posted by Ashley in Getting Organized, Lifestyle on December 2nd, 2011

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Leveraging social media for customer service

By Ashley Jang

Social media is a great tool for engaging with your customers and spreading news about your company. But what happens when customers begin using your social media channels to express their not-so-great experiences with your organization? Here are five tips to ensuring your social media pages allow for a positive customer service experience.

1. Stay on top of all conversations. Conversations about your company and your customer service may be happening without your knowledge. Make sure you are monitoring blogs, tweets and Facebook posts so that you can participate in all conversations and ensure unhappy customers are heard and engaged. There are many social media monitoring programs that you can use to manage your social conversations.

2. Bad customer service can happen outside of business hours. While most businesses work standard business hours, customers don’t always stick to business hours to express their concerns with customer service. Make sure you are taking the time to occasionally check out your social media pages on evenings and weekends to ensure that any urgent issues are acknowledged. The issue doesn’t need to be resolved immediately, but at least the customer knows that you care enough to respond in a timely manner.

3. Try to take the conversation offline. You don’t want to crowd everyone’s newsfeeds and timelines with your customer service issue. Whenever possible, ask the customer to contact you directly so that you can chat with the customer one-on-one and find out the best way to resolve the issue.

4. Online complaints should be handled as a priority. The benefit of using social media is that whatever you write is published immediately for everyone to see. As a result, the expectation is that the customer will receive a response more quickly than they would through traditional customer service avenues. Once a customer service issue is made public, you want to make sure the concern is addressed publicly and resolved as quickly as possible to prevent further escalation.

5. A bad situation can easily be turned into a good one. If you handle the situation in a timely and positive manner, it is likely that the customer will be happy with the outcome. And if you’re lucky, the customer will use social media to talk about the positive customer experience they had with your company.

Ashley Jang currently works as a Social Media Community Specialist for Staples Canada. She has a background in journalism, social media marketing, blogging and strategic communications.

Posted by Ashley in Getting Organized, Marketing, Technology on November 14th, 2011

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Small businesses – Get your voice heard!

If you’re the owner of a small or medium-sized business, and have a voice that needs to be heard, Staples is ready to listen! We currently have openings available on our Staples Ideas On Work Panel, where your opinions count.

Staples Ideas On Work Panel was created in 2008 as a way to improve and tailor our products and customer services to meet the specific needs of small businesses and offer solutions to best serve your needs in growing your business. We understand how busy you are; as a panelist, time requirements are minimal—your contribution of a few ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers to our emailed survey questions is all we need. And if you sign up now, your name will be entered in a draw to win one of five $50 Staples gift cards.

The Staples Ideas On Work Panel encourages small business owners to join a network of approximately 1,500 other small-business-owner panelists. We benefit by hearing your opinions on business initiatives, new ideas and concepts on how we can serve you better in providing exactly what you need.

You benefit by:

  • Gaining insightful information about the latest trends and business practices. Receiving a bi-monthly newsletter that offers the latest on what other small businesses are doing, corporate news and the decisions we’ve made as a result of your feedback.
  • Volunteering to participate in the surveys twice each month, where you can voice your opinions about your needs, likes and dislikes, and why.

Occasionally, you’ll have the option of attending one of our focus group sessions, where you’ll meet other business owners in discussing new initiatives or concerns and receive some great rewards for your participation.

If you are interested in joining forces with 1,500 of your fellow small business owners, please click here to start: Staples Ideas On Work Panel

Posted by Ashley in Lifestyle on November 9th, 2011

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How to choose the right business PC

A 2-part guide to wading through the options

In part 1 of this blog When to buy a new business PC, we looked at the debate of whether to update your old PC or upgrade to a new one. If you’ve made the decision to buy a new PC to leverage the security, performance and networking advantages of the latest technology, the daunting task of choosing the right machine begins.  As you browse manufacturer web sites, or stroll through aisles and aisles of options in store, you might feel your head start to spin.

Let me help you sort out some very basic factors that will help you to focus the right PC for your business.

The first thing to consider is whether to purchase a business or consumer PC.  If you’ve traditionally shopped by price alone, chances are you’ve bought consumer PCs in the past.  As a business owner, it’s important to understand that consumer and business PCs are built with different end-goals in mind.

So, what do you get with a business-grade PC?

  • More rugged construction that can take a little more abuse, which is great when jostling through airport crowds!
  • Increased number of ports and expansion options (to accommodate things like docking stations).
  • Encryption technology and extra security to keep your business safe.
  • More storage options and a range of different hard drive configurations.
  • Support for more wireless and wired connectivity choices.

When considering the right PC for your business, it’s important to look beyond price. A lower price doesn’t always equate to good value. In the long run, features like durability, functionality and scalability will save you time and money.

Today, when evaluating new technology, it’s hard not to be tempted by the small, portable Netbooks that have gained popularity in recent years.  And, I’d argue, you’ll be tempted to consider Tablets, which are also rapidly gaining momentum and popularity.

To know if either form factor is right for your business, it’s important to know what were designed for … they were built, primarily for light use and web browsing.  They weren’t really created for heavy-duty business use, including the ever-critical multi-tasking features I know we all require! But, if you’re looking to get online from an airport lounge, it might be a good choice.

For a true road warrior, a good choice is a fully-functional business laptop (to take advantage of the features we mentioned earlier).  With fast 2nd generation Intel Core processors, these notebooks give you extra power when you need it and reduce power when you don’t, saving valuable battery life.  In addition, these laptops have more ports for device connectivity, on-board disc drives and are thinner and lighter than ever before. It’s the right combination of features and functionality in a portable form.

The end goal of your purchase should be to make computing easier and give you more time to do what’s most important … grow your business!

For more information, visit www.staples.ca/BusinessPC

 
And check out this video for more information on buying a business PC.

Posted by Ashley in Getting Organized on October 5th, 2011

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How to analyze the effectiveness of your website without spending a dime

By Bonnie Sokoloff

So here you are, a small business owner/operator with a great-looking site on the World Wide Web. You’ve received some decent comments and feedback from people (who are not your family), so you think it must be working for you. But how do you know for sure?

What if I told you that there is a way to know for sure, and it’s absolutely free? I’m talking about a Web analytics program brought to you by the people who make it easy for you to access all the information the Internet has to offer, with just a few keystrokes: Google Analytics.

What is Google Analytics? Let’s imagine your site is a physical store with customers strolling in and out all day. Now imagine that you’ve set up a camera that tracks their every movement inside your store to make it easy for you to determine which entrance they typically come through, how long their visits last, which items they’re looking at, how long they spend looking at each item, and so on. How great would it be to have that kind of information at your fingertips? Well, that’s what Google Analytics can do for you, when it comes to getting the most from your website. And, as I mentioned earlier, it’s free. So if you’re not already using it, now is a good time to start!

With Google Analytics, you’ll be able to pinpoint those areas where minor changes could yield major results. Let’s take a look at some of the tools available:

• Search Engine Keywords: Which keywords will drive the most traffic to your site, and from which search engine(s).

• Best Pages: Identify your top-performing pages in terms of sales, views, registrations or other criteria you have established for your site, and then boost traffic to those areas. Remember to consider factors such as time spent on those pages and bounce rate (individuals viewing the pages and then leaving without any further activity) to get an even clearer picture.

• Exit Pages: Discover which areas on your site cause potential customers to lose interest and leave.

• Referring Sites: Determine which websites are sending people to your site so you can reach out to them to fine-tune the referring links/content.

• Navigation Summary: Get a visual representation of how your visitors are navigating through your designated hierarchy. Identify where they are straying from your intended path and then refine that path accordingly.

• On-site Search: If your site is enabled with search functionality, find out what your patrons are looking for and then figure out how to help them find it faster.

Google Analytics offers many additional features and functions that you can leverage to gain significant insights into your intended audience’s interactions with your site, but the above-mentioned suggestions should get you well on your way. The main thing to remember is, no matter what type of website you have, you need to understand what draws people to it in the first place, what makes them stick around long enough to engage in your definition of a “successful transaction,” and what will bring them back again in the future, hopefully, with a few friends along for the ride.

BONNIE SOKOLOFF currently works as an Internal Communications Specialist for Staples Canada. She has over 15 years of experience with copywriting, editing and print production.

Posted by Jameel in Growing Your Biz, Marketing on June 8th, 2011

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The DOs and DON’Ts of Business Communication

By Bonnie Sokoloff

 In the course of doing daily business, think about how much of our interaction involves, even depends upon, communication in one form or another. Yet many of us don’t even think about the ‘messages we send’ in the messages we are sending.

How we communicate is as important as the information we are communicating, and it’s not a cliché to say that doing it wrong could be a deal breaker.

Follow these basic rules to maximize the effectiveness (and minimize the offensiveness) of your business communications:

1. Respect your audience’s time. That’s really the fundamental principle of communication in a business context. Assume that everyone is as busy as you are and if you want to capture their attention, you will need to make sure you address that. If a major explanation is not required, don’t schedule a meeting just to review information you plan to provide in hard copy format. Just send the presentation with a request for feedback. If you are sending an email that has already been replied to and forwarded a few times, don’t just hit the forward button again—take the time to summarize the information and put it in a fresh email.

Speaking of email… the rules around communicating via email can provide enough content for several articles, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll just concentrate on a few key points.

2. Get to the point. By the time they finish reading the subject line, your recipients should have a good idea of what the message within the email is about. Lead off with the most important information so if they aren’t able to read the entire email right away, they will know whether or not they need to revisit it later.

3. Know when to pick up the phone. Email is great for quick and easy messages, but when things get complicated, especially if trouble is brewing, you need to abandon the computer and make a call instead. There are too many variables, such as tone, that can easily be misinterpreted via email. You can prevent the situation from escalating and work toward an effective resolution by initiating a phone conversation at the right time.

4. The “Reply to All” button is not a toy. It is a tempting option, but before you press that button, pause to consider if everyone who received the initial email really needs to hear everyone’s take on the issue. If you are at all in doubt, don’t do it. If the original sender thinks others need to see the replies, allow them to do the forwarding.

You may have read the above tips and found yourself thinking: “Duh. This is just common sense.” And you are right. But in the midst of our busy days, common sense sometimes falls by the wayside. The main thing you need to take away is, no matter how busy you are, take the time to think about the whats, hows and whos of your business communications.

BONNIE SOKOLOFF currently works as an Internal Communications Specialist for Staples Canada. She has over 15 years of experience with copywriting, editing and print production.

Posted by Jameel in Getting Organized, Growing Your Biz on April 6th, 2011

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Small business wins a lot of buzz!

SMALL BUSINESS WINS A LOT OF BUZZ

By Rachel Swiednicki

Staples Canada has awarded its winning prize for its first ‘Win Buzz for your Biz’ contest to Bay Street Boys Inc. from Baysville, Ontario.

Over 10,000 small businesses from across Canada entered the contest online to win a marketing prize pack from Staples Canada and its partners.

The contest was open to all registered small businesses. As the winning company, Bay Street Boys Inc. will receive the following:

• Brand strategy and creative services from MacLaren McCann
• A limited space media buy
• 1,000 business cards and letterhead from Staples Copy & Print Centre
• One-hour professional time-management session from ProgressiveTraining.ca

“This is a wonderful opportunity for Bay Street Boys Inc.,” says Craig Taylor VP of Business Delivery, Staples Canada. “Our ‘Win Buzz for your Biz’ contest will not only give an opportunity to be more recognizable in their community, but provide the chance to expand their creative abilities.”

This is the first contest of its kind for Staples Canada, “We are very fortunate to win this, and thankful that Staples Canada organized this great contest,” says George V. Drennan of Bay Street Boys Inc. “We’re looking forward to exploring greater marketing opportunities that will allow us to build on our initial success.”

You can check out more at staples.ca/winbuzzforyourbiz

Posted by Jameel in Lifestyle on March 30th, 2011

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Growing your business’ customer base

By Jameel Lalji

In a recent blog post entitled, Barriers and concerns facing Canadian small- and medium-sized businesses, we took a closer look at the results of a recent survey of small business owners in Canada. In that post, we looked at ways to address the number-one concern, which was cash flow.

However, “attracting and generating net new business” was a very close second in the survey, and deserves some attention.

Our respondents mentioned again and again, that they wanted to hear about ideas and strategies to acquire new customers and sell more to existing customers.

Before you set out to acquire new customers, the most important thing you need to do is ensure that your current customers are happy.

You need to get a sense of whether your services are meeting your current clients’ needs. First impressions are lasting — marketing your business to new clients before you have your approach and customer service refined is a recipe for disaster. A negative experience can have a lasting impact on future business as customers are much more likely to communicate a bad experience to their friends and family.

By reaching out to your existing base, you can get a good sense of what you’re doing well and what areas you need to improve before you try to expand your customer base.

As well, you need to remember that your existing customers can be your best brand ambassadors. If you do everything you can to make sure you have a happy client, you have a warm lead you can use to sell other products and services to. Nurture these relationships and you will have someone who can refer you to their network and lead to future business for you.

Once you have your ‘house in order,’ in addition to referrals, a very impactful way to raise awareness about your business and to generate revenue is to network.

Attending community and local chamber of commerce events can help you reach other business owners who may be interested in your products and services, or might be able to provide you with ideas and tips to reach other people who might be interested in your products and services.

Somewhat counter-intuitively, the focus of your initial networking efforts needs to be cultivating relationships and not selling. No one wants to be the focus of a sales pitch at a networking event. Focus on getting yourself and your business known by engaging in discussion with other business owners. Don’t monopolize conversation and remember that it’s more impactful to have a few meaningful conversations and discussions than many fleeting ones.

Once you have put in the effort to build a relationship, it will be easy to transition into providing your products and services to other businesses and, ideally, generate referrals to people in their network.

Good luck!

Don’t forget that today is the last day to enter our contest to win 1 of 3 copies of Quickbooks Pro 2011, valued at 199.99 each!

All you have to do is let us know what your top concern is as a business owner in Canada.  Click here to enter!

Jameel is an Innovation & Business Development Consultant at Staples Canada

Posted by Lynnette in Growing Your Biz on February 4th, 2011

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This is your chance to speak out

If you’re the owner of a small or medium-sized business, and have a voice that needs to be heard, Staples is ready to listen! We currently have openings available on our Staples Ideas On Work Panel, where your opinions count.

Staples Ideas On Work Panel was created in 2008 as a way to improve and tailor our products and customer services to meet the specific needs of small businesses and offer solutions to best serve your needs in growing your business. We understand how busy you are; as a panelist, time requirements are minimal—your contribution of a few ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers to our emailed survey questions is all we need.

The Staples Ideas On Work Panel encourages small business owners to join a network of approximately 3,000 other small-business-owner panelists. We benefit by hearing your opinions on business initiatives, new ideas and concepts on how we can serve you better in providing exactly what you need.

You benefit by:

  • Gaining insightful information about the latest trends and business practices. Receiving a bi-monthly newsletter that offers the latest on what other small businesses are doing, corporate news and the decisions we’ve made as a result of your feedback.
  • Volunteering to participate in the surveys twice each month, where you can voice your opinions about your needs, likes and dislikes, and why.

Occasionally, you’ll have the option of attending one of our focus group sessions, where you’ll meet other business owners in discussing new initiatives or concerns and receive some great rewards for your participation.

If you are interested in joining forces with 3,000 of your fellow small business owners, please click here to start: Staples Ideas On Work Panel

Posted by Lynnette in Lifestyle on January 26th, 2011

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