Published on: 20 November 2019
Last Updated on: 03 July 2021
There has never been a better time to launch a new business than now. Today’s current wave of outsourced services has made running different aspects of any organization more efficient and affordable than it’s ever been. Third-party logistics(3pl service) are no exception and it’s now generally accepted that the level of efficiency and speed we enjoy as consumers today would not be possible without these companies.
Third-party logistics services (usually shortened to “3PL services”) are companies that help manage and execute the logistics needs of a business. In contrast to services that simply offer courier and mail delivery, 3PL companies also handle distribution, warehousing, and fulfillment, among other tasks. These tasks were once traditionally done in-house and are still often done that way by larger businesses that can scale their operations.
On the other hand, smaller organizations and startups, and even most medium and large enterprises generally have more to gain by using 3PL services rather than doing all their logistics in-house.
Here are some ways using a 3PL service can benefit an organization:
1. Cost Savings
Using a 3PL service is generally more affordable than doing these operations in-house, and may provide better value for both the business and its customers. This is because the business no longer has to allocate resources to developing a logistics arm, which is a complex and expensive undertaking in and of itself. Staffing, space and vehicle acquisition and maintenance expenses, opportunity costs, and other expenses can be greatly reduced or even eliminated when taking the services of a 3PL company.
3PL in Canada providers also have the necessary expertise, focus, systems, and scale to deliver all the different aspects of logistics effectively. This allows them to perform these services at a lower cost for their customers than most would typically be able to by themselves.
2. The business can immediately employ effective logistics
Using a 3PL service gives access to expertly executed warehousing, transport, fulfillment, and distribution — activities that are very difficult to do efficiently when done entirely in-house. With the traditional in-house logistics setup, it can take months or years before the logistics team can hit their stride and reach levels of efficiency considered acceptable by today’s standards. Thus, when partnered with an experienced 3PL service provider, even a new startup can employ effective logistics without having to go through the growing pains of learning how to do the associated tasks effectively.
3. Better logistics flexibility
3PL companies can typically reach a wider geographical area than most businesses can do themselves. Indeed, using 3PL services has enabled smaller startups to cost-effectively reach a global market — something that simply wasn’t possible in most cases 20 years ago.
Another way that it can allow a small business to be more flexible is that it only has to pay for logistics when it needs it. If a business maintains its own logistics arm, it would still need to spend for its upkeep during downtime. Therefore, by using a 3PL provider, an organization can more effectively use its budget and better manage its resources.
Conclusion:
3PLs provide a range of services that are especially vital in today’s fast-paced global market. If you’re considering launching a startup or planning on expanding into a wider market, finding a 3PL company you could trust is well worth considering.
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Giving gift cards is the tried and tested formula for keeping customers happy. You can give a gift and plastic business cards to attract new customers, increase brand awareness and improve sales.
To make a lasting impression, you should consider giving away plastic gift cards. These cards are not just visually stunning, but they are also more durable as compared to the traditional low-quality paper cards.
You will make a good impression on your customers by giving them a plastic gift card.
Here are seven reasons you should consider giving plastic gift cards instead of paper gift cards to your customers.
Reasons To Gift Plastic Business Cards To Your Customers
There are several reasons why you must gift plastic business cards to your customers are as follows:-
1. Appealing Design
The design of a card can say a lot of things about your business. Plastic cards are high-quality cards that will have a positive impact on your customers.
These cards come in a wide variety of colors, making them visually appealing. The card will make your business appear special and better than the rest. It will also make your prospective customers more inclined to keep the card instead of throwing it away in the dustbin.
2. Effective Branding Tool
You can use the plastic gift card as a branding tool. Customers can associate the card with quality. By giving plastic business cards, you will stand apart from other businesses.
The cards will communicate to the customers that you value them. The decision to be a bit different when distributing gift cards will reverberate positively on prospective customers.
3. Durable Material
Plastic business cards are more durable and resilient. The card can withstand getting wet, being folded or stepped on, and damaged in many other ways. This increased durability of the card makes the extra cost worth it.
In fact, you can save money with plastic business gift cards. All the cards will remain in pristine condition long after being printed.
4. Modern Design
Plastic business gift cards look more modern as compared to traditional paper cards. The cards will make your company look upscale and innovative. This will also have a pleasant effect on your customers who will be impressed by your commitment to quality.
You can also incorporate advanced features in a plastic business gift card. A chip can be inserted in the plastic card. The chip allows customers to take details from the card to any NFC device by being near it. This results in added convenience for your customers.
The cards can be programmed using an app. The information can also be changed easily allowing you to reuse the same card for different purposes.
5. Personality and Flair
Plastic cards can add a touch of personality and style to the cards. You can add certain unique effects to the card that are not possible with traditional paper cards.
Take the card design to the next level by adding a photo on the card. The card can serve as a perfect branding tool. You can also use numbering to keep track of the gift cards.
The card can have increased security with signature panels at the back. In addition, barcodes and magnetic strips can be added to store important information.
6. Design Quality
While you can incorporate the same design in the traditional paper card, the quality is superior in plastic gift cards. The digitized photos appear much clearer and sharper on plastic cards. The premium look and feel of the card will create a positive impression about your business.
Plastic cards appear more professional. Customers can keep the card with them for a long time. They are small and can easily fit inside a wallet. You can create the best impression every time you hand out a plastic card with an impressive design.
7. Customized Cards
Plastic cards can be customized to your exact specifications. There are certain limitations to traditional paper cards. You don’t have full color and texture options with paper cards.
With a plastic card, you can have lots of opportunities to create the perfect impression on your customers.
The design and feel of a business card can have a positive impression on your customers. A high-quality business card shows that the business is committed to customer satisfaction. Plastic business gift cards will show that you are willing to go the extra mile to keep customers happy.
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As an entrepreneur, your customers are the biggest pillar of your business. No matter your industry of domain, area of specialization, or even your business focus, they are the single most valuable asset to your organization and you should treat them as so.
Through their valuable feedback, your business can gain a new sense of direction, develop new concepts, as well as bring in more revenue. With that said, as a business owner, simply appreciating your customers isn’t enough. You need to truly understand them to tailor your products and services to meet them at their point of need. And that’s where Salesforce application development comes in.
It entails creating integrated customer relationship management solutions that interface businesses with their customers. These CRM platforms also give all the departments in a particular organization a unified view of all the customers and how they interact with various aspects of the business.
In this article, we are going to look at what Salesforce is and its uses. While at it, we are also going to delve deeper to see the entire Salesforce application development lifecycle.
What Is Salesforce?
Simply put, it’s a cloud computing SaaS company that provides customer relationship management (CRM) solutions. Thanks to the company’s cloud technology, businesses are able to better connect with their existing clientele, partners, and potential customers.
Over the years, Salesforce software has grown to become the leading marketing and customer behavior tracking solution for both small startups and Fortune 500 companies. As it turns out, customer relationship management is one of the key driving factors for the increasing demand for application development in Salesforce.
Recent research from Vonage offered a compelling view of the effects and consequences of poor customer service. In the US alone, the research revealed that an estimated $62 billion is lost annually as a result of bad customer experience.
To underwrite this figure, a different report from Huffpost has indicated that 91% of customers won’t hesitate to switch brands once they experience bad customer service. These are mind-blowing figures, especially if a business has no solution to counter the consequences of poor customer experience.
However, with Salesforce in place, businesses are able to overcome the problems caused by poor customer service and other business process variables. According to statistics published on Salesforce’s website, companies that are currently using their software have continued to see average increases in multiple areas. For instance, 34% of users have seen an increase in customer satisfaction, with 27% and 32% users seeing an increase in sales revenues and lead conversion respectively.
In 2018, Salesforce emerged as the biggest CRM software commanding a total of 19.8% market share of the CRM software market. During the same period, the company was voted as the #1 CRM provider by the International Data Corporation. It shouldn't come as a surprise that companies are willing to pay the highest Salesforce consultant salary just to get wind of this technology.
The Benefits of Using Salesforce
Given the commendable portfolio of Salesforce, here are areas it can help your business find success. Below I am going to discuss the benefits of using Salesforce.
Helps Collect Customer Intel
In the prevailing competitive business environment, overlooking data collection can be a fatal and unforgiving mistake. As a business, collecting and collating customer intelligence should be an obsession or the very least treated as a full-time affair, because it can lead to loss of revenue. As such, if you are to improve customer satisfaction and continue remaining competitive, hiring qualified Salesforce developers to build a high-quality CRM tool is inevitable.
And with Salesforce, you get an upper hand over your competitors by enjoying tools that help you identify, understand, and solve customer problems.
Flexible And Scalable
As companies and business needs continue to evolve, the tools of trade must also adapt. For instance, if the structures of your business start to grow, the management software should be able to seamlessly accommodate the changes. Cognizant of this fact, Salesforce CRM comes with multiple functions that allow for scalability right from the initial stages to any future interactions.
Helps in Account Planning
Having a unified view of customer information allows your teams to independently make plans for various accounts. It also facilitates a more hands-on customer connection approach as well as allows various reps and departments in your organization to modify their plans for optimized results. Salesforce also comes with a to-do items feature, which helps your entire workforce stay organized throughout the day.
Along with that, Salesforce also works as an organizational tool. Your team can create calendar reminders specifying the future customer follow-ups or important duties reminders to the upper management, which helps prevent anything from falling through the cracks.
If you are in the service-based businesses, Salesforce also gives you insights into the amount of time a particular customer/s has stayed in a particular subscription package. Once this info is established, your team is able to customize marketing materials to match a particular customer niche.
Cloud Connectivity
Many companies are now gravitating towards software as a service (SaaS), which means software that is available online. Luckily, Salesforce doesn’t need to be installed on a computer as it is cloud-based. This means that you can easily access it everywhere, interface it with other digitized services, and enjoy unlimited storage capacity. And since no maintenance is required, you get to save on a Salesforce developer salary that would have otherwise been paid for this purpose.
Facilitates Team Collaboration
Poor team communication and collaboration can lead to reduced productivity. On top of a unified view of customer data, Salesforce’s “Chatter” feature allows your team members to easily and regularly communicate work-related information. Additionally, the feature also lets you highlight and prioritize urgent issues that require special attention by inviting different team members to look at them.
Salesforce Application Development Lifecycle
Software developers spend a lot of time designing, developing, securing, and delivering products that perform better than initially envisioned. As a result, different software development approaches like agile development, waterfall model, and many others have merged.
When it comes to cloud-based solutions, the incorporation and implementation of various software development methodologies make it even more complex. Moreover, the Salesforce Development Lifecycle also means that the software is developed, tested, and deployed in a cloud environment.
Below, we have laid down 6 steps that clearly illustrate the entire Salesforce Development Lifecycle:
Business Requirements Analysis
The first step towards a successful custom Salesforce application is to conduct an internal business needs analysis. It entails the development team eliciting the potential customer needs, elaborating them, validating all the assumptions, and devising efficient methodologies to meet these requirements.
Business requirements analysis is important as it helps avert potential mistakes as well as make the final product both efficient and compatible with the existing system and security standards.
UI/UX Design
Another important aspect of Salesforce application development is optimizing the app for user experience. A report by iMPACT indicates that 52% of customers are less likely to conduct business with a brand offering a poor mobile experience. On the other hand, Forbes conservative estimates indicate that intentional and strategic user experience can yield a conversion rate as high as 400%.
If these numbers are anything to go by, designing a user-friendly and highly responsive Salesforce application development is absolutely paramount. In order to optimize an app for effective and enjoyable use, developers need to map out the user journey and creatively choreograph user/platform interactions to benefit the end-user.
Development Phase
The next step in Salesforce application development entails creating developers creating isolated sandboxes. Generally, these distinct sandboxes hold the main production app copy and other supplementary Salesforce configuration information. They are also independent, implying that changes in a single sandbox don’t affect the main Salesforce production enterprise. Individual developers have to clone their branches.
To retrieve the metadata from the sandboxes to the IDE, the developers need to use Force.com IDE. Once they have the metadata, they continue coding their assigned app features, performing initial unit testing, and then submit the finished code to the Git repository.
If a subsequent developer wants to build on top of this freshly updated branch, they need to clone it to their sandbox and continue developing new features. Once done, they also have to submit their latest development to the repository.
With that said, the possibility of multiple developers working on the same branch cant be overlooked. To avoid conflicts, it is important for everyone in the development team to check for possible branch updates before committing.
Testing
The next step after building a Salesforce application is to ensure that it has an excellent and stable performance. This mainly entails developers carrying out QA activities including unit tests and code reviews. It is also at this stage that functional, performance, and integration testing is conducted within the development process.
Lastly, automation tests and debugging are conducted to augment the app’s speedy delivery.
Integration
During the integration phase, the custom CRM application is interfaced with third-party software like CMS. To facilitate a smooth transition, the development team also conduct hands-on training sessions as well as provides training materials to the client.
Launch
Once the app is launched for internal use, it is transferred to the client and subjected to their User Acceptance Testing environment (UAT). Once satisfied, the finished product is moved to the production environment and deployed to the end-users.
Salesforce Application Development Team Actors
During the app development process, different players are involved and handle different aspects of the app. In the Salesforce app development life cycle, the most common actors include:
Product Manager: Help finalize business requirements.
Release Manager: Help coordinate the app’s release schedule.
Software Developer: Handles the main coding and produces the requisite deliverables.
Quality Analyst: Tests and confirms the functionality of various app features.
Potential money from the Salesforce AppExchange development:
After researching the fact this has been seen that Potential money from the salesforce AppExchange development can depend on several other factors.
How To Build an App for Salesforce AppExchange?
To build your AppExchange app, you must go through the multi-step procedure, which includes compliance, release, ongoing support, and demand app development. Below, I will discuss how to create an App for Salesforce AppExchange.
1st Step: Become the Part of Salesforce Business Partner Community
The first and foremost step in becoming a Salesforce AppExchange trade Partner is to join the Salesforce Partner Community. In this case, you must submit the form using AppExchange. After all, the Salesforce Partner Community is the hub of existing AppExchange Partners.
2nd Step: Examine AppExchange Market
The next step in building the app is to examine the AppExchange market. AppExchange offers many products and solutions for several products and cloud services in Salesforce. In this case, for optimal outcomes, you must use the curated collections of AppExchange.
3rd Step: Make the First Sketches of Your Product
Once you are done researching the existing solutions on AppExchange, you must start defining the unique value proposition of your product. For the outline, you must follow the below-mentioned procedure such as:
Firstly, you must understand your target audience.
Secondly, ensure you have an idea of business targets.
Thirdly, you must follow the types of Salesforce editions you will support.
After that, ensure you have an idea of the package type.
Next, ensure you have the Salesforce Licenses that you want to use.
Lastly, it would help if you ensured the requirements for your AppExchange App security.
4th Step: Define the Type of ISV Partnership and the Type Of Your AppExchange Solution
Once you have joined the Salesforce Partner Community, then, you must analyze the existing products, and you can create a rough roadmap. In this case, ensure you have defined the type of ISV partnership, and consequently, you also have built the AppExchange solution.
There are seven types of ISV partners in AppExchange. It includes OEM, CDP Cloud Partner, Commerce Cloud Partner, All Other Clouds (paid), All Other Clouds (free), and Technology Partner/Tableau.
5th Step: Choose the Programming Type and Tools to Build Your Salesforce App
Recently, Salesforce provided two types of programming languages and two types of tools that you can use. Let’s know what programming tools are used in Salesforce App development. This includes Apex Cloud-based programming language. Next are Lightning components and Visualforce.
6th Step: Build Your Salesforce App
Once you can identify the exact type of solution, it must have the programming language, licensing, and packaging, and of course, you must continue with the building procedure.
Two ways to do this are using internal sources or outsourcing the dedicated team. If you want to build the SalesForce App using an in-house team, it could be one the most viable and remarkable options. If you don’t have enough resources, ensure you can control the entire product cycle of AppExchange.
7th Step: Test Your Salesforce App
If you want to ensure optimal performance, then it must conduct comprehensive end-to-end testing in technological domains. In this case, you must adhere to the development of best business practices, especially for testing.
8th Step: Prepare Your App for the Launch on AppExchange
Once you are done testing and finalizing the app, the next step is to prepare by submitting it to the SalesForce AppExchange. In this procedure, it includes creating the managed packages and providing screenshots.
9th Step: Submit Your App for Security Review and Market This
Ensure you have submitted your final app by undergoing the security review and then have met the necessary security requirements.
Final Thoughts
Salesforce CRM is a critical business tool. It helps streamline data analysis and reporting, provides invaluable customer feedback, and aid in formulating better customer service strategies. As a result, businesses are able to align their resources towards creating timely, customer-oriented solutions.
With that said, Salesforce application development isn’t a linear process. It entails working with different tools and multiple software development methodologies. And with cloud solutions continuing to capture the imaginations of business owners, the world is yet to see the full potential of CRM Salesforce and the cloud ecosystem as a whole.
Read also:
Top User Tips For Getting Started With Salesforce
CRM And ERP Combination For Business Solutions
5 Things To Take Into Account To Hire Custom Software Development Services
A promotional event plays an important role in the success of your business. Planning this type of event may be challenging but if you know how to do it right, you and your organization can achieve huge benefits in the end.
To learn more about how to plan a promotional event for your business, please scroll down to find out the answer.
What Is a Promotional Event & Its Importance?
A promotional event is a popular occasion created for organizations looking to promote their particular products, advertise new products, or promote their whole company. By launching this event, you can draw customers' attraction about your business and reach your target audience.
More than just attracting people, a well-promoted event's chief purpose is to increase public awareness of the business. In addition, it also informs customers about your organization, products, prices, services and persuades them to buy the products of your company.
Planning Promotional Event With 5 Steps
Step 1
First and foremost, you need to define your goal and identify the target audience of your event. This is the most important factor because your promotional event tactics will depend mainly on your customers and the goals that you want to achieve.
The chief target might be increasing total revenue for your e-commerce marketplace or generating media coverage on your newly launched products which are about to be unveiled. However, having a defined goal enables you to build a strong, effective promotional event schedule and bring the right audience to your business.
Step 2
Choosing the proper type of promotional event is the next significant step in your process.
There are several ideas of promotional events for your intention to gather new customers, raise people's awareness of your brand, express the brand's gratitude to current clients, etc.
This post will show you the three most typical types of promotional events that you may find helpful to your organization.
The first one is fundraising events, created to support an organization's mission, especially nonprofit companies. These companies will raise funds via selling products or services activities. Your organization can hold this type of event by hosting a gala, online or offline auctions, or musical performance.
Next, you can also opt for those promotional events like giving the public free food and custom bottled water. Who doesn't love free stuff? No one.
The crucial aims of these events are to spread people's awareness about a particular product, service or advertise the image, trademark of your brand to your target audience. Giving the crowd a free trial is a great way to give them a good impression of your brand.
The final type which we want to mention today goes to the award ceremony. The prize might be given to "the most loyal customer" or the one who has a winning ticket.
This type of promotional event shows your brand's gratitude to loyal customers. And that will help you gain more target audience and make them want to stay longer with your brand.
Step 3
To keep track of all activities of your promotional event, a schedule with strict deadlines needs to be included. Because the bigger the event is, the more things your team needs to put on the calendar.
Having deadlines in your team's plan would make your job less sophisticated and give you appropriate time to change the plan if something occurs unexpectedly.
Step 4
Since organizing a promotional event is not easy, you can share the load to distribute the promotional efforts to other stakeholders. Here are some tips for you.
Reach out to sponsors might be the best way to bring a helping hand to your business. Sponsors could easily help your brand access your target audience and re-enhance your promotional event's key message on social media websites. They can also expand your company's budget if your brand allows them to also display their products in your event.
You can consider another common way which is influencer marketing. If you can connect with influencers whose audiences are similar to your target customers, don't hesitate to discuss this partnership marketing opportunity with them. Leveraging their influence in the industry is also a great way for your event to get closer to success.
Step 5
After having done all things above, following up with your event attendees is the last important step to decide the success of your event.
You might want your attendees to remember your brand's message and come back to buy your products in the future. Thus, send them emails, give them some small gifts, marketing flyers, or whatever you can to make sure that they will remember your brand after the promotional events.
If they come back and choose your brand as a reputable solution, you can tell that your promotional event is successful.
Tips For Promoting Your Event Effectively On Social Media
Using social media platforms wisely and suitable for your products/services.
Paid for advertisements on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, etc.
Host a giveaway to pump up your brand awareness and help convert your followers to attendees.
Using your promotional event's hashtag everywhere and every time you have the chance.
Conclusion
Promotional events are amazing in helping you gain more customers and spreading your brand's key message to the community. We hope that our topic of "How to plan a promotional event for your business" today could give you the answer that you're looking for.
Good luck and see you next time!
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