When running a business, you might think the most important thing is the number at the bottom of the profit and loss sheet at the end of every financial year. Whilst it’s important to work on making that number as high as possible, it’s more important to protect those assets that help you earn money. Here are some top tips to protect the three most important assets of any company. People Your staff is the lifeblood of your company. They’re the ones who come up with new creative ideas and then help you implement them in the best way possible. The best employees care massively about the success of your company, so it’s important you also care about their own success. Make sure all your employees feel valued for their work. If they don’t, you could find them putting less effort into their day to day tasks or even find they want to leave the company. It’s important you also look after your employee’s health. Encourage healthy lifestyles by providing nutritious snacks, time for exercise and regular breaks throughout the day. Sickness can cost businesses thousands of dollars every year, so try and do everything you can to protect their welfare. IT   A decade or two ago, some businesses may have been able to run without an IT system. These days, even if you run the most traditional of businesses, like a horseshoe fitter or even a cobbler, it’s almost impossible to run it without the help of IT. Your computer can help you complete so many tasks. It enables you to organize your team’s work schedule, your business’ finances and even helps you communicate with your customers. That’s why when your IT system is down, it could bring your whole business down with it. Your productivity could ground to a literal halt, wasting your colleagues’ time and valuable opportunities to make revenue. IT is so important that big companies employ a member of staff or even a whole team whose sole purpose is to keep their computer system up and to run. If you run a small business, you might think this is a luxury you could never afford. The reality is that even if you can’t afford to employ someone full-time, it could be extremely cost-effective to employ a support agency to look after your IT systems. For example, outsourceIT have a team of expert technicians who won’t only offer support when things go wrong, but also maintain your systems, back up data and even protect your company from hackers. For a small fee, they could be on hand whenever you need them. Brand As well as the people and the equipment, it’s important to protect your company’s brand. A bad story in the press, or even a negative post about you on social media, could lose your customers. Try and deal with any disputes as quickly and fairly as possible before they have time to go viral on the internet. As well as protecting your brand when things go wrong, there are lots of things you can do to enhance your image. For example, consider working with charities and community organizations to show you don’t just care about making a...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming industries across the board, and financial companies and institutions are moving fast to keep pace. AI is changing the way we apply for loans, file insurance claims, invest our money, and interact with our banks. Here are some of the most prominent AI trends that are making inroads in the finance industry. Fraud Detection and Management As e-commerce is rising in popularity, so is online fraud. To prevent frauds, many e-commerce platforms and card issuers have been forced to decline transactions too aggressively. According to a study by Javelin Strategy, retailers lost almost $118 billion in 2015 due to false declines. Moreover, more than a third of cardholders abandoned their card because it was falsely declined. To detect fraud and prevent loss of revenue, many financial institutions have turned to AI. Machine learning algorithms can reduce false declines and improve the accuracy of real-time approvals because they can identify fraudulent activities that would go unnoticed by humans. Recently, Mastercard has launched its own AI-based fraud prevention system. Mastercard’s technology gleans patterns from the historical spending habits of shoppers. It uses this data to set a behavior baseline that allows it to score and compare new transactions. It is not limited to predetermined rules. Traditional fraud detection systems, on the other hand, use a one-size-fits-all approach when evaluating transactions. Since Mastercard processes countless interactions each year, they have plenty of quality data they can use to hone and train its AI fraud prevention system. Thanks to machine learning, AI fraud detection systems learn on their own and improve themselves over time. AI systems can also automate AML (Anti-Money Laundering) and KYC (Know Your Customer) compliance. Virtual Assistants and Chatbots Thanks to machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), chatbots and virtual assistants can deliver human-like interactions. There are more and more virtual assistants that are designed for various niches within the finance industry. Banks and other institutions use virtual assistants and chatbots to offer personalized conversational experiences to their clients. Unlike human agents, virtual assistants can juggle multiple accounts at once, and they are always available. They allow customers to get assistance outside of office hours. Banks, brokerage firms, and insurance companies can use chatbots to reduce the workload of their call centers. By offerings comprehensive self-help solutions, clients can successfully apply for loans, get personalized financial tips, or file claims much faster. For instance, the AI Insurance Claims Assistant can help and re-engage with customers throughout the complete claims process. It can gather the required information for processing and update the customers on the status of their claims. They also have digital workers that can automate the onboarding journey, help customers figure out their coverage needs, update their information, or make policy adjustments. Banking bots, on the other hand, can help customers optimize their financial plan by intelligently tracking their income, spending habits, and essential recurring expenses. They can also help customers open an account and remind them to pay their bills. Risk Assessments As mentioned, one of the strongest features of AI is its ability to learn from past data. Since records and bookkeeping are an essential part of financial services, AI and finance go hand in hand. Credit cards are a perfect example. To determine if someone is eligible for a credit card, card issuers use credit score. But, business-wise, it doesn’t always make sense to group customers into “haves” and “have-nots.” Instead, financial institutions can use each customer’s data, such as the number of credit cards they have, the number of loans currently active, and information on loan repayment habits, to customize the interest rate on the card they have issued...

Effective teamwork is easier said than done as it calls for huge commitment from the side of employees and managers as well. I have also tried to incorporate few beautiful, employee friendly office space designs that will make all the difference when it comes to large teams working together. Althought the future is little uncertain as of now due to the pandemic, I’m sure people would love to come back together in large numbers when they have to revive the lost glory of their businesses. “Great Things in Business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people” – Steve jobs From – Entreleadership Company Culture is the collective values, beliefs and norms of a business. Simply put, it’s your company’s personality and environment. From – Thedesignfiles The Boroughs, A Creative Hub In Camperdown. Originally a raw warehouse, the space has been overhauled by Belle Laide Events Director Mark Taylor and his team. ‘Great design is a tonic for the creative spirit,’ says Mark, who admits he’s a little mid-century obsessed. From – Buzz Nicked Urban Outfitters are headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They have a little under 20,000 full-time employees. You can see they have large rooms that are open to help with the free-flowing design. They can hold meetings while over looking Philadelphia. They add a lot of greenery to keep the place feeling lively. From – Designboom Park-like green office simulates recreational ground to promote productivity. While the working area is placed at a distance from the windows, its perimeter has been designed as relaxing green outline. An undulating lawn works as seating for an event, to lounge and relax, or hold a meeting place in a more intimate atmosphere. From – Archdaily This BLOX showroom consists of a staircase gallery showcasing “the next wave of Danish architecture.” The “pixelated” installation uses the steps of the BLOX staircase gallery to create an integrated workstation and exhibition for the firm’s projects, presented through models, renders, technical drawings, sketches etc. Office Wall Posters Motivational Working in an office with motivational posters increases employee performance success rate by 33%. … Bare walls aren’t only boring, they might be also doing your team a...

Unless you’re leveraging SEO as a crucial part of your digital marketing strategy, you’re losing numerous high-quality leads and leaving some significant amounts of money on the table. In this brief guide, you’ll learn about the essential areas of search engine optimization that you should include in your accountancy firm’s digital marketing. Why Search Engine Optimization? Building your accountancy website is just a first step towards strengthening your online presence. You may already have a professionally designed website that runs perfectly, offering your potential and current clients all the information they need. However, if your accountancy website doesn’t pop up in front of your target audience when they search for something like “accountant near me” or “VAT between UK and Ireland,” this alone is not enough. To serve its real purpose – acquiring new clients and keeping the existing ones, your website needs to rank high on Google, so that it is placed in front of your target audience when they conduct relevant queries. Stats show that on the first page of Google search results alone, the first five organic results account for 67,60% of all the traffic, so make it your goal to reach one of those positions. SEO is a process that makes it possible for your website to achieve such ratings, resulting in both the improved quantity and the quality of your website traffic, helping your accounting business grow through free, organic traffic. SEO for accountants is split into two areas, onsite and offsite, both of them working together to get you higher rankings in search results. Here is what you should pay special attention to. Keyword Research To optimize your website for search engines, one of the first steps you need to take is to determine the keywords you want to rank for, and then check out their search volume and competition to discover which ones give you the best chances to succeed. When thinking about keywords, you should think about your ideal clients, what terms they would use when searching for the services you offer, or information within your field of expertise. Building a comprehensive buyer persona will help you identify your potential clients’ profile, needs, interests, and pain points, making it easier for you to put together the initial keyword list. Tools such as KW Finder, Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs Keyword Explorer, or SEM Rush will help you find relevant accountancy keywords and pick those with optimal keyword difficulty and a decent search volume. Remember to monitor your keywords every month and review your keyword list every three months. On-Site SEO You will use the selected keywords to optimize your posts or webpages and rank well in searches. There are several areas of your webpage that should include these keywords if you want to get the most out of the on-site SEO: H1 (header of your webpage)URL addressMeta description – an element in the HTML code of your webpage displayed in the search resultsALT text – use keywords to describe the images on your website; that’s the only way search engines can understand them. Besides being stellar and tailored to your ideal clients’ needs and interests, the content also needs to be spiced up with relevant keywords. Having a blog on your website, where you will consistently post about useful topics is perfect for SEO purposes. However, make sure not to overstuff your pages with keywords, as you might be penalized by the search engines – keep them below 1-2% of the page. Technical SEO When indexing and ranking your accountancy website, Google Rank Brain uses specific metrics to determine whether your visitors enjoy your website and rank it accordingly. By performing technical...

Find yourself working from home and wondering how to do it right?  Here are some authentic DIY work from home tips backed up by some beautiful images from Pinterest and Instagram to support the argument. From – Cozy.happy.home The past few days, this space has been my hangout, my plant jungle, my work space, my lunch spot, my barre studio & ultimately, my inspiration!Which space in your home are you getting the most use out of and what’s that look like for you? Everyone’s home office is different and used differently, but we have one thing in common, we want that home office organized. From- Lady Decluttered From – Theeverygirl Work-from-home lunches can be even better than office lunches because you don’t have to worry about getting them to the office, food getting soggy while sitting around, or getting judged by your coworkers for bringing homemade celery soup like I did. A lunch break should be, in my opinion, something to look forward during the day—a nice little break with a meal you look forward to eating to let you really step away from work. From – Lovelylivingdesignco I adore this space. I like that the desk is near the window, I love the plants and green chair against the white. It looks light, airy and a great place to work.  From – Lifeasmama Printable daily planner to keep you organized. I love all the colors on this planner. There’s lots of room to write things that absolutely must get done, to-do lists, who you need to call, things you need to do in the morning and during the day, how much water you’ve drank and what you’re thankful for.  From – Clean & Scentsible Add some fun to your weekly goal list to keep you in high spirits. From – Bromabakery Let’s face it: working from home can mean days without leaving the house, wearing the same shirt three days in a row, and wearing cotton 95% of the time. Which is great and all, but it’s also great to have a roster of cute-but-casual outfits for the work from home entrepreneur– ones that require minimal effort, but maximize your style. From – Loveshanta  As we are still settling into our new norm and practicing social distancing, some of us have the privilege of working from home. We are still figuring out how to be the most productive and make the best of our days at home. I created and implemented a work-from-home schedule for myself and wanted to share it with you...