One of your employees has just tried to print something and he/she gets a printer error. The error says, "Out of paper." Well the employee knows that the printer is not out of paper and it does not have a paper jam. What to do? Well the traditional answer is to call technical support. But wait. Hasn't someone else in the office seen this error before? Can it be corrected faster with the help of a co-worker? In this article we will review 7 ways a Knowledge Base program can improve overall office communication.
1. The biggest reason to use a Knowledge Base program is to keep track of software problems. Almost all offices have three dynamics to their software: Operating System, Productivity Software, and custom built software for your business. Entrusting all your business computers to all of this software is indeed a brave move. A Knowledge Base program allows your employees to enter detailed information on a variety of software topics including; how-to(s), program errors, settings and options, hardware settings, and many others.
2. A Knowledge Base program is perfect for storing... well, knowledge. Quite often your office will have an employee who has been with the business for several years and then suddenly submits their two week notice for a variety of reasons. This employee takes all of his/her knowledge with them. This leaves other less informed employees to fill their shoes. Not an easy task. It doesn't need to be that way any more. With a Knowledge Base program, an employee can be required to make at least one entry a week. If you have 5 employees, that is 260 entries in your Knowledge Base per year!
3. How does one define knowledge? A Knowledge Base can be basically anything you desire. Quite often we have contact information, vendor information, and policies and procedures stored in hundreds of files over the whole hard drive; or worse, papers all over the office. A Knowledge Base makes it easy to have all that information in one place. If the Knowledge Base has a robust search engine; a search can be completed in a few seconds.
4. Customer Relations. A Knowledge Base can improve customer relations. Customers can now have advanced knowledge of polices and procedures and well as product and service pricing, and with a quick response from the employee.
5. More accurate answers. Often, you simply give up trying to find the information and take your best guess at what you think the material contained. While this may be acceptable to you some of the time, it may not be acceptable to the customer or client you are talking to.
6. Improve Office productivity. The same employee that had the "out of paper" error message found out from the Knowledge Base that he/she needed to re-install the printer driver. This saved the employee twenty minutes out of the work day.
7. Beat the competition. The competition may have never even considered using a Knowledge Base program in the office. By having this basic idea and software in place, you will be able to work smarter, save time, and save money. The competition will be left in the dust!
Bonus Tip:
Research the best Knowledge Base software for your business. Knowledge Base(s), sometimes called Knowledge Management comes in many different flavors. Check out the vendors! Make sure they have a free demo or product information on their website.
Author Bio
Author: Brandon Doyle
www.doylesoftutah.com
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by Internet Marketer |
in
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at 12:29 AM
If you are like most people, you have hundreds of important files spread all over your hard drive. It seems that there is not a universal way of handling these files and folders. Luckily there are a few simple things that you can do to manage and organize all your work.
1. Keep it simple. If you have multiple customers/clients/patients that need extra information stored about them outside of your usual database, create a file folder for the information and use the same naming conventions on all the files. For example: You could use the first three letters of a last name followed by 01.
2. Numerical files can be sorted numerically. When dealing with numerical files, make sure to add an initial zero before the number 1 or 2. For example: If you have one file named customer10 and another file named customer1, the customer10 file is sorted first if you sort by name. This can be really annoying. However, if customer1 is renamed to customer01 it will take care of the problem.
3. The amazing Windows Run command. If you have Windows 95 or higher, you have access to the nifty run command. In our testing, the run command will open any folder or file in the Windows folder and any other folder locations specified in your Autoexec.bat. These are known as paths. Common paths are the Windows folder and system folders. Paths can also be C:Program FilesMicrosoft Office. This means that in the Run window, you can type 'excel' and Microsoft Excel will open. You can also open folders. Just type the name of the folder and it opens right up. If you type 'calc' in the Run window and press Enter; Calculator opens. Very cool! Poke around and see what else you can do with the Run command. You can access Run by clicking on Start and Run.
4. Working with Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Speaking of Excel, it is easy to work with different sheets inside the same Workbook. Think of the Workbook as the single *.xls file. When Excel starts a new Workbook, you have Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3 on the bottom of the screen. You can right click on any of these sheets and rename them to something else. Simply left clicking on the Sheet takes you to that Sheet.
5. Working with Microsoft Word Documents. It is easy to add revision remarks and page numbers to Word Documents. Revision remarks are important if you are working on a Document that needs to be seen by multiple people multiple times. For example: A small to medium project. Developers use Version numbers to track their software; the same should be done with Word Documents. To open the Header or Footer of a Word document, click on 'View | Header and Footer'. Next, click on the 'Switch between Header and Footer' button to switch between the two. Click on the 'Insert Page number' button to automatically add page numbers to the Document. (It would be embarrassing to give a technical presentation without page numbers. Your audience would lose confidence in your presentation, not to mention your word processing abilities.) Next, you can add revision remarks. Simply type 'Rev. A' below the line that has the page number OR whatever remarks you want.
6. Finally, have you ever been inside a folder and you can't find a sub-folder or a file? Well, it is very easy to get those folders and files to shape up. Click on 'View | Arrange Icons By' and choose an option. This will get those wandering folders and files to get back in line!
Author Bio
Author: Brandon Doyle
www.doylesoftutah.com
Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content
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Many people want to have some kind of spy equipment for better home security. However, besides wireless spy cameras, VCR or DVR systems, there is also special software used to control those surveillance gadgets.
Large companies use professional security systems along with already built in (embedded digital video recorder or PC based DVR soft) spy camera control software. But what about smaller guys? Do you also have to spend thousands of dollars for professional spy security system and software to feel safe and secure in your house? And the answer is not necessarily.
Webcam for Spying Purposes
You have the ability to use your webcam (connected to your PC) as a surveillance tool. And to control it, all you need is inexpensive webcam surveillance software. As a matter of fact, such software allows you to connect more than one camera. It can display as much as 16 webcam views on your computer screen.
Moreover, webcam surveillance software even allows you to detect motion and start capturing an event within milliseconds. This means that you don't have to keep your webcam surveillance software turned on all the time in order to secure the area. By using motion detection webcams, you can also save your computer's HDD (hard drive) space.
You know, video takes a lot of hard drive space. Non stop recording for 24 hours can cost you 1GB of HDD space a day. Well, it depends on the chosen image quality. Lower quality images will require less bandwidth. Also, if you set lower FPS (frames per second), then you'll save even more HDD space.
But if you have a large HDD (like 160GB or more), then there's nothing to worry about.
What to Look for in Webcam Surveillance Software?
Before you decide to order webcam surveillance software, there are a couple of things to consider. Let's take a look at some of the features of webcam software that you should seriously consider, ok.
- Audio Capturing - Does your webcam surveillance software have audio capturing option? If not, then you should consider that carefully. If you want to record a conversation, it's crucial.
- Compressed Files - Does your webcam software compress video files? If not, then the space of your HDD might fill up quickly. Try to search for software that compresses the video without losing its quality.
- Remote Access - This is very important. If you leave your webcam to record the area, you should have the ability to access your webcam's view via internet connection. This is very neat function that is absolutely must in webcam software.
- Motion Detection - We've already mentioned that. Motion detection is also extremely important. You don't want to record the area when nothing's going on, right. So make sure that motion sensing is enabled in your software.
- Alert Options - Does the webcam surveillance software have an alert option? Some webcam software alert when they detect something. They can alert via email or even dial a phone number. You should seek for this feature, because it's very neat.
- Multiple Webcams - Can your surveillance software record a live view from multiple web cameras? 2, 4 or 16? If you want to connect more than one camera to your PC, then multiple webcam support is absolutely must in the software you choose.
- Stealth Mode - Does the webcam software run in stealth mode? Stealth mode means that nobody can see if the software is running or not. Not even if they Press "Ctr+Alt+Del" and look at Windows Task Manager!
Look for webcam surveillance software that allows you to do all or at least most of the functions mentioned above. If your software isn't capable of detecting motion, doesn't have alert option, doesn't have audio recording options, then search for a better solution.
In Conclusion
Webcam software (for spying or home protection purposes) combined with a few inexpensive webcams, can definitely serve as a basic home security system. You can put your webcams in the most important places and have your PC to record each camera's view. And if motion sensors detect something unusual, they can alert you via email or phone.
However, if you're really looking for quality and all-in-one solution for professional home protection, then a more powerful DVR security system with multiple spy cameras could be your best shot. Such systems cost over thousand dollars, but they're ideal for quality home or office protection.
Author Bio
Dan Crane offer free tips and article about spy cameras, bug detectors, security systems or body worn cams. If you'd like to find out more information about webcam surveillance software used to control nanny cams, then check out Vedosoft website.
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Hello.
Today, I want to tell the absolute beginner how to read a value from a SQLDataReader in C#.
If you are an experienced ADO.NET developer then this article will be a complete bore for you. But, believe it or not, there are people who are trying to learn how to work with databases in C#. So maybe I can help out at least one person!
What is an SQL DataReader? DataReaders are a fast way to pull records from a database when all you want to do is simply READ. You may have heard the term "Firehose Cursor" used to describe a DataReader. A firehose is a good comparison because the water (data) only flows one way and it flows fast. DataReaders can not be used to update data, delete data, or anything else other than reading. A good example of when to use a DataReader would be cities in a state. You may want to read out all cities in New York and since they aren't exactly changing every day, you would want to pull them down as fast as possible.
Ok, I promised fast and easy so here goes.
First, you must instantiate (create) a new database connection. Now, I am only working with Microsoft's SQL server today. If you need help converting this article to other database platforms like Oracle or MySQL then please let me know.
Make sure you are also using the needed namespaces before you begin.
using System.Data;
using System.Data.SqlClient;
SqlConnection adoConn = new SqlConnection("Data Source=server;Initial Catalog=database;Persist Security Info=True;User ID=username;Password=password");
adoConn.Open();
Database is now created and opened. The string that we passed is called the "Connection String". All it does is tell the database how and where to open the connection. Substitute "server", "Initial Catalog", and "User ID/Password" with your database information. Remember, this is ONLY an open connection. The database is sitting there waiting on a command. And that is exactly what we setup next. A command. Think of a command as a direct order you give the server (even though it may or may not listen!).
// new command
string sql = "SELECT CustomerName FROM MyTable";
SqlCommand adoCmd = new SqlCommand(sql, adoConn);
The sql string is simply a SQL command we are passing. The adoConn is telling the command which connection to use. Simple, huh?
Ok, now we have an open connection and a command (using the sql string). Our next move is to create the DataReader and display some data.
SqlDataReader adoDR = adoCmd.ExecuteReader();
if (adoDR.HasRows)
{
while (adoDR.Read())
{
Response.Write(adoDR["CustomerName"].ToString());
}
}
The ExecuteReader() method sends the SQL data from the command (our SELECT statement) and if there are records, brings them one at a time down to the DataReader (adoDR).
You'll notice that we first called the .HasRows condition. It's always good to first make sure there is data returned before you do anything with it. The next statement might look a little confusing. This while loop brings each record down one at a time. See, when you call the ExecuteReader and assuming there are rows, you actually start at position "-1". Strange, huh? For example, let's say that SELECT statement returned 50 rows of data. The first record number would be 0, the next would be 1, then so on until record 49. 0-49 records. Everytime you call the .Read() on the DataReader, you advance a record. So, if you started at -1 and advanced a record you would be at the beginning. Record 0. Calling .Read() will continue to return TRUE until you reach the last record. So as you can see, this makes it convenient to cycle through all records. Also I should mention you HAVE to call it at least once to advance to the first record.
The Response.Write command simply sends the data to the web page. This could have been Console.WriteLine, etc. Notice how the "CustomerName" was used. Be careful here because you want to make sure you don't try to call a field in a table that you didn't SELECT.
Ok, the last thing to do is close connections and dispose so that we don't create memory leaks on the server.
adoDR.Close();
adoDR.Dispose();
adoCmd.Dispose();
adoConn.Close();
adoConn.Dispose();
Noticed I reversed the order that I used when creating the objects. DataReaders are opened when you call the ExecuteReader() and when you open something, you should close it. Calling .Dispose() on these objects would also close them but closing them myself has always been a habbit of mine. Command objects aren't opened or closed so no Close() is needed. And finally we close/dispose of the database connection.
There. Was that so hard? We created a database connection, opened it, created a command (using a custom SQL query) and executed the DataReader. Then, we looped through the records. Finally, we closed and disposed of all the objects.
There you have it. Simple. ADO.NET has made it really easy to display data. This is just a tiny scratch on the Titanic. ADO.NET could fill 50,000 pages!
I hope you enjoyed this article. I have to admit, I'm not much of a writer but I remember the first time I pulled data from a database and I wished I had someone telling me in plain English how to get right to the point.
Obviously, we didn't cover other topics like error trapping, DataGrids, DataSets, etc. Those will come in time!
Author Bio
cbmeeks is the owner of the new website:
www.codershangout.com
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A year ago if someone asked me if I knew my way around the CRM Software Industry I would have confidently said yes, however, as it turns out the old saying the more you learn the more knowledge you realize you lack, is true. When talking about the CRM Software Industry it is almost impossible to actually say that you know it inside out since there are so many CRM vendors around the world, all developing their technologies at such a rapid pace. As if it wasn't hard enough for a company to make a decision regarding; what they require, how it can help their business and so on, these technological advancements are always followed with a marketing campaign each speaking of how much this new feature or functionality will help you.
So the question stands at, you think you know CRM Software? This is difficult to answer with all the hype surrounding the industry combined with the relative youth of Web-based CRM and the large number of vendors. It is also difficult to produce a linear comparison since each vendor has their own set of terms and names for features. So where do you begin? You can learn the basics of Web-based CRM Software fairly easily with a quick search on Google, however I would like to mention a few points that are more difficult to uncover; the hidden costs associated with purchasing CRM Software, what to avoid, how your CRM can go beyond simply contact management and where the industry is going.
When a company decides it's time to make the move to Web-based CRM Software they should first develop a plan on how they expect this new implementation to boost their companies productivity and revenue. The largest roadblock in achieving a fast ROI is all the hidden costs that are not clearly listed on vendor's web sites. In researching to develop a comparison of some of the major players in the CRM world including Salesforce, Netsuite and Salesboom.com, the majority of my time was spent researching pricing for different platforms, upgrades, implementation, customization and customer support. Salesboom was actually the only one at the time to have a page with their pricing listed clearly.
To just go out and purchase a CRM Edition and think you are done is nowhere near the truth, this is just a base point from which pricing begins. This leads me into what to avoid when seeking your future CRM Software. What you need to look into and ask questions about is; storage limits and the cost of additional storage, maximum number of custom tabs & fields, maximum number of applications you can add, this being particularly relevant for Salesforce, and any other limitation which could later force you to upgrade.
If you have implemented a CRM Software Solution and reached any of these mentioned limitations I'm sure you can vouch for my statement that it comes at a great cost. What is often the case is that the edition a company is currently working with is doing a great job but for example they have reached their storage limits. An edition upgrade for a company with roughly 750 users can amount to around 2 million dollars above what they were already paying. With this upgrade of course comes more features and functionality however they are features and functionality which will not increase your ROI simply because your company doesn't need them.
Now that the buyers beware and the negatives are out of the way we can focus on the positives. When you implement your new Web-based CRM you have just knocked down all the walls separating your departments or office's, no matter their location and you did it in real-time. Once up and running your CRM goes far beyond contact management software with vendor's now integrating front and back office functionality. Netsuite has a strong back office, which makes sense knowing their background in back office ERP solutions; however I find their SFA or front office not to be up to the standards of some others. Salesforce and Salesboom.com both offer a well rounded CRM solution for companies of all sizes, between these two it really comes down to price.
With more than just contact management capabilities CRM Software is a great tool for your; marketing department with in depth campaign and lead management tools, your customer service department since a complete history of all clients and cases are a mouse click away, your back office including inventory, billing & invoicing by taking advantage of real time workflow processes and of course your sales force with features like escalation rules or in more recent times offline and mobile editions.
Today CRM Software vendors are coming out with Offline and Mobile Editions giving new ways to never lose contact with the office. This brings us to the future of Web-based CRM Software, where is it going? Well over the past year we have seen great advancements with the use of AJAX, or as it's known to the tech world, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. This code underneath your CRM Software eliminates the need for you to refresh your web browser whenever you make a change. This can be seen in some social networking sites, a popular one being facebook. Here AJAX is used to allow for drag and drop customizations to appearance and the arrangement of applications. The idea is the same with CRM Software, a simple down mouse click and drag will allow you to customize the appearance of your dashboard without an IT department, so you can focus on the information most relevant to you.
The other benefit that AJAX will bring us in the future when combined with faster internet speed is the elimination of load time, maybe not completely but at least the majority of it. This sort of functionality is now only seen with On-premise software since all information is stored within your computer or server you don't need to wait for the internet to download any data. AJAX comes into play here since you don't require a browser refresh you can continue working while only that portion of the web page is reloaded. I predict that the gap between Web-based and On-premise CRM Software will be much smaller by the end of 2008 and we will see the same trend with businesses leaving their On-premise for Web-based CRM, like was seen in 2007.
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I am a University graduate with a B.A. double major in communication and political science. Always having an interest in business management has lead me to becoming a freelance writer for various Customer Relationship Management vendors and sites. I also keep up regular blogs and encourage feedback on articles and blogs written. More info: http://crmspot.blogspot.com
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