Business Ideas

Archive for October, 2009

To Reach Extended Enterprise Of Learners Sumtotal Introduces New Software For Managing Talent

SumTotal Systems NASDAQ: SUMT the largest provider of talent and learning solutions has released SumTotal Enterprise Suite 7.5 the newest version of its awardwinning software to train its clients extended enterprise of customers partners and supply chain and distribution channels. SumTotal 7.5 is software that delivers and manages training for not only employees but also a wide range of audiences beyond an employers staff. Highlights of SumTotal 7.5 include: 1 a variety of ecommerce capabilities for managing the transactions tied to selling buying delivering and tracking training 2 new capabilities for distributing and administering global learning in multiple languages and 3 an array of reporting tools for analyzing among other things what people learn.

We developed SumTotal 7.5 to give our clients a way to extend the management of training and talent beyond the walls of their organizations said Dave Crussell chief operating officer of SumTotal. We believe there is a significant business opportunity to help our 1500 customers and many new clients extend training to a wider ecosystem of constituents.

In 2006 the Santa Rosa Calif.based eLearning Guild a worldwide association of more than 20000 elearning professionals surveyed its members a mix of executives instructional designers and course developers about the future of elearning. The Guild found that 82 percent of respondents felt they would increase their use of elearning in the next 12 months to provide education to their customers. Seventyfive percent of respondents said they would increase the use of elearning to train channel partners.

In a December 2006 Gartner report titled Forecast: ELearning Suites and Management Systems Software Worldwide 20052010 researchers wrote that Organizations are increasing their investments in training activities both within and across the extended enterprise.

With the ecommerce capabilities in SumTotal 7.5 employers can sell either a single seat for a training class or an entire learning and development program for tens of thousands of learners. SumTotal supports multiple payment methods including credit card purchase order check and cash. SumTotal 7.5 also gives administrators a single hub to manage training of all kinds whether the training is for employees or paying customers.

For employers with a global audience of customers employees and partners SumTotal 7.5 will give training administrators a way to create one universal training record in a single language. But with a few keystrokes the administrator can translate this data into virtually any language the learners prefer. For example with SumTotal 7.5 if a training administrator is creating an online catalogue of workplace safety classes in English then she can convert this data into German French Japanese or virtually any other language for learners across the globe to access.

SumTotal 7.5 enables learners to find the training they want in the language they prefer said Bill Docherty senior director of product management. But our software also ensures that administrators working behind the scenes can track this same data in one language and one system.

Along with the ecommerce and multilingual features in SumTotal 7.5 the new platform offers users a way to develop a wide range of reports for analyzing learning. For example the software includes reporting tools that can: 1 examine the features of a training facility prior to starting a class 2 analyze answers that testtakers provide 3 scrutinize invoices and budgets for developing programs for managing talent and 4 pinpoint what a learners level of knowhow is visvis his or her peers.

We believe SumTotal 7.5 provides our clients with the infrastructure to not only develop the talent of their employees but also improve the knowledge and skills of their partners and customers said Don Fowler chief executive officer of SumTotal.

About the writer:  For more information about SumTotal’s products and services visit www.sumtotalsystems.com

Top 4 Misconceptions About A Medical Telephone Answering Service

Are you a doctor thinking about the possibility of an answering message service? Maybe you haven’t made the call yet because you have heard some unpleasant things about answering services today. Most of what you have heard is probably misconception! Let’s consider four of the most common misconceptions.

1. An answering message service merely answers phones and takes a message.

If this were true then you’re rightit wouldn’t worth paying for. An answering machine could deliver a series of messages to you and cost much less. However today’s answering service company offers far more convenience and technology than just a glorified voice mail service. Operators that work with call answering service companies may schedule appointments answer questions and even provide nurse telephone triage services over the phone.

2. A medical answer service agent is probably from India and will do more harm than good.

This is a stereotype and with good reasonsome companies do outsource their call center jobs to India because it is dirt cheap. However in doing so they frustrate their customers because these agents may speak limited English or may not be able to comprehend American dialect and “tone” very well. The most competitive medical call center companies can guarantee an Americanbased team of agents experienced in communicating in English and in resolving common medical problems.

3. An answering service is a luxury. Patients can always wait to call back on Monday.

While one could argue this and it would be a very difficult argument to win it’s hard to deny at least one limitation of the traditional office staff: if there is an emergency situation and the phone line dies there is no receptionist talented enough to manage the situation. Disaster recovery planning is one of the most persuasive arguments when it comes to ordering an answering service. Even in the event of an emergency you can still book appointments and give advice to patients through the mouth of a HIPAA training triage nurse.

4. Call center services are impersonal because there is no consistent relationship.

A good point considering that some call center services will hire employees that merely pass on problems to the next agent. However the best doctor answering service companies of today ensure that their agents assume responsibility and build relationships with regular patients by returning calls to specific branches or even specific agents that have a history with the caller. This helps to improve trust and put the patient’s welfare ahead of convenience.

About the writer:  MedConnectUSA is a leading provider of medical answering services and telemessaging services. MedConnectUSA has been serving the health care industry since 1991. MedConnectUSA handles routine and emergency calls for the medical industry only and all calls are answered by HIPAA trained US operators.

Things To Research Before You Buy A Restaurant

Before you venture out and buy a restaurant you should consider finding out the important facts. Restaurants may be the most sought after businesses for sale. You may find yourself in the position of buying a restaurant that is already doing quite well with a solid customer base. However make sure you know the full story behind the business before signing on the dotted line.

What is The Real Story?

There is a real story behind every attempt to sell a restaurant. The answer can be right on the surface on the other hand finding the real reason may take some probing. If the customers stopped coming it will benefit you to know why. When organizing the plans to buy a restaurant you need to know if there are any pending legal or financial issues surrounding the need to sell.

Make Sure You Check All the Books

Your plan to buy an existing restaurant business should hopefully contain elements that will make you a tidy profit. If so put on your detective hat and make it a point to carefully examine recent expenses and sales to ensure the restaurant you have your sights set on is in the black. This means taking the books to your accountant to see if anything looks suspicious on the surface. Are all the payments going where they should? Does the restaurant have a healthy bank account? Are there any hidden expenses that will show up when you least expect it?

Is the Restaurants Reputation Sterling?

Restaurants draw clientele base on reputation as much as anything else. A great way to get the inside scoop when buying a restaurant is to ask the restaurants vendors if the business has been paying its bills on time. If your potential vendors are unhappy with payment performance this should send up the red flag in a hurry. It is also a great idea to spend time in the restaurant you plan to buy as an actual customer. There is no better way to measure customer service and obtain on overall feel than to sit at the table and be served.

Whether the restaurant is oneofakind or an existing restaurant that is part of a business chain there are principles to consider that will give your venture a better shot at success. A restaurant concept that is welldefined stands a much better chance of long term successand after buying a restaurant it is wise to set specific goals from the very beginning that will define and measure your restaurants success.


Longevity

For the adventurous at heart that plan to buy an exiting restaurant business it is prudent to know that business conditions can change over night and your success may depend on being able to meet the changing demands and buying habits of the customer. And you can bet on your customer base changing periodically. Winning is essential and means maintaining success over a long period. Aspects of your business will change over timeit is simply the nature of how things are. Staying on top of trends without veering away from the loyal customers may prove to be a winning combination.

Market Appeal

If you want your restaurant to be busy an appealing concept will be the thing that wins the day. Restaurants that have a broad and welldeveloped theme enable them to form and dominate a market niche. People will frequent a restaurant that has good appealand the more familiar you are with the demographics of your potential customersthe greater your chances will be of running a smooth and successful operation. A restaurant with solid appeal makes a person feel good about being there and the word of mouth endorsements that will surely follow can prove to be a great benefit.

Thing in Terms of Expandability

After successfully buying a restaurant you can never tell what direction your venture will take. If you have a winning business plan it can be a good platform for securing a lease or going to a money source to obtain funding. Also a good business plan will help you to develop systems and procedures required to maintain a state of consistency. Who knows opening that second restaurant might become a viable option! And before long you may be looking at a chain of restaurants opening across the states.

Fully Examine the Assets

You should have full access to the assets listed for the restaurant business. This means taking a close look at the age of the equipment. How old is the stove and are any of the rest of the assets outdated? Is the location of the restaurant up to existing building codes? Even the name of a restaurant can be considered an asset. What does the name imply and is it in step with the customer base you want to attract? How to buy a restaurant and reap the benefits is best realized when you have a comprehensive action plan in place.

About the writer:  If you are looking to become a restaurant owner you will no doubt spend a lot of waking hours contemplating the mysteries of how to buy a restaurant. You can rest assured there are a lot of great opportunities these days to buy a restaurant. However with franchises startups and existing restaurants to choose from it can be a bit overwhelming business buyer articles