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Report: Embedding a Competitive Edge

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Our view at Stack - GoCardless is a payment services provider - highlights include low processing rates, no monthly fee for the basic account, month-to-month billing without early termination fees, and extensive support for international payments. It’s optimized for direct bank payments, offering security and flexibility

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Can you survive the great SaaS consolidation?

Half of merchants currently use three or more PSPs but, in a tough economic climate, there’s a need to crunch costs and become more strategically focused. 

Based on responses from over 1,250 merchants and 250 Payment Service Providers across the UK, US, France, Germany and the Netherlands, this report provides a view of what services and payment methods merchants want their provider to offer, and how PSPs can get ahead in today’s competitive landscape.

If GoCardless is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

Credit: Original article published here.

The complete guide to project management for architects

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Our view at Stack - Capsule CRM simplifies customer relationship management, streamlines sales processes, and saves time. Features include contact management, customisable sales pipelines, email integration, analytics, and workflow automation. It doesn't provide full email marketing functionality but it does allow you to connect to other tools.

The world of architecture is filled with awe-inspiring creativity and innovation. However, behind every breathtaking structure and innovative design, is a range of challenges and complexities.

Project management for architects is no easy feat. You need to balance aesthetics with functionality, all while keeping on the right side of strict regulations and staying within your budget.

It may not be the most exciting part of running an architecture firm, but good project management is a vital part of the process.

In this article, we’ll delve into the intricacies of project management in architecture firms. You’ll learn the essential skills, recommended tools and best practices to ensure every project is a resounding success.

The challenges of project management in architecture firms

While many think that being an architect is all about creativity and following your vision, it’s likely they don’t appreciate just how much project management is going on behind the scenes.

Architectural projects often span multiple years and involve numerous stakeholders. Keeping a complex, multi-year project on track requires meticulous organization and communication.

Without diligent project management, delays and cost overruns can quickly spiral out of control.

Then there’s the human element to consider. You need to collaborate with clients, engineers, contractors and others daily. Each one of those stakeholders has their own different concerns and priorities, which you need to take into account and balance.

Varying project delivery methods also complicate matters. Some projects are design-bid-build while others are design-build or CM at risk.

Each method comes with different concerns and criteria to consider.

Then there are the seemingly endless factors that are completely outside of your control. Weather conditions, availability of materials and fluctuating costs have the potential to throw your project off your carefully planned tracks.

Essential skills for effective project management

To successfully manage projects in an architecture firm, managers need the right abilities. The following skills are critical to keeping your project on track.

Communication

Good communication is the cornerstone of any project. In architecture firms, this involves articulating your design concepts, addressing client concerns and facilitating collaboration between different teams.

Project managers must be adept at listening, translating ideas, resolving conflicts and providing frequent updates.

Strong writing skills also allow project managers to craft sharp documentation. Be clear and concise in your communication, avoiding any unnecessary jargon or overly complex language.

Time management

With multiple projects running simultaneously and tight deadlines looming, architects must be comfortable managing a complex to-do list. Keeping on top of your time requires efficient schedules that minimize delays.

Undoubtedly there’ll be some tasks that you simply have to deal with personally, but trying to tackle everything by yourself is impossible. Instead, get comfortable with delegating or deferring any low-priority tasks.

Problem-solving

Unforeseen challenges are par for the course in architectural projects. The ability to adapt to changing circumstances — whether that’s new information, regulatory updates or client requests — enables you to keep the project aligned with its objectives.

Get comfortable with using different decision-making models. For example, if a project falls behind schedule, the project manager could conduct a SWOT analysis to identify the best path forward:

  • Strengths: The technical skills of the team, innovative design solutions
  • Weaknesses: Underestimating the permitting process timeline, lack of client input
  • Opportunities: Fast-track permitting, modular construction methods
  • Threats: Client dissatisfaction, going over budget

The SWOT framework helps the project manager pinpoint the cause of any challenges by formally analyzing the project from multiple angles. This evaluation can help architects to find relevant solutions

Financial literacy

Budgetary constraints are a constant challenge in project management. You need to be comfortable managing costs, negotiating contracts and keeping every project financially viable.

Creating accurate project budgets is crucial. Project managers must have analytical skills to develop precise cost estimates and budgets. As the project unfolds, they also need budget management skills to track expenses and detect any discrepancies.

Monitor financial performance using key metrics like ROI, profit margin and cash flow.

### Emotional intelligence

While often overlooked, emotional intelligence is crucial for managing team dynamics, resolving conflicts and creating a harmonious working environment.

Emotional intelligence can be broken down into four key competencies:

  • Self-awareness
  • Self-management
  • Social awareness
  • Relationship management

By understanding and managing yourself, you’ll be in a better position to understand and respond to the emotional needs of team members, clients and stakeholders, fostering positive relationships and collaboration.

If you’re still relying exclusively on pen and paper to manage your projects, it’s time for an upgrade. There are plenty of digital tools and apps you can use to streamline project management, with options for every budget. Here are some of the different types of software that can enhance efficiency and productivity in architecture firms.

Task management tools

Each project is a series of related tasks; these tools help you organize and track those tasks, enabling you to monitor progress, allocate resources and meet deadlines.

The best task management software allows you to get a quick overview of even the most complex project, showing you at a glance where you are, your next steps and key responsibilities for those tasks.

Top task management tools:

Collaboration platforms

We’ve already seen that communication is a key skill for project management. These platforms help foster communication and collaboration among team members, clients and stakeholders, ensuring everyone is on the same page. Whether it’s sharing the latest guidelines with the team or checking in with the client, collaboration platforms make it easier to keep in touch and share vital information.

Top collaboration tools:

Document management systems

Even the simplest architectural projects have a mountain of paperwork. Storing project documents in a searchable, shareable database makes managing this task little more manageable.

A centralized repository for all your requests for information (RFIs), change orders and specifications can save you a lot of time and headaches.

Top document management systems:

Time tracking software

Ever get to the end of the week and wonder where all that time went? Time tracking tools show you how much time you and your team spent on various tasks, providing insights into productivity and showing where you might need more resources.

Top time tracking software:

Customer relationship management systems

One of the core components of any project is the people — your relationships with clients, contractors and more all have a significant impact. With the right customer relationship management (CRM) software, you can manage every aspect of those relationships, from reaching out to potential clients to successful project management.

Better yet, the best project management CRMs come with many of the other features we’ve already discussed above. For example, Capsule CRM helps architects with:

  • Refined task management and record-keeping
  • Improved team communication
  • Efficient talent management
  • Better financial management
  • Meaningful client relationships

Capsule comes with dashboards and reports to track progress, along with a robust mobile app to keep your team connected wherever they are. It also integrates with your other favorite apps, connecting your tools and sharing data for maximum efficiency.

Learn more about how a CRM for architects can benefit your firm today.

Best practices for architectural project management

Even with the right skills and software, you can’t guarantee a positive outcome for every project. Still, adhering to the following best practices will significantly increase your chance of completing your next architectural project.

Regular check-ins

Things can change quickly in any project; the sooner you find out about those changes, the better. Regular check-ins with the team and stakeholders foster collaboration and enables you to address any concerns promptly.

Keep the communication going even after you’ve completed the project with post-project reviews. Looking back at what went well (and what didn’t) can provide valuable lessons that will help you optimize your processes.

Comprehensive documentation

Maintaining detailed documentation of every aspect of the project, from design drafts to contractual agreements, ensures transparency and serves as a reference point for future projects.

Store all project documents like sketches, blueprints, models, specifications, submittals, RFIs and more in a central, shareable repository. This way, you always have the information you need to hand.

Documentation should begin in the planning phases, with extensive notes on project scope, deliverables, budgets, schedules, requirements and key stakeholder contacts.

As the project progresses, diligently document all meetings, communications, decisions, change orders, problems and solutions. Details like meeting attendees, key discussion points and assigned action items improve accountability.

Proactive risk management

Identifying potential risks early on and developing contingency plans can make unforeseen challenges easier to deal with. This approach can help your team pivot quickly if needed.

During the planning phase, conduct a thorough risk analysis to identify any vulnerabilities in the schedule, budget, scope, resources, technology needs or regulatory issues.

Develop risk management plans detailing how each high-probability risk will be addressed if it arises. Then, as the project progresses, regularly re-assess for new risks and monitor existing ones.

Having preemptive contingency plans allows for smooth, stress-free project management. For example, if permitting is delayed, you can have fast-track alternatives ready. If materials costs spike, you know exactly what other options are available

Continuous learning

To remain adaptable and innovative, it’s important to embrace a culture of continuous learning. This involves staying abreast of industry trends, technological advancements and regulatory changes.

Provide opportunities like conference attendance, courses and reading materials for team members to continuously expand their knowledge. Bring in experts for “lunch and learn” sessions to share insights.

Regularly re-evaluating tools, workflows and best practices keeps your project management strategies fresh and optimized. The field evolves quickly, so firms that commit to continuous learning will always lead the pack.

Conclusion

Effective project management is imperative for architecture firms, but it’s still just one piece of the puzzle. Beyond strong project management, firms must maintain top-tier designs, innovative solutions and client relationships.

While project management is crucial, it’s also important to think long-term about your team, capabilities and vision. The role of an architect is constantly evolving, and staying up to date with societal needs, ethical considerations and global trends is paramount.

Discover more about how a CRM can help your firm manage current and future projects. You can enjoy a 14-day free trial, and see how Capsule’s features can save you time and offer peace of mind.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If Capsule CRM is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

Credit: Original article published here.

Collaborative Accounting™ Is a Better Way to Work for Accountants and Clients

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Our view at Stack - Freshbooks simplifies accounting for solo business owners, freelancers, and small companies. Intuitive, easy-to-use, and affordable. Manage payments, expenses, invoices, and accept payments seamlessly.

The problem: You want to serve your clients well and offer them higher-value accounting , but you and your team don’t have time or capacity.

But what if you could take back some of that time spent on all the data entry and pre-accounting work you do? Or the back-and-forth with clients to get the information you need?

We have a solution. It’s called Collaborative Accounting, a new way to work with your clients that elevates your client experience and gives you the space to deliver advisory solutions at scale.

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    What Is Collaborative Accounting™?

    Collaborative Accounting is a technology-enabled accounting model anchored in a shared workflow between accounting professionals and their clients. It focuses business owners on completing front-end tasks in an easy-to-use software platform and frees up accountants to apply their expertise to more in-depth advisory work that has increased value for clients.

    For too long, accountants and their clients have been operating out of alignment. Workflows and technology designed for accountants leave clients out of the loop about their own financial well-being.

    The result? No one is winning. As business owners feel more and more lost, financial admin falls on accounting professionals’ shoulders. Accountants have less capacity to give the expert guidance that their business-owner clients need.

    In contrast, Collaborative Accounting is anchored around a shared accounting workflow. Accountants and clients work together in one client-friendly platform, FreshBooks, with each taking on key elements of financial operations, so both are empowered, and no one is in the dark.

    Who Is Collaborative Accounting™ For?

    How do you know if Collaborative Accounting is right for you and your clients? It’s less about where you are now and more about where you want to go.

    Collaborative Accountants™ are:

    • Innovative, forward-thinking, and prepared to try new methodologies
    • Client-focused, and want to deepen client relationships and attract higher-value clients
    • Ready to say goodbye to the busywork of chasing data and start delivering more valuable advisory services

    Collaborative business owners are:

    • Looking for support and guidance from an accounting professional
    • Open to being involved in and educated about their business’s finances so they have the insights they need to grow

    But Collaborative Accounting isn’t for everyone. If your growth strategy is high-volume, done-for-you compliance work, for example, then it may not be for you. Or if your clients demand a completely hands-off approach to their end-to-end accounting.

    Collaborative Accounting™ Model in Action

    So, how does it work?

    The framework shown here gives you a high-level look at how Collaborative Accounting can be applied to real-life accounting processes.

    For the complete framework and hands-on training to implement the Collaborative Accounting framework in your own firm using FreshBooks, sign up for the .

    infographic: FreshBooks Collaborative Accounting™ framework

    infographic: FreshBooks Collaborative Accounting™ framework

    Start With the Right Technology

    You might wonder, do you have to use FreshBooks to implement Collaborative Accounting into your firm? The short answer is: Not necessarily. But, this model was designed around a workflow where your clients are active participants in their day-to-day finances, and you work together in a single accounting system. FreshBooks is the ideal software choice for the Collaborative Accounting model because it’s designed for seamless, shared workflows between accountants and business owners. It’s yet still robust enough for you to and provide real accounting, tax, and reporting insights.

    “Collaborative Accounting not only gives the clients transparency into our tasks but it gives us transparency into the client’s workflow and how they’re going to earn money. And so, that can now help us to advise them on how to get paid,” says Kristen Keats, CPA, of Breakaway Bookkeeping & Advising.

    Collaborative Accounting gives us transparency into the client’s workflow and how they’re going to earn money, [which can] help us to advise them on how to get paid.

    Kristen Keats, CPA

    Breakaway Bookkeeping & Advising

    Step 1: Client Onboarding

    The Collaborative Accounting process begins with client onboarding. Right from the start, you set up clients for success with an introduction to Collaborative Accounting and how it can benefit them, along with resources and training. These are provided for you inside the .

    Step 2: Clients Complete the Pre-Accounting Tasks

    The key to a collaborative workflow? You both get hands-on. That means your tasks—at least in part. Meaning things like invoicing, project management, billing, and managing expenses.

    That might sound scary, especially if you’ve been stuck untangling a mess of DIY bookkeeping in the past. (Been there, done that!) But small businesses can manage these pre-accounting processes—as long as they have the right tools. That means:

    • Software that’s easy to use, has (only) the features they need, and has responsive, always-on support
    • Comprehensive onboarding and resources to guide them through
    • Communication touchpoints to make sure they’re on track

    Having your client share the workflow can save you time, but that’s not all it’s about.

    Michael Ly, CEO of , says, “I don’t think it’s really focused on how we can get the client to do more work. That’s not really what it is. It’s really, how can we get both sides in the relationship to do the things that are most valuable in the relationship that we’re building with our clients.”

    Step 3: Accounting Professionals Do the Accounting Tasks

    Novel idea, right? In the real world, though, you probably end up doing things that are admin-heavy, which has a huge opportunity cost.

    When you work together with your clients in a platform that gives you accurate and timely financial information, this starts to turn around. You avoid getting lost in their day-to-day admin. Now, you can step in when it’s time for those more complex accounting tasks: Reconciling accounts, closing the books, and advisory services like tax strategies and financial analysis.

    This is where your expertise can shine. “It’s not just us delivering the report,” says , CPA, CVA, “It’s us actually having a conversation and understanding these are the things we need to change, these are the decisions that we think, you, the business owner, need to make in order to move your business to whatever that end state is.”

    Add Communication Touchpoints

    There is no collaboration without communication. At different phases of the accounting cycle, there are key moments for important conversations to keep work on track, maintain , and look at reporting and insights.

    Within the Collaborative Accounting framework are two regular conversation points: The handover from pre-accounting to accounting tasks and the interpretation of financial information with forward-looking insights after a period close.

    But advisory isn’t one-size-fits-all. Listen to your clients so you can determine what they’ll value most based on their company and its needs.

    3 Benefits of Collaborative Accounting™ for Your Practice

    Let’s look at the impact this new way of working can have—for you and your clients.

    Our skillset really gets to shine on top of a tool like FreshBooks.

    Kenji Kuramoto

    CEO and Founder, Acuity

    1. Enhanced Client Experience

    When you develop a real partnership with your clients and give them the tools for more agency over their business, it builds trust and helps you longer-term.

    A shared workflow in a single system is also more efficient and removes from your client interactions the friction of following up on missing info and managing day-to-day bookkeeping.

    Kristen Keats agrees, “Having that transparency and visibility is huge, and that real-time access that a program and product like FreshBooks gives us. Because if [clients] get stuck at any point in the process, we’re able to jump in, in real-time, and help them get through the tasks that they need to be doing.”

    2. More Valuable Services

    Are you struggling to find a way to offer clients ? Collaborative Accounting makes it attainable. It empowers you to focus on advisory or work that has real value for your clients and can bring in more revenue for your practice.

    “Our skillset really gets to shine on top of a tool like FreshBooks because [the] insights are pulled out for us; we can work with them, we can go talk to our clients about what we’re seeing [and] how we can make decisions that could impact their business,” says accountant Kenji Kuramoto of .

    3. A Sustainable Way to Scale

    The old way of working—accountants and clients siloed in their separate workflows—just isn’t sustainable. Especially with current accounting recruitment challenges, most firms don’t have the capacity to scale by simply adding more compliance services.

    With the technology-enabled Collaborative Accounting methodology, you can expand advisory services without adding more team members.

    Nicole Davis, CPA, of , says: “Collaborative Accounting will empower me to scale my firm because I don’t have to worry about going back and cleaning up books. The client and I can work together from the start. It allows me to do more of the advisory-type services versus the compliance or the data entry.”

    Get Started with Collaborative Accounting™

    FreshBooks has designed the  so you can begin adopting and integrating this new way of working into your practice.
    The certification includes hands-on training with real-life examples and a comprehensive client onboarding pack to get your clients up to speed, too.

    As a certified Collaborative Accountant™, you’ll get all the benefits of being a FreshBooks certified partner, including resources, exclusive discounts for your clients, dedicated accountant-specific support, and membership in a community of like-minded professionals, plus 3 CPE credit.

    Today, we have what we need—the technology and tools—to drastically increase efficiency and provide more value at scale, but we need to change how we work to make it happen.

    So, are you ready to join the Collaborative Accounting revolution?

    If Freshbooks is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    Easily manage your payments: Update subscriptions in bulk

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    Our view at Stack - GoCardless is a payment services provider - highlights include low processing rates, no monthly fee for the basic account, month-to-month billing without early termination fees, and extensive support for international payments. It’s optimized for direct bank payments, offering security and flexibility

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    Updating subscriptions in bulk is here

    Businesses using GoCardless can now update and edit the price for all their customers on a subscription in just a few clicks.

    Helping businesses to manage payments better

    We aim to truly make getting paid as simple and easy as possible. In doing, so we create exceptional experiences for the thousands of businesses using our payment solution. From independent gyms and swim clubs to multinational tech businesses and energy companies. 

    We value what our customers have to say.

    Working closely with our customers and thanks to their insightful feedback, we’re making managing payments straightforward and more flexible to suit their needs. Within the GoCardless dashboard customers can now edit the prices of subscriptions in bulk so they can:

    New: Update everyone at once

    Whether a business needs to change the price of 10 or 1,000 subscriptions, there’s no need to cancel and recreate a new one anymore. Subscription templates (previously known as Plans) can simply be edited for everyone paying that Subscription template at once.

    If it’s for an annual subscription price increase or to change the price of a subscription for any reason, businesses no longer have to move customers onto a new Subscription template, but just edit the one they’re on.

    What will those making payments see?

    We understand that customer experience is at the heart of every business. We want to be transparent about what people see when they pay, so businesses using GoCardless can be confident in their whole customer experience.

    For businesses using GoCardless email notifications, we will email their customers notifying them about the change in the amount of their subscription. They will receive this email a few days in advance of their next payment is due. See an example of the notification those paying the subscription will receive:

    If you’re a customer and would like a step-by-step guide to changing subscriptions in bulk, check out this how-to video.

    If you’re not a GoCardless customer and would like to know more about using subscriptions take a look at the benefits.

    If GoCardless is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    *2024 UPDATE* 10+ best free AI tools for businesses

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    Our view at Stack - Capsule CRM simplifies customer relationship management, streamlines sales processes, and saves time. Features include contact management, customisable sales pipelines, email integration, analytics, and workflow automation. It doesn't provide full email marketing functionality but it does allow you to connect to other tools.

    Everyone is talking about AI. Artificial intelligence has changed the way many businesses operate, helping them to work smarter, not harder. AI tools can help companies automate and streamline processes across multiple departments. This in turn can boost efficiency and productivity.

    There are hundreds of tools out there and each of them varies in both features and price. With so much choice, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. But don’t let the sheer volume of available options scare you off. There are plenty of ways to integrate AI into daily business life, without spending a small fortune. And to help you we’ve detailed 10 free AI tools that solve common business problems, from content creation to note-taking.

    AI algorithms are often utilized in business tools to make them more efficient and boost productivity. To do so, they utilize artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to streamline complex processes and simplify problems.

    Advancements in natural language processing (NLP) and deep learning have only increased AI’s popularity. Complex algorithms are helping organizations optimize their workflows, increasing business productivity.

    Some businesses are still unsure about how AI can improve productivity. These tools offer the opportunity to streamline operations and enhance efficiency making difficult tasks simple and quick.

    Let’s look at these benefits in more detail.

    Increase productivity

    Businesses move fast, so they need tech that can keep up. AI tools are capable of handling huge data sets and can complete repetitive tasks with little to no mistakes.

    This limits the amount of human error and allows your employees to spend more time on creative projects instead of menial tasks.

    Streamline processes

    AI can analyze data quickly and accurately. This allows for better decision-making, saving businesses both time and money. AI can help businesses spot bottlenecks and inefficiencies.

    If an organization can identify productivity slumps, then business leaders can find ways to address these issues. In turn, they’ll see higher levels of business activity and cost savings.

    Avoid human error

    Unlike human employees, AI rarely makes mistakes. Repetitive tasks can lead to errors but with AI you can optimize these processes and minimize this risk.

    Artificial intelligence is capable of mundane tasks like data entry, answering customer queries, and inventory management. This means your staff can save time and focus on more important projects that require a human approach.

    Enhance customer experiences

    AI tools can improve the efficiency of customer service. Customer support chatbots work 24/7 to help customers get answers to common questions quickly. It can deliver exceptional customer experiences, exceed expectations, and help you stay ahead of the competition.

    Chatbots can analyze customer feedback and assess the mood of the person it’s interacting with. This frees up your team to deal with more complex customer issues saving you time and improving productivity.

    While useful, free AI tools do come with some limitations, especially compared to their paid counterparts. Most AI tool providers offer a free and paid version of the product and without a subscription, you may miss out on some important features.

    It’s important to understand that while free tools may not offer all the features of paid options, they can still be valuable for businesses. Businesses should carefully consider the limitations of free AI tools and determine how they can best leverage them to enhance their operations.

    Now you’ve seen the benefits, it’s time to look at the best free AI tools available to businesses.

    ChatGPT

    ChatGPT is one of the most popular AI tools available. Its simple interface makes it easy to use and it has quickly become commonplace in workplaces across the world.

    This free AI chat tool uses NLP and ML to generate simple and human-like responses from user prompts, making it a great tool for content creation. It uses intuitive machine learning platform mechanisms, and transformer neural networks to predict and generate content based on what’s been fed into it. Marketers can use it as a co-pilot when writing content, aid with interview prep with clients and build sales emails.

    It also can automate multiple customer service tasks simultaneously. ChatGPT can streamline communications by supporting chatbots by helping them to handle multiple conversations simultaneously. Answering numerous customer questions and queries, quickly and efficiently can lower costs and streamline operations.

    ChatGPTs powerful knoweldge extraction tools and machine learning models are always developing. As a user, you’ll be able to enjoy new, improved versions regularly – making ChatGPT an invaluable tool in a marketer’s toolkit.

    Rating: 9/10

    Jasper.ai

    Jasper.ai is an AI copywriting tool designed to help create high-quality written content. Its NLP algorithm allows you to customize the tone and voice of your copy to match your brand guidelines. Not only does it speed up content creation, but it also actively works to improve your writing by making suggestions and improvements.

    Jasper has a range of uses, making it great for content creation. It can create clear and well-written content, in over 26 languages, quickly and easily. This makes it a great tool for writing whitepapers and long-form content like eBbooks that can be marketed globally.

    It also works to boost your search engine result page rankings (SERPs) by integrating with tools like SurferSEO and Google Chrome. This can increase productivity by boosting your output, saving you both time and money.

    However, it does have a few cons. Jasper sometimes repeats words and phrases, meaning content needs to be checked closely for potential errors.

    Rating: 7/10

    Grammarly

    Grammarly uses AI to optimize your writing. It checks for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. It also suggests ways to make your writing clearer and more precise.

    It accelerates writing tasks and allows you to champion your brand voice by selecting specifics around tone.

    Utilizing a tool that constantly evaluates your writing can save you time by simplifying the editing process.

    It works to identify errors that could make you look unprofessional and helps ensure that your content is succinct and high-quality. It offers a browser extension that can check other collateral. This makes it easier to check errors on a multitude of platforms including sales emails.

    Rating: 8/10

    PhotoRoom

    Not a whizz when it comes to Photoshop? PhotoRoom is an easy-to-use tool that can help you edit images on the fly. It uses an AI algorithm to spot objects within a photo and allows you to move or remove these elements.

    Popular with e-commerce businesses, marketers, and graphic designers, PhotoRoom helps you create professional-looking images in a snap. Its user-friendly interface offers a range of editing options so you can let your imagination run wild.

    The free version allows you to edit five images each month and does limit the number of advanced features available. The paid version however allows you access all features including high-quality image export, color adjustment and customer watermarking.

    Rating: 6/10

    Designs.ai

    Now you’ve edited your photo, it’s time to get it posted! Designs.ai offers various features to help you create visually appealing images and designs. Whether you’re looking to create a logo, social media post, presentation, complete video sequence or video animation, Designs.ai allows you to generate images based on what you upload.

    It also provides more advanced editing tools like text formatting and object placement – so you can get the best design every time without splashing out on expensive software.

    The free version allows you to create ten designs per month, with the help of their basic design features, templates and watermarks. The paid version offers unlimited access to all features and templates from $39 a month.

    Rating: 6/10

    Synthesia

    Synthesia makes video creation a breeze. It offers a huge library of pre-built video templates that can be customized with different text, images, animations, and AI-generated video.

    Synthesia.io saves you time and resources by creating excellent content without the need to start from scratch. Its algorithm uses AI to generate video content, custom AI avatars and video templates that match your specific needs. It also provides a wide range of language features that can help you reach international audiences.

    The free version allows you to create minute-long videos and utilize their AI avatars. However longer videos with more complex features will require a subscription fee.

    Rating: 7/10

    Descript

    Descript combines audio and video editing into one easy-to-use free AI tool. It offers a range of complex editing tools such as noise reduction, video stabilization, plus EQ and compression.

    Descript has incredible transcribing capabilities. It uses AI to transcribe audio and video recordings, allowing you to easily edit your script. It’s as simple as editing a word document, changes you make to the text are copied over to the video almost instantly. This means that you can edit the transcript directly, making it easy to remove filler words, rearrange sentences, and more.

    It can assist with a range of content creation issues thanks to its varied AI tools. Including greenscreen effects, voiceover dub and eye contact repositioning.

    Our only complaint is the time restrictions, a free package only allows you one hour worth of transcription and video editing per month.

    Rating: 9/10

    AnswerThePublic

    Want to find out exactly what’s on the minds of your customers? AnswerThePublic can help. It’s a keyword research and blog idea generator tool. It uses search engine autocomplete data to generate long-tail keyword ideas that directly target specific audiences.

    It allows marketing teams to generate fresh and relevant ideas that put them ahead of their competitors. Businesses can ask specific questions and identify the phrases that their target demographic is searching for. This helps them to directly communicate with their ideal customer profile (ICP).

    Its ability to utilize such a large pool of data is incredible, and its keyword suggestion tools help inspire unique and creative topics. However, it can be tricky to get the hang of and the interface isn’t the friendliest on the list.

    Rating: 8/10

    Murf

    Murf is an AI-powered voiceover platform built to enhance audio content production. It works by creating AI-generated voices that work perfectly with social media videos, tutorials, podcasts, or any other audio project.

    Its user-friendly platform provides a seamless experience that maximizes productivity. To get started, all you need is a script. Murf does the rest and creates a professional-sounding voiceover in minutes.

    The free version allows up to 10 minutes of audio creation including transcribing and AI voice generation. It also allows three users to work simultaneously, meaning teams can easily collaborate on projects.

    Rating: 9/10

    Fireflies

    Minute-taking can be tedious – and it’s hard to actively engage in a meeting while simultaneously taking notes. Fireflies solves this problem by identifying important moments in a meeting and transcribing them in real-time. It allows you to search and analyze transcripts to find valuable information and insights.

    It integrates seamlessly with popular platforms like Zoom and Google Meet allowing for easy collaboration. The AI tool helps support effortless collaboration by allowing you to share detailed meeting highlights across your team and business.

    The free edition allows you to clip soundbites and provides automated summaries of each business. It allows 800 minutes of storage meaning you can make the most of your valuable team interactions. However, you will need a subscription to ensure full integration with your company’s software such as your CRM.

    Rating: 7/10

    Gemini (previously Google Bard)

    Gemini is a free AI tool from Google that helps you find and understand big ideas and information. It’s one of the best platforms out there for taking in lots of data and giving back useful insights. Because it’s a free AI tool, anyone looking to get smarter or stay ahead can use it without paying anything.

    This AI tool simplifies complex data, making it user-friendly while providing deep, actionable insights. It brings together lots of information in a way that’s easy to get. Even though it might take a little bit of time to learn how to use it well, it’s worth it. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find Gemini super helpful for work, research, or just learning new things on your own.

    Rating: 9/10

    Dall-e

    One of the best free AI tools, Dall-E is an advanced AI image generator that excels in turning text prompts into visually captivating AI images. Its core strength is its ability to generate stunning images, seamlessly blending creativity and technology.

    As a leading tool in image generation, Dall-E makes image editing and image creation easy, enabling users to produce high-quality content quickly. The tool’s intuitive interface allows anyone to create intricate and detailed visuals without any real training.

    Ideal for professionals and hobbyists, Dall-E is redefining the boundaries of digital art and design. It allows not only for creating content, but also works as a photo restoration tool. With its unmatched proficiency in creating diverse and intricate AI images, Dall-E is essential for anyone looking to elevate their visual content.

    One of the key features missing, though, is the lack of photo editing options built-in directly in the Dall E art generator. But it’s probably just a matter of time before it’s implemented, though.

    Rating: 8/10

    Copy AI

    [Copy AI] (https://www.copy.ai/tools) is a free AI copywriting tool that has transformed how we approach content creation in marketing strategies. Its paid version offers more features, but in the free plan, marketers can quickly turn their idea generation into tangible content.

    Its advanced AI writer adapts to numerous writing styles so that the quality output is consistent and tailored to specific needs.

    This tool excels in its ability to generate high-quality content swiftly, offering a seamless solution for businesses and individuals aiming to elevate their content strategy.

    With Copy AI, crafting compelling narratives and engaging copy is simplified, allowing users to produce superior content that resonates with their audience. As a result, Copy AI has become a go-to resource for anyone looking to enhance their writing with efficiency and creativity.

    Rating: 8/10

    Invideo

    Invideo is redefining traditional video production by integrating multiple AI models into its platform. This makes creating videos that captivate and engage easier than ever – all without signing up.

    This tool stands out by offering a streamlined approach to crafting engaging videos, blending storytelling with the precision of AI technology.

    Its robust AI model, enables InVideo users to navigate the complexities of video creation, transforming raw ideas into polished, professional outputs.

    It simplifies the video production process, allowing creators to focus on creativity rather than technicalities.

    As a result, Invideo is becoming an essential tool for individuals and businesses looking to produce high-quality videos with little effort.

    Rating: 7/10

    Beatoven AI

    Beatoven AI is as a transformative force in music production, standing out among the best free AI tools available today.

    It harnesses generative AI tools to revolutionize audio editing, enabling creators to produce complex audio files easily.

    As a free AI tool, Beatoven AI democratizes music creation, offering novices and seasoned musicians access to sophisticated music production AI features without financial barriers.

    Its intuitive platform simplifies creating and manipulating audio files, making high-quality music production accessible to everyone.

    With Beatoven AI, the power of generative AI is at your fingertips, making it an indispensable asset for people looking to explore the frontiers of audio creativity.

    Rating: 8/10

    Codeium AI

    Codeium AI is a revolutionary software development assistant and we reckon it’s one of the best free ai tools. It uses AI to tackle issues that usually need human intelligence.

    It’s a handy tool for data analysis, enabling developers and data scientists alike to build predictive models with unprecedented ease.

    Codeium AI’s advanced algorithms provide a platform for users to automate repetitive tasks. This makes it especially valuable for those with varying levels of coding expertise, from beginners seeking to deepen their understanding to experts aiming to expedite their workflow.

    Through simplifying complex coding tasks, Codeium AI democratizes the development process and allows more individuals to contribute to innovation and problem-solving in technology.

    Rating: 9/10

    AI tools aren’t one size fits all. That’s why it’s important to take your time researching and evaluating each platform and how it may benefit your organization.

    You want to find tools that are compatible with your team, business, and current software. That way you can make the most of these tools and use them to help you develop your organization.

    Implementing new AI tools doesn’t happen overnight. You need to create a clear plan of action that highlights how it can be utilized. This helps your team to better understand the importance of utilizing these tools to maximize productivity.

    You can manage this process by following four simple steps:

    • Evaluate business needs
    • Compare platforms
    • Creating a training plan
    • Assess and improve

    Let’s explore these steps in more detail.

    Evaluating business needs

    Before selecting an AI tool, you need to assess what areas of your business need the most support. Look for bottlenecks in productivity, company pain points, and any general inefficiencies.

    What problems is your business experiencing? Is customer service slow or does content creation need a boost? Consult with relevant stakeholders in all departments and speak to employees at every level. Everyone in your company can provide unique and valuable insight into the common problems they’re facing and provide opportunities to streamline these issues.

    Comparing platforms

    Research is crucial when it comes to AI. Artificial intelligence has a range of abilities and opportunities but not all of them will be useful to you and your business. Before diving in, take time to explore what’s out there.

    You will need to implement training on how to use these platforms, so you want to ensure it’s easy to use. Consider things like user interface and troubleshooting resources to assess how difficult these platforms will be to maintain.

    Create a detailed training plan

    It takes time to adjust to new working practices. To successfully implement AI in your business you need to create a detailed plan that explores how you will manage this.

    Begin with weekly training sessions that cover individual features within the software. Explain how the technology integrates with the platforms you currently use like your CMS or CRM. You should use day-to-day, relatable, business pain points as examples to support your training. That way your employees can see the specific benefits and improve overall integration.

    Assess and improve

    A business and its needs are always changing. That’s why it’s crucial to review your AI tools periodically. Check to see whether the new tools have actively improved productivity and assess how well employees have taken to the new processes.

    If take-up is slow or you’re still facing issues, evaluate why. Maybe it wasn’t the right fit, or maybe training could’ve been more extensive.

    It may be that the tool doesn’t integrate well with your other software. Knowing the issue is the first step toward finding a solution.

    The future of AI

    AI is continuing to grow in popularity, and no one knows for sure what it will mean for the future of business. What seemed impossible just a few years ago, is now well within the capabilities of new AI tools.

    As technology evolves so will AI. Tools will become more efficient, accurate, and quicker and the number of features will continue to grow. Some experts have even predicted that AI will take digital technology out of the two-dimensional screen form and become part of the physical environment surrounding an individual.

    While this seems like science fiction, it does offer insight into the extensive world that AI has the potential to create. However, for now, we should enjoy the benefits it’s already brought us when enhancing chatbots and image software.

    Conclusion

    Incorporating AI tools into your business day-to-day provides a range of advantages. From streamlining communication to enhancing content creation and video production. AI tools have the potential to revolutionize the way you operate and help you stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market.

    But before choosing, you need to carefully evaluate your needs and consider factors such as compatibility, user-friendliness, and adoption rate. The right software is crucial for business growth, whether it’s an AI tool or a CRM program. Take the time to explore how it can help you.

    Try Capsule CRM for 14 days for free to see how it can help support you.

    Free AI tools: Frequently asked questions

    If Capsule CRM is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    How to Write A Shot List That Will Transform Your Video

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    Our view at Stack - TechSmith provides market leading content creation software. Standout features include enhanced recording and screen capture capabilities, a replacability feature for efficient editing workflow, and a more organized library with media bins. It also offers 4K webcam recording, media replacement options, and media sorting for streamlined video creation

    Even if your video will only use screen recordings without any camera footage, it’s helpful to have a shot list to help you identify and plan for everything you want to record.

    The post How to Write A Shot List That Will Transform Your Video appeared first on The TechSmith Blog.

    If Techsmith is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    Follow-Up Email | How to Write a Follow-Up Email

    · ·

    Our view at Stack - Pipedrive is a robust CRM platform, offering automation, contact data collection, webhooks, AI-powered sales assistant, email communications, email marketing, and customisable sales pipeline workflows.

    image

    How long do you normally wait to follow up on a lead?

    When it comes to closing a sale via email, timing is everything. How long do you normally wait before following up on a lead? And what subject lines do you find most effective? 

    According to Robert Clay from Marketing Wizdom, only 2% of leads close after the first meeting. Therefore, sending a follow-up email is vital for making more sales. Your initial pitch has laid the foundations, whereas the process that follows is what closes the deal. 

    A study by Velocify found that 93% of converted leads are reached by the sixth contact attempt after the initial discussion. It’s no secret that many salespeople give up long before this point, meaning there are substantial missed opportunities which, with a little perseverance, could have been grasped. Furthermore, the type of follow-up email you send matters. 

    Some salespeople use a classic ‘good housekeeping’ tactic, asking the prospect if it’s time to close their file. This often prompts the prospect into responding, either with a confirmation that he or she isn’t interested, or with a question that sparks further conversation and, hopefully, a sale. 

    Another common method is to offer a gift or piece of valuable information, motivating the prospect to open the email and respond accordingly. No matter what method you prefer to use, it’s important that your email has personality and gives the prospect enough value that they feel motivated to take action.

    A successful salesperson will often use follow-up email templates to convert sales. Do you use an email template? And if so, which one do you find the most effective and how does timing influence your success rates?

    Click here to discover a variety of tried-and-tested email templates you can use to close your next sale.

    If Pipedrive is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    How to Crop a Video Quickly and Easily

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    Our view at Stack - TechSmith provides market leading content creation software. Standout features include enhanced recording and screen capture capabilities, a replacability feature for efficient editing workflow, and a more organized library with media bins. It also offers 4K webcam recording, media replacement options, and media sorting for streamlined video creation

    Do you need to change the focus of your video clip without having to re-shoot your footage all over again? This post is going to teach you all you need to know about how to crop a video.

    The post How to Crop a Video Quickly and Easily appeared first on The TechSmith Blog.

    If Techsmith is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    How to Record a Streaming Video

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    Our view at Stack - TechSmith provides market leading content creation software. Standout features include enhanced recording and screen capture capabilities, a replacability feature for efficient editing workflow, and a more organized library with media bins. It also offers 4K webcam recording, media replacement options, and media sorting for streamlined video creation

    In this guide, we’ll discuss the different ways in which you can capture your screen so that you know how to record streaming content. 

    The post How to Record a Streaming Video appeared first on The TechSmith Blog.

    If Techsmith is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    YouTube vs. Vimeo: What’s the Difference?

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    Our view at Stack - TechSmith provides market leading content creation software. Standout features include enhanced recording and screen capture capabilities, a replacability feature for efficient editing workflow, and a more organized library with media bins. It also offers 4K webcam recording, media replacement options, and media sorting for streamlined video creation

    In this guide, we’ll dive deep into the intricacies of YouTube vs. Vimeo, comparing their features, monetization methods, core users, and more to help you decide which platform is best for you.

    The post YouTube vs. Vimeo: What’s the Difference? appeared first on The TechSmith Blog.

    If Techsmith is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    How to Easily Speed Up or Slow Down Your Videos

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    Our view at Stack - TechSmith provides market leading content creation software. Standout features include enhanced recording and screen capture capabilities, a replacability feature for efficient editing workflow, and a more organized library with media bins. It also offers 4K webcam recording, media replacement options, and media sorting for streamlined video creation

    Learn how to speed up or slow down a video.

    The post How to Easily Speed Up or Slow Down Your Videos appeared first on The TechSmith Blog.

    If Techsmith is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    Looking to Move Your Client’s Books? Here’s Why FreshBooks Is Right for Them

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    Our view at Stack - Freshbooks simplifies accounting for solo business owners, freelancers, and small companies. Intuitive, easy-to-use, and affordable. Manage payments, expenses, invoices, and accept payments seamlessly.

    The FreshBooks platform has 2 primary benefits: First, it’s built to be intuitive enough for a business owner to complete day-to-day bookkeeping tasks easily and accurately. Second, it’s robust enough to satisfy the reporting and tax requirements for most small businesses.

    But it’s not for everyone. For example, businesses with complex inventory management needs may need a different solution.

    How can you decide which business owners will thrive with FreshBooks and which won’t? Here are some questions to ask.

    1. What’s the Size of Their Business?

    The platform is particularly suited to business owners looking to grow–whether that means adding more employees or bringing in more revenue.”Small” might mean a self-employed individual with no employees, a sole proprietor with contractors, or a small team of full-time or part-time employees. In some cases, even businesses with have found FreshBooks works for them.

    Freelancers can dip a toe in with a plan that includes 5 clients per month and the ability to track expenses, accept payments, and run simple reports.

    As they progress, they can move up to more comprehensive plans with unlimited clients, automated billing and invoicing, and advanced reports.

    The emphasis on small businesses is what prompted accountant to get . “I really like that it’s focused on the same type of person I enjoy working with—small business owners, solopreneurs, and creative individuals.”

    2. Do They Have a Service-Based Business?

    FreshBooks is well-suited to businesses that provide services to clients—whether that’s short-term jobs or longer-term projects. Businesses like this include plumbers, tree removal companies, or career coaches providing a one-and-done service, as well as marketing agencies, general contractors, and other businesses that work on ongoing or long-term client projects.

    Less ideal are businesses with lots of physical inventory or operational assets, such as machinery.

    Some of the many industries that these FreshBooks users fall into include:

    • trades and home services
    • marketing and creatives
    • development and IT
    • legal and consulting services
    • health and wellness
    • education
    • professional services

    Best Features for Service-Based Businesses

    For businesses with billable clients, FreshBooks offers anything-but-basic accounting features that come standard with all except the Lite starter plan. For example, unlimited invoicing, unlimited expenses, time tracking, and .

    As they grow, business owners can add even more powerful invoicing and double-entry accounting features, like recurring invoices, recurring billing, client retainers, mobile mileage tracking, advanced reports, and customizable chart of accounts.
    Here are some accounting features in FreshBooks that are perfect for small service-based businesses:

    • estimates and proposals
    • professional invoices
    • online payments
    • expense-tracking and categorization
    • time-tracking
    • flat-rate and hourly-rate projects
    • operational and financial reports

    Other bookkeeping software is built to serve big enterprises that need a lot of bells and whistles. [For] small businesses…it’s too overwhelming.

    Kate Josephine Johnson

    Bookkeeper and owner, Heritage Business Services

    3. Do They Struggle With Accounting?

    You likely have one (or many) clients who struggle with tasks like tracking expenses, categorizing business expenses properly, keeping on top of billable hours, and understanding their business finances.

    Most accounting software is for the average small business owner, but FreshBooks is different. It’s designed to be painless even for . And yet, still provides powerful features for accountants to support their clients’ reporting, tax, and advisory needs.

    is a bookkeeper who specializes in FreshBooks customers specifically because it’s a great fit for solo entrepreneurs and small business owners. “Other bookkeeping software is built to serve big enterprises that need a lot of bells and whistles. When small businesses try to implement those bells and whistles, it’s too overwhelming.”

    With FreshBooks, business owners who struggle with pre-accounting tasks can successfully manage day-to-day bookkeeping, including invoicing, payments, proposals, team time tracking, project profitability, and payroll.

    For you, having clients successfully can pay off in big ways. Here are a few:

    • Your clients won’t as many of the necessary day-to-day tasks as they’ll begin to find them more manageable.
    • It empowers your clients to take part in their business finances
    • It gives your clients the foundational knowledge they need so you can work with them in a higher-value

    As a bonus, FreshBooks offers responsive, for business owners. This means you can spend less time troubleshooting and fielding client questions.

    4. Do They Need Easier Workflows?

    Who doesn’t? But small business owners in particular need friction-free processes to build good habits around bookkeeping.

    FreshBooks integrates with that small business owners use to manage customers and manage teams, book appointments, nurture customers, run payroll, and more.

    When your client can connect their account data with apps they already use, it saves them the pain and time associated with . It saves time for your clients. too. For example, if they work on an hourly rate and track time, they can use the FreshBooks Chrome extension to pull their hours into FreshBooks from any tool they use across the web or automatically record minutes in Zoom meetings as billable hours.

    If your clients use the Square POS, they can automatically import transaction data into FreshBooks. And e-commerce businesses can connect with a Magento integration to automatically import orders as invoices and import payment fees as business expenses.

    Instead of paying me to do data entry, [my clients] are paying me to actually do what I’m good at doing.

    Megan Justice, EA

    Owner, Crayon Advisory

    5. Do They Need Your Expertise (Beyond Just Bookkeeping)?

    Sure, your clients may need you to clean up their expenses, do a bank reconciliation, or run financial reports.

    But that’s not where you can provide the most value. What small business owners really need—even if they don’t know it—is longer-term financial insight and guidance from an accounting professional.

    When you can offer those higher-level services, it results in deeper client relationships that are and for your clients.

    When business owners use a no-nonsense accounting software that they can understand, they can take on some of the administrative burden.

    “Our goal is to put most of our service-based business, Schedule C clients on FreshBooks because it’s something they can manage on their own,” says CPA and firm owner . For example, with one client, Nicole’s firm takes on reports and tax returns while the client takes care of 100% of the bookkeeping in FreshBooks.

    “Estimates and time tracking and getting the bill out the door are all very easy to understand,” says Megan Justice, “So my clients aren’t relying on me to do the work, but to be a kind of coach instead. Instead of paying me to do data entry, they’re paying me to actually do what I’m good at doing.”

    What’s more, when your client is comfortable working in the same platform with you, there’s a . You have immediate access and insight into their data and real-time financial reports so you’re always on the same page and it’s even easier to give them valuable financial guidance.

    The customer service is fantastic. Anytime I have a query, someone is always on hand.

    Samantha Simms

    Attorney and digital tech consultant

    6. Do They Need 1:1 Support?

    Most small business owners are not accounting experts. The upside is that if they were, they wouldn’t need you. The downside? You can spend all your billable hours explaining the basics of accounting to them and helping them figure out their accounting software.

    Choosing an accounting software with excellent customer service for your clients takes the pressure off of you. FreshBooks is known for its highly responsive, 1:1 real-human phone and email support.

    “That’s something I liked about FreshBooks from the very beginning,” says FreshBooks’ customer and software digital compliance specialist Samantha Simms. “I work with a lot of software companies. That customer care is not something that you often see in the software business.”

    “When I called and talked to FreshBooks, reaching someone right away who was knowledgeable was very comforting to me,” says glass services professional . “FreshBooks’ support people have been really helpful in finding solutions to help me do what I was trying to accomplish.”

    What Business Owners Say

    If the answer to the questions posed here is yes, FreshBooks is probably a fit for your client. The advantages for a small business owner boil down to these points:

    • It’s easy to use and understand
    • I know how my business is doing at a glance
    • I’m saving time on invoicing, expenses, and chasing down payments
    • I’m more organized
    • My accountant is happier with me 🤩

    But don’t take it from me. Hear from some of our customers instead:

    It Saves Me Time and Money

    “Invoicing that used to take many, many hours (2 full days, at least) is now down to about half a day.” –, owner of Shannon Eddings Interiors

    “I wanted something far more user-friendly [than QuickBooks], and that’s why I chose FreshBooks. It made sense visually. It wasn’t intimidating.” –, communications consultant and coach

    It Gives Me Better Insight Into My Business

    “FreshBooks has the best user interface, in my opinion. I enjoy the automated report section. It’s one click, and I can get a pretty good understanding of where I’m at.” –, owner of marketing agency The Influence Agency

    “We did a lot to compare software features, and I think just hands down FreshBooks was the most approachable; it gave us the most visibility on our business and allowed us to do a lot on the scalable side.” –, owner of health tech business ORDRS

    “The peace of mind I get from seeing the profitability of every project right in front of me is just something you can’t put a price tag on.” –, owner of marketing agency zamartz

    It Makes Me Look Good

    “Customers make so many positive comments about estimates [in] the FreshBooks platform. It really stands out. I think having FreshBooks makes us look even more professional.” –, owner of F.B. & Sons, Lawns & Lanscapes

    “Anybody that I talk to that has a business, if they don’t have an accounting background, I tell them FreshBooks is the thing. I love it.” –, Certified Professional Organizer

    How Does FreshBooks Serve Accounting Professionals?

    Your clients aren’t the only ones who benefit from collaborating in FreshBooks with you, their trusted accounting advisor. It frees you to do your best work, too. With a model that makes workflows more efficient, you’ll be able to focus on your areas of expertise with your clients, build stronger relationships with them, and maybe increase your prices, too.

    My favorite part [of FreshBooks Collaborative Accounting Certification] was the sample convos between accountants and business owners.

    Laura Blackburn

    Owner, Blackburn Advisors

    Benefits for Accounting Professionals

    You’ll have access to the Accountant Hub, explicitly designed for accountants to streamline workflow and manage clients efficiently. With 1-click access to client account information, a centralized location to oversee clients, and a client setup process that takes just seconds, you’ll find everything you need to elevate your accounting practice in one convenient place.

    And let’s not forget , where you’ll experience hands-on training with real-life examples and a comprehensive client onboarding pack to get your clients up to speed.

    As a certified Collaborative Accountant, you’ll get all the benefits of being a FreshBooks certified partner, including resources, exclusive discounts for your clients, dedicated accountant-specific support, and membership in a community of like-minded professionals, plus 3 CPE credit.

    This post was updated in August 2024.

    If Freshbooks is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    What marketers can learn from supply chain management

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    Our view at Stack - simplify teamwork, customise workflows, and centralise data. Whether you’re a small business owner, a project manager, or a creative professional, Airtable offers a versatile solution for managing data and collaborating effectively. It's like a performance enhanced excel.

    What marketers can learn from supply chain management

    If your marketing team is struggling with costs this year, you are (very) far from alone. According to Deloitte’s 2023 CMO survey, 63% of marketers list “Reducing operational and/or product costs, or increasing value for similar cost” as their number one priority; 45% of CMOs acknowledge cost reduction as a significant challenge. Across the board, marketing leaders are weighed down by cumbersome processes and wasteful practices—and for complex enterprises, these issues can snowball.

    So how to reverse the tide? Some leaders are finding inspiration in an unexpected place: supply chain management.

    The comparison might surprise you, but hear us out: Just as supply chain engineers strive to optimize the movement of goods while keeping inventory lean, marketing professionals are on a mission to fine-tune their campaigns. In both spheres, the objective is to ensure that each step in the process contributes value and that resources, products, and derivatives are maximized to their full potential.

    Intrigued? Read on for four supply chain concepts that should resonate with any marketing leader, and be sure to download our ebook on optimizing the marketing supply chain.

    1. Visibility: Navigating the complex landscape

    Before you can optimize your marketing supply chain, you need full visibility into its links. Much like supply chain managers require a panoramic view of each stage, marketing leaders need clear insight into key handoffs and materials—like shared assets, budgets, and vendors. This visibility empowers you to make well-informed decisions, anticipate outcomes, and spot high-potential campaigns.

    In the era of data-driven decision-making, real-time insights are the currency of progress. Monitoring performance metrics, deciphering historical outcomes, and capturing customer feedback allows you to iteratively enhance your strategies, much like fine-tuning a manufacturing process in response to market demand.

    2. Criticality of Handoffs: Seamlessly passing the baton

    Most supply chains involve numerous, distributed points of production, assembly, and distribution—and the handoffs between each link are absolutely critical. Even if individual stages operate at peak efficiency, every delayed transition adds up to an overall loss of impact. As your marketing initiatives expand, the complexity of these handoffs intensifies, making it imperative to meticulously map out each connection to ensure fluid transitions.

    Dropping the baton at any juncture can lead to confusion, missed deadlines, and futile efforts. In marketing terms, this translates to assets not gaining the necessary traction, or to campaigns losing momentum due to inadequate handovers. Recognizing the significance of these moments can help you safeguard your marketing supply chain against avoidable setbacks.

    3. Standardization with Flexibility: The art of equilibrium

    Efficient supply chains contain a balance of standardization and flexibility—they’re as repeatable and predictable as possible, but still responsive to changes in suppliers, materials, and demand. Similarly, marketing teams must strike a balance that ensures consistency, while allowing room for adaptability in response to shifting market dynamics. Standardization brings predictability and quality assurance, facilitating the identification of automation opportunities that save time and effort.

    However, being overly rigid can lead to stagnation. Just as a sudden shortage of materials can disrupt a physical supply chain, unforeseen market shifts can demand nimble marketing responses. Remaining open to swift strategy adjustments is key to retaining a competitive edge.

    4. Maximum Leverage of Resources: Minimizing waste, maximizing impact

    Today, 65% of B2B marketers say that their organizations struggle with significant content waste. By gaining a comprehensive understanding of your marketing supply chain and its impact, you can root out redundant processes, ensuring optimal utilization of every dollar and hour. Even incremental enhancements, when implemented at scale, can yield substantial savings and improvements.

    Automation is a potent ally in waste mitigation—for both physical suppliers and complex marketing teams. Employing AI to expedite your most time-consuming processes, such as identifying emerging trends or suggesting relevant assets, can make it easier to streamline operations and optimize resource allocation.

    Physical supply chain managers have another useful waste minimizer in their toolkits: the fluid mixing and matching of materials. Car manufacturers don’t create separate supply chains for each model’s engine—to the extent that it’s possible, they use the same base and customize as needed. The concept of “atomic content” draws inspiration from the fluid material mixing in supply chains. By creating modular content “atoms” and skillfully combining them, marketers can tailor campaigns at scale, ushering in a more relevant and engaging audience experience.

    Deploying atomic content across various touchpoints makes your campaigns coherent while catering to the unique requirements of each channel. This approach not only maximizes asset reuse but also contributes to a cohesive brand narrative and a streamlined user journey.

    Creating your “marketing supply chain”

    The stages of your “marketing supply chain”—planning, production, distribution, and measurement—are part of a sophisticated, complex system. As such, supply chain concepts can help you unlock your team’s full potential.

    By embracing complete visibility, you can better shape impactful campaigns. Through diligent attention to handoffs, your team facilitates seamless transitions between stages. Balancing standardization with flexibility empowers marketers to navigate the ebb and flow of market dynamics with finesse. And by optimizing resources and embracing atomic content, teams can attain efficiency while delivering tailored experiences.

    Want to go deeper? To learn more about how marketing leaders are leveraging these concepts, check out Optimize your marketing supply chain: Accelerating your teams, processes, and impact with supply chain principles.

    If Airtable is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    What’s new in Airtable: September 2023

    · ·

    Our view at Stack - simplify teamwork, customise workflows, and centralise data. Whether you’re a small business owner, a project manager, or a creative professional, Airtable offers a versatile solution for managing data and collaborating effectively. It's like a performance enhanced excel.

    What’s new in Airtable: September 2023

    Pull data, prepare physical handouts, and breeze through updates in a matter of minutes. You can now format and print Airtable interface pages, or save them as PDFs.

    Also new this September are additional ways to enhance your workflows, from Airtable AI in beta (check out our launch blog) to an automation that can be applied to two-way synced fields.

    Export interface pages to PDFs

    Save, format, and print certain interface page layouts so it’s even easier to collaborate with your team.

    The following layouts are currently supported:

    • List
    • Timeline
    • Calendar
    • Record Details
    • Individual record detail pages
    • Up to 100 record detail pages in one PDF
    • Charts

    There are two ways you can trigger an export: by hitting Cmd/Ctrl + P, and by clicking the “Print” option at the top of the page under the “…” menu. You can also choose “Format for printing” to help printouts be more legible.

    Export to PDF now

    New features to govern and scale with ease

    What’s new in Airtable: September 2023

    In case you missed it, we launched capabilities to help orgs build powerful apps and manage thousands of pieces of data.

    Some of our new scalability, governance, and AI features include:

    • The AI field (now in beta): Harness the power of generative AI in Airtable. Choose from a library of prebuilt prompts to speed up your work.
    • Enterprise Hub: Control user settings and standardize security policies across your organization.
    • Enterprise Key Management (EKM): Gain more control over your data through encryption keys you can own.

    Enterprise teams can also now add up to 250,000 records per table (an increase from 100,000) and 500,000 records per base (an increase from 250,000). With greater data capacity, organizations can build more powerful and connected apps.

    Get the full list of updates in our launch blog

    Automatically update synced fields

    Ensure your data is always up-to-date–on both sides of your two-way sync.

    Enterprise users can now use the “Update Record” automation action to edit these synced fields.

    Build apps in French and German

    We’ve got good news for our French and German-speaking friends! Click into your account settings to update your preferences and start building in your language of choice.

    These localization options will roll out to users over the next few days.

    Learn more from our experts

    Be sure to tune in on September 13th at 10am PST/1pm EST for Airtable’s quarterly overview of newly released features.

    This webinar is designed to not only introduce recent product updates, but also show how to use them to build apps that connect your organizational workflows.

    Register today

    If Airtable is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    Everything you need to know about Airtable AI

    · ·

    Our view at Stack - simplify teamwork, customise workflows, and centralise data. Whether you’re a small business owner, a project manager, or a creative professional, Airtable offers a versatile solution for managing data and collaborating effectively. It's like a performance enhanced excel.

    Everything you need to know about Airtable AI

    Airtable AI is sure to be a big change for all users, and we know you may have questions. So, we’ve put together a list of answers to commonly asked questions and links that will dive deeper into Airtable’s implementation of AI.

    What is Airtable AI?

    Airtable AI is a new way for businesses to harness generative AI in everyday work. Unlike other solutions, Airtable AI works with your existing workflows—meaning you don’t need to rebuild your apps to start experimenting, and you don’t need to copy and paste between tools to see results.

    Instead, you can use AI to analyze, organize, and connect the workflows and information you already have in Airtable.

    How can I use Airtable AI to augment existing workflows?

    Whether you’re analyzing customer feedback, drafting marketing briefs, crafting job descriptions, or writing blog posts, there are a variety of ways you can use Airtable AI to strengthen your most critical workflows.

    Here are five ways customers are using Airtable AI today:

    • Summarize and discover new insights — Use Airtable AI to rapidly parse large datasets and surface new insights.
    • Categorize information — Instantly tag hundreds of records according to theme, asset type, audience, product feature, and more.
    • Generate content — Draft internal and external comms in seconds. Spend your time polishing the message, as opposed to starting from scratch.
    • Translate all languages — Instantly translate information across languages and locales, while easily adjusting voice and tone.
    • Route work-in-progress — Use Airtable AI to automatically identify collaborators, link related projects, and match your work to initiatives across the org. 

    For a deeper dive into Airtable AI, head to this blog post that covers each capability in greater detail. For an even deeper dive, our Guide to Airtable AI will help you get started.

    Is prior experience with AI required to get started?

    No, prior experience with AI is not necessary to get started with Airtable AI. With a choice of pre-built prompts and guidance and tips provided, you can quickly add AI capabilities to your workflows and make the most of its power, regardless of your prior experience with AI.

    Is Airtable AI secure?

    Yes! We know that data security is top of mind for our customers, and we’ve taken several measures to ensure the security of your data when using Airtable AI.

    Rest assured, no customer data is retained by our vendors or used to train current or future large language models (LLMs). Additionally, Enterprise customers can choose from different LLMs for Airtable AI. These include Open AI’s GPT models, and Anthropic’s Claude models via Amazon Bedrock, a service where models are hosted in the Amazon Web Services environment

    Where can I find community conversation about the new AI feature?

    Our thriving community is a great resource to discuss new features, ideas, and workflows. You can read our announcement post here, then join in the discussion!

    I have additional questions, can I talk to someone on your team?

    If you have more questions for our team, please fill out our contact sales form and someone from our team will reach out!

    To learn more about Airtable AI, please visit: https://www.airtable.com/platform/ai

    If Airtable is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    How 6 world-class companies make an outsized impact with shared data

    · ·

    Our view at Stack - simplify teamwork, customise workflows, and centralise data. Whether you’re a small business owner, a project manager, or a creative professional, Airtable offers a versatile solution for managing data and collaborating effectively. It's like a performance enhanced excel.

    How 6 world-class companies make an outsized impact with shared data

    When work is hidden within different tools, and workflows don’t match up between teams, your employees are pulled into a haze of messages, emails, and repetitive conversations. Opportunities for collaboration almost always go unnoticed, and it’s impossible to achieve stronger outcomes at scale.

    Solving these problems was front and center at our recent Leaders Forum in San Francisco, where Howie Liu, Airtable’s CEO, positioned the Airtable Connected Apps Platform as a way for companies to connect workflows, share data, and deepen trust between teams.

    “Siloed data, misalignment between departments, and disconnected processes restrain organizations from moving quickly and in lock step,” Howie said in his Keynote. “Companies not only need apps that are customized and functional at a team level—they need apps that are connected, organization-wide, to bridge the fractures that threaten their future success.”

    With this in mind, here’s how connected apps are transforming companies in every industry—from BlackRock, a multi-national investment company, to Riot Games, a video game developer, publisher and tournament organizer.

    1. Curating a beautiful online storefront at Pottery Barn

    At Pottery Barn, a furniture and decor store, the online experience is just as beautifully curated as the physical storefronts. But when Angela Williams, director of Creative Services, started her role, there wasn’t a clear process for organizing, planning, and approving product pages before they hit the website.

    By sharing data and information between copywriters, ecommerce merchants, production artists, and digital designers, Angela has been able to streamline and scale the way product pages are published. With all metadata and relevant information in a centralized repository from the outset, the team has more time to review and optimize every piece of information before it enters testing.

    “At the end of the day, we’re trying to please our customers and we need to have time to look at the product from their point of view. Airtable has made our lives easier. It’s connected everybody together so we can all work on something at the same time,” says Angela. “Connection means speed, it means efficiency, it means fewer mistakes. It means a nicer product at the end of the day for the customer.”

    2. Delivering more surprising experiences at Riot Games

    Riot Games is on a mission to develop, publish, and support games globally. You might have heard of League of Legends, a title the company first debuted in 2006 that has gone on to become the most-played PC game in the world. The Riot Games team uses Airtable to sync data and information about campaigns, results, and resourcing.

    Sharing this data has illuminated trends in employee engagement, and has helped leadership focus the team on what they do best—developing, publishing, and promoting groundbreaking video games. “For Riot games, shared data means an incredible fan experience,” says Kate Lilly Rella, director of business operations for IP Strategy at Riot Games. “If we’re all connected, the fans get surprises and delight at every turn. Airtable has worked well for us. It makes what feels like an impossible task—managing all these disconnected pieces of information—possible.”

    3. Driving cross-team collaboration at BlackRock

    The team at Aladdin Wealth, part of BlackRock, is building a product that financial advisors use to help more people experience financial well-being. The team of product marketers and developers built an app in Airtable that connects technologists and senior stakeholders internally so that they can work together more efficiently on product management, business development, engineering, design, and product marketing. (This doesn’t include any client data or personal identifiable information, only internal project information.)

    “Airtable frees up 80 hours a week of our product marketing team’s time,” said Dan Cunningham, senior product director for Aladdin Wealth. This leads to tighter release schedules and a faster deployment of new features to clients. Dan says, “since using Airtable to communicate our product updates we’ve really seen faster time-to-market.”

    Transparency is key to all the work being done at Aladdin Wealth to ensure clients know what features are available to them. Airtable keeps Aladdin Wealth team members up-to-date internally on product launches. “As a global team, it’s complicated to keep everyone in the loop, Airtable really helps us stay in the loop,” Dan says.

    4. Giving employees the confidence to act at BlueOcean

    At BlueOcean, the team is building a software solution to help companies make more holistic and informed decisions across their marketing strategy—whether it’s sustaining growth, cutting spend, or future-proofing a brand.

    As a start up, knowing where employees are spending their time is a matter of survival, says Jenny Bodenlos, head of enterprise program management at BlueOcean. “It is an absolute necessity that we really understand what everybody is taking action on and how those actions will help enable our strategy.”

    The company uses Airtable to ensure that every team—sales, marketing, customer success—are rallied around the same data. All employees can see, in real time, how the product is progressing, and this visibility means that they’re ready to convey new features to customers quickly. Jenny says: “Shared data at BlueOcean really means giving people the confidence to act. Connection is everything. It allows us to come together as a collective to achieve a mission that we couldn’t do on our own.”

    5. Offering leadership the full picture at Benchling

    Benchling is a cloud-based platform for biotechnology research and development. The platform itself gives researchers a place to capture, standardize, and centralize data. A similar effort is underway internally at Benchling to make sure the product team, go-to-market team, and leadership team are fully aligned around the same information.

    By sharing data between teams and making customer feedback more transparent in a centralized location, Ian Fischer, product operations manager at Benchling, has strengthened connection and collaboration across the org. Data was duplicated within siloed integrations and spreadsheets. Now, that data is fully visible to all key stakeholders, increasing its richness and making decisions more impactful.

    “Having a centralized place for everyone to see the data has really improved the robustness of that data because people are more willing to interact with it,” says Ian. “With Airtable I’m able to surface insights to our leadership team showing them which customers are impacted by different releases on the roadmap.”

    6. Bringing together industry visionaries at Scale AI

    Scale AI is on a mission to accelerate innovation in AI and, being at the forefront of this cutting edge space, the team is in a unique position to share their insights and expertise with the world. This thought leadership culminates at the Scale TransformX Conference, which brings together AI leaders, visionaries, and researchers from several industries.

    Planning TransformX involves input from the entire organization, and the team at Scale AI uses Airtable to connect data around speakers, budget, invoices, vendors, campaigns, branding, sales enablement, and more. With 120 speakers and 300+ hours of recording, it’s critical that every employee has the most accurate information at their fingertips.

    “Being able to connect data across teams has been life changing,” says Marcel Santilli, head of marketing at Scale AI. “If we invite an executive, and their title changes, for example, we’re able to update the information in one place and know that their contact information is up-to-date in every other record across the org.”

    By connecting this critical information in a single source of truth, a core team of just 14 people at Scale AI was able to pull off a three-day event last October, successfully drawing more than 30,000 attendees in-person and virtually. “Shared data for us means less friction in how we get work done, fewer mistakes, less manual work, and it means we can move faster and create more value,” Marcel says.

    Whether it’s investing money around the world, producing groundbreaking video games, growing a software startup, or fast-tracking biolife experiments, these customers show the power of connecting data and information between teams.

    A connected apps platform gives every stakeholder access to up-to-date information in real time, strengthening decision making and accelerating output across the organization. To learn more about connected apps, hear from Ilan Frank, VP of Product at Airtable, on the benefits of sharing data and consolidating SaaS at enterprise organizations.

    If Airtable is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    How to align sales and marketing (and leaders viewpoints)

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    Our view at Stack - Capsule CRM simplifies customer relationship management, streamlines sales processes, and saves time. Features include contact management, customisable sales pipelines, email integration, analytics, and workflow automation. It doesn't provide full email marketing functionality but it does allow you to connect to other tools.

    “Sales and marketing teams should pull in the same direction and help each other achieve their goals.”

    How many times have you heard something like that being bandied around in a meeting with your CEO, business leader, or some sort of motivational speaker?

    But you know what the reality really is. Marketing is obsessed with building brand awareness, slowly building their pipeline, and passing down low-quality leads to your sales team. And for the long-suffering Marketing Managers in the back, your sales team is constantly asking you where their leads are.

    Both sales and marketing face unique pressures. But, as wishy-washy as this might sound, businesses will only grow when sales and marketing move together as one cohesive unit.

    And there’s data to prove it too. There’s a dizzying array of stats on this page from LXAhub but these are the most important:

    • businesses with aligned sales and marketing teams are up to 67% more efficient at closing deals
    • aligned sales and marketing teams can achieve up to 38% win rates

    Ready to bring your sales and marketing teams together and crush more deals, and boost your bottom line? We’ll tell you how in this blog post.

    Defining sales, marketing and alignment

    Let’s clear up exactly what sales and marketing do, how they operate, and what their priorities are. This’ll make it easier to understand where friction might occur, where there’s common ground and how you might be able to bring the two teams together.

    Marketing function

    A marketing team is a group of individuals responsible for planning, creating and tracking marketing activity across an organization.

    Its primary goal is to generate as many sales opportunities as possible. Marketing does this by:

    • making individuals and businesses familiar with your brand name
    • helping people understand the value of your product and service
    • converting these prospects into customers
    • continuing to build long-term relationships with customers.

    Sales Opinion

    “It’s often the case that marketing sees lead generation as a byproduct of
    good brand, social, and website work. Instead, if they considered reverse
    engineering what sales really need: What quality does the lead need to be?
    Which personas are ready to buy? How do we better qualify leads?

    Adopting this approach will result in fewer, well-optimized funnels, less
    work for marketing and better results for sales.”

    Your marketing team typically oversees activities that promote your products and services to customers and generate brand awareness and leads.

    However, responsibilities go further, as marketing also conducts market research, identifies target audiences, identifies leads, and anticipates customer needs.

    As Penpoin explains, a marketing team will develop a brand’s unique selling proposition, set pricing and develop product strategies.

    Sales function

    While marketing generates sales opportunities, the sales team is responsible for actually selling them to the people who may be interested in a product/service.

    Core tasks will include vetting leads, educating prospects on the benefits or value of your products or services, and closing deals through persuasion and traditional sales activities.

    Sales teams are often under pressure to hit sales targets and ensure sufficient revenue is coming in.

    Sales Opinion

    “If they are well qualified by marketing (ie. the definition of an MQL is
    clearly understood by both teams, and stage gates are implemented to block
    low-quality MQLs from hitting the sales desk), then the process of taking a
    lead from MQL -> SQL is easier, cheaper, and takes less time.

    This impacts all the important marketing performance metrics (which often
    aren’t even tracked or seen as important by marketing leadership) – CPL,
    CPA, pipeline velocity (time in stage), conversion rate (MQL -> SQL ->
    Closed Won rates). Marketing doesn’t think they are responsible for the SQL
    -> Close rate, but guess what? They are directly responsible for bad rates
    if they offer up poor quality MQLs to work with.”

    Marketing Opinion

    “In my experience, when I’ve worked with some sales teams, they haven’t been
    interested in helping set up the process to generate and qualify leads

    Many simply want the hot leads that are ready to go because they have a
    number to hit. This typically reflects the overall approach of the business
    – quite old school, not particularly tech-savvy, and resistant to change.

    It’s my experience that the most rewarding engagements have been with
    individuals from sales teams. It’s much harder to deal with a team or a
    group. As a marketer, you have to be quite mentally strong to go into that
    scenario.

    Collaboration in most environments I’ve worked in has been passed to the
    marketing team to drive – ‘sales have enough on their plate hitting the
    number without having to drive the process or cultural change.’ That can be
    frustrating to deal with.”

    Sales and marketing alignment

    According to an article for HubSpot, sales and marketing alignment, or “smarketing”, is a shared framework of strategies and goals for the sales and marketing departments.

    Alignment is characterized by continuous communication between the two departments, as well as a joint effort to work towards shared objectives and provide assistance to one another.

    The primary basis for alignment between sales and marketing is their shared goals of attracting customers, generating revenue and achieving profitability.

    Sales and Marketing Opinion

    Both Steve and Dan think that for sales and marketing alignment to be most
    effective, there needs to be more than just one meeting a month, with both
    teams owning the agenda and contributing to it.

    Dan found that ABM campaigns are usually the best way to earn sales and
    marketing alignment, because of the buy-in required from both teams and
    potential deal value.

    Why sales and marketing should work together

    For businesses to invest the necessary time and effort into aligning sales and marketing, stepping back to and fully understanding why alignment is valuable. Similarly, given that each department faces its own pressures, leaders must also understand why alignment is so valuable and the strategic benefits it can bring.

    Research is clear on the issue of alignment. Studies carried out by Marketing Profs show that organizations that achieve sales and marketing alignment enjoy 38% higher win rates and 36% higher customer retention rates. Conversely, misalignment is worth at least a 10% hit to annual revenue.

    Sales Opinion

    “Win rate, higher customer retention rate and revenue loss – these are
    typically performance metrics that the sales leader is responsible for.
    Sales heads roll when win rates dip, customers churn, and revenue targets
    aren’t met.

    My view is that these stats clearly show that marketing is equally culpable
    and should be equally responsible for helping sales achieve those goals.
    Many marketing leaders say they want these metrics to grow, but are they
    willing to put their job on the line for it?

    In my experience, marketing leaders don’t want to be measured on anything
    beyond mid-funnel, therefore, they aren’t willing to commit to revenue,
    profit, or CSAT KPIs.

    If we want to all achieve the same results, put your money where your mouth
    is. Didn’t hit revenue this quarter? Look further up the funnel than the
    sales-owned processes to see if the top-of-funnel metrics were sufficient to
    support a successful sales quarter.”

    The Moments of Trust report published by LinkedIn found that 87% of sales and marketing leaders say collaboration between both teams is key to business growth, while 85% say this is the single biggest opportunity for businesses looking to improve performance.

    90% believe aligning sales and marketing messages and initiatives positively impacts the customer experience too.

    Marketing Opinion

    “I’ve found that the alignment on messaging doesn’t quite happen. For
    example, it usually gets handled within the marketing team, or outsourced to
    an agency.

    Also, timing is often key. Strategy reviews within marketing often happen in
    isolation, and aside from the initial situational analysis don’t take an
    outward view.

    There needs to be a collaboration with sales at this point to be truly
    strategic.”

    Although sales and marketing are responsible for different parts of the sales funnel, they both ultimately want the same outcomes: more sales, more revenue, more profit, higher customer satisfaction levels, higher retention of existing customers, more referrals from satisfied customers, and greater business growth. For these reasons, it makes sense that the two departments should be aligned.

    Also, there’s a significant crossover between the two departments’ responsibilities and activities. For instance, in most modern sales organizations, responsibility for generating leads is shared between the two departments, rather than the sole responsibility of one or the other.

    How alignment benefits marketing

    One of the biggest ways alignment helps marketing is centered around content production. Many organizations don’t realize the value or importance of content.

    It can be used at the top of the funnel to attract and encourage prospective customers to engage with your organization. And for the bottom of the funnel, content is essential to help sales executives close deals.

    According to a study by the Content Marketing Institute, 60 to 80% of all marketing content generated for sales teams ultimately goes unused.

    Marketing Opinion

    “I’d also say that a lot of the data generated from lead gen can also go
    unused if it’s not handled in a transparent way. Many, many instances of
    passing data over for opens and clicks, and no tangible way of measuring
    follow-up. This is where tech comes in.”

    Often this is because of misalignment between sales and marketing, and a poor understanding of content marketing, as well as sales requirements.

    Sales and marketing alignment can reduce the time wasted by marketing on unused content. Improvements to communication can prevent instances where sales teams are unaware of content, while sales teams can also communicate their own needs more effectively.

    Marketing teams should do more to educate sales teams on the importance and value of content marketing, and how it can be used as a tool to generate leads.

    Learning what works and does not work for sales teams can also help marketing teams to tweak their messaging, based on real-world responses.

    Sales and Marketing Opinion

    Steve and Dan think this is important and something that both sales and marketing functions do poorly.

    Steve: “I think sales are guilty of not recording customer
    feedback in a format that’s useful for marketing, or not recording it at
    all. Let’s face it: most CRM opportunity records don’t even have the right
    close dates and deal values, let alone detailed customer insight/feedback
    that can help marketing refine their messaging.”

    Dan: “Marketing is often guilty of doing their value prop
    research and messaging work in complete isolation, or are scared to get
    involved in customer relationships in case they cause churn.

    This means their view of the customer challenges/needs is misaligned with
    the reality of what sales reps hear on the phone every day, and the content
    marketing produces isn’t compelling enough to attract the most engaged
    leads.”

    How alignment benefits sales

    Sales teams benefit significantly from alignment with the marketing department. By working closely with the marketing team, sales reps can gain a better understanding of who they should be targeting efforts towards and what messages they should be using to maximize success.

    Through close communication, marketing teams can better understand some of the challenges that sales reps face on a day-to-day basis. This allows marketing to work on the kinds of content that will help sales teams to close more deals.

    In many cases, marketing departments gain valuable information about leads that the sales team could really benefit from. Therefore, a process needs to be in place so that this information can be passed along before a sales rep makes their pitch.

    Marketing Opinion

    “I think it’s important to add here, the ‘how’ you share information, and
    the process you decide on, is extremely important.

    Many salespeople that I’ve worked with have distinct routines and have
    specific way of tackling their leads. You have to remember to be tactful,
    considerate of their needs and deploy the right approach to get them to
    really buy into the information-sharing process, but crucially, not a big
    drain on their time and easy to do.”

    For example, marketing teams may know how a lead ended up on the company website, or what problem they are trying to solve. They may also know about the lead’s preference, like how they should be contacted and at what times.

    Aligned teams share this kind of information, and this enables sales teams to tailor their strategy and messaging accordingly, resulting in more deals closing.

    Why do sales and marketing become misaligned?

    Lack of communication is at the heart of misaligned sales and marketing teams. If the two departments aren’t in constant communication and if they do not take an active interest in one another’s success, they are quickly going to find themselves going in different directions.

    Marcello Grande points out in an article published on LinkedIn Pulse, that some of the biggest causes of misalignment are because sales and marketing often have different priorities, use different metrics, and have different incentives. This is why strategic alignment is necessary.

    Many other alignment problems can be boiled down, to simply that sales and marketing often lack a unified narrative. They don’t share the same vision, or they see the products and services they are selling differently, and this manifests in the way they communicate with existing and potential customers.

    Sales Opinion

    “Alignment should be owned by the CMO and CRO, but it should be supported by
    the CEO and the board. This is a major strategic issue for any business, and
    it needs the full-throated backing of senior leaders across the business for
    alignment to succeed.”

    Both departments may provide messaging to leads without consulting with one another and this can result in inconsistencies and confusion.

    For example, marketing may promote a product or service in one way, and then sales may try to close the deal by using entirely different messaging.

    The outcome of this could be that a prospect becomes confused about exactly what they’re buying and backs out of the deal. If messaging was unified, the deal would have closed.

    Sales Opinion

    “I don’t necessarily agree that if messaging was unified a deal would have
    closed. The reason this happens is that marketing is broadcasting, sales are
    consultative.

    I think It’s ok for marketing to use one message in their campaigns, and for
    sales to change tact further down the funnel. The reason they are changing
    tact is that sales can question and adapt their messaging to the customer’s
    needs.

    The important thing is the feedback loop. If sales find that 90% of the
    leads are actually in need of a different product/service, and this info is
    fed back to marketing, then marketing can adapt their messaging. Even
    better, marketing can create funnels that are adaptive to lead-generated
    information. Eg. Choose your own adventure-style marketing that ascertains
    the lead’s needs before presenting any solutions. These will be much more
    qualified and likely to close when they hit the sales desk further down the
    funnel.”

    Marketing Opinion

    “I always get the sense that one department always thinks they can do the
    other’s job. This is of course total nonsense. Making sales is as tough as
    it gets, and there is way more that goes into messaging and brand
    development than breaking out the crayons for 30 mins.”

    Finally, sales and marketing teams may also have to report to different senior executives and this can also lead to issues with alignment.

    How to encourage sales and marketing alignment

    Below, you’ll find some tips that can help you to keep sales and marketing on the same page.

    1. Agree on shared goals, terms and metrics

    You should try to agree some shared goals. Try to make these targets as specific as possible and ensure they’re measurable. Sales and marketing should also agree on some shared metrics, while lead scoring needs to be standardized across the two functions, with both teams agreeing on how leads should be scored.

    Try to agree on areas for improvement and work together to achieve them. This could be increasing the number of qualified leads generated, or increasing closed deals. Both departments can contribute to achieving these objectives.

    Research published by Adobe illustrates that most businesses don’t have a definition of a qualified lead that sales and marketing have formally agreed to. For full alignment, you should define terms like marketing qualified lead, sales qualified lead, etc, so that there’s no room for confusion.

    2. Define the roles of sales and marketing

    You should clearly define the roles of sales and marketing. Although some degree of overlap is inevitable, in general, marketing should be concerned with activities related to the top of the sales funnel, while sales should be concerned with activities related to the bottom of the sales funnel.

    There are some activities that’ll need to be defined more carefully. For instance, who is responsible for lead scoring? How much responsibility, if any, does sales have for content creation?

    Knowing exactly what each department is responsible for can help to reduce confusion and tension. It can also decrease the time that’s wasted on activities that have already been carried out by someone else.

    3. Collaborate on marketing content creation

    Creating sales and marketing content typically falls under the marketing team. However, some of this content should serve the sales team, so working closely with the sales team makes sense.

    Marketing teams need to know what messages are successful for sales reps and which messages aren’t working as well. It’s also important for sales to tell marketing the common questions they receive from prospects, because it may be possible to answer these earlier in the process through marketing content.

    Creating a unified narrative is important. Both departments should be clear on what’s being sold, what the product or service is intended to do, who can benefit from it, and the overarching brand story to tell leads and existing customers.

    4. Make use of cross-departmental shadowing

    Another great way to ensure your sales and marketing teams are aligned is to make use of cross-departmental shadowing.

    Harvard Business Review outlines, it can be useful for marketing team members to shadow sales calls regularly and even to attend some sales meetings, so that they can understand prospect challenges better.

    Shadowing the other department can help teams to understand the challenges they face. In the case of marketing departments, understanding the sales process and the realities of current sales efforts can help with creating sales content.

    It also gives marketing an opportunity to provide useful information on the kind of messaging sales reps can use to boost success rates.

    5. Commit to sharing progress at meetings

    A key part of how to align sales and marketing involves continually sharing progress, insights and analysis. While alignment requires shared goals and objectives, both departments still create their own reports, carry out their own analysis, and have results they can share with the other team.

    It’s difficult to overstate the importance of constant communication if true alignment is to be achieved and a great way to facilitate this is to commit to regular meetings between senior figures in sales and marketing.

    During these meetings, both departments should highlight their results and progress, share any useful insights and analysis, and be clear on any problems they are facing. It is also important for both sales and marketing to be clear if they need something from the other department, or if they feel changes are needed.

    Achieving sales and marketing alignment

    There are no simple answers for how to align sales and marketing, as alignment is a continuous process. Nevertheless, at the very heart of the issue, communication channels need to be open, the two departments need to be sharing progress, insights and challenges, and there must be shared and agreed goals and metrics.

    Click here to learn more about Capsule CRM, which serves as a CRM and project management tool. This can be really useful for sales and marketing alignment, allowing information to be shared more easily while increasing overall transparency. You can get started by accessing a 14-day free trial today.

    Sales and marketing alignment: Frequently asked questions

    If Capsule CRM is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    Four tips for campaign planning: advice from marketing leaders

    · ·

    Our view at Stack - simplify teamwork, customise workflows, and centralise data. Whether you’re a small business owner, a project manager, or a creative professional, Airtable offers a versatile solution for managing data and collaborating effectively. It's like a performance enhanced excel.

    Four tips for campaign planning: advice from marketing leaders

    Campaign planning is essential to meeting goals—but did you know it’s also good for your team’s culture, too? Instituting the right process can break down silos, help teams aligned on shared values, and empower everyone to work together.  

    Our new ebook explores a variety of best practices for campaign planning. It includes strategies from four marketing leaders (and enterprise customers) who lend their expertise around goal setting, data sharing, managing requests, and more.

    Here are a few tips from the marketing leaders—and be sure to download our ebook to read them in full.

    Review your current processes–with everyone

    To move as one, you should start planning as one. Make time for employees to ask questions, give and take feedback, and honestly examine the “why” behind past challenges and successes.

    “There needs to be transparency into what’s really working and what’s not working, with very open, candid sharing of information across the team,” says Natalie Ocegueda, senior manager of integrated campaigns at Airtable.

    These conversations are critical for shaping future campaigns, and they should occur during every planning cycle.

    Instill a shared language

    A lack of shared language often leads to misalignment within organizations. By standardizing processes, taxonomy, and more across marketing, you get one step closer to making sure everyone is on the same page.

    At Equinox Media, publishing manager Meagan Nelson does this by ensuring all the metadata associated with fitness classes are consistent across bases.

    “We ensure class metadata can only be entered into Airtable at one location,” she says. “If another base needs that specific piece of information, we’ll create a look-up field that syncs from the original source, instead of creating another field that people can write into.”

    Create an avenue for requests

    As a marketing project manager for Taylor Guitars, Nicole Dahl manages campaign timelines and planned deliverables. But without a clear way to handle requests, Nicole found her team was easily pulled into one-off tasks.

    To solve this, Nicole streamlined marketing requests with Airtable forms. Now, if someone wants an asset created for a specific guitar model, they fill out a form and the information automatically populates the marketing team’s Airtable base, where they track work and share information.

    “Airtable saves us four to five hours a week that we would otherwise spend tracking down things that lived in different places,” Nicole says. “Now, we get to spend more time on the creative output. We’re putting out better work because we have more time to do it.”

    Use templated processes for customer-facing assets

    According to Jenny Bodenlos, head of the enterprise program management organization at BlueOcean, customer-facing deliverables are the assets where you need templated (read: repeatable) processes–especially because they’re the most cross-functional. She uses Airtable to keep her team aligned.

    “You have to line up activities from every different function to make sure they happen in the right sequence, and that they happen at the right time,” she says. “You’ve also got to clarify what tasks can happen simultaneously, and what tasks are reliant on dependencies.”

    By building repeatable processes, your team can spend more time on the customer-facing asset itself, rather than wondering what to do next.

    Download Airtable’s ebook today for 8 strategies to help your marketing team plan as one.

    If Airtable is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    Powerful new features to govern and scale with ease

    · ·

    Our view at Stack - simplify teamwork, customise workflows, and centralise data. Whether you’re a small business owner, a project manager, or a creative professional, Airtable offers a versatile solution for managing data and collaborating effectively. It's like a performance enhanced excel.

    Powerful new features to govern and scale with ease

    Organizations have been navigating two big, recent trends: boosting efficiency and understanding the impacts of generative AI. Many organizations are consolidating tools and implementing new ones—at the same time.

    But finding the right balance of innovation, usability, and control is a tremendous challenge—and that challenge only gets more complex the larger your organization is. Organizations often must decide between tools that offer robust security and governance or user experience and flexibility.

    What enterprises really need is a central platform that empowers their entire business to build powerful, customizable apps to drive their critical workflows.

    Which is why we’re launching new scalability, governance, and AI capabilities to help organizations build more advanced, powerful apps to manage hundreds of thousands of pieces of data—all while maintaining security and control. And, we’ve updated our pricing and service packages to give organizations clearer and flexible options so they can have the right level of scale, functionality, and support to fit their needs.

    Accelerate execution and productivity by embedding AI directly into your organization’s workflows

    As organizations start to understand the transformative power of AI and consider ways to implement it in their day-to-day operations, they’re inundated with pitches about new tools that are either too narrow in scope or rigid in application. With Airtable AI, businesses can harness the power of generative AI within existing workflows—or build brand new workflows with AI built into each step.

    Earlier this year, a small handful of customers helped us test Airtable AI, and saw huge productivity and efficiency gains in their operations. By embedding AI into their custom apps, organizations streamlined everything from drafting and reviewing content for marketing campaigns to analyzing customer feedback to inform their product roadmap—all within one single tool.

    Today, we’re expanding our Airtable AI beta to users on our paid plans.

    The first application of AI in Airtable is a new AI field type, which can easily be added to any app. With this new field, teams can choose from a library of pre-built, customizable prompts, or build their own from scratch. Teams can get started in seconds, regardless of their experience or aptitude with AI. Your teams can then edit and optimize each AI implementation in their evolving apps and workflows, continuously learning and iterating as they build their apps.

    Powerful new features to govern and scale with ease

    Rather than using AI in just one step of the process, Airtable AI can chain together multiple AI steps within an end-to-end workflow. For example, product teams can set up an AI field to automatically categorize customer feedback based on topic. They can then add another AI field to summarize the takeaways and sentiment from the customer feedback, for everyone across product, design, and research teams. Rather than spending hours reviewing and categorizing the feedback, those teams can jump straight into building the products their customers are asking for, faster than they ever could before.

    Powerful new features to govern and scale with ease

    Once Airtable AI is implemented, these same insights and productivity gains can spread across the organization. Marketing teams can use AI to speed up each part of their campaign-planning process and find efficiencies across their entire workflow. An AI field can be used to draft a blog post or social copy based on messaging themes and value propositions. The same AI field can be refined based on a variety of factors such as length, tone, phrases, etc. Now, teams have a powerful head start, while still controlling the quality and the output.

    For global marketing teams, the AI field can speed up the localization process. Once copy for your campaign is approved—perhaps a blog or social post—Airtable AI can automatically localize into the key languages your organization operates in.

    Powerful new features to govern and scale with ease

    Airtable AI is built into your workflows, not layered on top of or focused on just one piece of the process. That means AI is continuously powering and making your work more productive at every step. Because it’s deployed from one centrally managed platform, organizations have better visibility and control over how their teams are using AI and they’re able to stay connected and execute together.

    > Learn more about how to use Airtable AI

    Airtable AI is currently in beta for paid plans. Airtable AI will be an optional paid add-on when generally available. If you’re interested in joining the beta, please fill out this form.

    Manage your data, users, and apps at scale

    Whether organizations are building research repositories that drive innovation in our everyday products, or managing end-to-end content and publication processes to keep up with the constant pace of change, they need secure, dynamic systems that are easily managed.

    Today, we’re releasing a suite of new features to better help enterprises build business-critical apps and give IT teams greater oversight of their organization’s use of Airtable.

    And that starts with increased record limits. Enterprise teams can now add up to 250,000 records per table (an increase from 100,000) and 500,000 records per base (an increase from 250,000). With greater data capacity, organizations can build more powerful and connected apps. Apps that can solve critical business challenges across teams, departments, and geographies—all without sacrificing performance.

    These new record limits are now available as part of our new Enterprise Scale package. Contact our sales team for more information.

    As your use of Airtable grows, permissions, visibility, and central control over user and data management become even more critical. To help you govern and administer your organization, we’re releasing a new way to manage Airtable across any team, department, or business unit with Enterprise Hub.

    Powerful new features to govern and scale with ease

    With Enterprise Hub, you can create unlimited “org units” that reflect different usage groups of Airtable within your organization. These org units could be teams, departments, subsidiaries, or any grouping that makes sense for your company. Give your IT teams super admin capabilities that allow them to standardize org-wide security policies and user management settings across your organization, but defer org unit administration to line of business owners. This gives your on-the-ground teams the autonomy and flexibility to make adjustments without getting slowed down by unnecessary processes, while IT maintains control over critical policies at the top level.

    Enterprise Hub is available as part of our new Enterprise Scale package. Contact our sales team for more information.

    Increased control and visibility over your data

    We’re also releasing new features for organizations with advanced security and data protection requirements.

    First is Enterprise Key Management (EKM), which gives organizations more control over their data through encryption keys that they own and manage.

    EKM is now available as an optional paid add-on to our new Enterprise Scale package. Contact our sales team for more information.

    With new Data Loss Prevention APIs, companies have even more control over unauthorized data in Airtable. Now IT teams can ensure sensitive data – like social security numbers or account numbers – is immediately removed and not recoverable by individual users.

    And, when your security team needs to monitor activity in Airtable, they can quickly see critical events and changes with near real-time audit logs.

    Data Loss Prevention and audit logs are now available as part of our new Enterprise Scale package. Contact our sales team for more information.

    Choose the right plan for your organization and grow with confidence

    We’ve updated our plans and services packages so you have the right level of scale, features, and control for your business needs. The new versions of our plans offer flexibility as your organization’s use of Airtable becomes more complex, mapping the features and functionality that you need with your stage of growth.

    We’re excited to give smaller organizations easier ways to get access to more powerful features, while providing larger organizations more options and much more powerful offerings for their organization.

    To learn more about our plans and features, visit our pricing page. If you’re an existing customer looking for support, see here for more details.

    If Airtable is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

    Active Youth & Typeform: Forming a new conversation around climate change.

    · ·

    Our view at Stack - Typeform is our go-to software if we need to ask a set of structured questions of a group of customers, prospects or leads. In summary, Typeform combines aesthetics, functionality, and flexibility. User-friendly form builder with interactive design, versatile question types, real-time data collection, 500+ integrations, and diverse templates. Ideal for engaging surveys and lead generation.

    image

    In 2018, President Emmanuel Macron delivered an address to the US Congress about climate change, reinforcing our joint responsibility toward a better future for our children and grandchildren. He spoke eloquently and delivered a poignant argument:

    “By not mitigating CO2 emissions, and destroying our biodiversity, we are killing our planet. Let us face it, there is no planet B.”

    Now, this isn’t the first time a world leader has made a plea for the planet. But it was a unique moment where a world leader shone a light on the dangers of isolationism and its threat to global prosperity. [Read: it’s not cool to not think of the well-being of everyone, and everything.]

    Luckily, this isn’t idealism. It’s also not a pipe dream to ex-entrepreneur turned climate activist, Gedas Kondrackis. Far from it, Gedas and his team at Active Youth are leading the change in normalizing climate-friendly behaviors and in shaping the discourse on climate change by informing and educating the public. 

    Gedas and his team operate in the Baltics, and among their many projects, they are currently running a climate museum on wheels. Passionate about making a difference, for this project, they set out to tackle the challenge of accounting for the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated by their museum’s visitors, as well as their own travel.

    One might wonder how one would go about calculating the carbon footprint of thousands of visitors and kilometers travelled. The answer came to Gedas like a bolt of lightning: with a typeform! 

    A form of sustainability

    Gedas and his team weren’t strangers to Typeform. In fact, they were using Typeform solutions for the recruitment of their teams and volunteers in some of their other projects. The platform’s user-friendliness was a step up from other forms the team had used before, and the ease of customization and partner integrations provided a landscape for possibility. 

    “When we started working on our climate museum project, we realized we needed a solution that could meet our needs. If we wanted to call ourselves a climate museum and talk about sustainability, we needed to not just talk, but walk the walk.”

    Gedas Kondrackis

    A powerful example of how technology can be used to create a more sustainable future, the typeform Gedas uses for his museum project has two versions: One is presented to incoming visitors with the guidance of volunteers that meet guests at the entrance. The other, is a self-serve typeform, accessed through a giant QR code and used at smaller events. Though the experiences are different, Gedas notes that both experiences have proven to be well-received by visitors.

    More than just a mode for collecting data, for Gedas, it was critical to create an engaging experience for the museum’s visitors. 

    The typeform Gedas created using custom logic and calculations achieved this goal. It was engaging, and short. Both form versions asked a precise amount of questions in order for the team to calculate their impact. There are three, to be exact:  how visitors get to the museum, how many people are in their group, and their estimated distance travelled in kilometers.

    Responding to these questions takes approximately 15 seconds. At this point, the answers are automatically calculated, and the results are presented in real-time. If a volunteer is welcoming the guests, it’s an incredible opportunity to engage in a positive dialogue to help museum visitors get into an open mindset for the experience they’re about to encounter.

    “Positivity was critical, here. We worked with volunteers beforehand specifically focusing on this welcome moment. To ensure that this wasn’t a dialogue about shaming, but rather informing.”

    Gedas Kondrackis

    More than a vehicle to present informative or curious data to visitors, these typeforms have allowed Gedas and his team to capture data more quickly and accurately than ever before, which has enabled them to measure the carbon footprint of their museum’s visits. In the last year, the typeforms Gedas created enabled him and his team to account for more than 31,870+ visitors to the museum, and more than 90 tons of CO2.

    Designing a mission 

    When Gedas embarked on this project, his mission was simple: to raise awareness. It’s the museum’s main function. They also have educational materials online, they communicate this mission with their partners, and volunteers are also informed of their purpose. 

    But the other part is to physically take action. To actually try to make the environment better, and cleaner than what it is. Equipped with the data that are gathered from the typeforms, Gedas is able to take that action, and essentially, make a positive difference in the world.

    Now, let’s take a moment to level set. To be clear, one of the 21st century’s greatest threats to humanity, arguably, is climate change. One of the main ways to reduce our contribution to the warming planet is to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, of which  CO2 is a main compound. And, though not a panacea for all of the planet’s ills, a very effective way to compensate for the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere is by planting more trees.

    Now, Gedas, of course, knows the impact planting trees can make. So, at the end of every month, the team at Active Youth calculates the carbon footprint of their operation. This includes electricity to run the museum, travel from their visitors, as well as their own travel. Their travel needs to account for transporting their museum on wheels (four trucks carrying four massive containers).

    The team then organizes, with their partner, a massive tree planting every spring. Worth noting, one tree costs 2 euro to plant, and that one tree is able to absorb around 10 kilograms of CO2 per year. Last year, Gedas and his team planted 323 trees to remedy the 90 tons of CO2, generated by the climate museum project. In total, Active Youth planted 897 trees to compensate for all of their projects, contributing to a greener, cleaner planet. After all, to quote actor Don Cheadle, what is more important than good and clean air?

    Forming Purpose

    From the perspective of making an impact, Gedas and his team at Active Youth are diligently creating a stronger business model while healing the climate. Armed with a for-purpose mission, their work is defined by the impact they make in the world, while also allowing the opportunity to be properly funded in order to run their team properly, and for that impact to be feasible. With a startup mindset, they’re also giving all of us a blueprint for how other businesses can make an impact by being part of the solution, instead of the problem. 

    True to Active Youth’s ethos for inspiring meaningful change in the world, here are a few key lessons worth noting:

    1. Strive to create a more sustainable future for everyone.

    2. Utilize the power of technology to collect data quickly, and accurately.

    3. Use that data to create a strategy.

    4. Take action in order to create impact and inspire others.

    5. Work together to make a difference in the world.

    Gedas’ passion for creating a more sustainable future has been the driving force behind this project. His hope is to continue to inspire people to take action and make a difference in the world.

    “We’re all connected in this fight against climate change, and we must work together to make a difference.”

    Gedas Kondrackis

    Making the most of ‘Planet A’

    From the human perspective, Active Youth’s tale is a great example of what kindness in numbers looks like. May we all remember that kindness is needed, both towards each other, and the planet. If you, or someone you know are wondering how to make a difference, the United Nations has released a campaign called Act Now. It’s never too late to make things better. In the words of former POTUS, Barack Obama:

    “We may not be able to cap temperature rise to 2°C, but here’s the thing; if we work really hard, we may be able to cap it at 2.5°C instead of 3°C. That extra centigrade might mean the difference between whether 100 million people need to migrate, or a few. Incremental changes matter”.

    If Typeform is of interest and you'd like more information, please do make contact or take a look in more detail here.

    Credit: Original article published here.

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