To help you overcome the daunting and focus on the inspiring, we’ve put together this list of key questions to ask when choosing your new office space.

1. The Location

Is it convenient for staff and clients?

The most important factor when picking your location is convenience for employees and clients. If your offices are tricky to find, difficult to get to or simply miles away from key staff members, you risk losing customers or valuable members of your team. To avoid this, give employees a say in selecting an area, and make sure you’re easily accessible to top clients.

How good are the transport links?

Picking an area with good transport links is one way to ensure you’re easy to reach. An office within walking or cycling distance of an underground, train or bus station is a great start; however, be sure to also check local timetables and the popularity of these routes. It can be helpful to map out the daily journey of a few employees – how comfortable would you be with their commute?

If most of your staff drive to work, take a look at local traffic patterns during commuting hours. Endless traffic jams will be an ongoing stress for you and your team.

Is the area safe?

Can employees and clients walk safely to and from your offices? It might be tempting to take a cheaper space in a rougher part of town, but it could affect the happiness of employees who walk to work each day, or even leave a poor impression on clients arriving for face-to-face meetings. There are plenty of free interactive crime maps online to help build up a picture of potential locations.

What’s on offer locally?

It’s always a good idea to have a wander around the neighbourhood, either in person or using Google Maps. Find out what the area has to offer to get a fuller sense of what it’ll be like to work there every day. Are there a few great places to grab some lunch? Is there a gym nearby? Do you pass a supermarket on the way to the station? All of these local amenities and more will have a real impact on the lives of your employees.

What impression will it give?

It’s no secret that image is important, so ask yourself what impression the area will leave on potential clients and new hires. Cutting costs is smart, but not if the resulting space undersells your capability. Equally, lavish overspending could leave clients questioning your business acumen.

Try investigating the offices of local businesses of similar size, ideally in your industry, to set realistic goals on the type of buildings and location you should be aiming for.

2. The Building

What’s the condition of the building?

Whether you’re buying or renting, ensuring the building is in satisfactory condition will save you a lot of hassle in the future. If you’re renting, checking the condition of the building can also reveal whether your landlord takes maintenance seriously. Ask existing tenants if they feel well looked after or arrange a viewing at short notice to dig deeper into the service you can expect.

Is it secure?

Whether it’s confidential information or expensive equipment, losses from theft can be a real setback. What’s more, in most cases, security is simple to get right. Make sure doors and windows provide reasonable protection, and find out what other measures, such as alarms, CCTV or security personnel, are in place. If you have special requirements, check that these can be met.

What common areas and services are available?

When renting alongside others, some common areas are usually unavoidable, others might be desirable. Find out what’s provided, how much it will cost and whether these areas are included in the stated floor area beforehand. If the office is serviced, be sure to clarify precisely what’s included, so you can ensure you’re getting your money’s worth.

How is the infrastructure?

For many companies, office infrastructure is now as important as floor space. Top of the list is the cost, quality and reliability of your internet connection. If there’s already a connection in place, find out its real speed using a free online broadband test. Also, check telephone connections, including the easily forgotten but ever important mobile signal, and postal services, especially whether there’s easy access for your favoured courier.

For some, another vital concern is the building’s green credentials. In this case, you’ll want to evaluate construction methods and materials, energy efficiency, waste disposal procedures and more.

Is it accessible?

Firstly, if you’re renting, make sure your office space will be open and available whenever you need it. Secondly, check the building meets legal requirements for disabled access, and any special requirements of your own staff.

3. The Space

Is it big enough?

An absolutely critical question without an easy answer. The rule of thumb suggests you’ll need anywhere from about 125 ft² to 300 ft² per employee, depending on the type of office you intend to build. Of course, a space filled with large private offices and conference rooms will take you to the upper end of that range. An open office or cubicle environment will minimise the space needed per employee. If you’re searching in London, try this office space calculator for a quick estimate.

It’s also important to factor in growth alongside the length of your lease – will you be hiring more people before the end of the year? On top of all this, don’t neglect other vital areas, like file rooms, storage rooms or space for employee lockers.

Is the layout right for your business?

It’s not just the amount of space that counts; it’s how you’ll use it. Can you visualise a layout that will work for your business? The trick here is to spend some time at each possible location. If you’re still struggling, try using an online floor planner like Room Sketcher, or simply mark up a layout with tape, newspapers or whatever’s to hand.

How much freedom will you have?

Before getting too carried away with your dream layout, it’s best to find out just how much freedom you’ll have to change the décor. Using the space to support brand identity or company culture may be high up your list of priorities, but it’ll be a struggle if you can’t paint the walls. If you’re given free reign, are there any conditions set on how to leave the space once the lease is complete?

Is the ambience right?

What researchers call ‘ambient factors’ are consistently shown to have a clear impact on employee happiness and productivity. These commonly include everything from temperature and air quality to noise levels and lighting. Essentially, those factors that go unnoticed until there’s something wrong, at which point they become an inescapable nuisance.

Is there room to grow?

As obvious as it might seem, this is an easy one to miss. It’s extremely frustrating to create the perfect office only to be forced to move a short time later. If you hope to grow, think ahead. Consider not just the number of workstations but also amenities like meeting spaces, communal areas, and even the public restroom sizes. Planning for these elements now can save significant headaches in the future.

4. The Cost

Is the property good value?

It’s often difficult to judge a fair market value for commercial property. You might be able to estimate the price of a residential property in your local area, but the factors affecting office rents are more complicated. Information is the key to making an informed decision. If you’re searching through a property agency, ask them for information on similar deals in the area – it’s their job to know the market. Otherwise, researching similar properties online will give you a basic grasp of the area, and how your offer compares.

Are there any hidden costs?

Firstly, be aware of the various floor area measuring practices – GEA, GIA, NIA or the newly standardised IPMS – as confusion here may lead to some nasty surprises. Next, find out the business rates in your location, check which utilities are covered by your rent and if there are other building service charges. Finally, take account of any one off costs, such as legal costs or surveyor fees. It might also be worth investigating the potential costs of a fit out.

Is the rental rate secure?

There’s nothing worse than being forced out by aggressive rent hikes just when you get settled. Do what you can to include a rent cap clause within your lease agreement. In London, that’s a special priority due to the city’s exploding office rents.

Are there any late payment fees?

Hopefully, business is booming and you’ll never have to pay them, but it’s useful to know what’s in store if you have a difficult month.

5. The Contract

Are your dates right?

The simplest things are all too quickly forgotten. Make sure your dates align with your future landlord’s to avoid starting on the wrong foot.

Who is responsible for what?

Specifically, who is responsible for paying utility bills and carrying out standard repairs and maintenance? What’s more, how extensive are these obligations: do they include responsibility for the structural portions of the building, such as the roof, exterior walls or plumbing? And is there any written expectation for repairs to be carried out within a reasonable timeframe?

What happens if you sell the company?

Be especially wary of any guarantor clauses, or an authorised guarantee agreement. Guarantor clauses can render you personally responsible for lease payments regardless of the type of company you run, whether you’re still affiliated with it or not. In the case of an authorised guarantee agreement, you could even remain responsible for the liabilities of future tenants.

For a full contract checklist, click this link.

Considering becoming a work at home parent? Check out this guide on how you can enjoy a successful working life from the comfort of your own home alongside raising your children.

Analyse your Employment Options:

Although not all jobs are adaptable for working-from-home circumstances, there are several available to suit your situation – working from home is completely possible. Here are some examples of appropriate jobs for work-from-home parents:

• Virtual administrative assistant.
• Graphic designer.
• Web developer.
• Independent sales representative (Avon).
• Customer service representative.
• At-home travel agent.
• An independent reseller (Signature Books).
• Freelance writer/blogger.

Conduct thorough research of the jobs you are considering before making an informative decision to ensure your new position will be compatible with your child’s age, for example – if you have a new-born baby, working a 9-5 schedule as a customer service representative would be impractical due to a babies need for more constant observation and attention; which would make answering customer service telephone queries difficult.

If you have young children, consider the following factors to determine which work-from-home employment is appropriate for you:

• How many hours a day are you realistically able to work?
• What time of the day are you able to start work?
• Which companies offer flexible working hours?
• What jobs comply with your daily child care routine?

Produce a Schedule:

Once you have decided on your home career path, start producing a daily schedule that allocates specific timeslots for both your working hours and parenting duties. Line your day up carefully with set “office” hours to determine when you will complete certain tasks depending your children’s routine.

Naturally, looking after a child can be unpredictable, so be sure your daily plan allows for possible interruptions – if they interrupt you during an important phone call, ensure there is time available in your schedule for the call to be reallocated.

If you have a young child at home, or especially more than one, moments of pure silence are rare. Working while your children sleep is perfect for completing work and allowing complete focus. For parents who regularly need to make/return phone calls, try timing your phone calls around their nap time; this way you’ll avoid annoying your employer, for sadly not all are understanding when it comes to children. Organise your child’s naps around your required working hours if possible.

Set up an Office:

Learning to keep your role as an employee and parent can be difficult, but it is vital. Failing to provide your full concentration to both responsibilities will result in them overlapping and improper completion of tasks. Mentally separate yourself from the rest of your house by setting up a private office area – it doesn’t have to be fancy, merely secluded enough to distract you from household chores.

Once you have a designated office area, use signals to let your children know when you don’t want to be disturbed, for example – tie a ribbon to an object or use a colour coded system (green – available for interruptions and red – do not disturb unless it’s an emergency. Avoid locking yourself away completely, for although it might seem convenient, your children could find the isolation stressful and therefore cause further distractions.

Entertainment is Key:

Let’s face it, boredom is something children frequently complain about, which is disastrous when you’ve got deadlines to meet.

Renee Belbek, founder of the National Association of W.O.M.E.N (Women, Owners, Moms, Entrepreneurs, and Networkers) discovered a simple solution while her children were toddlers: “If I gave them a little quality time, I’d get two hours to work”.

Set aside some of their favourite toys to play with whilst you’re working, arrange playdates or special work-time entertainment (watching a movie) – children with something to look forward to are far less likely to interrupt. Try creating a designated activity centre in your office so they can be near you without causing disruptions. Other ideas include designing an activity bowl full of tasks your children can accomplish (build the tallest tower) and possibly including them in your work when they’re old enough (putting away files); this will encourage supervised independence.

Technology is predominantly portable nowadays, meaning you can work almost anywhere. Work in the garden or a nearby whilst your children play; this allows you to have complete supervision of your children and also increases variation in their activities.

Set Rules:

Instead of dealing with problems when they first arise, deal with them beforehand. Enforcing gentle rules are essential for preventing your parenting responsibilities from overflowing onto your work. In comparison to an infant, it is perfectly acceptable to teach older children not to expect immediate and constant attention, so keep working if there isn’t an emergency. Educate your children on what they are allowed to touch in your office and make them aware of the behaviour expectations within your working environment.

Whether you’re situated in a sky-scraping metropolis or a quaint space in a town centre, these helpful tips and efficient solutions will guide your business to a greener future without damaging your profitability.

Purchase Refillable Pens

It is estimated over 240 million disposable pens that contain plastic and toxic inks are sold in the UK per year. Instead, make the switch to pens with reusable ink cartridges; for realistically it’ll work out cheaper than constantly repurchasing pens.

Certain pen manufacturing brands such as Zebra and Pilot actually work out more cost effective when refill packs are purchased, with a pack of Zebra pens costing £5.19 and a pack of two refills costing £1.88.

Eliminate Printing Waste

It’s an absolute pain – you print a document only to discover one page has a web address at the bottom or one sentence has fallen onto another sheet. Thankfully, you can print sustainably by using software like GreenPrint; which identifies areas of waste before printing, alerts the user of wasted space and recommends how to eliminate it. This method will also benefit your business financially, for Greenprint claims to save 17% on printing materials and £69.00 annually per user.

Use Chlorine-Free Paper

Although we live in a digitally dominated society, we still need to use paper. Fortunately most manufacturing processes that involve chlorine bleaching throughout Europe have been eliminated, but a few still remain. Unfortunately, chlorine gas has been linked to cancer in animal testing and air pollution.

Insisting on chlorine-free paper means the procedure of using harmful chlorine gas to make paper white will be removed and thereby reduce environmental damage. You can also look for paper that has been produced form m more sustainable substances like bamboo, hemp, or organic cotton.

Invest in Automatic Shut-Down Devices

At the end of a working day, many of us dislike having to switch our computer off, so we can pick up where we left off the next day. This may save convenience, but it certainly doesn’t save energy, for the cost of standby power can reach well into the thousands and add 10-15% to your carbon footprint. Purchasing automatic shut-down devices allow your IT equipment to power down outside of working hours; hopefully reducing your electricity bill. 

Reusable, Long-lasting Storage  

Approximately 12.5 million tonnes of paper/cardboard and 275,000 tonnes of plastic are used in the UK annually, and although these are recyclable materials, plastic can take up to five hundred years to fully decompose and only 25% of the 41% waste cardboard actually accumulates is recycled.

Businesses will eventually have to replace cardboard storage boxes as they gradually break overtime; creating further waste – meaning you clearly need better storage crate management to avoid spending your entire budget on packing. For example – if you’re in the logistics industry, the preventative measure of reusable packaging will greatly reduce one-trip storage and actually keep your products safer.

Remove Personal Bins

Realistically there’s no reason why everyone needs a personal bin other than avoiding a walk to the kitchen or outside. Having a central location for all rubbish will prevent employees from throwing recyclable materials amongst the non-recyclable.

Ensuring these bins are correctly labelled into different categories will also help your business introduce a more effective recycling system that will assist you in reducing rubbish bags and therefore costs.

Implement a Recycling Scheme

It can be difficult to embed an idea into employee’s minds when not everyone is aware of the changes; which is where a recycling scheme comes in. Setting well-published SMART aims and objectives for your business (e.g. improve recycling rates by 10% within the next year) will ensure all are mindful of your goals and could lead to an increase in business reputation.

Change Printer & Photocopier Settings

Printing and photocopying are necessities within most businesses, but the way in which you use them can drastically diminish environmentally negative consequences. Setting your printer to default double-sided printing will not only reduce waste, but will also decrease the amount you spend on paper. Another alternative involves limiting the amount of photocopying per member of staff and encouraging scanning and emailing instead.

Remove Screen Savers

Yes, they are appealing to the eye, but prohibiting screen savers from your desktop can greatly reduce energy consumption and therefore environmental impact.

An analysis conducted by the University of New Hampshire indicates: “if an organisation has 5,000 PCs that run twenty hours a week, the yearly power consumed by those screensavers accost for 750,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, 5,858 pounds of sulphur oxide and 1,544 pounds of nitrogen oxide”.

By eliminating screen savers, you will be improving your carbon footprint and therefore your reputation as a sustainable business whilst decreasing electricity costs.

Optimise Natural Lighting

If your business operates during the day, you have the perfect opportunity to make the most of daylight – the more windows the better. If you’re at a computer all day, insufficient lighting can cause eyestrain and therefore affect your work attitude. However, rearranging your office so employees are closer towards natural light sources will reduce your need for manmade lighting and save you some pounds.

Up until now recycling has been seen as the route to sustainability. However the recycling model is not always a successful one. As Richard McIlwain pointed out in a round table debate hosted at the beginning of 2015 by MRW, people are not clear on the guidelines of recycling. For the future of sustainability, recycling offers limited appeal. Its processes are energy intensive and downgrade materials, adding to the already high demand for virgin materials.

What businesses really need to be focusing on in order to see a greener future is reusing rather than recycling.

Go Digital

According to The Paperless Project, the average office worker consumes up to 10 000 pieces of paper every year. With 45% of paper created in the office ends up in the trash bin by the end of the working day.

Losing your paper trail and turning digital is one of the best ways in which your business can cut down on resource consumption. As we have seen many companies do, turning digital is one of the easiest and quickest ways to start creating a sustainable future.

Focus on reusing

Recycling offers limited appeal for sustainability. Its processes are energy intensive and tend to downgrade materials, leading to an increased high demand for virgin materials. For a truly sustainable future, businesses need to focus on reusing equipment and business tools where possible.

For small to medium size businesses this could be switching from paper towels in the bathroom to hand towels. Whilst for larger corporations such as food retailers switching from one trip packaging in their supply chain to returnable transit packaging such as plastic pallets could be the answer. Single trip packaging predominantly consists of cardboard and polystyrene boxes that after one use have to be recycled in conformity with recycling guidelines. The switch from one trip cardboard boxes to plastic crates produces roughly 52% less carbon emissions.

Compared to one trip packaging, RTP options have a higher number of benefits including financial and environmental. Not only do you have the option of crate and pallet hire with companies such as PPS, but the strength of the product will also provide greater protection for goods in transit in comparison to cardboard which could be crushed.

Keep Your Heating

As we live in a country where it is only warm for a few weeks out of the year, it is important that you keep a tight control over how you manage your heating in the office. If you put your heating on in the morning and keep the doors and windows shut then you should be able to turn the heating off once the office is warm and retain your heat in the office. However simple this may seem, it is one of the biggest resource guzzlers in an office environment.

Recycle Food Waste

A typical British office will be made up of 99.9% tea drinkers with the odd coffee drinking rebel. But where do these old tea bags go? Most likely in the bin. And what about the left over lunches that don’t get eaten and the orange peel that gets thrown away. Placing all of these food items in a designated food bin can help reduce the amount of food wastage happening every day in your office. And you will be surprised by how quickly it fills up.

For larger corporations that handle food in the supply chain, switching to non-damaging packaging can also help to reduce food damage and thus food waste. It has been estimated that over 2% of the total food wastage in the UK, takes place in the retail sector. Transitioning from cardboard boxes to plastic crates providers food suppliers with stable equipment that won’t get crushed with rough handling.

Reports from major food retailers such as Tesco and the Co-Operative indicate that the largest portion of retail wasted food is fresh fruit and vegetables, with bakery goods and dairy products falling in second.

In the first couple of months of 2016, we have seen many business owners still resisting the push towards moving towards the incorporation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices into their company. Yet, according to a cyber security study done by McAfee, the network of devices that the IoT is comprised of is set to grow at a staggering rate in the coming years. The world is fast moving towards the notion of a smart society with tech being ever-present in many aspects of our modern day lives.

There is much to be taken away from the IoT for small to medium sized businesses. From data usage to innovative, time-saving tech, the IoT will change the way businesses grow and develop. LSA Systems, a leading supplier of data disaster recovery services, explores everything that the IoT can do for SMEs during 2016 and beyond.

Smart Development with Smart Data

According to the study done by McAfee, the amount of tablets operating worldwide sees a rise of 19 million leading into 2019. While wearable devices will increase by 580 million by 2018. The IoT is where we will see a lot of innovation and advancements in the tech world and SMEs really cannot afford to overlook the necessity of entering 2016 without a move towards smarter technology.

The Internet of Things incorporates a complex and extremely vast network of devices, each gathering invaluable data about their users. This data gives SMEs the avenue to measure, correlate and analyse a constantly adapting and changing landscape of consumerism. Thus affording them the opportunity to target their marketing efforts accordingly. For SMEs with smaller budgets, this provides them with savings in resources, time as well as operational costs. Furthermore, utilizing this data intelligently can help SMEs gain a competitive edge over their competitors when fine tuning their products, services, branding and marketing efforts.

Getting Involved the Smart Way

We can see the IoT influencing the smart workplace in two varying ways, making employees’ lives easier as well as offering employers the chance to learn vital information about their employees’ working habits. Thus allowing employers the opportunity to optimise their employees work space accordingly.

Incorporating smart tech into the workplace, making your employees lives easier has been a growing trend in the past few years and is not set to slow down. For SMEs looking for ways in which to boost their employee’s productivity, the IoT has huge benefits. The data from IoT devices can give employers the chance to see when their employees are most productive and when they tend to take more breaks. Giving employers the chance to improve their employees work days around the periods of time that suit them best. According to CMO, 94% of companies have seen a return on their IoT investments.

Staying Secure the Smart Way

The IoT can offer many opportunities for SMEs, opening up small businesses to a level of productivity, efficiency and product and service development that would have not been historically achievable. However, with all the wonders and benefits of a smart tech integration, SMEs need to remain cautious about security and the smart handling of data. With an increasing level of smart tech in your company, the surface area for cyber-attacks will widen and small to medium size businesses need to plan for the eventuality of hacking attacks, data breaches and security vulnerabilities.

Just because it isn’t a desktop does not mean it isn’t vulnerable to attack. Moreover, even though everybody is more aware of security threats, some businesses won’t think to secure the IoT as they feel that their data is not worth stealing. Yet these devices are used by attackers as portals to more valuable and confidential data on the company’s network.

SMEs need to ensure that they have effective security procedures in place to stay secure during an influx of smart technology in their company’s workplace. Developing an IoT security strategy is the key to managing this new technological trend and should be considered before the adoption of smart devices and wearable technology into any business.

In fact, according to the International Management Facility Association, nearly three-quarters of American employees now work in open-plan offices.

However, the subject is a contentious one, with research suggesting that productivity may in fact be diminished by such an open space. Below we discuss some of the many pros and cons of going open-plan:

Pros

Cheaper: one of the main driving factors in favor of the transition is how economical it is. The large space allows for much more flexibility, so companies can grow and accommodate new employees without needing to move, and of course there is the obvious reduction in utilities that comes with using a large room as opposed to lots of individual spaces. A good way to define the space you require is to use an office space calculator found online.

Communication and collaboration: the main idea behind this office design, is that the dynamic is sociable, fostering more interaction between employees and enabling them to communicate and work together. This means they are better able to support each other and work more independently from the management team, as well as building an environment that lends itself to the creation of more collaborative, creative ideas.

Supervision: one, open room is far easier to supervise than cubicles or individual offices. Managers can monitor employees’ whereabouts and activity, ensuring that time is spent in the most productive and efficient way.

Cons

Noise: all too often what can make the open plan design so very good can also make it very bad. Interaction between colleagues fosters friendships and communicative and dynamic relationships certainly, but it can also be distracting and make communication convoluted. Studies show that many employees report being distracted in an open office, and feel unable to work as productively as they do in their own, private space, citing noise and temperature as the most influential factors. As Julian Treasure, chairman of the Sound Agency, points out: “Nobody can understand two people talking at the same time”.

Alexi Marmot, an architect and professor at UCL University College London, also references noise as an issue in offices of this nature. Conversely, however, she focuses on a lack of noise as possibly impeding productivity: “A lot of open-plan offices are just rows of people only working at their computers. And people don’t want to be there.” The open nature of this office causes some employees to become inhibited, affecting their productivity in an altogether different way: they are less confident, and less likely to want to engage or have an input into the conversations.

Supervision: there is also a sense of paranoia in open office environments; employees resent being monitored, and feel as though they aren’t trusted, which does not lend itself to a productive atmosphere.

Sickness: always a problem in any office environment, the large spaces filled with lots of people are a breeding ground for diseases and bacteria, and once one employee is ill, everyone else is more exposed than ever. A study in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health found that open office setups reported 62% more sick days on average than one-occupant layouts.

So the pros and cons to this type of office are numerous, and it seems that they very much depend on the sector of the market the office is in. A sociable, boisterous, collaborative environment is perfect for sales teams or companies where competition is a driving force behind their success, however not as suited to an organisation where quiet, more meditative work is required.

Moreover, age does seem to be a factor here: in one study, participants over 45 reported feeling more dissatisfied and unproductive in a noisier, open-plan environment.

So what now? Are you a company looking to navigate a move to an open-plan office layout? Perhaps you’re an employee struggling to work productively?

Here are a few tips for how to make an open office environment work successfully for you:

Support

When implementing large changes in a company, it is vital that employees are given sufficient support and guidance to be able to transition easily, and with as little cost to productivity as possible. Communicate with the team beforehand, discuss their concerns, and see what strategies can be introduced to ensure everyone is comfortable with the changes.

Compromise

Perhaps creating designated quieter spaces or rooms, where employees can go if they wish to conduct a conversation in private or simply take a break from the noisy atmosphere for a bit.

Equipment

Many companies supply their employees with earphones as a way of helping them create a personal space within the open-plan environment.

Relationships

Foster a sociable open-plan space by not giving every employee their own printer, or putting the printers and other office machinery in another part of the room, so employees must get up and walk around, and interact with each other as they work.

Be creative

The Guardian explains how some companies have employed even more innovative strategies to make open-plan design work for them. Professor Cary Cooper, an expert on occupational stress from Lancaster University, suggests using signs as a solution the issue that some employees feel they can never find a quite moment or space to themselves, and that this might – in turn – hinder productivity and output: “Make it common knowledge that, if you fly a red flag above your desk, it means you are working on something detailed and need peace and quiet,” he says. “A white flag means that you are available.”

There is an enormous array of factors that influence and contribute to office design, and with such varying needs and preferences between individual employees, it is difficult to settle on a particular model to best achieve maximum productivity for a company. However, communicating with employees, and being sensitive to individual needs and working requirements, will ensure that an open-plan office environment is the stimulating, productive and fulfilling place it should be.

 At 10am (GMT) on Thursday the 16^th July 2015 Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Dutch leader of the Eurozone confirmed a bail out for financially unstable Greece.

The decision to offer a bridging loan of £5 billion was discussed via a conference call between Greece ministers and the Eurozone which includes 19 countries.

Traditionally the Euro group meet in Brussels to discuss all financial decisions but this vital decision was undertaken via voice call. It was announced via a Tweet from Dijsselbloem’s spokesperson, Michel Reijns, on Twitter.

We have all been there, dreading an important make or break meeting. So perhaps this is why the Eurozone minister choose a conference call to break the (good) news. Or was it simply a matter of budgeting, after all flights are coming in at €200 and banks are still closed in the city.

Just six months earlier the Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis meet with the euro group finance Chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem and held a press conference.  This recent meeting, which was equally if not more important, was however conducted via telephone.

Matthew Brown from Network Telecom, business telephone systems suppliers in the UK says; ‘I think in this day and age it is not practical or best use of time for ministers or for that matter any business person to be spending most of their time travelling. A conference call can be just as effective especially with new technology in telephone systems.’

Just recently Jersey MP Steve Pallot took a tax payer paid flight to Bucharest only to find he was 500 miles away from his intended destination Budapest for the Dance World Cup. He admitted it was a combination of errors between admin’ staff and his own neglect to research the event. So with an estimated £1,000 spent on a return trip to the wrong country would MP Pallot have been better of calling?

On the other hand an estimated 27% of UK workers admit to falling asleep on a conference call.

‘You work at an international bank doing a gazillion dollars’ worth of business, yet you’ll waste 3 hours on a remote meeting where no one is engaged, some selfish **** hogs the limelight and bores the pants off everyone else and no meaningful business gets done as a result?’

 “I can’t stand it when I have to be on a conference call….it’s sooooo long and boring and half the time you can’t even hear Belgium!” – Source

What can make the conference call more interesting and engaging and ultimately worthwhile. If businesses can get as much out of a conference call as a face to face meet them it may be more beneficial and the best move forward financially.

Here are my top tips for making a conference call more engaging;

Tip 1: Set an agenda prior to the call. It is not use holding a call for over an hour to have no final decisions or program made. Set a structure to the call with points to cover.

Tip 2: Nominate one person to take charge. They can give the intro to the call, introduce each person and get the conversion going. They will also be in charge of making sure all points are discussed. In essence they are the conference call referee.

Tip 3: Stay awake. This may entail a literal slap in your face or maybe a shot of espresso will do. It is tempting to slouch, hunch over the desk or simply relax and put your feet up on a conference call when no one can see you sleeping. Walk around, be animated and stand up when you are speaking. Your voice projects far better and you will feel like you are more involved. A headset is a great edition is you make regular calls.

Tip 4: Treat your call like a face to face meeting. Do not eat, drink, play with your mobile or read / watch something un-related. Give the call you undivided attention.

Tip 5: keep the meeting to a time scale. If participants know the call will be 30 minutes then things stay on agenda more accurately and also participants are less likely to get bored.

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Keeping an eye on the accounts is an essential skill of any business owner. This is even more pertinent to small businesses, who don’t necessarily have the capability to employ someone specifically to deal with this or to outsource such functions.

And while sole traders and small businesses can often save themselves tax by employing an accountant – even for as ‘small’ a job as a self-assessment form – that start up accounting firm is only as good as the information he/she is given.

A recent survey by YouGov on behalf of the online accounting firm FreeAgent found that potentially millions of pounds are being lost by companies and small businesses who are failing to keep proper track of their expenses.

It can be difficult to make time to organise expenses when getting carried away with the day-to-day running of the business, with the YouGov survey finding that 10% of the 500 small businesses surveyed claiming hardly any expenses and a further 21% saying they claimed less than half the allowed amounts. A quarter of the respondents did not claim for amounts under £5 with 30% admitting to losing receipts. Avoidance of challenge by HMRC was one of the reasons stated for not claiming expenses, it was found.

So what is the best way to address expenses? The process will be slightly different depending on the size of the business. A sole trader should, in theory, have fairly straightforward ‘money-in, money-out’ system, but may have to deal with apportioning expenses such as internet and heating if, for example, working from home. On the other hand, a business with employees, rent, and reams of expenditure items each month will need a more sophisticated system. Sole traders will be setting off their expenses against income tax under the self-assessment regime. A limited company, however, will be offsetting against corporation tax.

Examples of expenses that can be claimed by the self-employed include:

• office costs, such as stationery and phone bills
• travel costs, for example fuel, parking, train or bus fares
• clothing expenses, for example uniforms
• staff costs, for example salaries or subcontractor costs
• items to sell on, such as stock or raw materials
• financial costs, including insurance and bank charges
• costs of your business premises, such as heating, lighting, business rates
• advertising or marketing, including website costs

If anything is used jointly for personal and business use, the cost of that will need to be apportioned as to the extent of business use.

Ahmed Alansari from Morgan Pryce, specialist in London offices to let, says ‘When you buy assets to use in the course of your business, these are called ‘plant and machinery’ and are claimed as capital allowances. Other items such as renovation costs and patents can also fall under this category. However, there are many items that can be included, and some that can’t. The time spent researching such items may well be better spent on paying an accountant for their experience and knowledge.‘

Expenses and costs that can be set off against a limited company’s profits include:

• Salaries
• Employers’ national insurance contributions (NICs) payable on salaries paid to company employees
• The cost of subsistence while away from your workplace
• Accommodation costs when away from normal place of business
• Travel and parking costs, and allowance for mileage if using your own vehicle (45p/mile for the first 10,000 miles, and 25p/mile thereafter; 20p/mile for bicycles)
• Training course fees as long as the skills are relevant to the business
• Stationery, postage, printing etc.
• Business insurance, such as professional indemnity insurance
• Companies House and associated legal costs (though not the initial set-up fee)
• Telephone and broadband packages, and mobile phone costs
• The cost of business calls can be reclaimed on a residential phone bill
• Home office costs (a flat £4/week permitted by HMRC, or calculate a proportion of the household bills)
• Computer equipment and software
• Costs of advertising and marketing your business
• Authorised bank charges, e.g. standing charges each quarter
• Professional fees (for example legal or accountant)
• Some professional subscriptions, if allowed by HMRC
• Capital allowances (depreciation of assets)
• Business magazines and books
• An eye test for employees who use computer equipment

It is important to remember that contacts for services and utilities, etc. must be taken out in the name of the company in order for expenses to be claimed.

As with everything in the UK tax system, there are exceptions for every rule. However, such rules and exceptions are not a reason for abstaining from claiming the expenses that have been validly paid out in the course of business, no matter how big or small.

Given the proliferation of technology today, it comes as no surprise that there are now many programs and apps that make logging and claiming expenses that little bit easier.

For a sole trader, there are apps that can be installed on iPads/tablets and smartphones that provide an easy way to log expenses on the go. Apps such as Moneywise allow logging of expenditure under various categories – meaning domestic costs can also be kept track of. Other more specific, expenses-orientated apps include Expenditure and Expense Tracker (paid-for apps).

While such apps as these are often adequate for a very small business, all-round accounting software is also becoming more popular with businesses of various sizes. Xero, for example, is an easy-to-use flexible software package that can also deal with invoicing, cashflow and payroll, and can be used from desktop computers, smartphones and tablets.

Many of these apps are not used instead of accountants but in addition to them. To return to the statement earlier, your accountant is only as good as the information you give him/her; using technology in a smart, organised way means that you have the information at your fingertips, as does anyone who also needs access to it.

A warning, however: as with any technology, backing up is essential. For cloud-based storage such as Xero, back-up should be less of an issue. But if you are relying on smartphone apps, such apps will provide the opportunity to back up the data, or export it, for example via email. Use this feature, especially if your children can get their hands on your phone ….

Social media is the buzzword of the moment and that doesn’t look to change any time soon. In fact, with the European E-commerce market predicted to grow by 18.4% in 2015, reaching a whopping €185.39 billion in sales, it’s little surprise that everyone wants a slice of the pie.

But the amount of social networks can seem somewhat overwhelming.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vine, Google+, Snapchat… The list goes on.

Unless you have unlimited resource, the best bet is to work out which social media networks are going to boost sales the most for your business and concentrate your efforts here.

Facebook and Twitter are the obvious ones – but they’re not always the best. If you’re overlooking Pinterest, then you could be missing a big opportunity to boost sales.

 What is Pinterest?

For those who aren’t familiar with the network, Pinterest is basically an online pinboard, where users pin and group images of anything and everything they find interesting. Whatever your product line, marketing on Pinterest can boost your sales massively.

The key to Pinterest is that you have the potential to reach a huge audience, without a significant initial investment on your side. Pinned images are visible and can be repinned by all the original user’s followers – and all of Pinterest – so you’re getting your product in front of an engaged audience quickly and efficiently.

So, you’re sold, right?

But how do you do it?

Tip No.1: Pinterest SEO

Marketing 101: In order to buy your product, shoppers have to be able to find your product. There are a few simple Pinterest SEO tips that you should be implementing.

1) Let Google show your profile

It sounds obvious but if you’re not getting the traffic you’d like, it might be that your profile is hidden from Google. Go to Settings and then Search Privacy and make sure your settings indicate No.

2) Get a Business Account  

You should definitely set up a Business account if you’re serious about using Pinterest to boost sales. Your Pinterest Business account will give you access to Pinterest analytics, showing metrics such as impressions, click rate and repins so you can see what’s working and what’s not (and refine your process accordingly).

3) Optimise your username

Pinterest Business Pages let you create your own unique company URL so make sure you’re taking advantage of this feature. Your username is limited to 15 characters and you want it to be clear and reflective of your business. You don’t want your potential customers to struggle to work out who you are.

4) Keywords, keywords, keywords

Make sure you use company keywords in your ‘About’ section, but keep it natural, not forced. Clearly explaining who you are and what you do will help potential customers find you.

This also applies to your Pinboards. When describing your pins bear your customer in mind: what are they searching for when they find your products? Here’s a great example of how M&S are Pinboard names effectively:

5) Build trust

Good marketing is all about building trust – both with your consumer and with the search engines. Google ranks more highly if a page is a trusted source, and one of the ways it determines trust is by looking at number of inbound links. Make sure you’re linking back to your website on every pin and include your website in your profile in order to optimise your business PageRank.

Also make sure you verify your account. Verified accounts are more trustworthy in the eyes of the consumer – and in marketing, trust is everything.

Tip No.2: Coupons

 Who doesn’t love a discount? Pinterest users are no different and using coupons to promote deals through Pinterest will help boost sales. In fact, Pinterest is particularly suited to the coupon tactic because it’s such a visual site.

Pinterest is a hotbed of coupon fanatics – plenty of users are dedicated to trawling Pinterest for the best deals and repinning them so other users can easily find hot offers. If you can get your coupons pinned on some of these prominent coupon boards your reach will extend massively, which will drive more traffic and ultimately boost more sales!

How to get set up?

Make a coupon board on your Pinterest account. Pin images of the coupon – make sure it’s eye-catching – and include detail about the offer.

There are a number of third party coupon applications out there which will make the process easier or you can run it directly through your company website.

Make sure you link back to your website in every pin – so users will always be able to click on your image and link back to your website and coupon page.

Tip No.3: Competitions

 Competitions are a great way to boost sales on Pinterest. They build excitement and create positive brand sentiment as well as extending your reach by encouraging users to share and repin your products.

How to get set up?

Upload an eye-catching graphic with the rules and prize for your competition. Short and simple is the order of the day. Make your contest easy to enter and make sure you pick a prize people will want!

Tip No.4: Rich Pins

 Pinterest is constantly adding new features designed to help Pinterest business users boost sales. Rich pins are a major new feature that every business should be making use of.

Rich pins are basically more detailed pins – they allow you to add and automatically update information such as product availability or price. In fact, it’s estimated that pins including a price attract 36% more likes than those without.

Rich pins are a great way to boost sales because they give more information to the consumer, which is vital in converting them into a paying customer. Pinterest will also send a price alert email to everyone who has engaged with your product if you drop the price by 10% or more… so you can effortlessly get more marketing exposure (and it’s free!).

You need to apply on Pinterest to get Rich pins, and your website needs to be coded up with the correct Meta tags. Read more about getting started with Rich Pins.

Tip No.5: Promoted Pins

This function is currently only being trialled in the US but it’s definitely one to watch for UK businesses in the future.

It’ll mean that Pinterest business user will be able to target messages to specific users, just as Facebook and Twitter adverts work currently. The potential here to boost sales is huge, given that Pinterest has one of the highest conversion rates of any social network and promises the highest Average Order value.

Pinterest is also rumoured to be introducing a Buy button as part of its overall E-commerce strategy, which will streamline the sales funnel even further and no doubt increase their conversion rates more still.

All in all, Pinterest is becoming one of the most important social media sites for businesses. It’s highly engaged, ready-to-buy audience is ready-made for retailers, and the savvy business is using Pinterest to boost sales.

In summary

Social media networks like Pinterest can be enormously profitable for businesses but they do require a sensible investment of time, ongoing management and great content.

If you’re looking to break into social media marketing and you need some additional capital to grow, a merchant cash advance is an alternative finance solution designed for smaller businesses. Unlike bank loans where you need a water tight business plan, a business cash advance can be used to fund whatever it is that you need for your business.

Authored in conjunction with Nick Joelson is the Digital Marketing Manager at Liberis, who provide business cash advances for SMEs. Nick has a track record in financial services working within large corporates as well as small and medium sized businesses and start-ups.  His expertise includes bringing products to market, improving profit and market share and funding for SMEs.  He knows first-hand the issues facing small companies and is a regular speaker at small business events.

It can be daunting looking at Google Analytics or your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system and deciphering what you should and should not be monitoring. Some metrics are simply meaningless and will add no value to your marketing plan, while others are vital.

So what are the vital stat’s you need to follow? Which will give you the best insight into your customers? And which will help you to make smarter marketing decisions?

There are an abundance of metrics you can find in your analytics system from web visits, to conversions, page views and abandoned baskets to customer complaints, inbound calls, sales revenue and social media following.

Joining up metrics and interactions can give you a more accurate view of your success and failures and can flag problems, e,g: if your abandoned shopping cart rate is high and your inbound calls are high perhaps they are linked.

Here I discuss five metrics which are vital to any business that wants to grow. The metrics I highlighted are from online activity but can be used to analyse offline customer actions as well.

1. Sources of the traffic to your website

Web users find your website via various sources; some may be from search engines, others from referrals like directories or links. Others will be familiar with your website and business so will come direct.

Tracking the highest portion of visits from each channel is an effective way of seeing what marketing is working. For example; if you have a high rate of direct traffic over organic traffic then the people coming to your site already are aware of your business name or URL. What about the hundreds who are unaware? For example, if organic and referral visits are low in comparison to direct traffic, it would be a good idea to invest more in these channels with SEO and link building to boost traffic.

What you should be aiming for are all channels performing well at not only bringing in traffic but also driving leads and conversions.

2. New & Returning Visitors

You can segment your visitors not just by source but also if they are new to your website or returning. Usually you expect to see a higher number of new visitors than returning. But too many new visitors and not enough returning visitors can be an indication that your website is not ‘sticky enough’. By this I mean your site does not attract repeat visits.

Businesses who have sell higher value or more complicated services tend to see more return visitors as they need to be assured of the purchase. If this describes your business and return visits are low with even poorer engagement and conversion metrics then you might have a problem.

There are many reasons why visitors might not come back to your site; cost, product confusion, uninformative content or you’re simply not what they’re looking for.  A low proportion of visits can also indicate the usefulness of your website. Ideally you want people to come back to your site and see your new offers, deals and products as often as possible.

If viewers are not returning you need to take a second look at your website.  Ensure that you provide an excellent user experience by offering easy to use navigation as well as useful and compelling landing page content. Make the experience something and that they cannot find elsewhere.

3. Visitor Conversion

Setting up goal locations in Google Analytics is an absolute must for any business’ website. Not only does the goals report tell you that conversions are taking place, but you can also access valuable data such as where the goals are taking place and, perhaps even more importantly, which sales or service pages aren’t driving conversions at all.

Where landing pages aren’t driving conversions, it’s usually a good indication that you need to amend your landing page content to encourage action. It could be that your calls to action aren’t in a prominent place, or even that you’re not providing your customers with their preferred method of contact, like a telephone number. We know that even in the digital age consumers still prefer to contact a business over the phone, with research showing that inbound phone calls are 10-15 times more likely to convert than web leads.

What’s more, a business with a phone number is far more likely to generate even more purchases. For example, a recent etailer call tracking case study published by call tracking software company Mediahawk showed how website visitors who called the retailers affected purchase rates. It was found that customers who call are more likely to purchase and the longer the prospect spent on the phone the more they are likely to spend. Those consumers who called spent longer looking at the website, and looked at on an average 30% more pages!

The lesson here is that more interaction with the consumers and providing more than one way to get in touch with you aids sales. The more you engage the user the more likely they are to buy. Displaying a prominent phone number might help to keep a potential buyer in the sales funnel.

4. Top Converting Landing Pages

Creating ways in which your customers can interact with your website increases helps to you’re your customers engaged and can lead to a sale.

You can leverage these interactions by starting a social media group, asking for product reviews or set competitions to share a product or page. A good example of this is Amazon, who allow visitors to select items for a wish list then share this on social media direct from the Amazon.co.uk website. You can also share your purchases via the same means.

5. Cost Per Conversion

Congratulation your conversion rate is growing rapidly, but at what cost?

It pays to calculate how much each customer is worth. If you gage an average spend value and use this to see how much return you are getting for the effort you put in. Clickz has published a helpful CPA Calculator which could show you how much spend it takes to get a conversion – and whether you’re paying too much to get them!

Take this example scenario: you are getting more customers but your AdWords bill is rising and the customer purchases barely cover it. This suggests that you may be over spending on your Google AdWords campaign and you need to re-evaluate your campaigns for better keywords, more relevant positioning and even perhaps an alternative marketing medium which is a more manageable cost for the same result.

Summary

These are not your only metrics you should be monitoring. Others include number of email complaints, number of Facebook/ Twitter and Instagram followers, the number of social media followers who convert to customers, number of inbound calls and many more. Using two to three metrics for each goal should provide a clear picture of areas of success and areas that need work to achieve your goals.