June 2009 - EZSolution
Transcription
June 2009 - EZSolution
1 Web & Computer Technology News from EZSolution - June 2009 Come to our Open House EZSolution is having an open house and we want to show you our building and new office spaces. 5 Easy Ways To Save Money And “Go Green” Want to save money while simultaneously saving the planet? Then listen up... DATE: June 25th PLACE: 111 Centerville Rd. TIME: 3PM to 7PM Win a flat screen monitor! RSVP at: www.ezsolution.com/openhouse Tom Malesic President In this issue: 7 Goals for your website….. Pg 2 iPod Contest Winners……. Pg 3 EZSolution staff Amy Christaldi…………………Pg 3 Meet your neighbors- Our newest web customers …….Pg 3 Crackberry addiction ………..Pg 4 Earn referral cash ….……..…Pg 4 We’ve come up with 5 easy ways to go green while still adding to your bottom line profits. 1. Power down your workstations at night. A recent Gartner study measured carbon emissions from a variety of IT devices and found that the top three are PCs/monitors, data centers, and fixed-line telecommunications systems, in that order. PCs and monitors alone contribute 40% of total carbon emissions, data centers around 23%. You can save $50-100 per year by turning them off when you leave the office. In summer it also reduces the a/c load in cooling. 2. Stop printing unneeded documents, E-mails, faxes. Not only will this save your company money on ink and toner, but you’ll reduce the amount of paper and ink waste clogging up landfills. 3. Stop wasting CDs and DVDs. CDs and DVDs can hold a lot of data, but most people only use a tiny portion of the space by burning small files. This results in a lot of unused and wasted space (it’s the equivalent of storing a postage stamp in a ware- 1 house). CDs and DVDs are difficult to recycle so use them intelligently and conservatively. USB flash drives are a more efficient way of storing small amounts of data. 4. Change your power settings. Almost all computers have lower energy settings that will power down the computer (or parts of the computer) that aren’t being used. For example, after 10 minutes of inactivity, set your PC to power off the monitor. Most systems have pre-determined profiles that make it easy to set up. Changing a laser printer to go to standby will provide significant savings. 5. Turn off peripheral devices when not In use. Specialized peripherals like printers, scanners and bar code readers consume large amounts of energy and, in some offices, are rarely used. Keep them turned off until they’re really needed. Additional tip - recycle. Many communities have municipal drop off points that will take your computer equipment and recycle it at no charge to you. Check with the recycling offices at your local municipality. Be green, help the environment and save money. 2 7 Goals for Your Website I. Image / Brand Builder Many companies want to use a website to build their image or brand. Most of their competitors have a website and they need to keep up as well as to have the upper-hand in the market. 2. Provide Information Along with creating an image, many companies use their site to convey information to existing and prospective customers. In many cases, their website replaces sales literature that they would have previously sent in the mail. 3. Generate Leads One of the most profitable uses for The Laugh’s on Us OUR TECH SERVICE GUARANTEE 100% Money Back Guarantee We will do whatever it takes to make you “raving Fans” of our service a website is to generate leads. This is effective if you are promoting your business locally, regionally or nationally. Lead generation is a key component in most business sales plans. 4. Sell Products If you have a product to sell there is no more cost-effective way to reach your customers. (No Catalog Printing…. No Mailing Costs) One of the best ways to increase your bottom line is to keep in touch with your existing customers. After all, selling to existing customers is easier and less expensive than finding new customers. Using email to keep in touch with existing customers is extremely cost effective and simple to do. By Tom Malesic 6. Employee Communication Many businesses have employees who need to access pertinent information such as schedules, employee manuals, insurance documents, etc. This documentation can be organized and stored online effectively to increase staff efficiency and productivity. 7. Membership Portals Membership portals are great tools for businesses, non profits, churches and clubs who need to have clients / members log in to get specific information. This could be reports, invoices, data, minutes…. This is done for information that is either proprietary to your business or personal to the user logging in. PMHCA Wins with EZSolution for Fast Response Times Pennysylania Mental Heath Consumers Association in Harrisburg, PA has been a long time customer of EZSolution. PMHCA is a statewide membership organization representative of the individual and collective expression of people who have recovered or are recovering from mental illness. Their purpose is to promote and support recovery through advocacy and education to eliminate stigma and discrimination. As a not for profit organization, IT Manager Donna Rosati is especially careful in monitoring spending for IT resources. She said, “the thing that impressed me most about about dealing with EZSolution is the fast turn around on service requests.” “The service is fast even when things 2 go wrong, the level of dedication is top-notch.” She highly recommends the EZSolution Service Department. Windows 7 Update Microsoft has significantly pushed the release date of Windows 7 forward. It is expected to be available as a final version to stores and PC makers in time for fall and holiday sales. Some reports have the “release” date set as early as July of 2009. EZSolution welcomes your questions on Windows 7. The July newsletter will contain a full update of plans for Windows 7. 3 Getting to Know… Website Testimonial Amy Christaldi If EZSolution has created your website, chances are you've talked with our project manager, Amy Christaldi, more than a few times. From the beginning stages of content gathering to launching the website online, Amy is involved in the project every step of the way. "I think what I like best about my job is that it’s always changing and evolving. I meet so many interesting people and I learn about industries that I never knew existed or never thought about before." says Amy. So what does Amy like to do when she's not talking with clients about their latest design, writing copy for a website or organizing next week's design schedule? "I like to be outdoors as much as possible, especially when the weather's warm. My husband and I love to go hiking or take our canoe out on Speedwell Forge Lake that's near our home. Nature is very nurturing for me. It's nice to take a little break from technology every once in a while," says Amy. The Water Guy: “From our first meeting I knew EZSolution was a good fit for our website project. We hold many of the same business beliefs and values that have grown our business; customer satisfaction, value to the customer, personal attention. I felt very comfortable working with Tom and his talented team. The speed/turnaround time of completion for any requests for changes or enhancements, before, during, and after the start of our project was impressive. It has been a great experience and has made that part of my work life so much easier. EZSolution has saved me time and headaches.” - Matt McClintock Amy is also an avid baseball fan. Her favorite team is the LA Angels. "On any given evening during the summer you'll find me out on our patio watching the game on my laptop. I usually go to a few games a year too, in Baltimore when the Angels are in town." Amy also loves to write and this month she'll be attending a creative writing class that she hopes will nurture her creative side a bit more. Recently Launched Websites Quality Design www.qualitydesignltd.com Ambush Paintball www.ambushpaintballgames.com Independence Imaging www.independenceimaging.org Miller Optical www.milleropticalonline.com "Most of what I do is analytical and left-brained. Making lists, scheduling, tracking where every project stands... I'm hoping to have some fun, meet some new friends and take a little break from my organized self." Thanks Amy, you are part of what makes, EZSolution a special place. Steinmetz Coins www.steinmetzcoins.com Pa Sports Hall of Fame www.pashof.org Zimmerman Slate Roof www.zimmermanslate.com iPod Contest Winners 100% Money Back Website Guarantee! Customer satisfaction is the cornerstone of our business. If you are not 100% delighted with how your website ‘looks and functions’ we will return your money! Donna Rosati of PMHCA and Karen Young of HR Resolutions, LLC are the winners of new ipods. They were picked at random from all of you who sent in testimonials. Thanks to all of you who participated. Congratulations to our winners! 3 4 Could You Be Liable For Your Employees’ “Crack-Berry” Addiction? You’ve heard the joke before; people calling their Blackberry a “crack-berry” to indicate their addictive relationship with the electronic device. While the 24/7 connectivity offered by this and similar devices might seem like an employer’s productivity dream come true, it could be time to think again. Studies are showing that this type of addiction is every bit as hard to break as a drug or alcohol addiction. One T-Mobile poll found that 1 in 10 BlackBerry users said they would be "devastated" if their device was taken away, and many said they feel far more stressed when they do not have their device with them than when they are with it. Some Blackberry addicts feel the urge to check their email every few minutes and cannot set it down even in social situations, such as in the movies or when having dinner with friends. While the effects of this addiction are not quite as damaging as drugs or alcohol, they are there. Workaholism has been a widespread phenomenon for some time, and it has now been suggested that employers may soon be held legally liable for addictions to such devices—especially if they encourage or demand such behavior from their employees. Psychiatrist Dr. Edward Hallowell, the founder of The Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health, says that today’s high-adrenaline, ‘always on’ work environment is causing people to feel ‘crazy busy’ and it’s affecting their health, their effectiveness, and their personal lives. “I’m not a Luddite. If you use it right, (technology) is an incredible aid. If your daughter has a cell phone for an emergency on the highway, that's wonderful. But I made up a word in my book CrazyBusy called, ''pizzled." It's how you feel when you're eating with someone and their phone rings and they answer it. It's a combination of [expletive] off and puzzled. We have to be a lot more in charge of technology instead of just being so enchanted by it.” So when should an employer be held accountable? There are no current court cases examining that argument—but employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy work environment. Naturally this is a very gray area. When an employee works longer hours to achieve professional advancement or to catch up for taking time off or to make up for slow performance, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between employee choice and employer manipulation. The best thing you can do as an employer is encourage your staff to take breaks from e-mail, cell phones, and BlackBerry devices especially after hours or on vacation. Referral Program We will pay you $25 for anyone that you refer to us that we get an appointment with. When your referral becomes a client (and spends $1000 or more) then we will pay you $50 more. And, we will give your referral $100 off their purchase. Quote of the Month “It is the individual’s ability to deal with the unexpected that characterizes the difference between success and failure.” Ross Perot Would You Like to Submit an Article, Story or Tip for The EZSolution? Do you have a funny story or resource you want to share with other subscribers? Send it to me! We are always looking for new and useful content to add to our newsletter, including partners who want to submit articles. Submit to rich@ezsolution.com Published by EZSolution Corp. 111 Centerville Road, Lancaster PA 17603 (717) 291 - 4689 (717) 291 - 9434 (fax) www.ezsolution.com 4