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YOUR MANAGED SERVICES PARTNER
July 2020
Managing IT During These Tough Times We’re Here to Help
According to the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization, the COVID-19 pandemic is, among other things, a massive experiment in telecommuting. Long after the pandemic has ended, telecommuting will most likely continue. Admittedly, some jobs simply can’t be done from home, but the outbreak is accelerating the trend toward telecommuting, possibly for the long term. The sudden transition to a work-from- home model put a lot of stress on IT teams. Suddenly, in addition to having to troubleshoot their network and endpoints, help desk engineers were having to troubleshoot users' home networks and endpoints. Since all employees have different Wi-Fi setups and different internet providers, there are a lot of complexities that don’t exist in the traditional office environment. What has emerged is an understanding that the IT resources required to provide help desk services to a userbase primarily housed on-site is not adequate to provide those services to a much more scattered workforce. The “new normal” is causing more and more businesses to consider moving to a centralized IT support platform: outsourced help desk services. Broadleaf’s managed services customers experienced a significant uptick in employee service requests in the first weeks after the stay-at-home order was implemented. Like most other organizations, it took time for the employees to get comfortable carrying
out their daily tasks from home. Through it all, however, our managed services customers have experienced no business operations disruptions because Broadleaf provides 24/7/365 help desk services to them. How was Broadleaf Services able to ensure continuity for our customers? In advance of the stay-at-home order, out technical team met with each of our customers to assess their capabilities to transition to a work-from-home model. This allowed the customer to identify and address potential problems in advance of affected productivity. Our unique service delivery model allows us to seamlessly expand available resources for our customers as they grow or in the case of a sudden increase in the number of service requests, as has been the case during the pandemic. This allowed our help desk team to stay ahead of the curve as service requests surged during the transition phase. The bottom line is that our customers were able to continue “business as usual” in the most stressful and uncertain time any of us has faced. Broadleaf Services promises to allow our customers to focus on running and growing their business, while we manage the IT. We are proud to say that we have lived up to that promise even in the most difficult of circumstances. Don’t take my word for it. Here is what a member of the Broadleaf customer family, Marco Rubber & Plastics, has to say. Marco Rubber provides critical
components to manufacturers of emergency medical equipment. In a press release lauding his team’s willingness to do what it took to meet the unique challenges posed by the pandemic, Chad Belinsky, the second- generation CEO of the company, said: “Cross-trained fulfillment and quality departments were up to the challenges of splitting into physical distancing shifts with even more cleaning and personal protection equipment use, some of which was donated by Asian seal suppliers. Many volunteered to work Saturdays and take work home, earning well-deserved bonuses, while others worked through child care and family life situations. "Sudden transition from 99% on-site to 99% remote home operations was facilitated by IT and our IT managed service provider, Broadleaf Services, with limited disruption. Continually adapting is part of life, embracing the ups and downs together with a grounded can-do attitude can help make special things happen. I’m proud, but not surprised, how our dedicated team works together to overcome challenges finding a way to safely support lifesaving and sustaining products.” If you find yourself in need of IT help, whether it be during a unique time such as this pandemic or any other time, then feel free to reach out. Our experienced help desk team is ready to address any issue you’re experiencing, so you can continue to focus on your business.
–Chuck Mosca
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HOW WELL ARE YOU TRACKING YOUR BUSINESS?
3 Key Performance Indicators to Watch
In the last few months, the coronavirus pandemic has forced businesses across the country to tighten their belts. Odds are your company is among them, but even
industry. The higher your RPE, the more effective your business is at maximizing its greatest resource: the people who work there. This number can become skewed or decrease if you’re growing quickly and hiring or if you’ve recently laid off staff. If you haven’t made changes and your RPE is under $100,000, you’re either overstaffed or facing a struggle ahead.
if you’re doing well, accurately tracking your business’s performance is more vital than ever.
Of course, this is easier said than
done. Even in good times, it’s difficult to know which key performance indicators (KPIs) to track daily, weekly, or monthly to get an accurate picture of how your business is doing. However, many successful entrepreneurs report that three KPIs rise to the top: churn, pipeline revenue, and average annual revenue per employee.
As you’re tracking these KPIs, remember to be skeptical. If a metric looks too good to be true, it probably is! So dig in and double-check the math. If you uncover an inaccuracy, you can take steps to fix it, and if you find the number is accurate, you can learn from your successes. Armed with these metrics, you will be in a much better spot to be proactive in your business and solve minor problems before they ruin your month, quarter, or year. It’s a win-win situation, which is exactly what we need in these tough times!
Churn
This metric will tell you how many customers leave your business in any given month, which will then tell you how many new customers you need to bring in the following month to break even. If you track this KPI weekly and monthly, patterns will start to emerge, and you’ll be able to find holes in your systems and processes more easily. Then, you can take proactive steps to reduce your churn.
Pipeline Revenue
Your pipeline revenue is the total sales volume you’d have if you won each and every piece of business you quoted over a given period of time. When compared with your actual sales volume each month, it becomes an incredibly valuable number for setting goals and tracking. For example, if you need to produce $100,000 in new pipeline revenue to close your goal of $30,000 in sales each month but are only at $54,000 in pipeline revenue 20 days into the month when you should be at $67,000, then you’ll know that you’re falling behind and need to make adjustments.
Average Annual Revenue per Employee (RPE)
Most companies with over $1 million in revenue make a minimum of $100,000 in average annual RPE, and it’s not uncommon to see small businesses making $125,000, $150,000, or $200,000-plus per hire, depending on the
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Overthinking Undermines Your Success How NHL Goalies Live in the Moment
On Feb. 22, 2020, David Ayres was sitting in the stands next to his wife watching a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game. By the end of the night, this 45-year-old Zamboni driver would be the first emergency goaltender to record a win in the history of the NHL. After the Hurricane’s first two goalies were taken out of the game due to injuries, Ayres was called onto the ice. He stopped eight out of 10 shots, helping the Hurricanes claim victory. This isn’t the first time an emergency goalie has been called in to help win an NHL game. When Scott Foster, a 36-year-old accountant, was called in as an emergency goalie for a 2017 Blackhawks home game, he didn’t let a single puck past him. How are ordinary men like Ayres and Foster able to go from sitting in the bleachers to crushing it on the ice at a moment’s notice? They have the remarkable ability to thrive under pressure by not overthinking their situation.
A good goalie cannot overthink anything. They must be able to assess the situation and react instantaneously to block a speeding puck. Physical training is only half the battle. Achieving true success means mastering the psychological game. This kind of mental fortitude can be valuable in business, too. “The key difference between those who get the gold medal and those who don’t is between the ears,” says Martin Turner, senior lecturer in sport and exercise psychology at Staffordshire University. “Business leaders can learn to develop robust psychological skills to help them fulfill their potential under pressure, and importantly, help others around them fulfill their potential.” How can you learn to stop yourself from overthinking during high- pressure situations? Don’t view those high-pressure situations as life or death.
“It was wild; it was fun,” said Ayres after his historic win. “These guys were awesome. They said to me, ‘Have fun with it, don’t worry about how many goals go in. This is your moment — have fun with it.’” “Have fun” is exactly what Ayres did, and the Hurricanes won the game. When you find yourself overthinking a high-pressure situation, remind yourself that no matter what decision you make, it’s not the end of the world. That moment is just one of many opportunities you’ll be presented with. Above all else, keep a positive outlook. Win or lose, success or failure, being positive will always take you far.
HAVE A Laugh
PUZZLE
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Inside This Edition
1. 2. 3.
Managing IT During These Tough Times
Are You Tracking the Right Metrics?
NHL Goalies Can Help You Stop Overthinking
Have a Laugh
4.
Effective Marketing on a Budget
3 Ways to Market Your Business When Your Budget Is Slashed
We live and work in uncertain times. Many small businesses have had to reduce employee hours and slash marketing budgets. Every cut can slow the growth of your business, and reducing your marketing budget can have a ripple effect. Being unable to effectively get your message out to your customers and prospects can keep you from achieving your business goals. But, is it possible to reduce your marketing budget without sacrificing your marketing message? The answer, of course, is yes! You can continue to reach customers and prospects and maintain your marketing message. Here’s what you do: Create videos and webinars. Give your customers value through video! If you already have a camera for shooting videos, great, but if you only have a smartphone, that works, too. How you make the video is less important than what you say in the video. Walk through the problems your customers routinely face, hold a Q&A, or go in-depth about a product or service you provide. Make sure to tie back to your brand and include your message. For example, attorneys often create videos to address legal issues such as what steps to take if you’re injured in a car accident along with a message about how they can help. Leverage Instagram. People love Instagram. It’s a great place to post pictures and videos and share your marketing message. Connect with customers by liking and commenting
on their posts. Instagram Live is also a great place to post short videos or host mini-webinars. In fact, you can give people a taste of your full webinar on Instagram Live, then direct them to the full webinar on your website. Hook them with a high-value tease: “We’ve learned how to solve problem X. Here’s our first step. For more, sign up for our webinar!” Write high-quality content. Many businesses have a blog but don’t know how to leverage it. Writing high-quality content is a great way to bring traffic to your website, and relevant content can bring in prospects who may be dealing with the problems your business solves. Good blog content can complement good video content. A blog allows you to go more in-depth and link to resources and your products and services. High-quality content engages readers through interesting information and stories and offers value.
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