Category: SEO

There was a time when it felt like the world was dominated by a few big businesses. Those with huge amounts of money were able to set up companies that represented monopolies over most industries. Sure, there were plenty of independent businesses around but how could they have ever hoped to compete with the size and budgets of these huge organizations? Well, it turns out it only took one thing for all of that to change. That thing? The internet. With the rise of the internet came the rise of smaller, independent businesses that were suddenly able to reach customers all over the world that had previously only been available to big companies with huge marketing budgets. Of course, that doesn’t mean that life is now smooth sailing for all smooth businesses. There are plenty of challenges that can face you as the owner of a startup. With that in mind, here are just a few simple things that you can do to give your online business a boost.

Funding

It’s fantastic just how easily many businesses are able to function on incredibly low budgets. Thanks to the internet and social media, it really has never been cheaper to set up a business and spread it to the world. However, even the smallest business requires funding of one degree or another. One of the best and most obvious options is to take out a loan to fund your business. Of course, that’s far from the only funding method out there. Whether you choose to court investors, sink your own money into the business, or utilize crowdfunding, there are plenty of ways to bring in the money that your business needs.  

Outsourcing

When you’re running a very small business, it can be incredibly tempting to try and handle everything yourself. There are a few issues with doing this. The first is that you’re simply not going to have the time or energy to handle everything. This means that certain tasks are going to be left half finished or neglected entirely. Not only that but there are always going to be gaps in your skill set which could lead to serious mistakes being made. You should also think about your own well being. Trying to handle everything yourself is very likely to leave you feeling totally exhausted and potentially burning out entirely. To prevent these things from happening, outsourcing is likely your best option. That way you can hand over certain aspects of your business over to companies or individuals who have specific skills that you might be lacking. That not only allows you to avoid burning out but also allows you to focus on the areas of your business where you do have expertise and interest.

Of course, it’s important to remember that there are still plenty of big businesses that are more than willing to monopolize many industries. By giving your business the boost it needs, you’ll be able to compete much more readily with these huge corporations that would previously have been able to instantly stomp out any competition.

It’s a no-brainer to suggest that a healthcare business, like any other business, needs to give an excellent first impression.

No matter what type of practice you run, be it of a medical or a therapeutic nature, you need to instil confidence in your patients when they consider you for their health needs. If they are in any way uncertain as to your ability to care for them, they, like anybody would when approaching businesses in other industries, are unlikely to choose you. Instead, they will take their care needs to one of your competitors. 

So, to ensure you have a better chance at both acquiring new patients, and to beat your business competitors, here are some suggestions on how to make an excellent first impression. 

#1: Focus on your online presence

For starters, ensure your website has both the aesthetics and the functionality to instil confidence in potential new patients. If it’s difficult to use, hard to read, and is littered with broken pages, then that first impression will be a terrible one. 

You need to provide a site that is easy to use. It needs to have those functionalities that will make your patients’ lives easier, such as a live chat option so they can easily communicate with you, and an appointment booking system that is straightforward and simple to understand. You should include testimonials from happy patients too, as well as evidence of any professional accreditations your practice has earned.

You should also ensure your practice has a healthy reputation online. Encourage your patients to contribute to business review sites, and ask them to include links to your practice on their social media pages. This will give new patients the confidence to use your services. 

#2: Improve your waiting room

What does your waiting room look like? Are the walls painted in calming and attractive colours? Are the seats comfortable to sit on? Is it clean and well-maintained? In short, does it have a welcoming and inviting feel? If not, then the first impression won’t be a good one.

For the comfort and care of your patients, you need to focus on your waiting room. Replace any old and uncomfortable chairs with something better fit for purpose. Ensure there are enough seats too, and create as much space as possible, so your patients aren’t cramped together. Improve the overall aesthetics and focus on calming colours within your design. Go the extra mile and provide water and other refreshments. And ensure you have a wide range of magazines to suit all of your patients’ interests. 

Check out the medical fitouts provided by Levitch Design for the look and feel you need to be striving towards within your practice.

#3: Train up your reception staff

Your reception staff are the first people your patients will meet when they enter your practice. If they are confronted with grumpy, impatient, and uncaring attitudes, then this will not give them that excellent first impression. 

The people coming into your practice might be anxious, especially when it comes to any health worries they are having, so the demeanour of your reception staff needs to be warm and friendly. So, if you haven’t done this already, look for the relevant training courses to give your reception employees the skills and knowhow to deliver that pleasant and mindful approach that your patients will require.

By following each of these steps, you will make an excellent first impression with your healthcare practice. 

We wish you every success!

Spreadsheets definitely have their place in business. They’re a great tool for keeping track of data and even for planning out everything from schedules to lists. However, spreadsheets can also cause trouble. When you find that you have a large number of spreadsheets, it can be hard to keep track of them. You might have the same data in different spreadsheets and you might not even be sure about which spreadsheets are for what. When your spreadsheets are starting to overwhelm you, you need to do something about it. These solutions will help you to get on top of your spreadsheets once and for all.

Create a Naming and Organization System

When you have a lot of spreadsheets, one of the big problems can be that they’re hard to organize. It can be difficult to find the exact spreadsheet you need when you need it, leaving you opening up different sheets to try and find the right one. If you want to correct this problem, it can be smart to create a single system to name and organize your sheets. Firstly, consider splitting sheets into different folders for various purposes. Next, come up with a naming convention that you can stick to. Name all of your spreadsheets using the same details, such as date, project name and subject matter.

Remove or Consolidate Any Duplicates

If you have too many spreadsheets, there’s a chance that you can get rid of some of them. Checking for any duplicates will help you to find any redundant spreadsheets that you no longer require. If you have two spreadsheets for the same purpose, you can delete one of them or consolidate them so you have all of the data you need in one spreadsheet. This will also give you the chance to get rid of any spreadsheets that are just not useful to you anymore.

Link Your Sheets

When you have a lot of spreadsheets, one of the problems could be that you’re struggling to use them together. If they’re not connected and working together, they won’t be as useful as they could be. However, you can link your sheets together so that they can work even harder for you. In Excel, for example, you can link both Workbooks and sheets within an individual Workbook so that you can manage your spreadsheets more easily.

Get the Right Software

Sometimes the solution might be to stop relying on spreadsheets so heavily. When you are overwhelmed with spreadsheets, there are often better solutions for managing data. A service like eBECS can help you to implement Microsoft Power BI or similar software for recording and visualizing data. You can use Power BI together with Excel to get the most out of your spreadsheet data. If you don’t like any of the readymade solutions out there, you could also consider having custom software created for your business. It could be designed to meet all of your needs.

Don’t let spreadsheets take over your life. There are solutions to help you keep them organized.