Keeping track of PCs, laptops, cell phones, printers, network equipment, software (the list goes on) can be a challenge to organizations large and small.  Assets move locations, get reassigned to other people, get replaced, etc. 

Managers need to know:

• When items were purchased
• Where they were purchased
• When they were implemented
• Warranty expiration dates
• Estimated lifecycle
• ...and more

Management also needs reports about asset allocation, usage and service history.  In addition, Accounting needs accurate data for calculating asset depreciation. 

Many companies are still using Excel spreadsheets to manage company equipment and assets - there is a better way!

The Novo Asset Manager is a great tool to track company assets to help you gain and maintain control of this information..  You can store item serial numbers, locations, even pictures of the item, and so much more. 

For a free trial and demo please contact us  http://www.novosolutions.com/ .

You know what they say about March - in like a lion...out like a lamb.  This reminds me of some of our customers and the problems that we help them solve with our solutions.

They call us because of the wild......important knowledge spread all over the place, unable to be easily located or searched.  Inefficient manual requests for issue tracking, with details and timelines falling through the cracks.  Assets spread about with no record of ‘what' is ‘where'.  Yes, it makes for a ‘wild' environment.

At Novo we tame the lion.  Knowledge gets organized into a central, searchable repository.  Requests are logged, tracked and executed within a single tracking system.  Managers can run reports and know exactly where all of their assets are located.  Very quickly operations are streamlined and efficiency is improved.

With support running smoothly operations look more like a lamb; gentle, smooth, passive.  But under the hood - is a powerful tracking system keeping it all together.

Contact us if you would like us to tame your lion.  We can have you up and running well before the month's end.

http://www.novosolutions.com/

Haven't the Olympics been wonderful this year?  Perhaps it is because the economic climate has been so wearisome that the simple joys of the Olympic Games have seemed so bright. To pause and watch all of these skilled athletes perform in the beautiful Canadian landscape has been truly refreshing. 

Like the athletes, we all have goals to achieve success and train for them day-in and day-out in our own workplace.  Providing first-class customer support is a key goal whatever business you are in, because to be successful your customers must be happy.  And because different customers have different ideas of what ‘good support' is, it makes it very challenging for business owners to please everyone.

At Novo Solutions we are not unlike the customers we serve.  Our customers purchase our support software to manage their own customer support, and we in turn do our best to ensure our ‘customers' are happy.  Like you we understand all that involves and strive to provide support worthy of ‘the Gold'.

So to all of our customers and to all of those businesses out there striving for excellence in customer support we tip our hats to you and wish we had a gold medal to award you.  Keep up the good work - you are doing a great job!  Always strive to go for the gold!

http://www.novosolutions.com

Transparency is back in the news, as the US government is moving towards a more transparent relationship with its citizens. Perhaps you are experiencing the shift towards transparency in your own business. If you are not yet, we believe it is coming your way - either through public demand or through regulation. So what can you do now to get prepared?

Your Novo software has some great built in tools to improve transparency. The Novo Knowledge Base is a great tool for storing and managing your company information. Perhaps you are only using it internally now. With its flexible settings, you can also use it as a public facing tool to provide valuable information to your customers. Security settings allow you to determine which groups get to see what information - so private information is kept secure.

The knowledge base workflow tool allows you to automate processes so that you can easily review, change, and manage feedback on articles - saving time and improving efficiency.

On the help desk side of the Novo software the workflow tool allows for easy communication with customers by providing the ability to ask questions within the system. Once a question is posed, help desk workflows kick in to route the question to the appropriate department for response. The workflow automation pushes the request through the system, so you are not wasting manpower by having to manually route information internally.

We are always making improvements to the Novo software to keep up with technology and the changing times. Contact us of you would like more information on any of our software applications. 

http://www.novosolutions.com

As regulations and accountability are on the increase, organizations everywhere are taking a closer look at how they manage their internal documentation. This is not only beneficial for internal efficiency, but also for accountability if disclosure is required or called upon.

Best Practices Include:

• A central repository to hold important information
• High searchable functionality
• Ability for management to review any changes or revisions to documentation
• Ability to archive and review all previous versions of any document (policy)
• Secure settings which allow personnel to see only the level of security they are permitted to view
• Security of content - from internal or external sources

Knowledge Base Software is a great tool to manage your internal documentation.  For a limited time the Novo Knowledge base software is only $2010.  Please contact us for a free trial.

http://www.novosolutions.com/knowledge-base-software

Happy Groundhog Day Eve!  Well, is spring on the way, or do we need to bunker down for more winter?  We humans resort to the silliest ways to try and see into the future.

Wouldn't it be nice to know if the ‘economic winter' has passed and spring is on its way?  It would help us with our hiring decisions, production, spending, and more.  After all, success is in taking ‘the right risks' at ‘the right time' and giving ear to the season.

We may not know yet if we are in the positive recovery phase the news reports that we are - or if the business climate will stay ‘chilly' for a while longer, but one thing is for sure - almost all of us have been impacted by this ‘winter' season in our business.  We have some thawing out to do - some cleaning up and reorganizing of our business plans - and for some even starting over.

Either way we encourage you to get your ‘knowledge' in order.  Having company knowledge in a central place is essential for any business climate.  Through March 31, 2010 the Novo Knowledge Base is only $2010.00.  If you would a like ‘no hassle' demo or a free 30 day trial to test it out please contact us.

http://www.novosolutions.com

We all love the MasterCard ‘priceless' commercials, so here at Novo we have created a version of our own.

• Average cost of email support request- $21.00
• Average National cost of a desktop incident - $ 32.00
• Keeping your current customers happy with great customer support - priceless!

Well, not exactly priceless, but you get the idea.  In a recession it is all too easy to move focus to increasing sales - after all, companies cannot exist for long without positive cash flow.  That remains a given.

But do not forget the impact of losing customers to your bottom line results.  While you are ‘wooing' new customers - other companies are ‘wooing' yours.  Make sure your customer service is running strong and the customers you already have are being well served.  A solid support department not only helps retain current customers, but can help build new ones.  Many buyers look at support as a key factor in their decision making.

So beware the costly outcome of overlooking your valuable customer service operations.  It could be a ‘priceless' decision.

http://www.novosolutions.com/customer-support-software

 

 

January....it's that time of year to take a thoughtful look at your tools and procedures to see where performance can be improved.  We recommend you take a good look at your Novo software. 

Many people purchase our software for an initial purpose and later learn that it can do so much more.  For some this means adding modules to increase functionality within a single department while for other is means rolling it into other departments.  Here are some ways to grow your Novo App to get the most out of it:

• Check out our companion modules: The scalability of our software allows many of the tools to be used independently, but used together you can have a powerhouse of functionality. Give us a call and we can show you how adding modules can streamline tasks and save you time.
• Invite other departments in: The software you are using to manage IT requests works great in Human Resources, as well as other departments. Flexible permission settings allow each department to keep their data secure, and your company will be saving money managing a single app.
• Grow your administrator base: Need more administrator licenses? Adding more administrators to your existing app is just a phone call away.

We are committed to your continued success.  Please give us a call for a free evaluation of how you are using your Novo software and suggestions on ways to improve your processes.

http://www.novosolutions.com

Well, here we are - another Christmas passed and making plans for 2010.  This last year and decade have certainly passed quickly.  Seems like we were just working our way through Y2K concerns - now we have seen the rise of a new expression of relating (Social Media), phones that can do amazing things (and virtually everybody has a cell phone now), affordable electronics boasting incredible advances, and the ability to find most anything on the Internet.  So what will the next decade bring?  At the rate at which technology is accelerating one can only imagine. 

How do you prepare for the changes to come - and how do you position your business for the changing climate?  None of us has a magic ball to see the future - we are all in the same boat - making our plans, and modifying them as technology brings about changes.

We do know one thing....knowledge and time will continue to be very valuable commodities.  So as you prepare and launch your plans for 2010 and the decade ahead, we encourage you to remember the lessons learned from the past. 

Tracking and storing company knowledge in a knowledge base continues to be a huge asset for many companies.  Keeping a central repository of organizational information - that is easily retrievable - will save time and aid in future decision making.  If you are in need a good knowledge base, give us a call and you can try ours for free.

We wish you all the best in 2010...godspeed as you navigate this next decade!  We'll be right beside you!

http://www.novosolutions.com/knowledge-base-software

Here we go again - another post about the importance of customer service.  The reports keep coming in, but do we really believe them?  When businesses are being forced to run leaner than ever it is difficult NOT to make cuts in all areas, including customer support. After all, will people really notice?  Maybe just a little cut won't be noticed...will it?

In their recent Customer Experience Index Report, Forrester Research reminds us that "Your customer is your biggest asset.  While most firms are dealing with rough economic times, they can't let customer experience fall on the back burner."  There it is again, but what can you do when something has to give?

Take a hard look at your customer support call logs.  How many calls are coming in that could be managed through web self service?  It is worth investing in your public knowledge base so that customers can try to find their own answers.

The Service Excellence Research Group states that 83% of consumers indicate that their primary source for non-technical customer service information are company web sites. Customers prefer to find answers to their questions online and businesses realize a cost savings with fewer support calls.

So there we said it again.  Guide your customer to help themselves with online self support.  It will enhance customer support and reduce call volume, thereby reducing costs.

http://www.novosolutions.com/