Being situated on the East Coast of the US, we are no strangers to the effects of hurricanes and tropical storms.  As of today we are watching hurricane ‘Earl’, which is slated to bring us bad weather at the very least –and hopefully nothing worse.  But as cautioned, we take the time around here to be prepared for the worst….just in case.

Nobody likes to have to think about disaster preparedness, but among other catastrophic losses, it can mean the difference between your business making it or going under with ‘the storm’.  Critical company knowledge must be retained and readily accessible to return your business to its ‘normal’ operating state as quickly as possible. 

Examples of critical knowledge are:

• Employee knowledge – employees may not be able to get to work; others may need to perform their tasks.  Documented knowledge empowers others to step in and do essential jobs.
• Emergency procedures - this is critical to every business. Having documented emergency procedures for physical facilities, customer/employee care, financial, and organizational management will not only help reduce crisis, but for some businesses may reduce injury and harm (not to mention law suits).
• Legal Documentation – copies of tax and legal documents, licenses, warranties, insurance documents, etc.
• Business recovery – document what is involved in restoring your business to normal conditions, such as employee communications, customer communications, and data communications (logins/passwords, setting up computers/servers, etc.).

It is essential that the knowledge is web-based, so that it is accessible everywhere.  You may not be able to get to your physical building….anything stored there may be useless if you cannot access it.  In addition, if you are prepared you have more to offer the community (who may not be as prepared).  This is one way we can all support one another.

So take the time to ensure your business is prepared for any unexpected disaster, whether it be hurricane, flood, fire, or earthquake.  You have invested so much of your time and resources building your business….ensure you are protecting your investment.

For informationon our knowledge management software see: http://www.novosolutions.com/knowledge-management-software

Knowledge Management  

The information age has changed the world of communication.   Just remember, it wasn’t that long ago that if you wanted to know something you had to pick up the telephone and call someone – hoping to reach them.  Now with the Internet you can communicate with friends, coworkers, and businesses – all from the convenience of your desktop, laptop, or mobile device.

This new technology has created words we never had before; knowledge base, texting, google, blogging, tweeting, etc.  In addition new jobs have been created to manage all of this new communication.

Some organizations have created entire new departments around this, while many have simply tasked specified individuals to manage certain aspects of the new technology.  Needless to say, it has greatly affected the way we all do business.

We regularly get calls from people needing a knowledge base for their organization.  They may need it so that their customers can find answers 24/7 on their company website, or for internal communication, or both.  Unfortunately because this is still relatively new, many environments or companies do not have a solid plan in place as how to manage the knowledge base.  It is a sad thing to purchase a powerful tool, but then not use it to its full capacity because of poor planning.

Here are some guidelines to have in place when building a company Knowledge Base:

1. Who is going to be able to view the information?
2. Who are the contributors?  Who will create the articles?
3. Who is responsible for reviewing content?
4. Who manages the  content  to ensure it is not out of date?
5. Who reviews suggestions from end users?
6. Who reviews the logs to learn valuable business data?  Are you getting the same searches over and over?  Maybe communication could be improved?

We get very excited when we deliver our knowledge management software to a new customer because we know that is it going to greatly save time and improve operations.   We encourage all our customers to take the time to make the most of our software solutions, as well as all new technology available today. 

For more information on the Novo Knowledge Base, or our suite of support products please visit us at www.novosolutions.com

 

It seems like here at Novo Solutions we are always telling everyone how our software helps organizations ‘Do more with less’.   More tasks in less time – More information sharing with less fall through – More productivity with less manpower.  Well, this mindset seems to be the trend in businesses today.

With recent economic challenges organizations across the globe have had to make [sometimes drastic] manpower cuts.  Many of us have found ourselves working harder and smarter than ever before.  And while recent reports show many businesses producing second quarter profits – still businesses are not hiring and thus unemployment is not going down?  Why is this?  Businesses are learning to work ‘leaner’ – and economists are projecting that this may continue to be the case for awhile, as we are all mindfully sober of the vulnerable business climate of these times.

As you find yourself ‘still having to do more than less’, take the time to review all of your internal processes.  Consider implementing solutions that automate common tasks and improve efficiency in your organization.  As some economists say – this is the ‘New Normal’ …at least for the meantime.

For more information on the Novo Solution's suite of support products please visit our website – www.novosolutions.com

By: Anne Sych
Marketing Manager

 

 

It may feel like the year is just half way through, but for many organizations, including our government friends, the year is quickly winding down.  It is not unusual for us to get last minute inquiries in September from agencies looking to make allocated year end purchases for needed solutions.  While we welcome these calls, we encourage agencies to begin their search now to gather as much information as possible to get the best solution for them.

Instead of renewing annual support contracts for existing support solutions, organizations may benefits from breaking free of the status quo and looking at other options.  For example, the Novo support software is highly flexible and provides much of the needed key functionality for most environments.  Agencies moving to Novo from their previous Enterprise solution were able to purchase our software outright for LESS than their previous annual support renewal.  What more, they continue to save year after year by exchanging affordable annual support contracts for pricey Enterprise support contracts.

So as you are making these end-of-year decisions please give us a call.  We’d love to give you a demo of our software and if you like a 30 day trial to trial the software with your data.  For more information visit us at www.novosolutions.com.

 

If pricy enterprise help desk solutions with expensive support fees have you hot under the collar - real ‘help' is on the way!  The Novo Help Desk is an affordable solution for companies that are transitioning from paper based or inadequate tracking solutions, as well as those who are using enterprise level support solutions with outrageous annual support fees.

It is not unusual for our sales team to get calls from folks who simply need a better tracking solution than what they are presently using.  For many we are a very good fit, since our modular nature can be scaled to fit organizations large and small.   However in today's economic climate when budgets are scrutinized to save every dollar, we get calls from folks who already have very high end, enterprise solutions that either are not meeting their needs, or are simply too costly to maintain.  Over time these high annual support fees can really add up, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The entire Novo team, not to mention our prospects, are thrilled when we can show them a similar software solution that not only costs less up front, but also has lower support yearly maintenance fees.   For some using really high end (and very complicated) support solutions, we can deliver a replacement solution for less than they are paying for their annual support to maintain what they are currently using. 

So if you already have an enterprise help desk software solution and are looking to reduce costs, consider trading in that 'high maintainance' application for something more economical that will 'cool down' the budget.

Please contact us for more information on our Help Desk Software and other support solutions.  Free demos and 30 day trials are available.

http://www.novosolutions.com

There is a lot of buzz these days about ‘Cloud' solutions?  But is it right for everyone?

At Novo Solutions we listen to our customers and those inquiring about our software, and know that different environments have different needs.  It is very frustrating for people looking for a solution to find one that meets all of their functionality needs, only to find out that it is ‘hosted only' or ‘in-house only'.  We have built our software with the flexibility to be used in either environment.  What's best, you can begin in one environment and move to another without losing your valuable data.  So what's really the best?  It depends on your needs:

And for those who need an In-House solution with lower up-front costs an ‘Annual Subscription' may be the best solution.  With an annual subscription the software is ‘purchased' for a contracted period, but then must be renewed, or terminated. 

So when you are looking for a knowledge base or help desk software solution look for an application that is flexible to meet your current and future long term needs.  Contact us for a free demo of the Novo Help Desk.

http://www.novosolutions.com/

 By: Anne Sych
 Marketing Manager

 

All organizations have them - repetitive tasks that are not complicated, but easily get delayed or fall through the cracks because they are pushed through a manual system by people in various departments.

For example let's take a look at a standard Human Resource new hire process:

1. New employee ‘Bob' is hired. There are certain tasks that take place with every new hire and these may vary based upon his department.
2. Bob needs to fill out basic employment forms. He must also provide certain documents, which must be noted and verified before he begins work.
3. Bob needs a workstation with equipment (desk, phone, pc, etc.).
4. Bob needs to be issued a company credit card
5. Bob needs company apparel ordered for him.
6. Bob needs IT services (email account, permissions to company intranet, software licensure, etc.).
7. Bob needs office supplies (business cards, office signage, etc.)
8. Bob needs training scheduled
9. And others as needed.....

These standard requests typically involve multiple departments and multiple personnel.  If any of these tasks gets delayed or missed valuable time is lost.  And in the event of important missing documentation there could be even worse consequences and vulnerability for the organization. 

Workflow automation allows you to define tasks (using predefined rules) to auto-route these tasks to various people or departments.  The system tracks various completion and approval paths along the way generating notifications when tasks are completed or rejected.  The work flow task ‘queue' will even allow managers to view pending task status, assignment, predecessor relationship and deadlines (with color coded due dates for past due, current, future, etc.).  Tasks will never again get ‘lost' due to a vacationing employee, or ‘missing' email.  The Novo help Desk even allows you the ability to create flexible work flows "on the fly" as help desk tickets are being added.

For more information on how the Novo Help Desk manages workflow contact us.

http://www.novosolutions.com/

Feed your ‘Analytic' (or your Analytic side)

Every office has them.  Those amazing people who think in exacting detail and can perform complex mathematic calculations in their head.  It's easy to get them excited - just show them a chart, graph or a spreadsheet and they light right up. 

One of the most favored features of the Novo support software is the superior reporting tools.  In addition to traditional pre-built management reports, the Novo report writer allows managers to build custom reports in just minutes. 

The Novo Report Writer wizard guides super admin users down the path to building a report that is appropriately formatted and easy to read. The tool is simple to use and easy to understand, and follows an intuitive flow for generating unlimited reports.

The Novo Report Writer addresses all steps in the reporting process allowing for optional design elements, flexible management controls, and is seamlessly integrated with the Novo management portal.  Since the Report Writer is completely database driven, every table structure within the Novo database can be mined for data, resulting in a wealth of reporting possibilities.  

Once the reports are created, simply set up the portal dashboard with the reports you would like displayed.  Reports can be viewed as graphs and charts, drilled into for more detailed data, and exported to excel if desired. 

So if you have an associate who is ‘an analytic', or if that is you, come take a look at our reporting dashboard - we think you will be impressed!   Contact us for a free demo or trial.

http://www.novosolutions.com/  

We all do it!  We have a software need and after careful research find the best solution out there to meet the need.  Problems resolve, we find a good work rhythm and we get very comfortable with our software solution.

It still amazes me that even years into a software program that I use every day I learn of a new tool or shortcut that I never used before.  I typically just gravitate towards the tools I am comfortable with and use those.  But I know there is so much more!

We know this to be true with our Novo customers.  We regularly get support calls where our staff will ask a client if they are using certain tools to resolve an issue.  Our customers are amazed when they learn that the software they have been using day in and day out can perform another task they may be doing manually.  And all the time it was right at their fingertips.

Call us for a free evaluation!

Give us a call and we will talk to you about your day-to-day processes and can tell you if there is more you can automate with your Novo software - chances are there is!  We want you to be using your Novo Software to the best of its capabilities - give us a call today to schedule your complimentary review.

http://www.novosolutions.com

By: Rich Hunter
President

 

By now you may be aware of the emerging problem of human slavery that is taking place today.  Some are calling it the human rights issue of the twenty first century.  And it is not only taking place in remote countries, it is rampant in the western as well as the eastern hemisphere....perhaps even in your own city (see CNN ‘Sex Trafficking: An American Problem Too'  http://www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/11/25/carr.human.trafficking/index.html). 

The numbers are staggering: National Geographic reports that there are over 27 million slaves in the world today, and according to UNICEF nearly 2 million children are exploited in the global sex trade.  Here in the U.S. the FBI estimates that there are well over 100,000 trafficked children and teens in the United States.  How can this abomination take place in such a civilized time as this?

And while the human trafficking problem is mammoth, we can each do our part to help eradicate this tragedy.  Through monetary donations from company profits, the team at Novo Solutions is working together with agencies overseas that are helping children at risk so they are not vulnerable to such entrapment.

Some problems in this world are unsolvable - but this one is solvable.  Will you consider looking into this horrible problem and lending your aid?  Here are just a few reputable agencies that are working worldwide to stop this problem:

• International Justice Mission - http://www.ijm.org/
• Exodus Cry - http://www.exoduscry.com/
• Project Rescue - http://www.projectrescue.com/
• Love 146 - http://love146.org/
• There are others - do a little research and you will learn more.

Please join us in fighting this human tragedy.

http://www.novosolutions.com