Offshore IT Enabled Services from Pakistan

The IT revolution can still change the destiny of Pakistan, but will require a readjustment of the sights. This readjustment will require her to work with what she has, and not what she currently doesn’t!

Pakistan has been unable to produce software developers in increasing numbers, but does possess skilled workers in reasonable numbers in other fields that can provide services to clients all over the developed world through the Internet. These services range from data entry to telemarketing to insurance claims processing to payroll management to computer-aided designing to financial analysis and forecasting.

Pakistan’s doctors can be employed for medical data analysis; lawyers can provide legal advice over the Web; graphic designers can produce animations. The possibilities are numerous and the opportunities lucrative. The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Net Present Value (NPV) numbers for many of these opportunities are similar to those for the software export business.

As an example, look at the function of an insurance claims processing company. Say an automobile accident takes place in New York City. The claimant fills a paper form describing the incident and providing his particulars and submits the form to the insurance company's office in New York. The company scans the form and sends it to the offshore company in Lahore, Pakistan. That form will be automatically routed to the computer terminal of a claims examiner. The examiner goes through the form and (using some simple business rules) determines the validity of the claim and sends his decision to the insurance company in New York. End result: the New York-based company saves 50 per cent of the processing cost!

The customers for such IT-Enabled Services (ITES) are looking for more than one benefit: on the one hand, they want to achieve cost reductions of around 50 per cent, and on the other, they want an improvement in the current level of their services. By outsourcing the non-critical tasks, they also want to focus all their energies on the processes that form the core of their businesses.

Canada is the easiest market to get ITES work from, as it has the highest percentage of businesses that use outsourcing services. Number two on the list is Australia, followed by the US. A higher percentage of companies in the energy sector outsource, followed by the financial services and then, technology companies.

Companies that outsource look for service level guarantees, a proven track record and specialization in the business process of interest from the providers. Many outsourcing relationships fail because of organizational resistance in the client company, unclear performance metrics, or the client's loss of control over the outsourced business process.

The primary advantage that Pakistan’s ITES businesses enjoy is the relatively low cost of labor. Secondary advantages are zero corporate taxes and low-cost infrastructure. The time zone difference between Pakistan and the US can also be an advantage in certain ITES businesses.

The key challenges that an ITES entrepreneur faces is marketing the service that he or she is striving to provide and ensuring the confidentiality and security of the client's data. Another challenge is ensuring the quality of the service that can only be achieved by having a clear and continuous organizational focus on the training of the service providers.

Pakistan-based ITES businesses face three types of competitors. The most significant competition comes from prospective clients carrying out the non-core tasks themselves. However, if clients focus on non-core tasks, they suffer from higher costs and lower efficiencies. Hence, they can be enticed by offering high-quality service at a lower, fixed cost.

The second type of competition comes from developed-countries-based outsourcing operators. They run very efficient businesses but are hampered by higher labor costs. The final type of competition comes from outsourcing operators based in low-labor-cost countries like India and Philippines. Pakistan-based ITES businesses don't really have any advantage over them, but can ignore that competition for now as the demand clearly exceeds the supply.

In summary, ITES is Pakistan's irresistible value proposition because of the availability of the trained human resource in reasonable numbers. Moreover, increasing the size of this human resource is easier as compared with what is required for software development.

ITES is a lucrative opportunity for forward-looking entrepreneurs. While selecting an ITES sector, they should look for human resource-intensive business processes in which the difference in the cost of labor between Pakistan and the target market is the largest. They should focus on utilizing their existing strengths and should also try to develop contacts with Pakistan-origin expatriates for marketing purposes. To achieve long-term success, they should look for value-adding partnerships with international companies and focus on organizational excellence and customer satisfaction.

The US economy as a whole is depressed, resulting in squeezed revenues for almost all companies. To meet their profitability targets, most companies have no option but to cut costs. Pakistan’s companies can benefit from this situation by offering IT enabled services and software development services at attractive rates. These should be the best of times for Pakistan’s companies.

The economic downturn in the US is an opportunity for Pakistan's ITES and software development companies, not a setback!

Operational Risk Management Awareness

The term Operational Risk Management (ORM) is not new. It has been tossed about in businesses across North America for the last several years. ORM and the oft associated term Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) have generally been used as corporate buzzwords, business culture idioms referenced in board meetings and articulated during presentations. Recent developments, such as the creation of the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act in 2002 in response to growing financial scandals in the U.S., have brought Operational Risk Management, Enterprise Risk Management and related concepts from the backrooms to the forefront of corporate America.

The inescapable reality is that every single day businesses incur losses and experience operational disruptions due to failures by employees, incorrect implementation of processes and technologies as well as wilful disobedience to internal controls. These losses may be manifest in the form of uncollectible receivables from disappointed clients, lost sales due to call centre failures or unproductive employee downtime when computer systems are unavailable, or a host of other potential problems. While most businesses have developed ad hoc methods of dealing with such losses in the past, legislation (such as SOX and the Basel Accord) has made standardized compliance procedures much more complex. Thankfully, just as these new rules have given rise to increased awareness of ORM/ERM, new tools (including Risk Management software) have been developed to aid compliance efforts.

The new regime of Sarbanes-Oxley, under the direction of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) which is in turn accountable to the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), has undoubtedly benefited the business world by providing a foundation from which to decrease corporate fraud. However, the complexity and associated technical, labour and administrative costs posed to business is also considerable. The realities of both individually large and collectively mundane errors resulting in loss, as well as the newly regulated reporting of those losses, affect virtually all areas of every business each and every day. Therefore, it is in each company’s best interest to simultaneously find ways to cut losses while keeping regulatory compliance costs down. Hence the rebirth of Operational Risk Management/Enterprise Risk Management and the new demand for Risk Management software solutions.

Traditionally, few operational losses were measured in any accounting system, and rarely were the loss incidents tracked and analyzed in any way; the time and paperwork required to do so was simply daunting. Because there was no standard legislation in place, any Risk Management software tools were often proprietary and slightly more than electronic log books at best. New technologies and attitudes have allowed loss incidents to be seen as more predictable and able to be grouped into risk categories. Proper analysis of these incidents can result in attribution to root causes which aids in mitigation. Even this beginning leads to dramatically reduced costs while achieving huge gains and strategic advantages from well crafted Operational Risk Management policies and Enterprise Risk Management procedures.

Changes in legislation, technology and attitudes related to ORM/ERM have produced not just economic gains, they have led directly to re-invigorated business innovation and even created improvements in the quality of life. For example, safety, quality and environmental related loss incidents have proven to be not only manageable and avoidable, but sound management of these issues has conferred greater advantage on those who succeeded while driving many who did not adapt out of business. While large scale corruption may have brought about regulatory changes, these changes have spurred a re-visioning of Enterprise Risk Management. Advanced Risk Management software has allowed business to more directly mitigate losses. This has resulted in a cleaner, more efficient and more competitive business environment.

In the post-SOX environment, the same social and political pressures on organizations are present. Improved attitudes and tools have encouraged the proliferation of sound Operational Risk Management to the economic and strategic benefit of those properly prepared for the journey. To find out how Paisley Consulting can help your company on that journey, whether through the provision of powerful Risk Management software or expert consultation on Enterprise Risk Management, visit www.paisleyconsulting.com.

Organize Your Life With Document Management Software

Over the years, it becomes quite a tedious job to rummage as well as sort through your files. This has led to an increasing demand for document management software. It is now a whole lot easier to organize your paper documents from paper format into digital archives.

1. Itaz doQuments

Itaz doQuments document management software is a document management application that can help you create a more centralized, searchable database for all your electronic documents. Saved scanned documents must be in PDF, TIFF or PEG file formats so that the document management software can process them. For easy reference, you can put additional indexing information to your electronic documents so that you will use these information to quickly find as well as group your documents based on whichever criteria that you can come up with.

The document management software is available in three editions: from the Standard edition to the Professional edition to the Enterprise edition. You can choose from these three editions the type of doQuments document management software that can cater to your needs and lifestyle. Each edition of this document management software is specially designed for:

- Individuals
- Small businesses
- Large organizations

Starting from this document management software's Standard Edition, this edition of the doQuments document management software application is especially designed for the home as well as for the use of small offices. It is the easiest one to use out of the three and provides an effective solution in the managing not only of paper but as well as electronic documents.

One of its key features is its ability to provide the multi-user environment - users from multiple computers can have access to the doQuments document management software simultaneously. As for being economical, this document management software is fairly easy to upgrade once you start thinking of getting the doQuments' Professional or Enterprise document management software editions.

2. Advanced Features

Paramaterized search results ensures you can easily locate the documents that you need in just one mouse click. DoQuments is ideal for companies with large intranet or internet sites as it is possible to integrate them easily.

Outdoor Team Building Activities

Outdoor team building activities are one enjoyable way to strengthen your company’s communication skills and cooperative working abilities, while reducing stress and taking a well-deserved break from the office. There are lots of structured activities to choose from that are both recreational and targeted towards building these essentials for successful working relationships.

Outdoor activities can take a wide variety of forms including treasure hunts, sporting events, simple games, wilderness adventures, and much more. These activities are designed to encourage critical thinking and problem solving skills, foster good communication and group interaction, and demonstrate each individual’s ability to contribute to the greater whole. In addition to the benefits you will receive as a team learning to work together toward common goals, getting out for some fresh air and exercise will almost certainly be well received.

Although certain types of outdoor activities will be more challenging than others, team building exercises tend to be designed to ensure a safe, rewarding and enjoyable experience for everyone. Activities provided by professional consultants are generally customized to suit your particular organization, and are usually flexible enough to even be moved indoors in case of bad weather. Take some time to evaluate what kinds of activities might be best enjoyed by your team, or give them a selection to choose from in order to maximize their participation in their team building experience.

The advantages of team building activities are many, and the benefits are intended to last beyond the day, to improve morale and teamwork when you return to the office as well. Getting to know one another in a different environment and enjoying some humorous and successful experiences together helps relieve tensions, builds mutual appreciation and understanding, and helps team members feel like part of a unified whole.

Team building activities can be used at any stage of an organization’s development, from providing icebreakers for new recruits, helping a new division get to know one another, or providing some much needed revitalization for your seasoned people who could use a morale boost. Your team may enjoy the experience so much that they decide to make a habit of it, and organize bowling nights, a softball team, or get a group membership at a fitness center. The possibilities are wide open.

Professional consultants who specialize in corporate organization and team building can provide many valuable and fun activities to improve your company’s productivity or enhance a specific team’s performance. Begin by browsing some of the services that are advertised online to get an idea of the many ways you can approach teambuilding. There is definitely something for everyone, and the gains are immeasurable. Make an investment in your people, and enjoy a work environment that is both more harmonious and productive.

Outdoor Team Building Activities - Improving the Team Environment

Outdoor Team Building Activities go a long way towards allowing the team members to recover from disunity, irritation and disagreements and come together as a cohesive team. They demonstrate different aspects of team behaviors and encourage the team members to think about the essentials required for a high performance team. These activities involve getting the team to work together in an environment of fun, which is necessary for fostering healthy team spirit. These activities ensure that all the participants appreciate their colleagues’ contribution to the activities. The joint outdoor team building activities will make the team members see their colleagues in a different light, leading to improved working relationships at work.

The outdoor team building activities help to sensitize members of the team to their colleagues’ behaviors that lead to obstruction of group problem solving. ‘Behaviors’ encompass good communication abilities, problem-solving skills, trust, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each team member, and understanding each other’s point of view.

Outdoor Team Building Activities – What They Involve
A group of people thrown together does not automatically make a team. There is a need to get to know and to get along with each other, develop inter-personal relationships, and build a spirit of trust among each other individually as well as collectively. They need to develop practical skills to get along with each other on the day-to-day basis as an effective team. The outdoor team building activities involve a host of outdoor activities performed together to improve trust and inter-personal relations, among other things.

There is a wide range of outdoor activities for team building, such as road rallies, sailing regattas, rafting, team treasure hunts, bungee jumping, snowboarding, fly fishing, interactive seminars; the list is endless. The outdoor team building activities need not be needlessly strenuous. These are for fun, to allow the members of the team to get to know each other and come together as a team. This goes a long way towards improving working environment.

Outdoor Team Building Activities – Take the Help of Professionals
There are professionals who organize such outdoor team building activities. They provide a large variety of activities for your team to participate in. They have the wherewithal to arrange such events in a safe manner. They will organize outdoor activities that will put your team members into new demanding and amusing situations that require much interaction between them. Activities can be used to pit one team against the other, to focus on developing competitiveness.

These professionals, while organizing your outdoor team building activities focus on improving communication among the team members, in addition to overcoming individual differences, coping with change, learning to be supportive and appreciative, and putting together solutions to non-standard problems, etc.

They can also customize activities to meet your requirements for the team’s specific needs. The adventurous outdoor team building activities are not an end in them but integrate initiative and problem-solving exercises, followed by feedback and discussions.

If you do not wish to indulge in strenuous outdoor team building activities, your team can take part regularly in some community services that benefit the community you reside in. This and other charitable work gives the feeling of having achieved something worthwhile, and unites the team much faster.

Outside Help - Hiring A Personal Organizer

Some people who are too busy with work may sometimes be absent minded about certain things and tend to forget doing some of their important chores. If this happens more frequently, it is best to get a handyman of some sort to help out rather than making one's performance suffer. A personal organizer can be hired to do just about anything, whether it is something that has to do with work in the office or activities that need to be done at home with the family.

Hiring a personal organizer is like hiring an applicant for any other job. One should prepare a list of questions that the person must be able to answer and if the individual answers well, then the job can be offered. Here are some questions that one can ask a potential personal organizer:

1. How long has the person been doing this line of work?

2. What kind of work does the individual specialize in?

3. There are many other jobs that one can do. Before the person did this, what are the previous jobs, if any, that the individual did before?

4. What is the educational background of the person?

5. If the person has done this before, who are the previous clients that worked with the individual before that can be contacted as references.

6. How much will the person expect if accepted for the job? Will it be by hour or per day?

7. Will the person charge if there will be a trial working session set up to see if there will be any problems working with that individual?

8. What are the suggestions that the person can give regarding the first impression that the individual sees as wrong or unfit in the present working environment?

9. What assurance is there that the advice given will work for the one who hired the personal organizer? Will there be a follow-up session to assess the progress if it works or not? Will there be semi-annual or quarterly check-ups offered to monitor ones progress?

10. Does the personal organizer know anyone that can be contacted if there is a need to establish organizational systems?

Once the person is able to find the right personal organizer to be around with, the individual will not have to worry about things that were overlooked since there is someone nearby making sure that everything will be alright.

Outsource Medical Billing services- Should a Physician Outsource Medical Billing Services

Should a physician outsource medical billing services?



This is a very difficult decision for any physician and partially boils down to this or her own personal ideology and comfort level.  Hospital-based physicians will almost always be better off outsourcing because of the office related expenses that they would not otherwise incur.  As the owner of medical billing service you may think I'm naturally biased towards outsourcing.  I can assure you that this is not the case. Physicians who are overly controlling, uncomfortable or mis-trusting toward billing services are nearly impossible to administer. I don't want anything to do with those types of physicians but I completely respect and understand their point of view.  Setting all ideology aside I would like to delve into the pros and cons of this difficult and complicated decision.



1. I am a physician who is very interested in the business aspect of medicine and I do not mind spending my valuable time managing the medical billing aspect of my practice.



Clearly, the best way to do your billing is to do it personally.  Obviously, doing it yourself is probably not an option but if you're willing to spend the time and have the interest I would recommend that you do your own billing.  Keep in mind that most billing service owners and certainly our employees have limited medical backgrounds.  Physicians who study CPT, regularly attend billing seminars and keep up to date on industry changes are the ultimate medical billing gurus in my view.



2.  I am a physician who has absolutely no time or interest in the medical billing aspect of my practice.  I am completely reliant upon my office manager and billing staff.



Unfortunately, most physicians are in this position.  Even if they were interested in keeping up with all the changes and elements of medical billing the practical reality is that there is absolutely no time.  Let's face it; time is your most valuable asset.  It's sort of like mowing your own lawn.  You'd be way better off financially seeing patients for three hours on Saturday morning.  I believe the following information will dramatically help with your decision to outsource your billing or continue to do it yourself and with future decisions in the ever-changing business aspect of medicine.



The pros and cons of outsourcing your medical billing services.



I would like to preface this article with a couple of obvious but important points. If you have a system of controls, keep an open mind about the competence of your office manager, you've got an excellent computer system, proper information systems and your office is doing a superb job at collecting your money, then by all means do not make any changes.  Conversely if you're planning to outsource your billing make sure you hire quality firm.  I'll spend some time at the end of this article discussing this further.



Most leading experts agree that it costs about 4.5% of net collections to perform the billing function within a physician's office.  Incidentally, this is close to my actual cost as well.



Theoretically, a billing service should be able collect more money than a physician's office because it is our core competency.  The question is how much more?  This is why I focus on how to choose a billing service at the end of this article.



















The numbers

A.  Lets just do the math in a theoretical model.



We'll base our numbers on a practice whose total gross receivables are $100,000 per month.  Obviously, this is an overly simplistic model designed to quantify the aggregate cost and or opportunity cost of the medical billing component only.



Current Aggregate Billing Expenses



In-house expense



Total gross revenue                      $100,000

Current billing expense                     $4,500

(4.5%)                                       ---------------

Net Revenue                                 $95,500



Outsourced Billing Expense



Total gross revenue                    $100.000

Current billing service exp.               $7,000

(7.0% net collections)                  ---------------

Net Revenue                                $93,000





Net cost increase with outsourcing = $2,500.00



As you can see in this,” all things being equal” theoretical model your practice would incur a $2,500 decrease in net revenue with the implementation of a billing outsource strategy.  Keep in mind that this model does not address other less tangible issues such as your reduced payroll, computer expenses, ect. In reality the net cost could be substantially less than $2,500.  Many physicians will perceive this as a small price to pay while others will consider it to be cost prohibitive.



5% theoretical increase in gross revenue with outsourced billing



Total gross revenue                    $105,000 (5% increase)

Billing service expense                    $7,350

(7% net collections)                   ----------------

Net revenue                                  $97,650



$95,500 - $97,650 = $2,150.00 increase in net revenue.



As you can see from this model with a 5% increase in collections your net revenue will increase $2,150.00 with the added expense of the billing service.  Keep in mind that a 5% increase in gross collections is actually quite conservative and should easily be obtainable by quality billing service.

























Intangibles

B. A billing service should be able to provide you with a substantial reduction in your day-to-day aggravations such as practice management software issues, fewer employees, hassle of hiring competent employees, less health insurance, less training, ECT..ect.  Conversely you will however lose some control over your practice.  If the billing service does not collect more money your expenses will increase.  It's up to you to determine whether or not the increased expense is offset by decreased aggravation.

security

C. A billing service should be able to increase your security levels by creating a system of checks and balances.  As a former police officer I can assure you that crime statistics indicate most embezzlement/fraud/theft occurs from within.  During an investigation a store manager for Sears and Roebuck Co. once told me," our customers take it out piecemeal but our employees take it out in wheel barrels" This logic also applies to a doctor's office.  A billing service can provide an extra layer of protection because there is a system of independent checks and balances.  Typically billing services are fairly large businesses with strict internal controls. My organization Medi-Bill Inc. Operates internally similar to a banking institution with the way we handle funds.  It is highly unlikely that the ownership of a reputable medical billing firm would risk the consequences of committing fraud against a client.



Conversely, the issue once again boils down to control.  Many physicians are understandably quite unsettled at having their checks and correspondence mailed directly to the billing service. Further compounding this dilemma is," what will happen to the checks and correspondence after the billing service agreement is terminated?”(Again, we will discuss alternatives to this at the end of the article)



Technology

D. State-of-the-art practice management software is an extremely expensive investment. If you've already invested in a high quality computer system I do not believe outsourcing your billing would make much sense financially unless your computer vendor is charging outrageous support fees.  If you're considering purchasing a computer system or a medical record management system my favorite vendor who we've been working with for over 15 years is Office Management Solutions (OMS) based in Tampa Florida.  The owner's name is John Peake and he is by far the most honest and reputable computer vendor I have ever worked with. OMS can be reached at 813-963-5582 or www.oms-online.com.



If you need to update your system, purchase a new system or your support fees are getting out of hand this may be an opportune time to consider outsourcing your medical billing services.



Financial security

F. Many physicians, for obvious reasons do not want their office managers/staffers to have any in-depth knowledge of how much money the practice is making.  A reputable and properly run billing service can create this level of financial security.  The best case scenario is for your staffers to only see your expenses and have only a limited understanding of the revenue being generated.  This can also be accomplished internally by making and recording your own deposits.  If you're going to do your own billing I must emphasize the importance of financial security.  You must create a system of financial security. If you don't have the time to personally open your mail and make the deposits you are definitely a candidate for outsourcing.  Many banks offer a "lockbox" where you can direct your checks and correspondence. Bank lockbox services are generally quite pricey. They usually charge about .25 per copy.  You may also opt to take out your own P.O. Box located adjacent to your billing company.  This way you still maintain control of your checks and correspondence.



Collection agencies

G. Many billing services own or have affiliate relationships with collection agencies. You'll most definitely want to avoid this situation.  Make sure your billing service provides you with a monthly report containing proper information on delinquent accounts enabling your office manager to properly send the information to a collection agency of your choice. In my opinion billing services that own collection agencies or establish close affiliate relationships with them are unethical and should be avoided at all cost. Even though it is nearly impossible to find a collection agency that does not have relationships with medical billing services the point I'm trying to make is to be sure that your billing service is independent and you have the freedom to select a collection agency of your choice.  This relationship presents a scenario whereby the billing service can simply go after the easy to collect accounts and allow the more difficult but still collectible ones to slip into the hands of a collection agency who obviously charge a much higher percentage of collections.  Again, it's easy to see how a billing service can facilitate or erode your sense of control.  The most reputable collection agency I've dealt with is a company called Collection Information Bureau (CIB). I've been doing business with them for years and they have never attempted to establish an affiliate relationship with my company. CIB can be reached at 1-800-231-3514, contact sandy Lopez.



Should I outsource my billing checklist: If you answer yes to most of the following questions then you should probably consider outsourcing?





·         Is your overall collection rate declining?

·         Is your accounts receivable too high?

·         Are you experiencing an increased number of denied claims?

·         Is your overall frustration level regarding your billing/business office very high?

·         Are you facing a major capital investment in new hardware or software?

·         Are your computer support fees to high?

·         Are you having a difficult time keeping or hiring experienced billing staff?

·         Are you spending too much time on the business aspect of medicine?

·         Are you concerned that your staff or office manager has knowledge of your income?

·         Are you completely reliant upon your office manager?

·         Are you planning to expand your practice?

·         Do you believe that your practices cost structure is too high?

·         Do you have several employees performing tasks that could be handled by a single more experienced manager?

·         Is your computer system obsolete?

·         Are hardware, software, and information technology disrupting the operation of your practice?



How do I select a billing service?

   1. The service should fit or complement the size of your actual practice. Try to get a basic idea of the size of the firm.  A solo practice will most likely have greater success with a small to medium-sized billing firm.  Obviously, a solo family practitioner would probably not be very well served by a publicly traded firm.
   2. Avoid long-term binding contracts. You should be free to terminate your agreement any time within 30 days written notice.  The agreement should clearly specify what each side will do for the other.  Make sure the agreement assures that upon termination you'll receive a highly detailed account receivable report [listed by individual patient] .
   3. Ask for references and call the other providers!
   4. Inquire/investigate the actual owner of the company.  Ask to speak with the owner directly.
   5. Avoid firms who offer too many different types of service.  Medical billing is a very highly specialized field.  Companies who offer, collection agency services, payroll, financial consulting, tax consulting, malpractice insurance, marketing services etc. etc. are not in my view focused enough on what they're there to do.  Collect your money!
   6. Ask other physicians. Keep open mind about this one because physicians who are happy with their billing company do not necessarily want them to grow and generally like to keep a low profile on this issue.
   7. Is the billing service for sale?  Try to ascertain whether or not the firm has recently been sold.  In your contract/agreement you should request to be notified within 30 days of the pending sale.  In my experience billing services are constantly being bought and sold.  Sometimes the acquisition is a positive thing but quite often the merger/acquisition can be very detrimental.  You should at least be notified and given ample time to make a proper decision on whether you'll stay with the new firm or select another.
   8. Where will your checks and correspondence be mailed? This delicate and important issue need not be as complicated as it appears.  Many physicians for obvious reasons are reluctant to allow checks and correspondence to be forwarded directly to their billing service.  Some reputable, high-quality billing services will not even provide services to clients who insist upon having the checks and correspondence mailed to them directly.  I'd like to spend a few moments on this important issue and explain the ramifications of exactly where your checks and correspondence will be mailed.  Maintaining the integrity of your accounts receivable is crucial!  If your office routinely fails to properly mail copies of checks and correspondence to your billing company your practice could be in grave danger of losing control of the accounts receivable.  If your account receivable is to maintain any semblance of financial integrity it is crucial that billing service employees do not spend valuable time and effort following up on claims that have already paid and not properly forwarded to them.  Understandably, your service may even look upon this as an intentional effort to reduce their commissions. Again, bank lock boxes provide a sound alternative to this dilemma.  Some practices solve this problem by directing all checks and correspondence to a P.O. Box keeping EOB’s separate from other corporate mail.  The checks and correspondence are mailed to the billing service,” unopened” biweekly.  This is an excellent compromise and creates a system of control.  There are many other possible options but the important point to remember is that ONE entity must be completely responsible for the validity and integrity of your EOB’s.
   9. Make sure all checks and correspondence are issued under your tax identification number and made payable to you!  Make sure your contract/agreement specifies that the billing service will not countersign or attempt to countersign your checks and correspondence.
  10.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this article please do not hesitate to contact me at david@usemedibill.com.



This article was written by David Duncan, president and founder of Medi-Bill Inc.

www.usemedibill.com

Outsourcing - Why You Should Consider It

When businesses talk about outsourcing or contracting out, they mean the delegation of jobs or operations that are important to the business to an external third party that specialize in that particular job or activity.

This is often beneficial to businesses, both for the financial advantages it has and because the expertise of the third party may improve the quality of the overall operation. Find more info at http://www.outsource-today.info

The third party involved will generally control the management and daily organization of the task assigned to them. This is what differentiates outsourcing from simply purchasing the services or goods of an outside company.

Business sectors where this practice is common include IT, human resources, real estate and accountancy.

The benefits of outsourcing were first appreciated by a number of smaller, high tech companies that emerged in the nineteen nineties, who began contracting jobs out to specialist firms because the small size of their businesses meant they could not afford in house HR and customer service departments. The highly technical nature of the products also meant that these companies had to purchase the particular specialist skills that were needed.

However, the outsourcing of call center operations has been the subject of much criticism - as the call center staff could not tell customers they were not employed by the original company, yet they were often poorly trained and did not have the technical skill to handle all complaints.

Present day practice commonly involves data analysis services, since the Internet and growth in the use of computers have meant an increase in the amount of data that companies create - and the skilled task of extracting actual information from the data is easily delegated.

Outsourcing is often used in conjunction with the related term off-shoring. This refers to the outsourcing of services to companies overseas, particularly to countries where there are lower labor costs, which increases the profitability of this option.

Off-shoring is often condemned, as it is seen to take jobs away from workers in the home country and causes shortages of skilled labor in the host country.

Outsourcing IT - Is it the best option for your organization?

Is there really a need to outsource your organization's IT workings? Won't it be better if the organization can have a direct internal control over the IT operations, instead of relying on a 3rd party to help you decide what is best for your company?

Well, the decision to outsource often just falls back on the few crucial considerations, as stated below:

(1) Do you have the internal resources to run existing mission-critical systems efficiently?
(2) Are you prepared to consider high degrees of organizational and cultural change, in the face of managing your IT operations?
(3) Do you consistently need to create new business and technical interfaces for your day-to-day operations? If yes, is it really more cost-efficient to deploy internal staff to execute these tasks?
(4) Based on needs and budget, to what extent will the organization's IT functions be outsourced?

Simply divesting your company of a function that cannot be effectively managed internally is not a sufficient reason to outsource. Before the final decision to outsource is made, the CIO (Chief Information Officer) and his IT management team have to identify and pinpoint internal management failings. Through identifying the failings, they can address them to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the selection, transition, and management of an outsourcing relationship.

The initial decision to outsource and the final selection of a suitable IT services company form integral parts of an organization's sourcing life cycle. The decision to outsource all / parts of the organization's IT functions is one of the most difficult decisions that a CIO and his team has to make. The simple reason being this decision will bring about significant business risks in the form of transferring day-to-day responsibilities of running mission-critical systems to a 3rd party. In addition, there may be considerable operational impact on staff that comes in the form of adjustments in working styles.

The objectives of outsourcing generally comprise of the following:

- Cost control / savings
- Concentration on core activities
- Access to new skills and technologies
- Overcoming internal organizational inertia to effect change

Objectives have to be clearly identified by the CIO and he will also have to take on the responsibility to communicate these objectives to all respective stakeholders from the outset of the process.

A outsourcing relationship that starts without clearly-defined objectives frequently fail, or may require significant remedial efforts to reset expectations and amend the services agenda. This will have the negative effects of wasting resources and affecting the bottom-line of an organization. Thus it is crucial that internal needs / failings are fully assessed and evaluated before the final decision is made.

Lastly, upon outlining the objectives, the CIO and his team will have to define, communicate and agree on the areas that will be outsourced. Areas of consideration will include deliverables, measurement and acceptance criteria.

CIOs are often encouraged to view outsourcing as part of an entire process that ranges from sourcing strategy formulation to monitoring, measuring, evaluating, and re-sourcing where and if appropriate. But like any partnerships, outsourcing can sometimes have the reverse effect of bringing about traumatic experiences, which can prove to be costly to the organization. So before you engage a 3rd party IT services firm, seriously consider all the impending factors as outsourcing is a long-term engagement and should not be taken lightly as a temporary relief of internal management failings for the organization.

Outsourcing Projects In Today's Global Economy

One of the hot political topics facing the United States political establishment today is the tendency of businesses to practice the philosophy of outsourcing projects. Many people have an opinion that nothing should be outsourced, but the ability that companies have to outsource projects keeps domestic costs down.

Skilled labor in the United States is expensive. In addition to health insurance, employers need to set up office space and pay into retirement plans. Outsourcing projects and creating a network of freelancers is a great way to reduce the overhead costs of running a business.

The Internet has become the most powerful marketing tool on the planet. Take a step back and put it into perspective. At any given moment, hundreds of millions of people are linked to the Internet. The possibilities for reaching large groups of people are greater now than at any other time in history. Plus, Internet connection speeds are so rapid now that the flow of information is nearly instantaneous. When the term ‘Information Super-Highway’ was coined – broadband was in its infancy. Today it seems like the world is connected and this reinforces the need for virtual marketplaces.

If you conduct some research on the web, you can find that there are a variety of websites dedicated to outsourcing projects. One such website is guru.com. This well-designed website is a virtual marketplace accessible from anywhere in the world. In addition to the snappy design, guru.com has over a dozen categories of freelance projects for freelancers and employers to find and post projects in respectively.

If you log onto elance.com, you can also find a virtual market where outsourcing projects has become en vogue. The professionals on elance are top-notch and cover many different areas: writing, logo and graphic design, software, and website design, to name a few.

Another entry into the growing coliseum of virtual employment is rentacoder.com. This website specializes in software and computer professionals. Not only are there a great deal of competent computer professionals in the United States – they are all over the world. India, for instance has been receiving jobs that companies in the U.S. have been outsourcing.

There is no way to stop outsourcing projects. It is just the way business is headed. If you found one store with an item at a great discount, wouldn’t you go check it out?

Outsourcing Transcription To Save Costs

Looking for ways to cut costs has become a way of life in most medical offices and institutions. One very efficient way to reduce expenditures has been found to be the outsourcing of medical transcription services.

In the past medical and business transcription was performed by in house based employees. This means that the institution not only had to pay salaries, health care benefits, vacation and sick pay for their employees, they also had the expense of the physical space and equipment needs. Hospitals and other institutions have found that outsourcing of their transcription needs eliminates some of these internal management responsibilities and costs.

Most institutions pay on an average 28 to 36 percent more for their in house transcription then they would pay for the same if it was outsourced. Studies done in the past have found that a production based transcriptionist working in her or his home has a cost of nearly 37 percent less per character than an in house transcriptionist.

Another consideration of outsourcing transcription is accuracy of work and turn around time. Even with on site transcriptionists many hospitals have physician complaints regarding the quality and accuracy of the transcription and the turn around time of their dictations. Turn around time is directly related to the productivity of the worker. It was found that on site transcriptionists have many more disruptions and a much lower production rate when compared to outsourced transcriptionists. The on site transcription production rate is around 39 percent less than production based and home based transcription production rates.

At the completion of a nearly two year study it was found that hospitals and other institutions could save as much as 33 - 38 percent a year utilizing outsourced transcriptions services.

Explore your outsourcing options. You may find that you get much more for your money.

Outsourcing Work – An Effective Approach to Business Profit and Growth

Outsourcing is the wave of the future,” this is how a resource in the Internet tells about outsourcing. Initially, outsourcing started for data-processing industry, but the profitable outcome the process can provide is immediately realized by many business entrepreneurs of different sectors. They tried it, find it lucrative and this is how the process got unprecedented popularity.
The major reason of outsourcing is cost saving, but the numerous other factors associated with the process are quality of the product, professional touch, use of company resources to other development projects and time saving.

Let me discuss each factor in brief:

Cost Saving: Outsourcing and cost saving is directly related to each other, because getting work done by yourself definitely require qualified professionals, a good infrastructure equipped with necessary tools and techniques and good management to monitor them. It obviously involves the investment of huge amount. But you can cut the cost and get quality products by outsourcing your work to some offshore companies who are already in such profession.

Quality of the Product: Offshore companies do possess expert professionals who can instantly understand your business need, and give professional touch to their work. But you can not ensure quality of the product by giving training and getting work done by novice professionals.

Time Saving: By outsourcing your projects, you can save time required for training to professionals, infrastructure development and maintenance and shorten the possible final delivery time of the projects.

<B>Use of Resources to Other Development Units</B>: You can use available resources to other profitable units by outsourcing part of your business. This render more business growth.

Apparently there are countable number of countries known for work outsourcing, among them India is the more preferred destination. Apart from business process outsourcing, popularity is gaining these days of Information Technology outsourcing to India. Internet experts have revealed that India exports software to more than 95 countries worldwide.

In order to gain better return on investment, outsourcing IT projects to India is definitely a better option, since there are quality IT infrastructure and qualified professionals having strong expertise, innovative ideas with capability of turning your business vision into reality.

In addition, India IT outsourcing development companies offer cost effective software solution without compromising in quality and stipulated time frame of the deliverables.

Professionals in India IT outsourcing companies are highly knowledgeable and many of them are linguistic experts. These professionals can act a perfect bridge between client having language barrier and the development source, thereby letting client breath easy as his work is done as he desires.

Apart from number of benefits, some risk factors like data or identity thefts are associated with outsourcing business or IT works anywhere. But there is nothing to worry about if you approach well recommended outsourcing companies in India.

At the end, I can say that your success lies in selecting right companies who can make your business endeavor a success. Neither you can deny the power of the Internet nor can you disown the process of outsourcing. Outsourcing process is likely to flourish more in near future.

Many people have benefited from the process, hence you can. Have a positive mindset; look for the reputation of the company you are going to approach. If you are satisfied, then go for the outsourcing process right away and get benefited beyond the measure.

Outsourcing Your Packaging Is A Strategic Option

In a recent article in "Investors Business Daily", it was revealed that outsourcing has become more than just an easy way to cut costs. It has become a strategic tool that gives businesses flexibility and access to skilled personnel.

Since the advent of the Internet, and the rush to get online, companies have turned to outside professionals for services and solutions. Hiring a full-time IT technician is costly and not an efficient use of resources. Outsourcing allows companies to focus on their core businesses while gaining access to skilled labor when they need it.

* Outsourcing is a way to boost revenue
* Outsourcing is a way to cut costs
* Outsourcing eases labor shortages
* Outsourcing cuts payroll costs
* Outsourcing allows companies to focus on core competencies
* Outsourcing reduces or eliminates some capital expenditures

Outsourcing also allows businesses to change their corporate culture. If companies have renegade groups that are costly, ineffective, or difficult to manage, that group can be outsourced. This enables employers to change their workplace environment on-the-fly.

Still, most companies outsource projects in order to reduce costs and to gain outside expertise. A survey by "The Conference Board" indicated the following "Top-10" outsourcing objectives (numbers are approximate):

* Reduce Costs (40%)
* Access to Expertise (38%)
* Improve Internal Service (37%)
* Focus on Core Business (34%)
* Maximize Resources (27%)
* Internal Flexibility (25%)
* Improve External Service (24%)
* Changing Customer Needs (20%)
* World Class Standards (15%)
* Continuous Improvement (15%)

When deciding to outsource your packaging, the real litmus test is whether outsourcing adds value. Does it really reduce costs? Is the investment in in-house training and machinery too great? Does outsourcing a service give you access to people with greater skill sets or companies with more resources available to them?

Bottom line: outsourcing your packaging service needs is about more than just saving money. It is a strategic option for savvy businesses and entrepreneurs.

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Outsourcing Your Packaging Is A Strategic Option

In a recent article in "Investors Business Daily", it was revealed that outsourcing has become more than just an easy way to cut costs. It has become a strategic tool that gives businesses flexibility and access to skilled personnel.

Since the advent of the Internet, and the rush to get online, companies have turned to outside professionals for services and solutions. Hiring a full-time IT technician is costly and not an efficient use of resources. Outsourcing allows companies to focus on their core businesses while gaining access to skilled labor when they need it.

* Outsourcing is a way to boost revenue
* Outsourcing is a way to cut costs
* Outsourcing eases labor shortages
* Outsourcing cuts payroll costs
* Outsourcing allows companies to focus on core competencies
* Outsourcing reduces or eliminates some capital expenditures

Outsourcing also allows businesses to change their corporate culture. If companies have renegade groups that are costly, ineffective, or difficult to manage, that group can be outsourced. This enables employers to change their workplace environment on-the-fly.

Still, most companies outsource projects in order to reduce costs and to gain outside expertise. A survey by "The Conference Board" indicated the following "Top-10" outsourcing objectives (numbers are approximate):

* Reduce Costs (40%)
* Access to Expertise (38%)
* Improve Internal Service (37%)
* Focus on Core Business (34%)
* Maximize Resources (27%)
* Internal Flexibility (25%)
* Improve External Service (24%)
* Changing Customer Needs (20%)
* World Class Standards (15%)
* Continuous Improvement (15%)

When deciding to outsource your packaging, the real litmus test is whether outsourcing adds value. Does it really reduce costs? Is the investment in in-house training and machinery too great? Does outsourcing a service give you access to people with greater skill sets or companies with more resources available to them?

Bottom line: outsourcing your packaging service needs is about more than just saving money. It is a strategic option for savvy businesses and entrepreneurs.

Overcoming Defensiveness in Employee Performance Evaluation Discussions

There sits Sally on the other side of the desk during her performance evaluation. She’s scowling. Her arms are folded tightly across her chest. Her lower lip is turned out in a way that communicates both rejection and contempt. She’s flipped the performance evaluation she just read upside down on your desk as though it were some loathsome bug. She slowly shakes her head back and forth in a model of negativity. Looking you straight in the eye, she says, “Do you call this a performance evaluation?”

George is exactly the opposite. His employee performance evaluation, like the one you wrote about Sally, also told the truth about the fact that the quality of his work in the past twelve months wasn’t all that you expected and that immediate improvement is required. But George isn’t arguing; he isn’t negative in the slightest. In fact, he’s bafflingly positive about the negative review. He says that he agrees with everything you’ve said and tells you that you don’t have to give him any details or examples. You’re right, he says. He understands. He’s so contrite and remorseful, you almost feel apologetic about having written such a negative — but honest — evaluation. He promises to turn over a new leaf immediately and asks if there’s anything else you need as he gets up and starts walking out the door.

These are two entirely different responses to a negative employee performance evaluation. But both reactions can be described with the same word — defensive.

Defensive reactions come in two forms: fight or flight. Fight responses — what Sally displayed — show up as angry rejections of what the appraiser has said or written. The individual may deny the accuracy of the appraiser’s information or blame others for problems and shortcomings. Non-verbal indicators of fight reactions are usually clear: the person may pound the desk or point his finger. She may raise her voice or fold her arms defiantly across her chest. He may glare and refuse to engage in a normal business-like conversation.

Flight reactions — what you saw in George — are entirely different. Here the individual’s voice becomes quieter, not louder. He looks away, turns away. He speaks softly and agrees easily in order to change the subject. While the individual displaying a fight reaction may discount having any responsibility for the problems identified, the individual manifesting a flight reaction may take far more responsibility for a problem than the truth of the matter actually warrants.

Fight and flight reactions are hard-wired, genetically-based, normal human defense mechanisms for dealing with threatening situations. If your stone-age ancestor stumbled upon a testy mastodon, his alternatives were flight, fight, or get trampled. Defensive reactions served a survival purpose but they are out of place in the contemporary office. Here’s how to deal with them.

Fight reactions during an employee performance evaluation are best handled by allowing the individual time to vent. Encouraging the full expression of opinion is actually a wise approach, since many of these storms will blow themselves out if they’re allowed to.

Active listening is critical in dealing with fight reactions. Ask the individual for examples. Listen to what she has to say.

Here’s a key point: In dealing with a fight reaction, your behavior should be the opposite of the individual’s. As her emotional temperature gets hotter, yours should get cooler. As the employee starts to speak more rapidly, you should allow more pauses in what you say. If the individual’s volume increases, you should lower your voice.

Flight reactions are more subtle. The individual seeks metaphorically to flee the threatening situation. The easiest way is simply to agree with whatever is being said, change the subject, and move on. The challenge to appraisers in an employee performance evaluation when flight reactions arise is to continue to focus on the performance deficiency until there is complete understanding.

Too often, though, the appraiser feels just as awkward and nervous about confronting George with the fact that his performance was less than acceptable as George is in getting the bad news. The result is that the appraiser doesn’t drill down to the hard realities and allows the immediate defensive acceptance to bring the discussion to a premature end.

For example, as soon as he’s presented with the truthful evaluation, George says, “Yes. You’re right. I really did do a bad job this year. And I appreciate your bringing it to my attention. And you can count on me to do better in the future. I promise, I really will.”

We tend to be so relieved about not having to go through an unpleasant confrontation that we may accept George’s hastily offered, doubtfully sincere assurances and move on. But if we accept his statement as presented, it’s unlikely that there will be any real understanding or genuine commitment to change. That’s why during the employee performance evaluation the effective manager says something like, “Thanks, George. I’m glad we both look at it the same way. But let’s actually go through analyzing what happened this year. If we do that, then you can make some plans that will really make a difference in the upcoming twelve months.”

Fight and flight reactions aren’t the most common reactions to employee performance evaluations. Since most people perform well, accept honest feedback, and possess a high degree of maturity, the likely response to a performance appraisal is understanding and acceptance — even to those parts that aren’t totally flattering. If we realize that defensive reactions are part of the essential human condition, and have the patience to continue a business-like discussion of the performance evaluation in spite of any initial defensive reactions, we’re likely to break through the defensiveness and end up with a productive conversation.

Package Forwarding Services

The United States of America has a prominent place in the global market because of its new, unique and innovative products. Thanks to computerization and Internet, people throughout the world have easy access to different products and services that are launched in the US market. Many shopping portals are cashing upon this craze for American products by selling those online. But the actual problem lies in the delivery of products.

                             Most of the US retailers don’t show any interest for cross-border shipping and those who are ready to do so create a financial burden that is beyond your imagination. There is also severe doubt regarding the safe and fast delivery of package as it takes a long period to reach you and it is better not to speak about the condition of the package. As a result, you might have to repent on the decision of purchasing from America. Of late, many companies like oneUSAaddress.com have come to the rescue of these customers by offering effective solutions to their problems.

                             The first thing a customer comes across is the website of the company. The oneUSAaddress.com is well designed and contains all the related information for the first time users. The Company provides a USA address to its clients. To get a USA address, you need to register with the company. The registration process is completed in six easy steps. You will have the option of choosing from different rate plans like Free Plan and Advanced Plan which is further categorized as Basic, Plus and Premium Plan. The website has secured Internet payment gateways through which you can make payments by credit cards, Paypal and Money bookers account.

                           
                             A USA address is a real American street address and not a post box number. The USA retailers will accept it as your valid shipping destination. The Company receives the products on your behalf. You can always access and control your packages through secure, 24 hour online service. The company also displays a detail 640 by 480 pixels image of your package. Apart from that, the client can know about the sender, package size, package description, package condition and other additional comments and details. Its online representatives are always there to redress your grievances.
                             On receipt of your merchandise, its staff will open the package and verify the products to make sure that the products conform to the specifications given by the client. The client can review, choose, consolidate, reject or accept the package instantly.

             The Package Forwarding Services ensures safe repacking of the products. The consignment arrives at your location in 4 to 7 working days. The shipping cost is always lees than regular shipping charges. So the company facilitates smooth delivery of the merchandise and wipes out all your past bad experiences about package delivery. So your all shopping solutions are just few mouse clicks away.

Pallets - Cut Your Pallet Costs

Can you save money by switching from new timber pallets to some other type? How many new pallets do you purchase each year? How many times is each one used? Is there a more environmentally friendly alternative?

Plastic and wooden pallets for storing and moving produce save businesses time, expense and energy. A wide range of durable pallets has become more readily available as local pallet producing companies expand their services to the Internet.

Therefore you are likely to have a choice between new, reconditioned or recycled pallets, timber or plastic construction. Common sizes for pallets are between 20 times 28 inches up to 48 times 72 inches (800mm times 1200mm and 1000mm times 1200mm.)

Other desirable features include stackable pallets, pallets made with hygienic materials that are practical for use with food products, UL fire safety rated pallets, lidded or belted pallets and high strength reinforced pallets.

If your business works with food or agricultural produce in the United States, it is important to make sure the pallets are compliant with the Food and Drug Administration and The United States Dairy Associations standard of pallet safety. Pallets should also be lightweight and easy to lift and handle to limit the possibility of injury to your employees.

With more and more industries and customers becoming concerned with the environmental impact a business has, re-using and re-cycling pallets is an increasingly commonplace and cost effective alternative to buying new.

Environmentalists are particularly concerned with the use of wooden pallets, as the amount of softwood employed by industry in some countries is not sustainable, and much of it goes into the manufacture of wooden pallets.

However, since many businesses find themselves with excess pallets (wooden and plastic) depending on the season or market fluctuations, it is very simple to buy pallets used or to sell your own used pallets.

Some companies will buy used pallets for up to four dollars each, depending on how many there are and the condition the pallets are in - and additionally of course whether there is such a company convenient to the location of your business. Alternatively, buy long-life pallets that will not need replacing as often.

There are said to be two billion pallets in circulation worldwideso re-using good quality pallets makes a lot of sense.

Pass Them The Crown To Build The Empire

Stop for a moment…. and imagine how you would feel as an employee under this situation:

You have been working for ACME for ten years now. You do the same thing everyday. You’re tied at the desk pounding a decrepit keyboard; half the keys don’t work. When you’re not nursing carpal tunnel syndrome, you’re sipping stale coffee at the greasy counter. Worse, you don’t really know anyone that you work with. Socializing involves a casual hello… with the doorman’s Doberman.

One day you receive a memo stating that the dress code had been changed. Everyone must wear long pants with closed shoes. There is no explanation, and since you usually wear a sexy skirt with strappy sandals, you assume that it had something to do with you.

Would this sit well with you? Would it have been better that you and your colleagues were consulted first?

Now think about this scenario.

You’ve conducted time-motion studies at the factory for about eight months now. Since day one you toyed with ideas to optimize work-flow efficiency. A simple modification will cut costs 30% and increase output 20%. A brilliant idea worthy of an 80% raise!

You finally befriend the manager and broach your great idea. He points at the suggestion box. He adds that the supervisor browses suggestions once a week. So you whip up a nicely structured essay and plunk it into the box. Three months later, no one acts upon your ideas. No one has raised the issue. You retreat to your cubicle and sulk at the dancing-baby screen saver.

What’s the problem?

Employees naturally expect that managers consider personal feedback as decisions are made involving work environment.  After all, they are the frontliners and have a better feel of the immediate situation.

In order to motivate employees and supercharge performance, companies can implement “participative-style management” :

1. Never reprimand someone for their input- no matter how misguided. Look into the positive intention behind the suggestions. You will build confidence and motivation by acknowledging opinions. 3M is world renowned for paying cash prizes for crazy ideas. The idea for the Post-It came from rank and file. It catapulted the company to the Fortune 500.

2. Never rush employees to come up with flawless decisions. Provide them with appropriate tools and resources. Empower them to delegate responsibilities so they can focus on action planning.

3. Respect decisions once they have been made. Once you’ve authorized a committee to reach decisions, let the decision stand. Exercising veto powers to flex the ego will destroy motivation. Override staff decisions only if doing so will cause irreparable damage.

4. Impose clear standards of expectation. Inform empowered committees the core issues and what is desired.

5. Reward group members who strive to make informed decisions based on all available information. They will rise as future managers who will nurture organizational growth.

Occasionally, employees feel that too much involvement can spell disaster. Their mindset is that managers should decide, and employees simply follow. Some complain that taking on ad-hoc managerial roles breaches the scope of their job description!

Enlighten the employee. Remember that the objective is to make the employee feel that his opinion is valuable AND have him relish the pleasure of executing his ideas. Ultimately he gains confidence as he discovers how capable he is of making his own decisions.  Your firm ultimately benefits as new talent is cultivated for the future pool of managers.

Paying Workers – What Can You Write-Off?

As your business grows, you are going to need help. This help comes in the form of employees and independent contractors. What you can write-off is dependent upon how your helper is classified – as an employee or independent contractor.

Independent Contractor

Whenever possible, you want to use independent contractors to assist you. Payments to independent contractors are completely deductible. You simply claim the deduction on your return. If you pay them more than $600 during the tax year, you also must issue a 1099-MISC in January of the following year. Importantly, you do not have to pay employment taxes or make withholding on the compensation.

Unfortunately, the IRS doesn’t allow you to randomly classify a worker as an independent contractor. The key to the determination is whether you “control” the actions of the worker. Generally, you must be able to show the IRS that the worker is an independent contractor because they have the ability to control the details and means by which the work is accomplished. To this end, it is helpful to show the worker sets their own ours, has a work place and risks not getting paid if the work is below standard.

Employee

If your worker is classified as an employee, the tax burden increases. Under federal law, you are responsible for paying employment taxes related to the worker, even if there is only one.

Initially, you must withhold FICA, Social Security and income taxes from employee paychecks. As an employer, you must also contribute FUTA payments on your own, to wit, they are not deducted from the employees pay.

FICA stands for the Federal Insurance Contribution Act. This Act created a system to collect and provide benefits for workers who retire, are injured or become disabled. FICA is better known as Medicare.

FUTA stands for the Federal Unemployment Tax Act. This Act created a system to provide unemployed workers with temporary benefits until they obtain a new job. The system works in tandem with state unemployment acts. Most consider it a disaster, but you still have to pay.

In Closing

As you can see, it is cheaper to use independent contractors versus employees. The tax burden is significantly less, but make sure the IRS doesn’t reclassify them as employees.

Payroll management service for your online business

First of all, I would like to give you brief introduction about Payroll management system. It is especially for big and average companies. Board of directors, management executives and managing directors know very well that if they want to success their business then it must be well managed. Handle to big venture through man power is very difficult. Businesses can be thankful who handle the payroll management.

Generally business owners are spending their time to manage peoples, employee salary management, client management etc. Sometimes business owner can be mistake to give proper salary and employee come back to owner for this solution at that time payroll management system can help to decrease this kind of issues. It will help to business owner to focusing another area like get more clients, effective works etc.

You can easily trust on Payroll system because it is very accurate and also help to decrease time for small business owners. Payroll accounting system is one of the most effective area where could be benefits from outsourcing and doing job perfectly.

There are many features available in Payroll MYOB software such like at advance leave management and leave enhancement details, up to date employee timesheet, automatic credit their salary to direct bank, reminder setup and many more feature available through. If you are taking more time to spend for looking after the payroll than you'd like to Payroll management software. MYOB Payroll is the complete payroll software solution to growing business. You can handle up to 20 employees using MYOB Payroll because it allows to creating payroll data file which can pay. It’s only for small company. Windows payroll system program is fully features that are suitable for any size of business setup.

We at Office buy Ltd. are selling <a href="http://www.officebuy.co.nz/Index.aspx">MYOB payroll management software</a>, business application software, retail management enterprise, business supporting software in Auckland, New Zealand.

Planning a Team Building Day of Fun

Planning a team building day of fun is a great way to revitalize your group’s energy and enthusiasm, as well as improve communication and problem solving skills. There are many ideas for fun ways to increase your team’s cohesiveness and establish better working relationships.

Team building activities span the breadth of the imagination, from cooking to sports, wilderness survival type adventures, music and dance, and a wide variety of other games and group exercises. For the best results, try to choose something in a subject area that is likely to be enjoyed by everyone in your group. However, if picking a common interest is too much of a challenge, most team building activities can be adapted to suit your needs, and are designed to provide lighthearted entertainment, rather than overly daunting challenges.

Find an activity that will require everyone’s participation and interaction, but without putting too much pressure on individual performance. The idea is to foster cooperative teamwork, not competition, and each person’s contribution needs to be recognized as a valuable part of the combined effort.

There are a number of reasons to consider bringing in an expert from outside your organization to lead these team building activities. It will put everyone on equal ground, and the consultant you choose should be experienced at putting people at ease, a necessity if the day is to be a success. They should also be able to help maintain a focus on the ultimate objective of the day, which is to both have fun and improve your ability to function as a team.

A fun day of team building can serve many purposes, including:
- an icebreaker for a new team, to quickly establish comfortable and effective work relationships
- a break from boredom and routine for a group that could use some new energy
- a non-threatening way to address interpersonal conflicts or other barriers to productivity
- a treat for a job well done
- a way to facilitate a smooth transition during a time of restructuring
- preparation for a big project that will require enhanced teamwork
- creating a more cohesive team out of talented people who just are not functioning effectively as a group

If any of the above applies to your team, don’t hesitate to investigate your options to kick start productivity and renew enthusiasm in your workplace. Team building is a worthy investment in your organization’s present and future, and can help overcome difficulties of the past. Many great services and products are available to help you and your group get back on track and has fun at the same time. Take the initiative to improve workplace morale and productivity, the results will speak for themselves.

Planning a Team Building Weekend

One of the underlying concepts of a team building activity is that it is designed to foster at team spirit among the participants, and help them focus on what they need to do in day to day work in order to function effectively as a team. So you’ve just taken your team out on a wild weekend of river rafting and wall climbing, and everyone’s returned to work energized and ready to tackle the latest project. How do you know if your team building event actually served its purpose?

One important part of a team building weekend that is often overlooked is the evaluation process. It’s not enough to plan a fun weekend and hope that throwing your project team into the mix will bond them into a working team. A successful corporate team building event must take into account the goals and needs of the individual company and department in order to bring the group together. Before choosing a team building idea, your event planning team (and of course you’re using a team to plan the event, aren’t you?) should carefully evaluate each idea to see how it fits in with the company’s goals.

How do you ensure that your team building event will actually do its job? Here are some tips to help you plan a corporate team building activity that will help your team pull together.

- Have a clear purpose for the team building activity.
Sit down with the project team leaders and brainstorm. Ask them to define areas that need work and skills that need polishing. Once you have a clear idea of what needs to be accomplished, you can choose events that fit the bill.
- Balance work time with fun team building events.
Skip the overworked touchy-feely trust building events and choose events that are fun for all. Choose activities where working as a team pays off – perhaps a scavenger hunt or a spy mission. There are dozens of team building activities that will challenge your group to become a team without boring them to tears.
- Make time to network.
Building teams starts with building relationships. Make sure that you don’t pack so much activity into your team building time that your group has no time to kick back and relax. Schedule in some unstructured time when they can get to know each other outside work time.
- Put together a follow-up action plan.
Don’t let the team spirit die when the team building weekend is over. Make an action plan that will be followed to put all the great ideas and plans into effect once you return to work.

Planning Your Standby Power For Business Continuity

The type of business you have, will govern the type and level of protection necessary to preserve not only the smooth running, but also the reputation and profitability of your company.

A Power Continuity Plan will reflect the nature of your business. For those companies where a power loss is no more than an inconvenience, it is common practice to install an uninterruptible power supply with a runtime sufficient to allow an orderly backup and shutdown of computers and servers.

For other companies, such as Data Centers and financial services organizations, where any downtime impacts severely on company reputation and profits, any loss of power will have severe implications.

As a starting point, you'll probably find it beneficial to evaluate the risks that your business could face should different systems fail through either electrical instability affecting the power supply or a total loss of power.

Classifying your equipment

Looked at from a business need perspective, it becomes clear that different systems require different levels of power protection. This will allow you to categories each piece of equipment according to the power protection that it requires.

Critical systems are those that cannot be allowed to fail. They must be kept operational for as long as possible, if not indefinitely.  If the equipment was not designed to withstand power breaks of more than 4 or 5 milliseconds, it will certainly require an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). The UPS will condition incoming power and protect against relatively short periods of power loss. Extended periods will be covered by stored energy (typically additional UPS batteries) or locally generated energy (a diesel generator or fuel cell).  'Critical' systems require both UPS and generator Standby Power

"Sensitive" systems comprise electronic equipment which require a "clean" shutdown and cannot withstand power fluctuations or the delay in starting up a generator.  They require a UPS to provide power to the equipment whist it shuts-down cleanly and, if required, completes a backup. 'Sensitive' systems require UPS Standby Power

"Essential" systems are those that must be supplied with power in the event of a power failure, but can withstand a short power interruption. This can be, depending on the type and size of the generator, a delay of between 15 to 30 seconds before the generator starts to support the electrical systems. There are other alternative sources of power, but a diesel generator is the most common. 'Essential' systems require generator Standby Power

"Other" electrical loads are those that can be allowed to fail and, in doing so, will not compromise critical systems, the health and safety of staff or customers, and will not damage the equipment in any way.  'Other' systems may not require any Standby

For further information on your IT system's  power requirements then it is worth visiting www.upssystems.uk.com which explains power requirements in more detail.

Polos and Work Shirts: The Pick of the Litter for Business Uniforms

It's always exciting to start a new job at a reputable company, but if the required uniforms are uncomfortably stuffy, the anticipation of clocking in may decline a few notches. Polos and work shirts are definitely the preference when it comes to uniform gear.

One of the benefits of dispensing Polos and work shirts to employees is the easy upkeep. There's nothing worse than the look on a supervisor or manager's face when an employee shows up in a wrinkled garment. While it is possible to wrinkle Polos, it would take a lot of effort, such as scrunching the shirt into a ball, running over it with a steam roller and then attaching it to a flag pole to flutter in the wind! As long as the worker washes, dries and hangs up the Polo or work shirt in a normal and proper way, they should be able to walk into work wrinkle-free. Really, the only concern at hand for management is making sure the Polo work shirt is tucked into the dress pants or jeans and not stylishly (and sloppily) hanging loosely over the waist line.

Employees prefer polos as work shirts because they simply are more fun and comfortable. These duds are less confining and resemble the casual attire many people would likely wear during their everyday lives rather than a button-down, stiff dress shirt.

Solid color Polo work shirts also add a bit of excitement to the atmosphere of a retail store or restaurant for business patrons. They project a lively and playful environment which sends a message of light-heartedness and sincerity. Additionally, providing employees with matching Polos and work shirts will send a message to customers that help can be attained by simply tracking down an eye-catching red work shirt, for example.

For a retail business, such as an electronics store, it is probably best to keep the Polo work shirt direct and modest as to express the utmost professionalism and business-like atmosphere. Name tags would be a nice addition to add a personable touch to the customer-salesman relationship. Instead of blue jeans, require employees to present themselves in a more salesman-type way, accompanying the Polo work shirt with dress slacks or kaki pants and comfortable, yet clean and tidy, shoes.

However, in a restaurant scene, the more fun the ambience the better. Encourage employees to not only display name tags, but also sport entertaining (but tasteful) pins or broaches and colorful animated buttons. This adds a memorable experience to the paying customer. Because most restaurant workers are required by the health department to secure long hair, providing employees with solid color baseball caps that coordinate with their Polos or work shirts will add to finesse of the uniform. Not only will instituting Polo work shirts into uniform requirements for your business add a controlled and professional appearance to your sales floor, but it was also instill a high-spirited and lively attitude in your employees, as they will feel more comfortable and less confined in their work uniform.

Poor Performance Reward And Recognition

The most effective tool in a manager's toolkit for dealing with poor performance is coaching. Not screaming at them from the stands and withholding rewards but working with them down on the pitch to find out what's causing the problem and building their fitness and stamina like the corporate athletes they should be.

The study of how we interact with one another in society is called Transactional Analysis. This research has broken down the complexities of the hundreds of interactions that we have every day into a simple model.

In principle there are three modes we can adopt in any transaction that we participate in with another human being. We can choose to be Adult which is a non-judgmental, constructive approach. We can choose to play the role of a Critical Parent which involves being highly scathing and negative or we can choose to take the role of child. There are a few variations on the child role but the simplest is the submissive, fearful role a bit like catching a rabbit in your headlights.

It goes without saying that the most progress in any transaction is going to made if both parties adopt an Adult role. Parent to Parent transactions tend to be about how good things would be without the others.

It is a common phrase used to describe everyone from a small schoolchild to old-age pensioners; he or she just has "the wrong attitude". Unfortunately, telling someone this is never going to make a difference. It will always get the reaction "I don't think there's anything wrong with my attitude." and, if there's nothing wrong, why fix it?

To communicate your feelings better it may be worth breaking down what "Wrong Attitude" actually means in each case. This is because it acts as a sort of umbrella phrase to cover a wide range of behaviors. It is also a very aggressive criticism and can be very hurtful to hear; causing a defensive reaction.

Child to Child transactions tend to be about having fun and let's not bother with work. Practical jokes, for example work at the child level in transactional analysis and are harmless as long as they are infrequent and risk-free.

Coaching should always be conducted on an Adult to Adult basis if a change in behavior is to be brought about. Adopting a Critical parent approach will bring out the Child in anybody and is more likely to reveal displacement behavior "It's not my fault", "What about the others?"

With effective coaching each individual should be encouraged to identify their weaknesses and to implement an improvement plan for their self-development. The coach can help along the way by introducing the person to good role models, by making development opportunities available and by helping to monitor progress on a regular basis.

Poor performers don't have to stay that way. They can pretty quickly get themselves into the recognition league by concentrating on the issues that really matter and proving that they have the will to excel.

Portfolio Management - Let The Professionals Take The Load

Do you have a lot of shares in different companies?
Do you have a large sum that you are looking to invest in the stock market?
Are you finding that doing the essential research too time consuming?

You might want to consider a portfolio management company.

Share Portfolio management is an option for those with a high value portfolio of shares, or a large amount of capital to invest in shares and commodity futures. Portfolio managers have various minimum values that they require to actively manage your investments.

The reason large minimum values are in place is because of the high commission charges that these companies make. It would not be worth a small investor, with $10,000 employing a company to manage his portfolio of shares in one or two companies.

Having a professional Portfolio Manager does remove a lot of anxiety from the individual. The manager's role is to ensure that your portfolio is a balanced one, without excess exposure to currency fluctuations or to any one sector of the market.

It is part of the managing company’s role to conduct research, so that they can advise you on the best options. Research is an area that many individual investors find difficult, unless they spend hours every day watching share prices. The professional advisor employs people to conduct research into specific companies or market sectors, allowing you access to better research than you would have otherwise.

Your Portfolio Manager will also ascertain the degree of risk that you are happy with and ensure that your portfolio of shares is not at odds with your risk acceptance.

For anyone with a smaller amount than a Portfolio Management Company will manage there are other options. Look at Investment Trusts and Unit Trusts. These are companies which take investors cash, pool it and buy a balanced portfolio of shares in stock market companies, reducing the investor's overall risk.

Find out more at http://www.portfolio-management-today.info.

Praise Matters

In working with businesses and organizations of all kinds, I hear the same concerns everyday:

How do we increase productivity?

How do we improve Customer service?

How do we keep people actively engaged in their work and with others on their team?

How do we reduce turnover?

How do we improve safety?

Even if you aren’t thinking about or concerned about every one of those questions, I’m sure at least one of them has kept you up at night in the past.

As leaders we think about these things because they impact the success of the organization.   As coaches we think about how to impact these things day-to-day, person-by-person.

As a coach, someone helping people improve their performance for the benefit of both the individual and the organization, there are typically two types of feedback that you could provide on their performance at anytime.   Constructive feedback (sometimes called criticism) and positive feedback (which I will call praise).

Forgetting the words for a minute, these two types of information are important to anyone trying to do anything better.  We need to know what we aren’t doing quite right, so we can adjust, and we need to know what we are doing well, so we can replicate that. Makes sense doesn’t it?

Now, let’s look at the words.  I looked up criticism in my thesaurus and here is what I found:

“1. censure, faultfinding, disapproval, condemnation, disparagement 2. a judgment, evaluation, appraisal, analysis, assessment, estimation, valuation, 2 b critique, review, commentary.

I also looked up the word praise, and found:

“v. 1 acclaim, laud, applaud, pay tribute to, compliment, commend, eulogize, extol, honor, sing the praises of, pay homage to, endorse…”

Now, think about these two lists of synonyms.  Granted, not all of them make sense in a business context, but ask yourself these questions:

· Which of these things have I received more of in my professional life?

· Which of them motivates and inspires me to strive for greater achievement and higher performance?

And now with your coach’s hat on, think about these questions:

· Which of these things do I share more often?

· Which will help me most inspire and motivate others to reach their potential?

If you are like me and most everyone I’ve ever discussed this with, you have received more negative, “constructive” feedback than positive, encouraging feedback at work.  And you believe that with more encouragement or praise you might have been more successful quicker.

The point in two words?

Praise matters.

Want some more proof?

According to a Gallup survey outlined in the book, How Full is Your Bucket? 61% of American workers received no praise at work last year.  61%!  And the #1 reason people leave their jobs is because the feel unappreciated.

It is undeniably true.  You can prove it from your personal experiences and from the hard data.  Praise matters. And it is vastly underused as a coaching tool by most people most of the time.

As you finish reading this and walk away from your desk and begin interacting with people (whether you coach them or not), keep these things in mind:

· <B>Everyone needs recognition and reassurance.</B>  Hopefully the exercise and the data above confirm this fact for you.

· <B>Praise gives us pride in our jobs.</B>  Given a choice, would you rather have people who take pride in their work, or not?

· <B>Praise generates enthusiasm and commitment.</B>  Committed people can work miracles, so it pays to build commitment.

· <B>Praise builds loyalty.</B>  What are the real and hidden costs of employee turnover?

· <B>Praise prevents people from feeling taken for granted.</B>  When people feel taken for granted they are less committed and loyal, aren’t they?

· <B>Praise motivates us to “go the extra mile.”</B>  The extra mile is often where we find satisfied customers, higher returns and more.

· <B>Praise improves our relationships.</B>  Would you like to have better relationships with those you lead, coach and work with?

· <B>Praise takes hardly any time and costs nothing.</B>  There are few things in life that can produce such great returns for such a small investment.

Get that praise tool out of your toolbox.  Dust it off and allow it to become shiny with use.  It is an easy tool to use.  It is a fun tool to use.  You might even want to take it out of your mental toolbox and lay it on top of your desk so you remember to use it more often.

If you want answers to the questions at the beginning of this article, start with praise, because praise matters.