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The pain points that drive a company towards purchasing a software upgrade are all too visible. But if that drive moves too fast, the pain points left after the implementation might be just as bad.

CIO contributer Chris Doig examines this unfortunate trade-off, exposing the hidden costs that come from rushing through the software purchasing process. He likens impatient companies to under-prepared sports teams. Without thorough preparation, a team is going to take loss after loss against opponents who have done better 'due diligence.' Similarly, small or mid-sized businesses that hurry through software evaluation often end up taking heavy, recurring hits against their bottom line.

Doig provides a balanced view on the issue, also noting the attractive benefits that a company can expect from improved software. He explains that even though a software package has a certain price tag associated with it, that isn't the actual value of the solution. An accounting, CRM, ERP, or other software system's true value arises from the ROI it brings to your organization. The various types of ROI can be grouped into four categories: increased benefits, reduced liabilities, enhanced activities, and new value-adds. When a company starts to consider the possibilities for improving operations, it can easily be captivated by the greener grass on the other side of the purchase order. If those advantages are available, then why delay?

The reason why, Doig explains, is because gaps between what your company needs and what the software provides typically result in squandered time and funds. The mismatch might occur in three ways. You might need more functionality than the software offers, so the deployment leaves you still struggling to get things done. Vice versa, the software might offer more than you actually need, slowing your staff down because there's so much to learn and navigate each day. Or the mismatch could be because functionality offered by the software is different from what you actually need. All three of these scenarios would require you to rearrange your business around the new tool — and that's the last thing you want.

Going one step further, Doig analyzes where exactly the ROI evaporates in situations of poorly matched software. He categorizes the losses into three types of costs. First, unexpected implementation costs arise when you discover "new" requirements after the implementation has begun. These expensive insights can cause the schedule to slip and the project budget to expand. Second are delayed ROI costs: reduced value brought on by the schedule slips. The advantages that were so apparent and convincing before the start of the deployment might not be realized until after the dust settles, which means ongoing inefficiencies and missed opportunities. And third, there can be ongoing unmet expectations. Only rarely do the problems that cropped up during implementation end up being 100% resolved. Instead it's more common for those issues to exert a continuing drag on your business. Doig points out that these last two types of cost may be completely invisible on your income statements. But the pain-points will be just as apparent as those you were trying to correct.

The antidote to these problems is thorough requirements analysis, Doig says. Before looking to what various software solutions CAN do, you need to understand the details of what you NEED a software tool to do. When it comes to investing in your business in such important ways, you definitely don't want to just try and wing it.

"Working with aACE Software has been a pleasure, and the results of this project have been better than I ever imagined they could be when we first started down this path." ~ Jasmine Crandall, Midwest Custom Bottling LLC

Editor's note: Michael Lazar is the Executive Director of Marketing at ReadyCloud. We're delighted to share his expertise in eCommerce with our audience.

 

How can you add that personal touch to your products and packaging before you ship?

Online shoppers expect that “in-person” experience, in one way or another. By taking this extra step to show your customers that they are truly valued, they’ll be more inclined to return in the future.

If you’re a small to medium-sized business, you not only have a higher chance, but a greater opportunity of truly connecting with your shoppers.

Why?

Because there will always be a dedicated group of people who prefer shopping at and supporting smaller eCommerce sites. Therefore, if you take the time to add that personal touch, they will most definitely appreciate it and look forward to the next order.

Doing so has another benefit, too: Increasing retention and making your business more successful.

There are many ways you can show your customers that you care during their unboxing experience. Here are 7 of the most useful.

No. 1: Thoughtful Packaging

Just like a nice presentation of the meal you order at an upscale restaurant, the way you package a customer’s order matters!

Utilizing quality packing material to avoid damage is the most important. After all, what good is a product if it doesn't arrive in one piece?

Along with that is taking the time to deliberately and even methodically pack the order in a way that looks appealing upon opening. That image will always resonate with customers.

Don’t forget about branded boxes. It’s a fact that people are more likely to be repeat customers from a merchant that uses premium boxes. While they cost more than the boring brown box, it is a tactic that will surely pay off in the long run.

No. 2: A Handwritten Note

Showing your customers that there’s a real person behind your brand goes a long way. Taking the time to write even a brief and handwritten note saying “thank you” will let them know how much they’re appreciated.

No. 3: A Bonus Gift

Turn old inventory into a bonus gift!

Every retailer will eventually have excess product that they can’t sell for one reason or another. But don’t view that as a negative. View that as an opportunity to enhance the customer experience by including it as a ‘bonus gift’ within orders.

This will go over very well with both long-standing and new customers.

No. 4: A Sample Product

Introduce your customers to new and upcoming products by including a sample of one or more. By doing this, you’re not just limited to online marketing, you’re taking it a step further by physically putting your product in the customer’s hands. It’s a simple way to increase the possibility of future sales as well as improved loyalty and retention.

No. 5: Swag Items

This is a smart way to create a win-win situation. By throwing in stickers of your brand into the orders, for example, customers will appreciate that and most likely display them in visible areas which will give your brand even more exposure.

No. 6: Gain Critical Feedback

Engaging with your customers to learn more about what you can do to create the best experience possible will only yield positive results.

You can inquire about how their shopping experience was on your website, the customer support or even about sample products that you included. Any insight into your operations will only increase retention.

No. 7: The Receipt

This should be self-explanatory, but believe it or not, there are some e-tailers that forget to include the receipt when they ship out an order.

Not only should you always remember to include a receipt, you should also consider an elegant way of enclosing it, rather than just throwing it in the package as most do. Again, it’s the little things that count.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, creating a memorable shopping and unboxing experience by adding personal touches to your shipments will only serve to benefit both your brand and your customers, thus generating happiness all around!

 

About the Author

Michael Lazar is the Executive Director of Marketing at ReadyCloud, makers of an aACE-integrated CRM software solution that works across all your sales channels. As a nationally syndicated author Lazar enjoys covering topics that are related to eCommerce returns. Follow him on LinkedIn.

With $13,000,000,000+ up for grabs in potential revenue, many state legislatures are revisiting their sales tax laws. For example, the Dakotas aren't usually in the national limelight. But with taxation for online sales at out-of-state locations, these two states have played an active role.

In 1992, Quill Corp. v. North Dakota concluded with a Supreme Court ruling that essentially says a business must have a physical presence in the state before businesses could be required to collect and remit sales tax. Now in 2018, South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc. is coming before that Court. This case is a challenge to South Dakota's 2016 law on tax nexus. The state legislature established a new tax collection responsibility on remote businesses that make 200 transactions or more than $100,000 in sales. Gail Cole breaks down these cases and their potential impact for aACE integration partner Avalara.

If the Supreme Court rules in favor of South Dakota, it would set a precedent enabling every state in the nation to force businesses to collect sales tax on every sale they make across the nation. But even if the Court doesn't make that decision, it's a real possibility that Congress could establish a nation-wide sales tax obligation. And even if a national solution doesn't come about, more and more states are individually pushing to boost their budgets with this kind of legislation.

How would this impact your organization?

The exact details and arrangements are all speculation at this point. But savvy business owners understand the value of preparing ahead of time. What changes would you have to make in order to handle sales tax collection in all states? How would you keep track of 50-states worth of taxation percentages and reporting timeframes?

Now is a good time to consider cost- and time-effective solutions for the increasing complexity of sales tax compliance. Preparations now can help you ensure that you can keep providing the best service for your customers and continue to minimize audit risks. AvaTax provides sales tax automation that is efficient, scalable, and seamless.

And it integrates smoothly with aACE 5.

"I am very impressed with the base product that the aACE team has created. From a production and an accounting standpoint, I could not ask for a more comprehensive solution. And, as it is FM based, the customization possibilities are limitless, which means we will never have to alter the way we do business to accommodate our systems — instead, our systems will be able to change to accommodate our needs as they develop." ~ Jasmine Crandall, Midwest Custom Bottling LLC.

 

When a small business owner starts to think seriously about customer relationship management (CRM), it's a measurement of both the past and the future. From the past, it marks a certain level of success — the business has reached a point where you can't keep track of all your leads, prospects, and clients with just a spreadsheet. For the future, investing in a quality CRM tool prepares the way for more rapid growth and is a forecast of where you expect your company to go.

That fact that CRM is an important investment is beyond debate. What's less clear are the specific benefits of it — what exactly does your SMB stand to gain from a software solution designed to facilitate customer interactions? The details will be somewhat different for a professional services company, a wholesale distribution outlet, or a light manufacturing business. But across all industries, there are a number of consistent benefits.

On the Small Business Trends blog, Senior Staff Writer Annie Pilon has put together a list of these benefits. Which one would be most valuable for your company?

• Helps your business grow – Instead of being limited to how much information you can track manually, the software handles the basics and frees you up to do more important things.
• Organizes your data – Well-managed customer information helps you understand where each person is at, so you know how to best help them.
• Keeps your team on the same page – Centralized information makes it possible for all your staff to provide the best help for each customer.
• Makes sure no one looks stupid – When the whole team can review the past interactions, each client will feel like you're attentive to their personal interests.
• Lets you stay in touch – Effective contact happens at exactly the right moment in exactly the right way. Your CRM tool can help you recognize what that is.
• Nurtures your leads – A consistent pattern of this helpful contact makes it easier for shoppers to become buyers.
• Segments your contacts – As you connect with more people interested in your products or services, you'll see patterns and be able to group them for more efficient communication.
• Automates your communication – A quality CRM tool can segment contacts on its own, based on responses, purchases, and other behaviors.
• Sends out specific information – Good CRM software can automatically reach out to customers with follow-up materials, usually based on trigger actions or time frames.
• Keeps your customers coming back – After people understand the value of your business offering, they become more willing to purchase from you. Your CRM data can help you identify which offers would be most helpful for which customers.
• Lets you access metrics – As your CRM system collects more data, you'll be able to find more specific patterns to predict how you'll be able to support your clients better.
• Helps you build good habits – With a strong information base, you'll be able to identify and follow through with the actions that generate most value for you.
• Connects to other services – Integrating the CRM system to other tools you rely on can maximize the advantage they bring.
• Uses social data – Certain CRM packages are designed to be more proactive in gathering leads, such as combing through social media sites to locate potential customers.

No matter which CRM benefit is most appealing to you at this point, when your company is starting to climb, you need to seriously consider how to sustain growth. Having solid infrastructure in place — including a CRM tool — before a steep rise in customer demand is several times more effective than rushing to deploy one while you're ascending that slope.

 

For optimal benefits with a CRM tool, integration with your accounting and ERP systems is ideal. aACE 5 offers this kind of fully integrated, customizable, cross-platform business management solution. It also provides mobile apps and smooth connections with eCommerce, shipping, and tax automation tools, to name a few. So whether you're a business owner who feels like she is steering a ship in the dark or an executive who is frustrated because everyone is busy but nothing is getting done, aACE 5 has something to offer. Learn more today.

"Before, we weren’t able to present our new product highlights and alerts very well, due to an inability to update and process existing client mailing lists, which were often outdated and filled with holes. Now we can export mailing lists seamlessly every Monday with our aACE platform." ~ Doug Jacobs, President, Restylers' Choice

You already have a great product or service to sell on your eCommerce site. And you're probably already investing as much as you can into marketing. Is there anything more you can do to convert a few more shoppers each day into buyers?

Yes, there is, according to Shanelle Mullin's article published on the Shopify.com blog. You can apply the persuasive techniques she describes with a little site re-design and text revision. The changes can activate the psychological triggers we all hold to one degree or another, making it that much easier for visitors to submit their order. Mullin links to several good resources in her article, and the content matches up well with material from established authorities like Robert Cialdini, the author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Here's a summary of the top five techniques she explains.

Reciprocity

When your friend buys you lunch, you want return the favor. When you receive a holiday greeting card, you feel bad if you haven't sent one to that person as well. Likewise, when the car dealership gives you a free inspection, it can make you feel more inclined to work with them on fixing any troubles.

This psychological impulse to return a positive action for a positive action or to keep things 'balanced' between receiving and giving has been recognized and reinforced since ancient times. More recently social psychologists have analyzed it and marketing mavens have taken it up. The Nielsen Norman Group cite Robert Cialdini in their thorough explanation of how giving something to your leads can help the conversion process.

In her article, Mullin suggests a few ways you can make this happen on your eCommerce site, from letting customers decide how much they'll reciprocate for the gift of a product to providing samples, free shipping, or unexpected discounts.

Consistency

There's so much in life that changes and varies and is unreliable. We typically want our own character to be reliable and solid. This technique is actually a shortened reference to "behavioral consistency," as the NNGroup points out. The impulse is basically a way we make things easier on ourselves. Instead of re-evaluating every single decision in our day, we often fall back on doing what we did before. In fact, we'll start justifying why we made that previous decision or commitment.

You can work this into your eCommerce site by creating elements that invite people to commit themselves to purchasing. Mullin points out that this might be a statement of your company values that people will want to support. Or it could be options to subscribe, download free resources (double-barrel with Reciprocity), or share their positive experience with your company on social media. Leveraging the Consistency principle might even be as simple as revising the text on your shopping cart button to accent the commitment to purchase.

Social Proof

Another way that people simplify their decision-making is to put extra weight on what other people are doing, using that as a guide. This helps explain why we so often look to customer reviews when we're researching a purchase — if other people gave the product a 5-star rating, it's probably something worthwhile. Testimonials and celebrity endorsements also connect to this psychological impulse.

To get Social Proof working for your eCommerce site, Mullin suggests finding ways to show how other shoppers are glad they did business with you. Another method is simply display the number of people who have purchased a product; as that number gradually increases, it becomes more and more of a influence on new customers.

Likeness

"Liking" is another way to phrase this trait in our behavior, as the NNGroup show in their recommendations for user-interface design. These simple labels include a lot of meaning. Liking obviously has an impact on our decisions, and it increases when we see things that are similar to us, things that we're familiar with, as well as people who are interested in helping us, who we associate with the things we value, and who give us praise.

Mullin points out that one way you can take advantage of this is to invest some effort in good copywriting. When you use the words your customers use and you talk about the aspects that they're interested in, your site will feel both similar and familiar. Other easy text upgrades could be to emphasize how you interest in helping potential clients with their needs and to be complimentary in talking about it. And it goes without saying that a cluttered page layout won't strengthen liking as well as a clean, attractive format.

Authority

In our complex society, we often trust experts for information and expertise that we don't have ourselves. This translates into a strong willingness to accept statements and guidance from authority figures.

Mullin references what may be the most infamous example of this human willingness to follow authority: Dr. Stanley Milgram's experiment with (fake) electrocution memory assistance. The experiment, of course, wasn't about memory at all, but rather about obeying directions from a person in charge.

For something so drastically different from your eCommerce sales, can there be a way to humanely use authority-based persuasion? Mullin mentions a few, such as highlighting job titles, product awards, and other credentials that establish your expertise. Also, you can tag-team with Social Proof by getting endorsements from other recognized experts in your field (even if it's just simple logo from a reputable organization that you've worked with). Also be sure that the images which present your company show your staff looking the part of knowledgeable, trustworthy advisors.

 

Mullin's post includes several other persuasive tactics that you can deploy on your site at little or no cost. Of course, none of these strategies is magical, but if you apply the guidelines well on your eCommerce site, it could make the difference and tip the balance.

 

While the front-end of your eCommerce site is vital for your business growth, the back-end is also crucial. As your sales begin to accelerate, having software that supports inventory tracking and order forecasting can make a huge difference in keeping customers satisfied. aACE integrates with WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento, and Amazon, so orders placed online are downloaded to aACE ERP tools automatically and updated online when the order ships. With this teamwork, you always know where things stand and where they're headed.

"aACE is a stable program and thoroughly accurate. Our numbers are always correct, from the yardage on our shelf to the money in the bank. This, in itself, makes the program incredible and invaluable." ~ Claire Wade, Director of Operations, Skip Gambert & Associates

Software is often described as the solution for a business problem. But is it? In Drew Hendricks' article, "Fragmented Software is Killing Business Productivity: 4 Ways to Fix it," published on Inc.com, it doesn't seem that way.

Instead Drew takes a hard look at how software that isn't designed for good usability can cause as many problems than it solves. He identifies how finding a single solution today is the easy part. The tricky part is getting all those single solutions to work together. Whether they're isolated spreadsheets or incompatible apps, if your tools aren't sharing data, then your staff pays the price. Which is to say, you pay the price (through confusion, errors, and reduced productivity).

ERP software was intended to solve this foundational problem with data isolation, but these tools also have difficulties, Drew explains. With the "enterprise" in enterprise resource planning, there initially seemed to be a attitude that the end users didn't matter. That usability didn't matter. This mindset led to ERP tools that were overly complex, inefficient, and "clunky". The more recent shift towards making business tools as usable as consumer tools has started to make things better. And we're not talking about just making things look pretty. Personnel in a business have a wealth of digital literacy built up from their daily lives. Software that leverages the user's ability to discover information, assess it, collaborate with others, and accomplish tasks will create a greater ROI.

The ideal result — as understood and pursued by companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon — is a an app that is frictionless, integrated data. This kind of app supports collaboration, prevents duplicated effort, reduces errors, and streamlines business processes.

Drew envisions a future workplace where technical skills are still important, but because the software will finally be caught up to what people can skillfully use, the key competencies will be problem-solving and community-building. How well can your staff apply knowledge towards making decisions, cultivating relationships, establishing your company reputation, and mobilizing other resources? How close does your business software come to reaching this goal?

 

At aACE we've invested over 15 years to creating an ERP tool that can accelerate your business. To learn more, browse our site and watch the video demonstrations.

"Unlike other solutions, you will never have to worry about not being able to collect, deliver, and/or report the data your organization needs. This product can be fully tailored to fit your company's processes. If you want to gain control of your business and eliminate all of the islands of data that exist today, then I highly recommend that you give aACE a call." ~ Bryan Anderson, All Solutions 360 LLC

The fourteenth of February is the perfect time for expressions of appreciation. So we want to say Thank You to all our clients:

You have taken the time to learn about the operations software and ecommerce support we offer. You have given us the trust to deploy aACE to help your staff succeed and your business grow. And you have shared your insights about how we can make the best cross-platform, integrated accounting, CRM, and ERP software for Mac and PC. Because of you, we've been able to invest the past 15 years into refining a business management solution that is truly worth talking about.

And you've done that, too.

Your 5-star client testimonials not only boost our enthusiasm for the work we do, but also measure the value we are glad to provide. Capterra is one great collection of feedback about the work we've done, but we want to share some of the other statements our friends and customers have voiced:

"The customization available in this system is helpful for our business, allowing us to create unique reports and views that are specific to our projects and clients." ~ Diana Ross-Gotta, Account Director, KNOCK Inc.

"aACE transformed our order fulfillment process during implementation by helping us see trouble spots in our processes." ~ Derek Navratil, IT Administrator, Janibell Inc.

"Training new users is a snap. If ever there is an issue with the software I have a response in minutes and resolution soon after! Most of all it is affordable: the out-the-door price is less than most ERP yearly maintenance." ~ Todd Breedlove, Vice President, Knight Hardwood Flooring Inc.

"The system has proven time and again to be a structurally sound and reliable business information workhorse. Downtime is barely measurable, even though we process thousands of transactions a day." ~ Matthew Pelfrey, Director of Process and Compliance, Duggal Visual Solutions

“We’ve been utilizing aACE Software for several years and have worked with the aACE team on numerous customizations. They were able to synthesize our complicated processes from multiple software platforms and made the potentially painful process of switching to a new system very easy. It has created straight-forward interaction between departments and gives us a faster and more accurate picture of everything that goes on." ~ Theodore Fotopulous, Operations Manager, Raydoor Inc.

"Excellent design with well-refined organization of information. aACE delivers seamless workflow." ~ Bumkee Kim, Janibell Inc.

"We really enjoy working with aACE and appreciate the flexibility of the program. Our company has many functions — membership, a magazine, a bookstore — and we run all of that using this one solution. Having all our customer's data in one place makes it so much easier for our customer service, sales, and marketing teams. Their jobs are much more streamlined and the sales team can even use aACE while they are on the road." ~ Sabrina Fabian, The John Birch Society

"We export paper, which has its unique accounting quirks. The aACE team was the only vendor we spoke to that was willing to prove it could accommodate these needs." ~ Wendy Donenfield, CPA and Controller, M & R International

"The aACE team learns so much about your business and your workflow, then helps you come up with solutions to make you and your team more efficient. Then they adapt their robust product to achieve those goals. They are also there to tweak the product as your business adapts." ~ Neil Suss, Controller, Crew Cuts, Inc.

"Since implementing it in 2014, we have made many customizations and changes as our business needs have changed. The difference with aACE is that we won't have to just toss out the product every 3-5 years and start all over; we can constantly customize and update the software to our needs — it grows with us." ~ Brittany Ulrich, Vice President, ASAP Event Advertising

 

Thank you for joining the aACE family! And if you haven't yet, contact us today to learn what aACE can do for you.