March 2023 - Striven

Month: March 2023

Striven Earns #1 Ranking On G2’s ERP ‘Best Results’ List For Spring ’23

Posted on by Scott Hammer

Lumberton, NJ (March 31st, 2023)-  G2, the leading provider of business software reviews, has named Striven as the #1 ERP software solution on their Spring 2023 ‘Best Results’ list.

What criteria is the ‘Best Results’ list based off of?

The G2 ‘Best Results’ list takes into account 5 specific areas of feedback provided by customers:

• Likelihood to Recommend
• Meets Requirements
• Estimated ROI
• Time To Go Live
• Average User Adoption

Striven’s ranking as the ERP system with the ‘Best Results’ for Spring ’23 underscores a growing trend that has continued to gain prevalence in the business world within the last several years—growing businesses are continuing to turn to all-in-one software solutions to save time, increase revenue, and streamline overall business operations.

Striven is ranked above other notable ERP software products including Sage Intacct, Odoo ERP, Acumatica, NetSuite, and Quickbooks Enterprise.

In addition to receiving the #1 ‘Best Results’ ranking, Striven was also named #2 on G2’s Spring ’23 ‘Momentum Leader’ report, as well as #5 in the ‘Small Business Leader’ Spring ’23 category.

Feedback From Users

G2’s rankings are directly sourced from real customer feedback. Here are some things that users recently had to say about Striven:

“Love the product. Recommend to many companies. What I like best about Striven is that it’s an all-in-one platform that includes financials to replace Quickbooks.” – Jeff S, Business Owner

“We use Striven extensively for client, staff and project tracking; we have found it to be a seamless solution. I especially like the ability to design surveys, assessments and reports on the fly for up-to-the minute information.” – Lil D, Customer Experience Director

“Striven is great for our growing business. It’s very user-friendly and, being internet based, it is accessible from anywhere! The way it is laid out makes it easy to edit and add information. Cannot beat the quality for the price and customer service has been great!” – Jenna H, Office Manager

To learn more about Striven and read about customer experiences using the platform, visit the company’s ratings and review page.

About Striven
Striven is an all in one ERP software for small and growing businesses that want to expand, simplify, and reduce costs. Striven combines all of the features for accounting, projects, sales, inventory, operations, reporting, and more into a single streamlined system.

Why Mentorship Should Be the Foundation of Your Business Management Strategy

Posted on by Eleanor Hecks

Small business leaders know that effective management is essential to the success of their enterprise. Part of their business management strategy is to build a team that is motivated, skilled and committed to achieving business goals.

Yet, how can you ensure your employees are growing and developing while maintaining a productive and positive workplace culture? The answer lies in mentorship. Discover why mentorship should be the foundation of your business management strategy and how it will benefit your business for years.

The Benefits of Mentorship

One of the key benefits of mentorship is its ability to build a substantial team. Employees with a mentor invested in their success are more likely to feel valued and engaged in their work. In turn, this leads to increased job satisfaction, employee retention and a more positive workplace culture.

Additionally, mentorship has the power to foster diversity, leading underrepresented employees to achieve their career goals. By providing minorities and LGBTQ+ employees with mentors, they can navigate the unique challenges they face in the workplace.

On the other hand, businesses can cultivate a more inclusive and equitable organizational culture. While mentorship benefits individuals, companies can build more diversity and innovation as a whole.

Furthermore, mentorship encourages professional growth, allowing employees to learn new skills. Mentorship is a powerful tool for businesses and their employees because it contributes to their growth and success. By investing in your teams, you ensure they are constantly improving and adapting to new challenges.

Implementing Mentorship in Your Business Management Strategy

Enforcing mentorship in your business management strategy is a crucial step toward building a strong and successful team. Here are some steps to consider when developing a mentorship program in your small business:

  • Define your goals: Identifying your goals and how mentorship will help you achieve them before implementing a mentorship program is important. Whether you’re looking to increase employee retention or foster a more inclusive workplace, ensure you clearly define your goals.
  • Identify mentors: Once you’ve established your goals, you can start determining those who fit the mentor role. Consider looking for employees with the skills and experience necessary to provide valuable guidance and support to their mentees.
  • Encourage participation: Ensure your employees understand the benefits of mentorship and encourage them to participate. You can achieve this by having one-on-one conversations and informational meetings.
  • Establish guidelines: Ensure your mentorship program is effective by establishing clear procedures for mentors and mentees. This can include setting goals, establishing communication channels and outlining expectations.
  • Provide support: As the program progresses, it’s imperative that you provide support for your mentors and team members. This can include training, ongoing feedback and resources to help them achieve their goals.

By following these steps, you can create a mentorship program that meets your business’s and its employees’ needs. Plus, the right program will allow you to foster a culture of learning and growth that will benefit your business for years to come.

The Challenges of Implementing Mentorship

While mentorship can provide immense benefits to small businesses, implementing them can also come with its own set of challenges. For instance, organizing a mentorship program may require changing your company’s operations.

As with any business that intends to make changes, some employees may be reluctant to be open to them. However, you can address this obstacle by communicating what they get from the program. Also, consider involving them in the development process so they understand the benefits behind it.

Additionally, mentorship programs require time, effort and money to build effectively. Ultimately, this can be a challenge for small businesses with limited resources. Companies can overcome this by partnering with an external organization or leveraging technology to streamline the process.

Finally, without intentional effort, mentorship programs can inadvertently exclude underrepresented groups. This can limit the benefits of the agenda for the business overall. Nevertheless, you can defeat this by intentionally seeking diverse mentors and mentees. From there, you should train mentors on how to support individuals from different backgrounds.

Examples of Successful Mentorship Programs

Plenty of mentorship programs succeed in businesses today. One example of a company includes Microsoft.

One of the tech giant’s mentorship programs emphasizes diversity and inclusion with the APAC Enabler Mentorship Program. Essentially, it aims to connect people with disabilities, nonprofits and businesses in nine countries with mentors, career coaching and job matching. As a result of this program, Microsoft has increased employee retention and job satisfaction.

Another example is Starbucks — a coffee company highly known for its excellent customer service and employee benefits. One of the ways Starbucks invests in its employees is through its mentoring program — designed to develop store managers’ leadership skills.

The program pairs store managers with experienced mentors who provide one-on-one coaching and support. The mentors are typically senior-level Starbucks employees who deeply understand the company’s culture and values. However, one of the unique features of its program is that it’s tailored to each individual’s needs. 

Mentors work with their mentees to identify areas for development and create personalized plans to help them achieve their goals. The program has been successful in its store managers’ career growth and has significantly increased its performance and customer satisfaction levels.

These examples demonstrate the wide range of mentoring programs that can be successful in businesses. By tailoring mentorship to the specific needs of their employees and business goals, organizations can see significant benefits in employee development, retention and overall success.

Make Mentorship the Foundation of Your Business Management Strategy

Mentorship should be the foundation of every business management strategy. Doing so enables organizations to build a more robust, inclusive culture, increase employee satisfaction and improve overall performance.

Therefore, it’s essential for business leaders to recognize the value of mentorship and invest in programs that provide employees with support and guidance. With mentorship at the forefront of business management strategies, companies can create a more vibrant and productive workplace that benefits everyone involved.

How Can Project Management Software Help Your Business?

Posted on by Lillian Watts

Project management software is an indispensable tool that every company needs to streamline its project management processes.

The right project management software can be a key success factor, particularly for small businesses where time is of the essence and resources are often limited. Project managers may take on less complex projects but face the additional challenges of fewer resources.

However, this software allows businesses to manage projects, collaborate with team members, and track progress in real-time.

In today’s digital age where remote work is also becoming the norm, the right project management software can be critical to a company’s success, regardless of size, niche, or industry.

But how can project management software add value to your small business? 

Let’s dive into this post and answer your questions.

1. Improved Project Overview

Project management software gives companies a comprehensive overview of their projects, including progress, budget, and resource allocation. With this review, organizations can identify areas for improvement and make adjustments to ensure projects are completed on time, on budget, and to the highest quality standards. Businesses can quickly identify potential problems and take the necessary corrective action. In addition, this overview enables better resource planning and ensures that the right resources are allocated to the right projects at the right time.

2. Increased Customer Satisfaction

This allows team members to collaborate on projects in real time, no matter where they are. By using project management software, companies can ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goal, which can ultimately lead to better results and greater customer satisfaction. However, a reliable Internet connection is essential to unlock the full potential of project management software. Since this information is updated in real-time, it is crucial for the firm to ensure good connectivity. Without it, your team may experience slow response times, connection drops, and other technical issues that can prevent them from working effectively. Cox, a popular Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the market right now, includes a fast, reliable internet service to keep your team running smoothly and without interruption.

3. Enhanced Level of Collaboration

One of the main benefits of project management software is improved communication between team members. With the ability to access project information in real-time, team members can easily communicate with each other, share files, and provide immediate feedback. This enhanced collaboration results in better decision-making, faster response times, and a more efficient workflow. Improved collaboration leads to better communication as well, which ultimately offers better results. Project management software facilitates group communication with features such as instant messaging, file sharing, and task assignment, creating an optimized communication channel that reduces misunderstandings and miscalculations.

4. Increased Efficiency

Project management software allows businesses to automate routine tasks such as planning, budgeting, and task management. This automation allows team members to focus on more important tasks, which ultimately improves efficiency. In addition, the project management software provides real-time updates and alerts so team members can keep track of deadlines and identify potential issues before they become more of a problem.

Moreover, project management software streamlines project processes and saves time and energy. This saved time can be used to focus on developing strategies for overall organizational improvement, which can lead to increased productivity and workflow efficiency. Automation can also help organizations reduce the risk of human error and speed up repetitive tasks. 

5. Improved Budget Management

Project management software is especially useful for small businesses on a budget. This software provides real-time updates on project spending, making it easy to effectively manage and track budgets. Small businesses can use project management software to create and track project budgets, set spending limits, and control costs. The software can also create reports and alerts that help small business owners quickly identify budget overruns or potential problems. 

6. Improved Communication Skills with Clients

Project management software also facilitates communication with clients by providing a centralized platform for sharing project information, updates, and feedback. This transparency builds trust and improves the overall customer experience, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and retention. This is because clients are more likely to be satisfied if they have a clear understanding of the progress of the project and how their feedback is taken into account in the project. This increased satisfaction can lead to repeat business and better customer recommendations.

7. Access to Valuable Analytics

Finally, project management software provides organizations with valuable analytics that can be used to spot trends, track progress, and make data-driven decisions. This analysis allows companies to continuously improve their project management processes and achieve better results. Data-driven analytics help organizations make better decisions, streamline processes, and improve project outcomes. 

By analyzing design data, organizations can identify areas for improvement, implement best practices, and adjust their approach as needed. This type of analysis is necessary to identify patterns and areas of potential risk or opportunity.

Summing it up 

As such, project management software enables companies to improve project transparency, improve customer satisfaction, foster greater collaboration, improve efficiency, manage budgets, improve customer engagement, and gain access to valuable analytics. 

By using project management software, small businesses can save time, increase productivity, and achieve better results on projects. With the right project management software and a reliable internet connection, small businesses can overcome adversity and thrive in a competitive marketplace.

What Being Remote From Your Job Means For Your Career

Posted on by Jeff Peters

In recent years, the trend towards remote work has become increasingly popular. Advancements in technology, such as business management technology, have made it easier than ever to work from anywhere in the world. However, this shift towards remote work has also had a significant impact on careers, and it’s important for professionals to understand what this means for their long-term career prospects.

Remote work has several benefits, including increased flexibility, a better work-life balance, and the ability to work from anywhere. However, it also presents a number of challenges that can impact career progression. In this article, we’ll explore what being remote from your job means for your career, with a focus on the role of business management technology in supporting remote workers.

Limited Opportunities For Face-to-Face Interaction

“One of the biggest challenges of remote work is the lack of face-to-face interaction with colleagues and clients,” notes Martin Taylor, a resume writer at Discursive Essay Service and MLA Format Outline. This can make it harder to build relationships, collaborate on projects, and get feedback on your work. It also means that remote workers may miss out on important networking opportunities, such as industry events or team-building activities.

Business management technology can help to mitigate some of these challenges by providing remote workers with tools to collaborate and communicate with colleagues and clients. For example, video conferencing software like Zoom or Skype can be used for virtual meetings, while project management software can be used to manage tasks and keep track of deadlines.

Increased Reliance On Technology

Another challenge of remote work is the increased reliance on technology. Remote workers must be comfortable with using a range of software and tools to communicate and collaborate with colleagues, manage tasks, and stay organized. This can be a challenge for some workers, especially those who are used to more traditional ways of working.

Business management technology can help to alleviate some of these challenges by providing remote workers with user-friendly software and tools. For example, cloud-based file sharing platforms like Dropbox or Google Drive can be used to share files and documents with colleagues, while time tracking software like Harvest can be used to keep track of billable hours and ensure that projects are completed on time.

Potential For Isolation

Remote work can be isolating, especially for workers who are used to working in a traditional office environment. “Without regular face-to-face interaction with colleagues, remote workers may feel disconnected from the company culture and miss out on important social interactions,” says Amanda Webb, an eCommerce writer from BeeStudent and Paper-Research.

Business management technology can help to mitigate some of these challenges by providing remote workers with opportunities to connect and collaborate with colleagues. For example, team chat software like Slack or Microsoft Teams can be used to facilitate real-time communication and help remote workers feel more connected to their colleagues.

Lack Of Visibility and Recognition

Another challenge of remote work is the lack of visibility and recognition. Without regular face-to-face interaction with managers and colleagues, it can be harder for remote workers to demonstrate their skills and contributions to the company. This can impact their chances of career progression, as managers may not have a clear understanding of their strengths and abilities.

Business management technology can help to alleviate some of these challenges by providing remote workers with tools to showcase their skills and contributions. For example, project management software can be used to document a worker’s involvement in key projects, while time tracking software can be used to demonstrate their productivity and efficiency.

In conclusion, remote work can have a significant impact on career progression. While it presents several benefits, such as increased flexibility and a better work-life balance, it also presents a number of challenges that must be overcome. Business management technology can play a key role in supporting remote workers and helping them to mitigate some of these challenges. By providing tools for collaboration, communication, and productivity, business management technology can help remote workers to stay connected and engaged with their colleagues and the company, while also showcasing their skills and contributions. Ultimately, the key to success as a remote worker is to stay proactive, communicate effectively, and stay up to date with the latest trends and best practices in remote work and business management technology.

12 Ways That Hearth and Fireplace Services Companies Can Attract (and Retain) Top Talent

Posted on by John Fay

For 2023, the phrase, “a good man is hard to find” takes on new meaning, especially for business owners in the hearth services industry seeking growth by adding service technicians. The stark reality is that the available pool of potential service technician hires has been shrinking for some time.

Why is that?

One major factor is the student loan crisis. The student loan debt that recent 4-year college students are saddled with—up to $57,500—is out of balance with starting salaries. The best and brightest of these graduates are pursuing white-collar, salaried positions to afford their crushing loan payments.

Another major catalyst of this issue is that attending trade school in anticipation of a career in a traditional blue-collar setting unfortunately comes with a certain social stigma. Although it requires substantially less time and money, it seems that most high school grads—and their parents—still believe that a 4-year college degree is the only surefire way to enjoy a high-salary lifestyle.

The blowback from Covid-19’s labor upheaval has further diminished the available labor pool for field services positions and jobs in the trades overall. Existing blue-collar workers found that they could replace their working income with several rounds of Federal stimulus checks and increased unemployment and childcare benefits. Many of these workers, already on the back end of their careers, used these emergency provisions as a means to transition into the next phase of their lives. The result? An unprecedented flight of workers from a segment of the workforce that was already struggling to find skilled, qualified, and willing workers. 

By the end of 2020, they noticed their white-collar counterparts had returned to salaried jobs and were teleworking comfortably from home. It’s no surprise that, according to the US Census Bureau, between 6.5% and 8.5% of existing blue-collar workers in the construction, transportation, and manufacturing sectors moved to white-collar jobs.

Is this all doom and gloom? No, it just means that as a hearth services business owner, you’ll need to work to find the right people.

Here are a few suggestions that you may or may not already be using in your business:

1. Offer Competitive Compensation and Benefits Packages

Top technicians will likely have multiple job offers to choose from, so it’s important to offer competitive compensation and benefits packages to attract and retain top talent. This can include things like health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off. Sometimes it’s hard to justify paying above market value for an employee, but consider this—all it takes is one shoddy fireplace or stove installation to tarnish an otherwise sterling reputation.

2. Provide Ongoing Training and Professional Development Opportunities

Top-quality applicants want to continue to grow and develop their skills, so it’s important to provide ongoing training and opportunities for growth to keep them engaged and motivated. This can include things like in-house training, certifications, and opportunities to attend industry conferences.

3. Create a Positive and Supportive Work Culture

Many hearth services companies are family owned with a rich cultural heritage. Top-quality technicians  want to work for a company that values its employees, has a positive work culture, and people who simply “get it.” This can include things like open communication, recognition and rewards for a job well done, and opportunities for growth and advancement.

4. Utilize Employee Referral Programs

Employee referrals are a great way to find top-notch technicians as they are usually recommended by current employees who have a good understanding of the business and the kind of person that would fit in.

5. Partner With Educational Institutions

Partnering with local trade schools and vocational programs can help to attract and recruit recent graduates with the skills and knowledge needed for the job. A solid relationship with a reputable institution could lead to an abundance of worthy candidates sending you their resumés.

6. Foster a Positive Work-Life Balance

Encouraging a positive work-life balance will help attract and retain top-quality people. This can include things like flexible scheduling, remote working (when possible), and extended paternity/maternity leave.

As a business owner in the hearth services industry, chances are you’ve been running your business using the same workflow processes for the past decade or so. QuickBooks, multiple spreadsheets, even—gasp—actual paper in filing cabinets. For 2023, the most powerful tool you have at your disposal is technology. Specifically, integrated business management software built with the unique needs of the hearth services industry in mind.

Integrated business management software is used by companies, large and small, to help run their business more efficiently and productively across the board. A robust enterprise software platform puts you in the best position to hire and retain top field service people.

Here are some ways that business management technology can propel hearth services businesses past their competition:

1. Recruiting and Applicant Tracking

Business management software streamlines the recruiting process by allowing business owners to post job openings online, track applicant information, and schedule interviews. This will make your hiring process more efficient and effective.

a. Leverage Online Platforms

Utilize online services like LinkedIn and Indeed to post job openings and attract qualified candidates. These social media platforms can also help to build a talent pool for future openings.

2. Employee Scheduling

Business management software simplifies scheduling by allowing business owners to create and manage employee schedules, assign tasks and shifts, and track time off requests. This can help to ensure that there are enough technicians available to meet customer demand and keep your hearth business running smoothly.

3. Time Tracking

Business management software helps employers track employee time and attendance, which improves accountability, reduces the risk of time theft, and makes it easier to manage large projects.

4. Performance Tracking

Business management software helps owners track employee performance, set goals, and provide feedback. Ensure that technicians are meeting expectations and help identify areas where they may need additional training or support.

5. Employee Self-Service

Business management software empowers employees by giving them access to schedules, pay stubs, required forms, and other relevant employment information. This serves to reduce the administrative burden on small business owners and increase employee satisfaction.

6. Inventory Management

Business management software can also help to manage inventory, track stock levels, and reorder critical components on time, so field service technicians always have the necessary equipment and hardware to complete their day’s work.

In Conclusion

Because you’re competing for top service technicians from an ever-shrinking pool of qualified candidates, you’ll have to work smarter to attract and retain them. Integrated business management software is a strategic competitive advantage for your business, and gives you a leg up on the market.

6 Ways Business Management Software Can Automate Your Onboarding Process

Posted on by Akhila Ranganathan

Onboarding new hires is an essential part of any organization and a very important task for HR. There are various aspects of this process which include handling many documents, sending periodic reminders, answering questions from new employees, etc. All of these concurrent tasks can overwhelm HR. And unfortunately, sometimes human error can happen. That can lead to problems in the onboarding process which can lead to a poor employee experience. Since the retention rate of a company is very much dependent on this initial employee experience, many companies are now shifting to automating the onboarding process.

What Does Automated Onboarding Mean?

Simply put, automated onboarding is when you have a structured onboarding process that guides your new employees at every turn with minimal manual assistance necessary. Most companies do this by using employee onboarding software. There are other apps and software that can work along with this software to make the work of HR easier and the process smoother for everyone involved.

How Does Automated Onboarding Compare To Manual Onboarding?

To start, automation of the onboarding process leads to improvement in the hiring process and lowers employee turnover. When going about onboarding manually, you will find more inefficiencies in the work being done. Second, manual handling of data can lead to human error, higher costs, and missed deadlines. On the other hand, an automated onboarding process leads to centralized data hubs, minimal human error, reduction of costs, and productivity increases. 

1. Faster Document Processing

Documentation of the new employee is a very crucial job and with automated onboarding, you can do so even before the new hires come for their first day on the job. Since their documentation is done by the time they join, the first day can be spent on knowing their colleagues, learning about the company, and introducing themselves. 

With the paperwork out of the way, your new employees can start focusing on their work from the first day. Many tools can help you with that, and if you are using employee onboarding software, the task will be taken care of by it. Important documents like contract manuals, company policies, and others will be sent automatically to the inbox of the new employees that can check out before their joining date. If they have any questions, they can contact HR and all issues can be cleared up before their joining. 

2. Automated Data Entry

All new employee data is collected automatically and entered into your organization’s work process smoothly when your onboarding is automated. It includes everything from payroll info, contact numbers, home addresses, and more. Automating the onboarding process makes it easier for your other organizational software like ERP, accounting software, etc. to avoid any kind of human error. It also makes the job of HR easier to create reports based on your employees’ demographics, job history, headcount, and more.

3. Improved Employee Engagement

New hires often find it hard to communicate with HR or get responses from them. That is because when done manually, onboarding new employees can swamp HR with paperwork, repetitive admin work, and more. It becomes hard for them to effectively communicate with the new employees leading to lower employee engagement, which can lead to higher retention rates in the long term. But with automation-focused business management software, most of the work is done automatically freeing HR to focus more on interacting with the new hires on a human level. 

From there, HR will be able to better answer any questions the new employees have, guide them better during the orientation programs, and even have time to create FAQ libraries for them. All these improve new employee engagement and lead to higher employee retention.

4. Welcoming Candidates Becomes A Breeze

Retaining new talents is very important for organizations in this competitive job market. This is why companies love to welcome their new hires with a personalized welcome package. With automated employee onboarding, this becomes an easy job for HR. All they have to do is set up online forms to collect personal details of their new hires (t-shirt sizes, mailing addresses preferred pronouns) and then create the perfect welcome package for each of them. And all these can be done before they set foot in their office.  They’ll feel more attached to the company and have greater job satisfaction over the course of their employment.

5. Improve Interactions Between People

During the new employee onboarding, the new employees lay importance on 1:1 interaction with their managers. These interactions help them to know their role in the organization, build better relationships and guide them through their expected goals. With automation-capable software solutions, HR is free from redundant tasks and can handle these kinds of interactions better. Plus the automated system will create scheduled office tours, alert the employees about their orientation and training, schedule when to take their headshots, and other tasks that new hires have to go through.

6. Automatic Benefit Enrollment

Today’s working generation lays very big importance on the benefits and perks a company offers when they are looking for a job. This is why organizations entice talented individuals with perks like commuter benefits, membership perks, and premier health plans among others. However, many times when there is no automation, the employees fail to get information or fail to enroll in such company benefits right away, if ever. But with automation through employee onboarding software, they get automated emails regarding all these on their first day. The emails provide detailed information on how to avail of them and what exactly they’re entitled to. Sometimes companies have different software to provide these perks and benefits, but the automated onboarding process easily works with such software, and everything is under a single platform.

By automating the onboarding process your organization will be much more streamlined .from first day to retirement Not only can your new employees become productive from their first day, but even your existing employees can also do their job better.