Varsha Softline

12 Benefits Of Having A Website

2011-05-17T15:55:00.001+05:30

Some of the goals that can be achieved by launching a website include the following:

1. Far Cheaper and Much More Flexible Than Print AdvertisingThe Internet is extremely different from print advertising in that space is cheap, your advertisement is accessible for a longer period of time, the content can be changed without having to ask someone to do it for you (if you use a content management system) and you can potentially reach a wider audience.
This is not to say that you should not use other forms of advertising at all   You can use it to entice people to visit your website and find out about your company and potentially open two-way communication between the potential customer and a sales person.

2. Market ExpansionThe Internet has allowed businesses to break through the geographical barriers and become accessible, virtually, from any country in the world by a potential customer that has Internet access.

3. Diversify Revenue StreamsA website is not just a medium for representation of your company, it is a form of media from which everybody can acquire information. You can use this media to sell advertising space to other businesses.
A recent trend has risen where businesses feature their very own directory of complimentary services, where the visitor can search for information on a business that will enhance the use of your service. The business sells complimentary businesses a listing in their directory.
A good example is a catering company featuring a directory with businesses such as event co-coordinators, electronic equipment rental companies, etc.

4. 24 7 365No more turning customers away when its time to close shop, putting up a note saying closed for public holiday , or leaving an irritating message on your answering service specifying your trading hours   tell them to visit your website for information they are looking for.

5. Offer ConvenienceIt is far more convenient for a person to research a product on the Internet than it is to get in a car, drive somewhere and look for or ask someone for information on a product. Also, a potential customer won t have to judge a call centre agent to determine whether he/she has their best interests in mind, or just wants to make a sale.
The potential customer can visit your website whenever they like in their own privacy and comfort, without the stresses and distractions that exist in the real world .
Your website is a self-service medium   for example, instead of having to wait in a long cue to pay your TV License, you can now do it electronically through the TV License website.

6. Add Value and SatisfactionBy offering convenience, a point of reference and that touch of individualized customer service, you ultimately add value to your offering and your customers experience a higher level of satisfaction.
Your website can add value in other ways too, by featuring tips, advice and general interest content you can entertain your customers. This will also help them remember you better.

7. Standardize Sales PerformanceBy looking at which approached / pitches have worked in the past and those which have not, you can produce the ultimate pitch and use it with your website, so that you use it on every customer. No more training of sales people and waiting for them to get a feel for your line of trade.

8. Improve credibilityA website gives you the opportunity to tell potential customers what you are about and why you deserve their trust and confidence. In fact, many people use the internet for pre-purchase research so that they can determine for themselves whether a particular supplier or brand is worthy of their patronage, and won t take them for a ride.
The Internet also allows for Viral Marketing   where your website visitors spread positive word-of-mouth about your business - your customers do your marketing!

9. Promote your Brick n Mortar PresenceGetting lost trying to find a place can be frustrating for a potential customer. You can publish what they call a dummy map on your website, which shows directions and landmarks graphically, and the potential customer can print it out when looking for your Brick n Mortar premises.
You might advertise a promotion on your website encouraging the visitor to visit your Brick n Mortar premises (e.g.. At a branch near you! ).
Also, if you recently moved to a new location, you will have to wait for the next 'phone directory to come out before people figure out where you currently are. Because a website is flexible   you can change the content as you like   you can change you contact details instantly and lower the risk of losing customers when moving to a new location.

10. Growth OpportunityA website serves as a great place to refer potential investors to, to show them what your company is about, what it has achieved and what it can achieve in future.

11. Two-Way Communicative MarketingCustomers can quickly and easily give feedback on your product and/or marketing approach.

12. Cheap Market ResearchYou can use features on your website such as visitor polls, online surveys and your website statistics to find out what your customers like more and how they feel about certain aspects of your business to determine how you can improve your product and the way you do business.
Website statistics show you how much traffic your website receives, how the visitor got to your website and where, geographically, the visitor is from.

Original Article: http://www.webworldindex.com/articles/12-Benefits-Of-Having-A-Website.html

SaaS vs. Hosted vs. On-Premise

2011-05-17T15:45:00.001+05:30

Everybody is jumping on the SaaS bandwagon these days, often claiming to be SaaS when they are not. I think it's important for buyers to be able to make informed decisions, so I want to shed some light on what the differences are in software delivery models and why you should care. What are the vendor behavior and investment patterns that go with each model?

Definitions

SaaS - Software as a Service; aka, on-demand - the software runs on a server and the customer accesses it over the web with a login-id and password. A key aspect of SaaS is that it supports a multi-tenant architecture that allows multiple customers to coexist (in a secure way) on the same application instance. This is important because a vendor has a single code base (version of the software)to install and support and a simpler server infrastructure, therefore being able to invest more into the software. Upgrades and new features are made available on an on-going basis without disruption to the customers. Implementations are a fraction of on-premise software.

Hosted - Software is also accessed on-demand, but lacking a multi-tenant architecture, it requires separate servers and installs for each customers. This is much more costly and also requires support for multiple releases, which is very resource intensive. Typically vendors who sell on-premise software go to a hosted model for on-demand offerings and often misleadingly call it SaaS. Implementations and upgrades to new releases are as painful and costly as in an on-premise model.

On-premise - Software is installed and run on customer's hardware, requiring administrative resources and additional cost for databases and infrastructure. Implementations are huge and upgrades to new releases are almost as big. Supporting multiple platforms and releases can drain over 50% of the development resources of a vendor.

Vendor Behavior

SaaS - Customer success - Small upfront sale. On-going partnership: if customers do not get value from the software they do not renew their subscription. It's pretty simple!
Hosted - Depends on licensing model. If subscription based, same as SaaS; if perpetual license plus hosting fee, then the biggest motivation is to sell as much as possible upfront.
On-premise - Big sale upfront - Put as much software and services into the upfront deal and move on to the next deal.

Pure vs. Hybrid Models

Most vendors are going for a hybrid model either mixing on-premise with hosting or SaaS with on-premise because of their legacy. The problem is that you end up with a schizophrenic organization pulled in opposite directions with simplicity and speed on the SaaS side and feature over-bloat and long release cycles on the on-premise side. With a pure on-premise model it is hard to stay competitive. Clearly, vendors with a pure SaaS model have a distinct advantage and are better suited to serve the interest of their customers.

Original Article: PPM Perspectives: SaaS vs. Hosted vs. On-Premise:

Changes in Google Apps policy

2011-04-29T10:20:00.001+05:30

Dear Client,

Google recently announced upcoming changes to the maximum number of users for Google Apps. The changes will not affect the current customers of Google Apps.

Message from Google:

"As of May 10, any organisation that signs up for a new account will be required to use the paid Google Apps for Business product in order to create more than 10 users. We honor our commitment to all existing customers and will allow you to add more than 10 users to your account for varshasoftline.com at no additional charge, based on the limit in place when you joined us."

So, We need to change the policy for Google Apps Implementation service(provided by Varsha Softline). All new customers will received only 10 users for GAP.

Please, note that this change does not affect to all existing customers of GAP.

Sincerely,

-Varsha Softline

Configuring MS Outlook as Email Client for Google App

2010-08-21T18:04:00.005+05:30

1. Enable POP Access in GAPPs Account
Sign in to GAPPs Account.
Click Settings at the top right corner.
Click Forwarding and POP/IMAP.

Select Enable POP for all mail or Enable POP for mail that arrives from now on.
Choose what to do with your messages after they're accessed with your POP client or device.
click Save Changes.

2. Configure MS Outlook as Mail Client
Start Menu-> MS Office-> MS Outlook..
Open Outlook.
Click the Tools menu, and select Account Settings...
On the E-mail tab, click New...
If you are prompted to Choose E-mail Service, select Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP, or HTTP, and click Next.
Fill in all necessary fields to include the following information:
Your Name: Enter your name as you would like it to appear in the From: field of outgoing messages.
Email Address: Enter your full Gmail email address (username@yourdomain.com).
Password: Enter your email password.
Manually configure server settings or additional server types: check this box now. Google Apps users should configure manually as follows.
select Internet E-mail and click Next.
Verify your User Information, and enter the following additional information:
Server Information
Account Type: POP3
Incoming mail server: pop.gmail.com (Google Apps users, enter the server names provided, don't add your domain name in these steps)
Outgoing mail server (SMTP): smtp.gmail.com
Logon Information
User Name: Enter your full address in the formatusername@your_domain.com
Password: Enter your email password.
Require logon using Secure Password Authentication (SPA): Leave this option unchecked.
Click the More Settings... button, and select the Outgoing Server tab.
Check the box next to My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication and select Use same settings as my incoming mail server.
Click the Advanced tab, and check the box next to This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL) under Incoming Server (POP3). Enter 995 in the 'Incoming Server' box.
In the Outgoing server (SMTP) box, enter 587, and select TLS from the drop-down menu next to Use the following type of encrypted connection:.
Click OK.
Click Test Account Settings... After receiving 'Congratulations! All tests completed successfully', click Close.
Click Next, and then click Finish.
This is an edited article. Original articles can be found on: Link 1, Link 2

SMS Frenzy lite 1.0 launched

2010-08-12T00:32:00.003+05:30

SMS Frenzy lite is perfect free SMS Sender software supporting latest technologies.

Its Free to use: You can use SMS Frenzy lite for Free for life time. No charges will be applied on usage.
Supports major Connectivity options- Bluetooth, Infra-red device, USB Cable, Serial Cable
Technology Coverage: Works with Major Mobile Phones using GSM/CDMA¹Technology.
Ready to Use: Simply Install and start sending sms
Unlimited SMS: There is no limit on sending SMS, you may send as many.
High speed: Sends 3200² SMS Per hour.
Import facility: Imports Mobile numbers from Text, MS Excel
Convenience Of Communication: SMS Frenzy Desktop makes message creation easier and faster in comparison to typing the SMS on a mobile phone keypad.
No Charges for SMS- Your phone operator charges you SMS cost as per your bill plan while sending SMS through phone connectivity, We do not charge.

You can download software from here: Download

10 rules for your small business home page

2010-06-12T20:50:00.003+05:30

WHO ARE YOU?
Does your homepage have your logo prominently displayed in the top left area? Can I go to your home page and click a link for email or find your telephone number? If not, smack your Web developer and tell them that contact information is critical to your site visitors and it shouldn't be hidden on the "contact us" page.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
Your mission and vision are lovely sentiments, but I want to know what you do. Can I use your services? Do you sell to my business or are you wholesale only? How do I find out what products you sell and what they cost? If your site says, "Call for pricing," I'm not calling because someone else displays the price online. Is there a single statement that says what you do or sell smack in the middle of your homepage?
WHERE IS IT?
Does your site have a homepage search field? If your links aren't complete or itemized, I'm not clicking all over to find what I want because I'm a firm believer in single-clicking to get where I want to be. Give me a search box, please.
OUCH! MY EYES!
Did you go through your font list for the weirdest fonts that exist, add neon color and then enlargify them? Don't think I'm going to use my credit card on a site that drips bright colors in a mishmash of fonts (or for that matter, on a site whose home page is titled, "Home Page").
BIGGER ISN'T BETTER
Did you take the photo on your homepage with your new digital camera and then slap it up on the Web site, maybe dragging the corners to make it smaller? That giant photo (which only looks smaller) takes at least 20 seconds to load in my browser and I've already clicked the next link in my Google search results. If you don't know how to work with photos on the Web, hire someone who does.
LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!
While it's true that Flash-driven sites are very cool and some spectacular, when I hit a Flash-only site, I rarely hang around for the file to play. When I see one that's fresh, I might watch it but soon I'm off to another site where I can buy something. Generally, if you're selling anything online, lose the total-page Flash and make the site look sleek, professional and trustworthy.
TOO BIG, TOO SMALL, JUST RIGHT
It's difficult to know what size monitors your visitors have, so why is your home page so wide that it doesn't fit in my browser window? Scrolling left-to-right is a big no-no on a homepage (or any other page). If you're not sure how to make the page flexible, then make it wide enough for an average monitor (750 pixels, and if you don't know what pixels are, please hire a Web person).
NEW FROM 2004!
If your homepage has news or upcoming events and the latest one happened in 2004, get it off your homepage. In fact, get "news" off your homepage because no one updates their site often enough. Is your photo album so hopelessly out of date that you can't identify the pictures? (Hint: lose the calendar. No one uses it. If you're event-driven, get one from Google.)
HELP! I'M LOST!
Navigation (links) should be clear, logical and intuitive. If I can't find what I want from your homepage, I'm leaving. Write a simple outline of what pages you want on your site. (Remember the Roman numerals and capital/small letters from seventh grade? That's an outline.) Give that to your Web developer and wait for the kiss that is sure to follow.
NOTHING TO SAY?
If you have nothing to say, delete that page from your site. Bigger isn't better and there are no prizes for number of links on your homepage. You need concrete information that visitors and buyers want to read and not a lot of fluff, but we expect at least one fluffy page (usually "About Us").

A small business Web site is a single chance you have to grab visitors' attention, tell them that you have the products they want and turn it into a sale or at least an online contact. Look around the Web at great home pages – or sites from which you regularly plunk down that credit card – and make your homepage equally compelling and trustworthy.

Original Post

4 Areas Of Your Website You Should Fix Right Now

2010-06-08T23:33:00.002+05:30

If your website is your first point of contact with many of your customers, you better make sure it's impressive.

But, unfortunately, many small business sites seem to fall short in some key areas, as noted by Wise Bread's Glen Stansberry in a recent post for OPEN Forum.

He suggests you make sure you're up to par in the following areas:

1. Your "About" page: At the very least, you need to include your company name and contact information. But it's way better if you have some signs of personality there, too: pictures, company story, etc.

2. What you do: Clearly describe what products, services, and solutions you offer and place it prominently so customers don't have to look for it. Do it on every page of your site, and you get the added bonus of better SEO.

3. What you've already done: If you're not highlighting the awards, mentions, or testimonials you've received, you're selling yourself short -- this is an easy way to give yourself credibility and grab potential customers' attention.

4. Your blog and social media pages: We've said it before, and here it is again -- there's no reason not to be blogging and actively using social media. There are few better ways to put a face to your company, get free PR, and build relationships with your customers online all at once.

Original Post

7 pages every business Web site must have

2010-05-18T11:40:00.003+05:30

Don’t look now, but your Web site might be missing a few pages—a few very important pages.

You’re not alone. Most small-business sites are a work in progress—constantly being revised, improved, and updated. So invariably, something is always missing. But some pages are so important that not having them could hurt your bottom line.

A 2007 Forrester Research study of business-to-business Web sites found that many of the pages it examined were difficult to navigate and use. About one-quarter of them lacked critical pages containing privacy and security policies, for example. Those are essential pages for any business site, big or small.

"Many companies get sidetracked from what is really important," Kelly Cutler, chief executive of the Chicago-based strategic interactive advisory firm Marcel Media, told me. That is, sites that are "clean, professional, and easy to navigate," she says, generally have most or all of the pages customers are looking for.

So, you can let your customers tell you about those missing pages. Or you can read this story and then add these commonly overlooked components.

Let me tell you about having customers tell you what is missing, because that’s a road I’ve taken. When I began designing and publishing Web pages in 1996, there were, for all intents and purposes, no standards. Back then I wouldn’t make a change to my site until people e-mailed me en masse to complain ("You don’t have a Contact Us page? Get one!").

That was the hard way.

This is the easy way. Here are seven pages every business Web site must have, and where they need to be:

Contact Us. "Every small-business site should have a Contact Us page," says Melissa Campanelli, author of "Open an Online Business in 10 Days" (Entrepreneur Press, 2007). "It should offer visitors a complete list of ways they can contact you – from e-mail addresses to toll-free numbers to a physical address." It’s easy to overlook a Contact Us page because, after all, this is your company’s online presence, and why post something like your physical address. But customers don’t think that way. When it comes to contacting you, they want options—or they just might take their business elsewhere.

Where it goes: There should be a link to it on the nav bar and on every page. Give your customers as many choices as you can, including a form, e-mail address, instant-messaging account, regular mail, toll-free number, and toll number for overseas callers. Leave no virtual stone unturned.

Testimonials. Many companies skip the Testimonials page because they consider it too self-serving, says Lori Quaranta, president of Consetta Web Solutions in Shelton, Conn. "Some people would argue that this is not necessary, that business owners plug their business with bogus testimonials. But again, it’s a natural human instinct for people to know, ‘What’s so good about you? I wonder what others had to say.'" In other words, while having a page like that may seem self-promotional, people will look for it. And when they don’t find it, they might begin to make assumptions. Why don’t they have a testimonials page? Can’t they find enough people to say nice things about them?

Where it goes: Ask long-time clients to supply a short testimonial and make sure a link to it is on your nav bar where anyone can find it. Remember, people will be looking for this one.

Privacy policy. Web users are more conscious about safety and privacy than ever, so a good privacy policy is an absolute must, according to Corey Donovan, vice president at Vibrant Technologies, an IT reseller in Minnetonka, Minn. “If you collect user data via a Web form such as a contact form, then you really should have a privacy policy page,” he says. “Linking to this page on any page where you request personal information is a trust-builder and will decrease form abandonment.” Not only that, but many companies require that you have a privacy policy before they do business with you. So get one. (The Better Business Bureau has a good sample privacy notice on its site.)

Where it goes: A privacy policy doesn’t have to be prominent in your design. Most people look for a link to it from the bottom of every page.

FAQ. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are frequently forgotten, too. At least that’s the assessment of Joel Fisher, vice president and creative director at TruePresence, an Internet marketing firm in Baltimore. Why is an FAQ page so important? Mostly, they’ll ensure you won’t have to answer the same questions over and over. "This will save time and money by letting your clients service themselves," Fisher says. "And if you don’t think your customers have questions, you’re wrong." Not sure what they want to know more about? You can always solicit questions on a feedback form, and if you see repeats, turn them into an FAQ for the page.

Where it goes: You already know the most common questions. Post them—and the answers—somewhere that’s easy to find. A lot of FAQ sections are linked to from the bottom of each page, along with the site’s privacy policy.

A "gimme" page. Want readers to sign up for your newsletter or regular special offers? You need what Drew Barton, president of Southern Web Group in Atlanta, calls the "gimme" page—a section where users can be persuaded to give up some of their personal information (such as their names and e-mail addresses) in exchange for … well, something else. "Information has a price," he says. "Web site visitors withhold information about themselves and can only be persuaded to give that information up in exchange for something of value. In many cases, this is an informative report, a keychain, a chance to win tickets to a ballgame, or a cash prize. I’ve even seen Web site owners raffle off a kayak in order to entice site visitors to sign up and divulge invaluable information."

Where it goes: "Gimme" pages should be linked to or even integrated into the page on which you ask readers to sign up for your free newsletter or your weekly specials. Yes, they need a reason.

About Us. Another often overlooked component: the About Us page. "The Internet offers businesses the opportunity to expand their market reach like never before," notes Thomas Harpointner, chief executive of AIS Media, a Web site design and hosting company based in Atlanta. "But just because you can do business with people you might never meet doesn’t mean they don’t want to know about who they’re doing business with." The most effective About Us pages are succinct and use no jargon. I’ve seen "about" pages that scroll on for several pages and read like a doctoral thesis. Most of the experts I talked with say that’s a big turn-off for potential customers.

Where it goes: Web users look for an About Us page link at the bottom of the home page or in the nav bar. Caution: Don’t get fancy and call it something else. Stick to "about" or "About Us"—that’s what they’re looking for.

Confirmation. A decent confirmation page that acknowledges an order and thanks the visitor for his or her business is essential—and often lacking, says Brian Drum, chief executive of Drum Associates, an executive search firm in New York. "If a customer is taking any action, a page that says 'Thank you for purchasing this product' or 'One of our representatives will contact you shortly' can really cut down on time answering customer phone calls," he says. That means less time spent answering queries such as "Did my subscription to your e-mail newsletter go through?" or "Did my order get processed?" The reason these pages are easy to overlook is that they aren’t static. They’re usually generated after a transaction takes place, and people don’t spend much time worrying about what happens after a transaction.

Where it goes: If there’s any kind of form on your site—e-mail us, subscribe to our newsletter, buy a product—you need a confirmation page to follow. It should reassure the customer that their information was received, thank them for it, and offer additional resources and contacts in case they have any other questions.

Already have these pages? Well done. But don’t get too comfortable. Just like the Web, these must-have pages can—and almost certainly will—change with time. The only way to make sure your site doesn’t become obsolete is to listen to your customers

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10 Things Your Business Website Must Have

2010-05-18T11:33:00.004+05:30

This article will tell you about the top ten things that your business website must have. Basically, follow these tips to help make your business website a success. Here are ten things your business website must have.

1. You need to have various payment options. Customers love to make purchases on a website that accepts everything from credit cards to electronic checks. Remember, the more payment options that you can offer to customers then your company will get much more sales throughout the year.

2. You need to have a easy shopping cart. You want your customers to have a shopping cart that is basically flawless. You want a shopping cart that doesn't mess up. You need a shopping cart that tells your customers which items that they have added to their shopping cart and how much the balance is so far. A shopping cart that is less confusing will make your customers more happy.

3. You need to have easy navigation buttons. Make sure that your website buttons can be found by visitors. Make sure the customers know which page that they are currently looking at. Your navigation button links to show which the page the visitor is currently looking at. Make sure to have a title on all of your pages.

4. Make sure the text is large enough to read and the color is easy to read. Senior citizens may have a difficult time reading little text on websites so make sure that the text is large enough for them. Make sure that the text on your website isn't white. Make sure that the text is black.

5. Make sure your website has your e-mail address listed on it. Your customers need to be able e-mail customer service about any questions with products or services. Make sure that the customers get a response to their e-mail within 24 hours of writing to you.

6. Make sure the colors on your website are always bright toned colors. People like to visit a site that has a cheerful brightness on it. They don't want to visit a website that is totally black and white since it is difficult to see and read. You want them to be happy when visiting your website.

7. You need to have a tracker on your website so you can found out information about visitors. You need a counter and a tracker to find out where you are getting most of the traffic to your business website from. You need to find out which advertising methods are working best and you can find out that information with the help of trackers placed on your website.

8. Put pictures on your website of your products. Customers want to see pictures of the product before they buy it. You need to have pictures that zoom in on the product. You need to have a few close up pictures of the product too. You may even want to include measurement information regarding the product. You need to include as much detailed as possible to help people be the most informed about the product.

9. Make sure that your website has prices on all the items. You need to include all the prices on each item. You can also make sure to offer a discount if they purchase more than 3 deal on your website. You want to have the best rates on the Internet.

10. You need to have a form on there that a customer can print if they want to send in their order through regular snail mail. Make sure to have the form easily available for the customer to print. Make sure the order form includes information asking for their credit card information or if its okay to include to a check with their order form.

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