Business

You’ve probably heard the term “ergonomics” before, but what exactly does it mean? In a nutshell, ergonomics is the science of designing tools, equipment, and workplaces that are comfortable and easy to use. This is especially important when it comes to setting up your desk in an ergonomic way. After all, if you spend most of your day sitting at your desk, then it makes sense to make sure it’s set up in the most comfortable and efficient way possible.

Keep reading for a step-by-step guide on how you can utilise tools to assess your desk setup for optimal ergonomics.

Start with the basics

Before you start assessing your desktop setup for optimal ergonomics, make sure that you have all the basics covered. This includes having a good quality chair with adjustable height, armrests, and lumbar support – ergonomic office chairs are easy to come by these days.

You should also make sure your monitor is at eye level, and place your keyboard directly in front of you at elbow level. Finally, keep items like pen and paper within easy reach so that you don’t have to strain or bend over too much while working.

Embrace tools like online calculators or apps

Once you have the basics down, there are plenty of online calculators and apps available that can help you determine what type of setup would be best for your individual needs. These tools will take into account factors like height, weight, gender, workspace size etc., and provide specific recommendations on how to adjust things like chair height or monitor placement for maximum comfort and efficiency.

Try out different setups until you find what works best for you

Everyone’s body is different, so what works perfectly for one person may not work well for another. That’s why it’s important to experiment with different setups until you find one that works best for you personally – whether that means investing in a standing desk or using an adjustable keyboard tray – and stick with it until it no longer works well for your particular body type or situation.

These tips are a great place to start, but don’t stop here!

Keep experimenting with different setups until you find something that works best for you personally – and remember to check in periodically on how comfortable (or uncomfortable!) your current setup may be after long periods of time spent working from home or sitting at a computer all day long. With these tips in mind, we hope this guide has helped shed some light on how to set up a workspace with maximum comfort and efficiency.

 

In an article we posted back in 2020 about improving management for remote employees, we pointed out that work-from-home numbers had been skyrocketing even before the pandemic. The numbers of WFH employees rose by 173% between 2005 and 2018, which speaks to why the trend won’t go away even when the pandemic is fully behind us.

As discussed in that article, there are numerous important ways to ensure that remote team members stay engaged –– from linking employee goals to those of the company, to helping employees set those goals, and more. Another way in which many companies are seeking to engage their remote teams, however, is through remote games. This can work in all sorts of different ways, but there are specific reasons for remote employees to be playing games. First, studies have indicated that gaming can relieve stress in trying times; second, there is research indicating that game breaks can improve productivity; and third, games give remote teams a way to socialize that doesn’t revolve around work.

Those benefits can apply to all kinds of specific games. But one that has been made particularly relevant –– thanks to the dominant video chat platform Zoom releasing its own version –– is poker. So in this brief guide we’re going to provide some tips for starting up a virtual poker night with your remote team.

Set it up – First, of course, you’ll need to set up the game. Zoom launched its own poker game last summer –– known then as Live Game Night, but since rebranded as AceTime Poker. The game is an app “embedded in Zoom Meetings” that any user can add to Zoom desktop. Once people have it, up to 10 can join a live chat with built-in virtual poker.

Distribute rules – The AceTime poker app revolves around Texas Hold’em poker, so you’ll next want to ensure everyone knows the rules. In broad strokes, it’s a game in which each player gets two cards, and then uses three of five communal cards to build a hand –– with some betting and decision-making mixed in, of course. But to ensure everyone on the team can have fun, it’s best to distribute a more detailed guide that people can read and refer to.

Distribute hand rankings – In addition to the rules, it’s for the best to distribute a clear chart of poker hand rankings as well. For any experts in the group this won’t be necessary. But for beginner and even intermediate players it will be helpful to be able to peek at a chart to assess the strength of a hand. Knowing quickly that your flush will beat the three-of-a-kind you suspect a coworker has, for instance, makes the game simpler and more fun. Meanwhile, a chart like this can also give probabilities for each hand, such that beginning players know what’s realistic to shoot for (probably not the 0.000154% chance of landing a royal flush!).

Set playful stakes – Finally, unless you have a team in which everyone is completely okay with cash betting, consider setting some playful stakes! Betting is part of Texas Hold’em, but you don’t have to use real money. The AceTime poker app sets you up to play with purely virtual chips to begin with. But from there, you can concoct rewards for the players who end the game with the most chips. A small gift cards, for instance, is a perfect touch if the business can swing it (even $10 worth is a fun prize).

And that’s about it! As you’re likely well aware at this point, the pandemic has given rise to lots of great games to play over video chat; people have found their way to chess, Pictionary, and plenty more. But thanks to Zoom’s own built-in app, a virtual poker game has also become an easy, fun way to engage your remote teams.

 

If you’re wondering how AI technology can hold natural conversations with customers and assume in the past that AI would only be capable of holding stunted, drawn out conversations, think again. To discover how AI is now as natural as speaking to a traditional human agent, simply continue reading. As in the last few years AI software has definitely come a long way and is nothing like the AI conversational software that was common a few years ago.

Modern AI is capable of understanding how real people think and speak:

You may be surprised to discover that modern AI is actually capable of understanding how real people think and speak. So if you assumed that AI would not be capable of carrying a natural, convincing conversation, think again. As contemporary AI will also continue to learn. So the more customers that your AI deals with, the better that your AI will become at speaking in a natural, realistic way. That your customers will be comfortable dealing with and will actually prefer to deal with, rather than traditional customer service agents.

So if you assumed that your team would need to manage and update your AI software manually, think again as your AI software should be able to continually update itself and learn, with every interaction that it has with a customer. Which means that you won’t need to spend as much capital on data scientists and engineers, who can be pricey to hire in the long term. So if you want to save your business valuable money, it’s well worth looking into this modern option.

Some forms of AI offer pre built conversational components:

Instead of having AI developed from scratch, you’ll be able to purchase a form of AI such as Thinking Machine which was developed by Replicant, which offers plenty of pre-built conversational components. Which will allow you to get your new AI solution up and running as soon as possible. So that you’ll be able to start reaping the numerous benefits of implementing AI into your business and customer service offerings in a short time frame. If you’re interested in buying innovative AI software from Replicant, make sure to conduct a bit more research into Replicant conversational AI, in order to discover more information.

It takes AI half the time to resolve customers’ queries or issues:

The number one reason why it’s worth investing in AI technology for your customer service needs is that it takes AI roughly half the time to resolve customer’s queries and issues. Which will increase your customer satisfaction scores!

In conclusion:

So if you are curious about streamlining your business‘ customer service processes, for the overall benefit of your business as your customer satisfaction scores will increase and your sales will increase. If so, it’s a great idea to learn more information about AI systems that can help your business such as Replicant’s award winning conversational AI software.

Marketing your business in the world’s third richest country means you stand to gain a whole lot. Learning to market successfully in the UAE is as simple as doing your due diligence in terms of research.

The digital advertising potential in the UAE skyrocketed in 2020 due to the pandemic, and business owners now have a market in the digital arena that is more active than ever before.

Let your operation in on the action, and take a look at a few simple marketing tips for spreading the digital word about your business in the United Arab Emirates.

Decide between in-house and outsourcing

Before you jump into the digital marketing scene, decide whether or not you want to tackle it alone. Outsourcing to a content marketing agency in Dubai could help you reap the benefits of your marketing content much faster.

Dubai is the most popular and busy city in the UAE, and there are plenty of opportunities to reach a hungry audience. In addition, outsourcing your digital efforts will be cheaper and more effective than doing it yourself.

Decide how much money you want to invest

You will need to be free to allocate a certain part of your budget to digital marketing. The cost is what you make it, but it can be somewhat expensive. The average monthly cost of marketing in the UAE for a small business can range from $2,500 to $12,000.

If you’re looking for a whole website design, your business needs to budget several thousand dollars for marketing expenses. The point is that there has to be a clear cut plan on what you can spend before you start making moves.

Choose the digital tools you want to use

There are many different ways to spread the word about your business in the digital realm. It’s time to decide which tools you’ll invest the most time and effort into utilizing.

The most common tools used in digital marketing are search engine optimization (SEO), email, social media marketing (SMM), and content marketing. You may choose to use all of them to create a well-rounded marketing approach.

Actively track the results of your efforts

After your digital marketing campaign has been fully launched, it’s important to keep an eye out for just how successful your efforts are proving to be. The more data you have concerning your marketing efforts, the more efficient you can make your campaign.

You’ll need to pay special attention to the traffic you’re drawing online, number of clicks, how long people linger, and your conversion rates. Use Google Analytics to get started on your data adventure, and make more informed decisions moving forward.

If you’re interested in discovering new business email marketing tips that will help you craft more effective marketing emails that will increase your business’ traffic, sales and profit, simply continue reading. In order to find a handy list of tried and tested business email marketing tips, that will help you make well-needed adjustments to your email marketing campaigns.

Consider personalizing your emails:

DId you know that it’s easy to use email marketing-focused software in order to personalize your emails. For example, you’ll be able to place each of your potential customer’s first names in the subject line of your marketing emails. As the human brain is hard-wired to instantly recognize an individual’s own name. By using your potential customers’ first names, you’ll instantly put them at ease and will be able to give your emails a personal touch, which will be far more effective than a traditional marketing email which is obviously a sales pitch. Remember if you’re able to establish a rapport with your prospective customers, they’ll be far more likely to follow the instructions in your email and to make a purchase through the link in your email.

Make sure that your emails have strong conclusions:

While it may come as second nature to ensure that your emails have a strong introduction that will capture all of your readers’ attention, you may forget to invest time into ensuring that each of your emails have a strong conclusion. Keep in mind that if you have a strong call to action at the end of your marketing emails, you shouldn’t have any trouble attracting a large number of sales from your marketing emails.

Learn to track the engagement of your marketing emails:

Instead of sending out your marketing emails and promptly forgetting about them, you can learn valuable lessons which can help you better craft effective marketing emails by tracking the audience engagement of your marketing emails. For example, if you use email marketing-focused software, you’ll be able to check the percentage of email recipients who opened each email as well as how many email recipients clicked on your link and visited your business’ website. You can even find out how many individuals actually ordered a product or service through your website.

As you study your audience engagement analytics you’ll be able to discover what techniques work for your business and which techniques you may want to ditch.

Make sure that your emails contain aesthetically pleasing images:

As humans are visual creatures, there’s no point sending emails that lack photos. Especially if you’re trying to sell physical products. Remember you have a far bigger chance of selling physical products such as clothing or health products if you actually include professional images of the products which you’re looking to market in your marketing emails.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a cheap yet effective way to promote your business and its products and services, you definitely can’t go wrong using the email marketing tips listed above to your advantage.