While you might not be prepared to hire your own robot staff, there are plenty of ways that automation can be implemented in any workplace, regardless of industry. Here are 6 ways that you can easily take advantage of the various automation tools available on the market today. 

1. Automated updates

Social media and email marketing both play a huge role in connecting with consumers, therefore most businesses are going to want to have a good handle on these tactics if they are going to actually attract, and keep, consumers. 

The benefits to be gained from automated email marketing are vast, including improved accountability, and creating more space for more creative marketing campaigns. Automated email marketing can help you remain consistent, showing your customers that you are dedicated to keeping them up to date, which in turn will make them more loyal in the long run.

2. Chatbots

While it may seem counterintuitive, chatbots can make a business more personal. One of the best ways to learn about both your customers and potential customers, chatbots take their messages based on the information given in all interactions. Simple to implement, chatbots can provide 24-hour customer service while helping you save on time and overhead costs. 

With less manpower going into customer maintenance, you can invest what you’ve saved into growing your business. 

3. Data entry

Every business knows that collecting and understanding consumer data is essential to the creation of a successful business. They also know how incredibly time consuming it can be. 

By automating data entry and other mundane tasks, you can enhance processing time, thus saving you time and money. Yet, not only does it help you improve overall efficiency in the workplace, but the quick results granted by automatic updates can give you a competitive advantage, by allowing you to stay one step ahead of competitors in your industry.  

4. Enhance collaboration

Collaboration is a hot topic in today’s workplace. With an increasing amount of industries tuning to the benefits of working together, rather than simply focusing on competition, there has been a rapid upswing in tools that enhance collaboration. Much like automated marketing strategies, there are now various tools that take care of daily repetitive tasks, like interactive calendars and shared software that are helping teams connect more deeply while on the job. 

5. Learning to be more efficient

Automation can teach us a thing or two about being more efficient. Not that it means we should be expected to act like robots, in fact far from it. 

By helping businesses learn how to manage tasks by making use of the latest AI technology, workers can then relearn how to focus on the bigger picture. This could be a variety of things, from addressing interpersonal relationships in the office, to redefining expectations and goals so you can focus on tasks more deeply. In short, when we don’t have to worry about ticking boxes and manually tracking data, we can become much more productive 

As you can see, automation isn’t really a robot controlled future at all. In fact, it’s helping workers learn how to be better coworkers and more efficient, in addition to making it easier for businesses to budget smarter, and connect with customers in a myriad of ways.

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User experience, or UX, is extremely important for every software product. When Steve Jobs founded Apple, this idea of form over function was highly unusual in the software space. In Jobs’ view, you needed to consider software and hardware with the customer’s experience in mind, then build the technology.

1. Minimalism

Ever enter an app with an impressive splash screen, tons of buttons, and functionality? It was probably a beautiful app — but you probably had to take a moment to figure out how to use it effectively. Apps that have exactly what they need and nothing more are becoming more popular for this very reason. When we aren’t inundated with a fancy GUI, we can more easily make sense of how to use the GUI.

The best software products shouldn’t take a second to figure out. Think of Google’s search engine — it was revolutionary because it simply was a text input box against a white screen. Now that minimalistic style isn’t so counterculture anymore — it’s the norm. App makers are looking for more ways to declutter, optimize, and simplify the experience.

2. Colorful screens

Vibrant colors are all the rage in 2018. While sleek, clean, minimalist apps are proving to be the most stylish this year, this doesn’t mean your color palette needs to be toned down. Vibrant colors can be a great complement to minimalist design. Bright colors can help guide the users eyes, group functionality, and add a powerful aesthetic to an otherwise stripped-down application.

Bright colors have an appeal in their own right, but making your app look more fashionable is just one of the reasons this trend is on fire. Vibrant colors are not only beautiful, they’re functional. In fact, UX design has begun to employ colors as indicators of functionality. That is, your screen turns different colors when different actions are performed. 

3. Full-screen Navigation

UX designers are starting to realize that space is quite a valuable thing when making an interactive, 2D product. Instead of asking the user to fill out an entire form on a single scrolling page, UX designers are sending users to multiple pages, each with a only one or two actions. This makes navigating an app easier, and translates into less frustration from the user. Tiny, obvious steps can make your app more intuitive, less daunting, and more user-friendly.

4. Linear journeys

Some software applications overload users with choices. Software designers may think this is a good thing — supplying the user with lots of functionality at once — and it can be. Sometimes, though, it can get in the way of the primary function of your software product. For this reason, linear user journeys are becoming more popular. Guide your user through your app, one step at a time, take them from step one to the end step without interruption. Following this trend can help your users make more sense out of app, and they may report more satisfaction with your product’s ease-of-use.

Conclusion

Most tech companies still have a backwards way of creating technology. They engineer a product with all the functionality they want, then begin work on making it user friendly. All too often, creating a serviceable user experience is impossible this late in the game, however. 

Thinking of the user experience before you even begin prototyping will help your software product greatly. This is why it’s so very important to stay up-to-date on the latest UX trends. Even if you aren’t actively working on a project, take a few moments out of each day to see how UX designers are changing how we interact with technology.

The post 4 UX Design Trends to Follow in 2018 appeared first on SiteProNews.

Starting in the early 20th century, automation introduced itself to the world in the form of massive materials factories that could speed up the productivity of workers and create form perfect products for mass consumption. These behemoths of the old world have become standard and ingrained into our minds as the facade of automated technologies. However, the new age is bringing something more fictitious and wonderful than ever before considered, truly autonomous machines. 

Thanks to the power of modern processing and the minds of some incredible people, we have a future that will undoubtedly feature autonomous vehicles and intelligent systems that will aid people in their everyday venture into the world. Tesla and Google are making incredible headway with their self driving cars as well as Toyota which is developing level 4 Artificial Intelligence as we speak with level 5 only a few years away. 

No one is sure if we will ever see truly human intelligence reproduced by AI software, but we will assuredly see the rise of task specific intelligence that can accomplish even the simplest thing with incredible efficiency. Detractors, however, have some swathe of issues inline with concerns that many in the industry have as well with regards to the future of employment. For businesses, the advantages are clear and defined, but, the plight of the worker must be considered in its entirety. 

Luckily, automation seeks to disrupt industries, not employment. The simple truth, as it stands, is that less than 10% of employment can be fully automated. Around 60% of jobs can be assisted by automation that deals with menial tasks automatically. While this may be the case, this assistance can raise productivity and efficiency dramatically every year for businesses in all industries. Automation has uses that are more analogous than ravenous. 

The proliferation of AI assistants like Google Home and Amazon Alexa have injected automation into all kinds of work without necessarily replacing any jobs. To the concern of unemployment, there is little save for those who do not want to learn. Let’s be honest, we have all had to adjust to the age of technology. Computers in our pockets that can make phone calls and applications that can monitor our health were major adjustments in all of our collective lives. This disruption however lends credence to the idea of human adaptability as now almost everyone has a smartphone or a personal assistant. Automation will see much of the same adaptation. Though it can be a harrowing prospect for those so inclined, these incoming technologies only seek to increase the efficiency of our everyday lives.

Ultimately, it is about change and whether or not we are willing to adapt as a people. We do this sort of thing all of the time as new technologies emerge. Automation will see increased profit margins and a savings of nearly $2 trillion every year in wages. What will happen is a reversal and modified expectation for the average employee. For truck drivers, there will need to be technicians who can repair and guide these automated systems as they deliver goods and transport products around the country.

The same goes for anyone working in a physical and predictable field like factories or mining excavations. Automated machines will mean less hours spent on mundane tasks like scheduling meetings and relaying messages so that employees can focus on the work they were hired to do. There is a certain level of frustration felt by every owner when they have their employees doing other tasks not related to their skillset. Automation seeks to end this so that employees can do more skilled work and owners can be more satisfied with their work structures. Automation is about benefiting owners and employees alike and seeks to create a more symbiotic world.

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Many people get caught up in the first steps of building their stock portfolio. With a bit of research and some guidance, these first steps can be easier to accomplish. This article attempts to help you through those crucial initial steps.

Follow the 4 steps below to build a stronger stock portfolio: 

1. Assess your risk tolerance

It’s important to understand what kind of investor you are before you begin investing. If you have lots of time and a stomach for stress, you’ll be able to participate in high-risk investments. If you are averse to a great deal of risk, you may want to consider putting your money in a sure thing.

Before you put your money into an equity fund or public company, you’ll want to iron out what your goals are. This will further help you assess your risk tolerance. What are your future needs for capital? What are your tax concerns? Answer these questions before moving forward.

2. Determine your asset allocation

After assessing your needs, you’ll need to determine your asset allocation. Asset allocation is simply a term meaning where you put your money. Where you put your money is broken into groups and percentages; how much money you put into stocks, bonds, and cash.

If you are conservative and wish to avoid risk, you should expect to put most of your money, roughly half, into bonds. The rest should be evenly divided between stocks and cash.

As you grow more aggressive as an investor, cash and bonds should represent a smaller fraction of the pie. A very aggressive investor, for example, may have 80% of their investments in stocks. There’s a great deal of financial software that can help you estimate your asset allocation.

3. Study stocks

After assessing your risk tolerance and determining the asset allocation that best meets your financial needs, you’ll want to become educated about investing.

Becoming educated about the different types of stocks is crucial to your understanding of the stock market, and, therefore, your investment. As Warren Buffet has said, “Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing.” In other words, knowledge is key to getting returns.

There are two major categories for stocks: preferred and common. Preferred stocks pay out dividends to their shareholders. Most stocks are common (in that, they don’t pay dividends). Common stocks can be further subdivided:

• Growth stocks: higher risk stocks based on strong growth projection.
• Value stocks: stocks that are currently undervalued by the market.
• Blue-chip stocks: stocks that consistently perform.
• Speculative stocks: stocks purchased based on speculation from investors.

4. Reassess your portfolio

The tricky part of building a profitable stock portfolio is consistent management and analysis. Adjusting your asset allocation, reassessing your risk tolerance, and further educating yourself about the stock market will help you as you continually examine your investments.

Investing is continual. Your investments need maintenance in order to be effective. Your financial needs and goals are bound to change. You’ll need to respond to that change by being open to new ways to save and earn for your future.

Conclusion

Building a profitable stock portfolio can be an immensely rewarding and enriching experience. With the right amount of dedication, you’ll be able to navigate the initial steps of creating a diversified portfolio.

It’s important to remember that building a stock portfolio is building a better financial future. Investing your money into public companies, private equity firms, or municipal bonds can do more than pay out dividends, they can help spur growth in your local economy, provide you with a sense of engagement with your finances, and help build a blueprint for your financial future.

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Yet, more accurate ranking did come with a cost. Over the years, there have been plenty of bad practices, like keyword stuffing and disingenuous link exchanges which led to an abundance of poor content being generated online. Luckily, Google revamped their protocol and now penalizes businesses for engaging in cheap and easy SEO practices. As a result, search engine optimization has become somewhat of an art and it’s getting better every day.

Whether you run a business, or are just enthusiastic about SEO, here are 4 ways that SEO has changed for the better that might inspire your future content.

1. Original is the new black

While this one might seem like a no brainer, there are a surprising number of businesses that have yet to harness the power of original content. To make the most of content creation, it’s wise to invest in someone who knows their way around SEO and also has a good writing style. Many companies initially struggle to find a topic, but it’s a welcome opportunity to get to know yourself as a brand and then transfer that into a blog post. You could consider writing about your personal development as a company, or provide useful tools and tips that readers can benefit from. Content that is original should aim to activate the reader’s imagination and encourage them to engage, which is a great way to gain loyal customers.

2. Guest posting

Remember, guest posting is not link building. Rather than having a guest write a post with the intention of simply sharing a link to your landing page, look for someone who can help make a contribution to your brand in the long run. That means carefully considering experts that are relevant to your industry and also who could make beneficial long term partners. Also, discuss ways that their expertise could be translated into content that will help boost your readership, and if applicable, theirs as well.

3. Looking good is essential

Content isn’t just about the quality of the writing, although that is very important, it’s also important to pay attention to aesthetics. By investing in a designer who can help you create a beautiful landing page that complements your content, you will be able to catch readers’ attention. One important thing to note is that while you want to catch the eye of consumers, you don’t want to go overboard. Much like defining your original content plan, think of design as a way to deliver a message to your audience about who you are as a brand.

4. Making the most of the available tools

Thanks to changes in content creation, for example people demanding more meaningful and personalized messages, there are now a wealth of tools to help you optimize your content creating plan. While there are an abundance of free tools, like Google Webmaster tools, there are many that are worth investing in, like IdeaFlip, which helps you navigate the brainstorming process and is ideal for those who are new to content marketing.

No matter what direction you take in your content creation journey, it’s important that you reflect your brand through your content voice. Understanding the ways in which content has changed will greatly benefit your ability to attract consumers in the long run and also increase your chances of remaining relevant in a competitive business world.

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