An AntiPattern is a common practice in solving problems with a bad solutions. (In comparison to a Amelioration Pattern, which turns a bad solution into a good one.)
In programming the Liferro framework, identifying bad practices with an objective eye can be quite difficult, but having a library of bad practices to draw from aids in solidifying a stable framework which is valuable in the next generation of software subscription services.
Typical AntiPatterns can manifest why a bad solution looked attractive at the time, and why the implementation didn't quite live up to expectation. They can also indicate appropriate patterns that can used in its place.
So why should you care about an AntiPattern? Well, AntiPatterns are common software mistakes which help to identify an alternate solution easily. The collective experience from years of software project experiences as well as numerous cited works of these bad practices, help developers eventually produce quality code. In the end, users and developers benefit from this collection of known common bad practices called AnitPatterns.
The Liferro framework is built on best-practice development, and is always wary of AntiPatterns. The consistent vigilance and correction of these AntiPatterns helps keep the Liferro framework flexible and extensible.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Managing Leads
You can tailor the information in this article for use on your website.
The main thing that drives business is sales leads. The Internet has spawned an automatic lead generator that never sleeps, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, most businesses only use their website as a company brochure. Moreover, gathered leads from websites have to be transferred to another lead management system. Liferro however, offers seamless and deep lead capture and management.
Of course, the first thing you must have on your site is something to entice users to give their information, - a contest, offering, sale, newsletter, etc. Due to challenging security concerns, your site should also be designed as secure as possible. To accomplish this, you need a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate from providers like: (Network Solutions, GeoTrust, Entrust, Thawte). This SSL gives users peace of mind because their data is transmitted in a secure manner from point-to-point.
After you set up security and have written enticing copy, you need an input form to collect the data. Initially, gather as little information as possible. Visitors abhor long forms, so try to gather only the information you need to contact the visitor. In Liferro you can specify when the visitor clicks submit the type of lead, the next step, and who the lead should be assigned. Once the information is posted to Liferro, you get a better understanding of the source of your lead, the characteristics and most importantly, a step by step analysis of securing the lead as a customer.
The captured lead from the Internet is now a part of your Contact Management, E-mail, Campaign and Survey systems in Liferro, automatically. Now, you can use the additional tools Liferro offers to turn the lead into a customer.
The main thing that drives business is sales leads. The Internet has spawned an automatic lead generator that never sleeps, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, most businesses only use their website as a company brochure. Moreover, gathered leads from websites have to be transferred to another lead management system. Liferro however, offers seamless and deep lead capture and management.
Of course, the first thing you must have on your site is something to entice users to give their information, - a contest, offering, sale, newsletter, etc. Due to challenging security concerns, your site should also be designed as secure as possible. To accomplish this, you need a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate from providers like: (Network Solutions, GeoTrust, Entrust, Thawte). This SSL gives users peace of mind because their data is transmitted in a secure manner from point-to-point.
After you set up security and have written enticing copy, you need an input form to collect the data. Initially, gather as little information as possible. Visitors abhor long forms, so try to gather only the information you need to contact the visitor. In Liferro you can specify when the visitor clicks submit the type of lead, the next step, and who the lead should be assigned. Once the information is posted to Liferro, you get a better understanding of the source of your lead, the characteristics and most importantly, a step by step analysis of securing the lead as a customer.
The captured lead from the Internet is now a part of your Contact Management, E-mail, Campaign and Survey systems in Liferro, automatically. Now, you can use the additional tools Liferro offers to turn the lead into a customer.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Integrating Your Web Site with Liferro
There are several reasons why you may want to integrate your web site with Liferro, however first you must create a style for your input form:
1. Provide site visitors a way to view your products or services. Take a look at www.bangaloredesigns.com. They added all their products but currently use a modified version of the shopping cart module.
2. Gather information from visitors for a newsletter, contest or registration. These forms will post to your Liferro database.
3. Use the fulfillment feature like the Concierge industry by providing a request form on your site for services, such as Limousine or Flower delivery requests. The fulfillment stages of the request alerts can be monitored through the color coded alert status feature.
The alert is actually an activity with a 'Request' section on the form and a 'Fulfillment' section. The two sections allow a senior manager to compare what was requested such as a 'Pink Limousine' to what was actually fulfilled, a 'Black Limousine'. The original requests cannot be changed by the user. This avoids confusion where the user changes a request and blames concierge for not getting the request right.
4. Conduct surveys. Surveys can be a useful planning tool. Using the survey tool, you can build a survey, view it and deploy it. Once deployed, view your survey in the survey statistics area.
5. Customer Login. You may want to provide customers with a login to look at activity on their account or certain reports. This is a little more involved as each user is different. This requires setup by the Liferro team to create certain reports you may want to be accessible with permission.
If you're going back and forth with a customer on a project with designs and layouts, you can allow the customer to see the actual project time line and upload content such as drafts and other documents to various activities for customers to approve. The documents are uploaded directly to the activity and the customer can see the activity and all relevant documents, such as logo designs.
1. Provide site visitors a way to view your products or services. Take a look at www.bangaloredesigns.com. They added all their products but currently use a modified version of the shopping cart module.
2. Gather information from visitors for a newsletter, contest or registration. These forms will post to your Liferro database.
3. Use the fulfillment feature like the Concierge industry by providing a request form on your site for services, such as Limousine or Flower delivery requests. The fulfillment stages of the request alerts can be monitored through the color coded alert status feature.
The alert is actually an activity with a 'Request' section on the form and a 'Fulfillment' section. The two sections allow a senior manager to compare what was requested such as a 'Pink Limousine' to what was actually fulfilled, a 'Black Limousine'. The original requests cannot be changed by the user. This avoids confusion where the user changes a request and blames concierge for not getting the request right.
4. Conduct surveys. Surveys can be a useful planning tool. Using the survey tool, you can build a survey, view it and deploy it. Once deployed, view your survey in the survey statistics area.
5. Customer Login. You may want to provide customers with a login to look at activity on their account or certain reports. This is a little more involved as each user is different. This requires setup by the Liferro team to create certain reports you may want to be accessible with permission.
If you're going back and forth with a customer on a project with designs and layouts, you can allow the customer to see the actual project time line and upload content such as drafts and other documents to various activities for customers to approve. The documents are uploaded directly to the activity and the customer can see the activity and all relevant documents, such as logo designs.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Getting Started Using Liferro
Liferro has so much functionality; people often wonder where to begin. It depends on your need and what you're trying to accomplish. I suggest importing contacts. (See article on importing contacts).
If this is too much of an effort, you can quickly build a contact list by using Liferro Email. When you receive a message, file it. This creates a contact record as well as saves the email to the contact.
Liferro is designed around activities. Sometimes activities are associated with a project and sometimes not but usually something has to get done by somebody. Start slow, with a task that you usually assign verbally and create the task in Liferro using the "Create Activity" function. Assign this activity to someone else using Liferro in your company. You can also keep other members abreast of the activity by selecting them in the "Employees Involved" section. Each time the activity is changed, each person involved receives an e-mail highlighting the changes.
Once you start creating activities and contacts, it's only a matter of time before you're adding invoices, surveys, products and creating an online store.
If this is too much of an effort, you can quickly build a contact list by using Liferro Email. When you receive a message, file it. This creates a contact record as well as saves the email to the contact.
Liferro is designed around activities. Sometimes activities are associated with a project and sometimes not but usually something has to get done by somebody. Start slow, with a task that you usually assign verbally and create the task in Liferro using the "Create Activity" function. Assign this activity to someone else using Liferro in your company. You can also keep other members abreast of the activity by selecting them in the "Employees Involved" section. Each time the activity is changed, each person involved receives an e-mail highlighting the changes.
Once you start creating activities and contacts, it's only a matter of time before you're adding invoices, surveys, products and creating an online store.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Sales Management
Managing leads can be quite daunting. I have spoken to many people who either have their leads in spreadsheets or on pieces of paper in every location. It's a wonder they make any sales at all. When I first introduce these types of people to Liferro's Sales Management tool, I hear a lot of ooohhs and aaahhs. They are amazed that Liferro can do so much, but then there's a reality check. "Yes you have to actually type stuff into a computer".
As much as we try to automate Liferro, we just haven't figured out how to get the initial greeting of a prospect into the computer from a person's brain - but we're working on it.
If discipline can be attained to log into Liferro daily and enter leads, it’s quite surprising at what Liferro can do with this information.
Liferro comes with a Sales Management dashboard that organized leads by various categories such as opportunity type, next step, source and current stage. There are even supervisor dashboards such as lead progress and customized reporting at the supervisor’s option (see filtering).
Liferro is a powerful sales management tool, if used. It provides valuable graphs and analysis into the sales process and can definitely help with the never ending follow-up.
As much as we try to automate Liferro, we just haven't figured out how to get the initial greeting of a prospect into the computer from a person's brain - but we're working on it.
If discipline can be attained to log into Liferro daily and enter leads, it’s quite surprising at what Liferro can do with this information.
Liferro comes with a Sales Management dashboard that organized leads by various categories such as opportunity type, next step, source and current stage. There are even supervisor dashboards such as lead progress and customized reporting at the supervisor’s option (see filtering).
Liferro is a powerful sales management tool, if used. It provides valuable graphs and analysis into the sales process and can definitely help with the never ending follow-up.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Running a Smooth Operation
Shouldn't business operate as flawlessly as possible? I think so. Business software should integrate into the business.
Business Software
I'll share with you how Liferro can best be used to make a business run smooth as silk.
Serious consideration should be given to how information is processed and used throughout an organization. The software programs used should enhance the business not weigh it down, or make it react sluggishly or not at all.
Often, businesses are challenged by:
Using Liferro helps create vision and build the necessary infrastructure to operate and keep a pulse on business activities. The day's business goals should be to automate as many processes as possible. An effective organization does not waste time on non-essential tasks, but instead places that energy on building brand.
The following functionalities help build a successful business:
The use of activity focused software helps business processes become more predictable and leads to improving not only staff productivity but client services.
Business Software
I'll share with you how Liferro can best be used to make a business run smooth as silk.
Serious consideration should be given to how information is processed and used throughout an organization. The software programs used should enhance the business not weigh it down, or make it react sluggishly or not at all.
Often, businesses are challenged by:
- lack of vision
- infrastructure limitations
- and a transparent management system
Using Liferro helps create vision and build the necessary infrastructure to operate and keep a pulse on business activities. The day's business goals should be to automate as many processes as possible. An effective organization does not waste time on non-essential tasks, but instead places that energy on building brand.
The following functionalities help build a successful business:
- Lead Generation and Conversion
- Building a strong sales team with lead generation, online forms, opportunity and relationship tracking
- Client Fulfillment
- Empower Management
- Use Gantt charts to review real-time snapshots of each employee's activities and progress.
- Implement Strategy and Monitor Progress
- Use activity-centric features to foster true accountability
- Analyze Prospect and Client Demographics
- Customize reports on the fly for realtime information from any department.
- Keep the Company Mission Top-of-Mind
- Display your company's mission statement on each user's home page.
The request/fulfillment system gives you a better handle on how quickly client requests are fulfilled. By operating in an open environment the entire staff can address overlooked items with the visual alert system.
The use of activity focused software helps business processes become more predictable and leads to improving not only staff productivity but client services.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Knowledge Management
Finding files and data in the enterprise affects more and more users each year and the number continues to grow. While filing data into folders has been ingrained since the advent of the personal computer, it has always been up to the user to decide where information is stored. New research and processes have revealed components that can also automatically file, eliminating misplaced information problems.
Software known as knowledge management has shown a great deal of promise. SaaS knowledge management systems now come in enterprise grade varieties and incorporate sophisticated data management features. Implementing common sense approaches to store data and files help protect organize, and promote collaboration increasing relevant easy to find customer data.
In order to get to the required levels of data organization, users must have tremendous knowledge of the system and software there using, thereby raising the risk of accumulating misplaced information. The largest source of misplaced files are found in user interpretation of information, such as mis-understandings of the information being filed, folder and file misspellings and sub-par organizational software. Users are at the mercy of the popular tools available for knowledge and filing activities. Traditional approaches pose a problem due to the high possibility of interpretation that can accumulate over time as knowledge is transferred from one user to another.
Using a Knowledge Management SaaS model designed to handle this problem provides the maximum levels of access via the web and optimal efficiencies from pure, knowledge management tools such as Liferro’s Knowledge Management SaaS solution, completely free of user interpretation and folders.
Software known as knowledge management has shown a great deal of promise. SaaS knowledge management systems now come in enterprise grade varieties and incorporate sophisticated data management features. Implementing common sense approaches to store data and files help protect organize, and promote collaboration increasing relevant easy to find customer data.
In order to get to the required levels of data organization, users must have tremendous knowledge of the system and software there using, thereby raising the risk of accumulating misplaced information. The largest source of misplaced files are found in user interpretation of information, such as mis-understandings of the information being filed, folder and file misspellings and sub-par organizational software. Users are at the mercy of the popular tools available for knowledge and filing activities. Traditional approaches pose a problem due to the high possibility of interpretation that can accumulate over time as knowledge is transferred from one user to another.
Using a Knowledge Management SaaS model designed to handle this problem provides the maximum levels of access via the web and optimal efficiencies from pure, knowledge management tools such as Liferro’s Knowledge Management SaaS solution, completely free of user interpretation and folders.
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