SourceForge, the world’s largest software review and comparison website, awarded LiveHelpNow with the Spring Top Performer Award. This award recognizes companies and products with a significant amount of recent favorable user reviews. 

“We’re happy to announce this year’s outstanding Spring 2021 Top Performers” said SourceForge President, Logan Abbott. “LiveHelpNow showed that their users love them, as evidenced by the significant amount of outstanding user reviews.”

To win the Spring 2021 Top Performer award, each winner had to receive enough high-rated user reviews. The favorable reviews place the winning product in the top 10% of best-reviewed products on SourceForge. Moreover, this demonstrates the utmost quality that LiveHelpNow delivers to customers.

“This is exciting news!” said LiveHelpNow COO Jason O’Neill. “We’re excited to accept the SourceForge Spring 2021 Top Performer Award. After all, our top priority is to always put the customer first. And so we’re happy to know that our software helps our customers succeed. It’s great to see our users rewarding us with good reviews. We’re honored to be valued by our customers and to be recognized by SourceForge”

SourceForge.net is the world’s largest software comparison directory. It serves over 30 million users every month and featurs user reviews, product comparisons, software guides, and more. SourceForge’s mission is to help businesses find the best software to fit their needs and their budget. There are a variety of software tools available to businesses, and there are tools in almost every category and niche, each serving a slightly different purpose.

Customer feedback is a great way to understand the needs of the market. In addition, they help measure a product’s performance. Therefore, knowing that customers value LiveHelpNow’s software enough to dedicate their time to leave reviews and share their experience is extremely valuable.

The post LiveHelpNow Wins a 2021 Top Performer Award From SourceForge appeared first on LiveHelpNow.

In business, perhaps, the power of premonition would come quite useful when making major decisions. Or would you prefer the ability to read customers’ minds?

Unfortunately, we cannot yet see the future nor can we learn people’s wants and needs through telepathy. But we can do the next best thing. And that is to hire smart, talented people. They can get us closer to success with their superpowered skills. 

And so we’re beyond excited to announce the addition of two new team members to the LiveHelpNow family. On top of having their customer service superpowers, they are quite cool, fun people. We believe they will fit right into our quirky team and become irreplaceable in their roles of serving our customers. And that, in turn, will power up LiveHelpNow growth even further. 

And so we present to you the new Director of Customer Success, Annie Gray and Business Development Executive, Mark Cameron. 

Annie Gray: Making Someone’s Day on A Global Scale. 

While LiveHelpNow is headquartered in Pennsylvania, United States, companies from all around the globe use our software. But now, we can truly say that LiveHelpNow is a global company. 

Originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, Annie joins our team from Barcelona, Spain. How cool is that?

As the Director of Customer Success she will lead the team that serves as primary contact with existing customers, managing all elements of the relationship. Annie is passionate about helping customers and has a track record of delighting them with excellent customer service and project management skills. That passion sparked when Annie started her very first job in a cafe at the age of 14. She fell in love with customer service and became determined to continue on that path. Over the years, she worked in Hospitality, Tourism, and then switched to Software as a Service industry (SaaS). 

Barcelona: Current home of Annie Gray

Annie is committed to providing memorable personalized experiences that not only meet, but exceed the customers wants and needs. In 2014, Annie graduated with Distinction in a Customer Service degree from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh and has been growing her qualifications in this field ever since. Throughout her career Annie has focussed on building and nurturing long lasting relationships that help the customer achieve their goals. As part of our team, Annie will sure help LiveHelpNow growth skyrocket in no time. 

“I’ve always understood the importance of customer experience and how that one interaction with someone can change that person’s whole day. I feel privileged to be able to make a living doing something that I genuinely love” (Annie Gray)

Moving to Spain right before the pandemic left Annie struck at home, unable to explore her new city. To keep herself entertained, Annie has taught herself to knit and embroider, while also learning Spanish and Catalan. Annie’s dog Jura has been by her side the whole time and goes everywhere with her.  So don’t be surprised if you see a snoring ball of fur in the background of her video calls.

While customer service is Annie’s true superpower, she’d love to gain the ability to teleport. In the pandemic it would come quite handy, she says, as visiting her family in Scotland could happen in a jiffy.  

Mark Cameron: Bringing Technology and Psychology Together. 

When Mark was a young boy, he would take three broken radios apart and make one that works. That passion for technology, together with his curiosity for human mind and behavior, is what defined his career path.

While Mark still resides in his hometown of Tampa, Florida, it’s not for the lack of travel. Mark could just as well sing the Johnny Cash song because he’s truly “been everywhere.” When he started his sales career he reached some far away lands, from South Africa, to Australia, throughout the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand, just to name a few. 

Tampa: Current home of Mark Cameron

But not before he pursued his passion for technology, got a BA in Psychology from the University of Central Florida, got a SCRUM Master certification, and started his own web development agency. What took Mark around the world, away from his computer, and to a more customer focused role was his love and understanding of people.  

As the business development executive at LiveHelpNow, Mark will be responsible for pursuing new business leads for the LiveHelpNow growth. Mark will work closely with customers and our customer success team. In his new role he will surely get to use all those exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills, which he has developed and perfected throughout his career. 

“I am extremely excited to work with LiveHelpNow. Everyone has been so nice and the platform is awesome. I am looking forward to growing with the company and doing big things with the LiveHelpNow team.” (Mark Cameron)

Having lived in Florida all his life, Mark naturally loves water and all the activities associated with it, whether it is fishing, surfing, scuba diving, or wakeboarding. Together with his wife Ricci, Mark is a proud owner of two dogs, four cats, five flying squirrels, and one grey squirrel. Yep, squirrels! Apparently, a full nest of them fell out of a tree and Mark came to their rescue, nursing them all back to health. 

While Mark’s superpower allows him to truly understand people and address their needs, if he could pick another one it would be the power of flight. The reason is because he would not have to sit in traffic and it would also be a ton of fun. We agree wholeheartedly (and we also wonder if the flying squirrels gave them the idea.)

LiveHelpNow Growth Spurt: Powered by People

2020 has not been easy for anyone. But it taught us one thing – we can get through anything. We can adopt, adjust, and power on. Most importantly, we can come together when we need to. And thanks to modern technology remote work is more possible than ever we can do that from anywhere, from Barcelona to Tampa. 

We all have superpowers, be it the magic of amazing people skills, understanding customer psychology, or the ability to personalize service using common traits humans share. 

So as we set off to further LiveHelpNow’s growth, we remember that while we cannot teleport, fly, or read anyone’s mind, we can do so much more by simply being human. 

The post LiveHelpNow Growth Alert: New Team Members Bring On Their Superpowers appeared first on LiveHelpNow.

This is because running a remote online business provides huge benefits, including improved employee productivity, less time spent commuting, and fewer expenses. 

However, launching a remote online business still presents a few challenges. Fortunately, there are tools to help with everything, from team collaboration and communication to project and expense management.

In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the five types of tools needed to start a remote online business in 2021. 

1. Help Desk Tools 

Keeping customers satisfied should be one of your biggest priorities. You can’t be on-hand 24/7 to answer all your customer queries. But there are tools available around the clock that also solve customer issues and nudge them closer towards a conversion. 

Consider real-time communications across all platforms as some customers might elect to reach out via social media rather than the expected channels like live chat, email, or phone. 

The more ways a company offers for customers to reach out, the better. Additionally, a true omnichannel system ensures smooth and efficient communication. It maintains a consistent and effortless experience from one channel to another. In other words, no matter what channel a customer uses to communicate, all channels work as one consistent stream of communication. 

LiveHelpNow, an omnichannel customer support software, helps contact centers handle multiple requests in real-time. It’s easy to use and also has SMS functionalities and social network integrations. The platform is suited to all types of businesses with varying budgets. 

2. Communication Tools 

Communication is the foundation to success at any business, whether it’s online or offline. Because working remotely can make communication trickier, it’s important that you use communication tools that bring your team together in one place. 

Good communication tools include Slack, which acts as a centralized hub for remote teams. Slack allows for video calling, as well as file sharing, and it comes with a number of additional apps that enhance the experience. 

If you suspect your remote team will need more advanced communication tools, you could create a customized messaging platform with a chat API or SDK. This type of tool will be great for when team members just need to fire off instant messages to each other in real-time to get information across quickly. 

Tip: If your company will come into contact with individuals’ personal protected health information, make sure your communication tools are HIPAA-compliant.

3. Remote Meeting Tools 

Even when your team is working remotely, team meetings still need to go ahead. 

Remote meeting tools allow you to hold remote presentations and group video calls. It’s really important to find ones that offer good bandwidth, and which come with a number of additional features, such as the ability to annotate your presentation, the ability to record your meeting, and even the ability to participate in live chat.

Zoom is one of the most popular remote meeting tools of 2020. It’s easy to use and it’s essentially a standard video conferencing software that comes with many popular key features, including real-time chat and screen sharing. 

Other options include Skype and Google Hangouts. 

4. Project Management Tools 

One of the hardest challenges remote online businesses are presented with is managing projects and improving agility. In fact, a study from the Project Management Institute showed that only 21% of organizations use standardized project management practices throughout the entire organization.

Coordinating tasks and responsibilities, delegating roles and making sure that everyone stays on track is a real issue if you’ve got team members scattered across the world in different time zones. Project managers have their job cut out for them in a remote setting. Choosing the right tools can help make their daily interactions with their teams go much smoother. 

A good project management tool needs to act as a one-stop-shop for all your projects so that each team member can access everything he or she needs. It should also simplify your projects (and not make them harder). It should come with key features, including the ability to track KPIs and reporting. 

There are a number of project management tools on the market right now. A standout choice is Asana, a cloud-based tool that makes it super easy for your team members to track their work, collaborate and stay on top of tasks. Asana also lets you pull and share pictures from other apps, while a search function makes it easy for everyone to find what they’re looking for.

Trello, meanwhile, is another popular project management tool that offers cross-platform support. It’s also cloud-based, can be accessed via a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer, and it’s especially useful for customizing your workflows and delegating tasks. It also comes with task cards that are great for helping teams stay on track. 

5. Time Management Tools 

Not everyone is the best at keeping track of their time. If you happen to hire remote workers who need someone to help them with their team tracking, it’s a good idea to use time management tools.

Are you Serious About Time?

Effective time management is the need of the hour. It is the starting point for anyone chasing work-life balance. Here are 5 time management tools that may help you in managing time for remote work.

𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟 POST 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 https://t.co/hr0MAPRUa5 pic.twitter.com/Iz1DeKYXZN

— Work is Dead (@workisdead_) June 9, 2020

Time management tools help you and your team define your daily and weekly goals, schedule your days, prioritize your tasks and record how you’ve spent your time. They also give you a complete overview of what needs to be done and by what time. Key features they should come with include timers and calendars, as well as extras such as habit tracking tools. 

Some of the best time management tools on the market today include Toggl. This time management tool integrates with a variety of project management tools and it allows you to track unlimited projects. It also comes with reports that feature team progress and both offline and online tracking. 

Another great resource is Time Doctor, which helps to monitor employee productivity. It includes keystroke logging, screenshot and internet usage tracking features.

Other time management tools include Harvest, which is especially useful for the business owner who needs a tool that records time and helps them bill their employees accordingly. As well as ProofHub, a piece of online proofing software that’s used by the likes of Disney and NASA. 

Conclusion 

Now you know what remote tools you need in order to start a remote business in 2021.  The next step is to start putting a team together. Then, finalize your choice of tools and help your team with the onboarding process so that all employees can familiarise themselves with how they work. 

The post Guest Post: 5 Tools You Need to Start a Remote Online Business in 2021 appeared first on LiveHelpNow.

Well, maybe not completely nothing. You’d still have a roof over your head, food in your pantry, and your family by your side. And then you’d have time.

With the coronavirus pandemic news scaring us daily, it’s easy to get carried away. It’s natural to panic and to feel anxious.

“Will I or someone in my family get sick?” “How will this affect my business?” “Will I be able to still pay my rent, mortgage, my bills?” 

These are the questions we all ask ourselves. As when we look for answers and don’t find them, our anxiety can rise quickly. 

It is a scary time. And it’s ok to be scared. It really is. But it’s important to remember that we’re all in this together. We might be isolated, quarantined, and hidden in our own homes. But it’s in the times like this we learn, or rather, we remember that we’re all human, we’re all scared, and we can all come together to make it just a tiny bit easier for each other. 

We can do hard things. And we can do them better together.

Remember, a crisis shows us what is really important. It takes away things that don’t really matter and leaves us those that really do. We have a chance to focus on our families. It allows us to be there for each other. 

When we look back at this time perhaps we will not remember the crowded grocery stores or the anxiety over the next paycheck. Perhaps when our kids, years from now, look at this time, they will instead remember that special recipe you made from the few ingredients you had at hand and how it took all day to make. And you had all day. Perhaps they will remember the games you played together and the songs you sang. Maybe you will remember their smiling faces and not the faces of people wearing medical masks on the news footage.

Perhaps if we stop worrying about what can happen tomorrow, we can instead create memories of now.

We can’t control what happens around us right now. But there are things we can control. 

Here is what we can do to lower our anxiety, ensure the wellbeing of our loved ones and ourselves, and ride this out in a brave, supportive, and compassionate way.

1. Breathe. Know. Feel. 

Keeping calm in the face of the coronavirus pandemic is not something that comes easily. And yes, saying “we all need to calm down” does nothing but make us even more anxious. 

So perhaps the answer is not to bury our anxiety and hide our fears. Perhaps the answer is to sit still and acknowledge that we’re scared and it’s ok to be right now. 

Mindfulness and acknowledgement of anxiety can help soften the unpleasant feelings. If you have not tried meditation perhaps it is a good time to start. Meditation statistics prove that it can be a great tool. It can help reduce stress, fight insomnia, and even boost the immune system.

Meditation:

• Improved anxiety levels 60% of the time.
• Can reduce the risk of being hospitalized for coronary disease by 87%.
• Relieves the symptoms of insomnia 75% of the time.
• Can increase employees’ productivity by 120%.
• Can reduce PMS symptoms by 57%

Meditation app creators of 10% Happier released a special free resource that includes life streaming, podcasts, talks, and guided meditations to help people deal with the stresses of the coronavirus. 

Source: 10% happier

Knowing that, like anything, this pandemic is temporary can be a helpful reminder. The precautions people, organizations, and governments now take will help slow down the spread of the illness. Business closures, event cancellations, and the practice of social distancing can be inconvenient and stress-inducing. But it will help in the long run.

According to the World Health Organization, Wuhan, China, the city of the virus’ origin, has been seeing a reduction in new coronavirus cases. 

So this too shall pass. Know that. Feel what you need to feel. And breathe. It will all be ok.

2. Connect with your people. And with other people, too. 

Social distancing does not mean social isolation. 

We all miss our daily activities, be it just the routine of going to the office, dropping the kids at school, attending events, or enjoying regular hobbies. That’s ok. We all feel sad and out of place a bit as we adjust to the new normal.

But it’s time like this that can serve us in the long run. It’s a reminder not to take everything we normally do for granted. It’s a reminder that as much as we get caught up in our daily routines, we are all in need of social contact. 

So now we can take the situation as an opportunity to reconnect with our families. It is also an opportunity to make new connections in creative ways. 

We are lucky we live in 2020, where technology is so much incorporated into our lives. We can connect with loved ones and friends not only through phone, but through text messaging and video calls. Doing so will ease our anxiety about everyone’s well being. 

So call your mom, call your grandma, skype with your long-lost friend because now you have more time to do so. Now you have more need to do so, too. 

Minnesota man visits his father in nursing home; Source: Fox 29

We might not be able to engage in community activities in person, but we can still connect with our communities. 

These days social clubs host online video sessions, neighbors engage in balcony sing-alongs, and people become pen pals with nursing home residents just to lift their spirits. All these examples not only help us connect, but also remind us in the strength we all share when we stand together. 

This is how we unite on the truly human level.

In addition to personal connection, we can come together to help small businesses that are hurting due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Many restaurants offer no-contact pick-up and delivery options. Stores find creative ways to keep going. 

So get creative, stay engaged, keep connected. It will help lift everyone’s spirits as well as your own.

3. Address situation with kids. And listen.

Perhaps one of the big parts of our own anxiety is the worry about our loved ones. How do our kids feel? Mass media constantly bombards us with news of global catastrophe. The most vulnerable might not be able to openly speak about their anxious feelings.

So talk to your kids. Ask them what is going on in their lives? See what they are willing to share. Provide love and support. Don’t offer advice unless asked for one, just listen. Most of the time, people only want to be heard. 

It’s important to stay calm and, while acknowledging that there is a crisis, to reassure the kids that it will all be ok.

“Your family is together on an airplane right now, and there’s some serious turbulence. The kids are afraid. What do we do when we’re afraid on an airplane? We look at the flight attendants. If they seem scared, we panic, too. If they seem calm, we stay calm. So what I’m telling you is that you are the flight attendant in this scenario, and you’ve been through enough turbulence to know you’ll all make it. Your kids are new to flying, so they’re going to look to you to see whether they’re okay. Your job right now is to stay calm, smile—and keep serving the freaking peanuts.” Glennon Doyle, Untamed

Tips about how to talk to your children about coronavirus. 

• Don’t be afraid to talk about coronavirus. Use this as an opportunity about facts.
• Be developmentally appropriate. Answer them honestly. Don’t share too much at once to avoid overwhelm. Encourage questions, correct misinformation.
• Deal with your own anxiety first. Stay calm and reassuring. 
• Focus on what you can do – wash hands, stick to routines, structure days. 
• Keep talking, continue to inform. 

Source: Childmind

4. Stay healthy and implement self-care.

When we are confined to our own quarters, it’s easy to let things go. Slumming around in pajama pants while finishing up the last of the “quarantine” potato chips might seem like a viable option. 

However, it’s important to stay engaged in healthy activities to keep up the spirits. For example, don’t forget about your oral health or exercising regularly. 

The gyms and health clubs might be closed, but it doesn’t mean we have to give up on exercising. At home exercise equipment will come handy, so dust off that treadmill and pull out those weights. 

Studies show that it is very effective at reducing fatigue, improving alertness and concentration, and at enhancing overall cognitive function. This can be especially helpful when stress has depleted your energy or ability to concentrate. (Anxiety and Depression Association of America)

No equipment? Unmotivated to workout alone? No problem! 

The variety of simple free workouts streaming on platforms like Amazon Prime and Youtube leaves no room for excuses. From yoga to high intensity cardio routines, there is something for everyone, no matter the fitness level. 

Once again, technology comes to our rescue as some gyms and fitness instructors also offer live streaming of simple to follow workouts. So you can still connect with your people and get your sweat on. 

With extra time on our hands it’s a perfect opportunity to finally get back to those new year’s resolutions. 

5. Stay active and explore.

Art, music, books, games – those are the activities that have evolved alongside humans since the beginning of time. So it only makes sense that as we are forced to slow down we turn back to them.

Get out those paint brushes and adult coloring books someone gave to you on your last birthday. Watch a tutorial or a live stream on how to draw with your kids. See how you can help others remotely. Try a new recipe. Play a good video game. Read that book you’ve been putting off. Clean. Play a board game. Journal. Write a letter. Make your own lotion. Sing. Dance in your living room. 

Coronavirus might have closed down your business and your educational institution. It might have forced you to stay in your house. It did not make you stop living. So live. Do what makes you feel good.

Turn off the news and be with your people. If you feel anxious, allow yourself to feel, but know that it will all be ok in the end. If it’s not then it’s not the end yet. But we will get there. Together. 

What would you do if you had nothing, but time?

The post Coronavirus: Coping with Anxiety appeared first on LiveHelpNow.

Here are 5  short message service (SMS) marketing mistakes to avoid.

1. Using the Same Messages for SMS and Emails

When you create text messages for your customers, you may want to save time by copying and pasting messages between your SMS campaigns and email campaigns. However, taking this approach could affect customer perception of your business.

Repetitive messaging has the following impact:

• Makes you appear lazy
• Makes it seem like you don’t have anything relevant to say
• Becomes an annoyance for the recipient

Keep in mind that using the same messages is different from recycling content.

Feel free to mention similar topics, but make sure that you change the format between SMS and email.

In short, always make adjustments to your messages so that they fit the style for SMS or emails.

2. Sending Long Messages

Customers may become annoyed if you send long messages. Here are some of the reasons why.

• It wastes time
• It becomes harder to figure out the meaning behind the message
• Excessive copy may cause some people to receive two or more text messages

When you send messages to your customers, you want them to be received positively.

However, if you consistently send long messages, then customers will most likely start to ignore them.

Long text messages are inconvenient and cumbersome.

You can avoid this issue by only including necessary information in your text message marketing. Be sure to avoid fluff in your sentences and be concise.

3. Creating Vague CTAs

You need to give your customers a specific call-to-action (CTA) in your SMS messages.

Make the CTA as straightforward as possible because vague CTAs could cause customers to misunderstand your direction.

Keep these questions in mind.

• Am I directly tell customers what to do?
• Do I leave any room for interpretation?
• Can they act on the CTA immediately?

As long as you make the necessary action clear as possible, you will have effective CTAs.

Here’s a quick example:

Wrong: Check out our website for awesome deals.
Right: Click on this link to see the deals on our website.

4. Sending Too Many Messages

People like to receive updates from their favorite companies, but receiving too many messages could cause them to unsubscribe.

This means that your SMS metrics will take a hit, so you need to find a happy medium.

It may become difficult to find the right balance, but you can start by sending two or three a week.

If you notice that your unsubscribe rate increases, then drop the frequency to once a week.

It’s all about finding that sweet spot.

5. Giving Customers Unimportant Texts

People want information that they find important. If you send them useless information then they won’t read it.

Ask yourself these questions to see if you send them relevant information.

• Why does this message matter to customers?
• What do they learn from it?
• How does it benefit them?

You always want to provide your customers with something that benefits them. Doing so will make them appreciate your messages and look forward to them.

Try to keep them updated about relevant information and new deals. That should catch their attention.

Conclusion

While you want to make the right choices to improve your SMS marketing, you also need to note the wrong choices. This will help you to know what to avoid. Overall, as you seek to make your customers happy and avoid things that will bother them, you can improve your SMS marketing.

The post 5 SMS Marketing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them appeared first on LiveHelpNow.

The popular online meme’s got a point. In the ever-changing tech world, the younger generation is quick to learn and adapt to every new gadget. But as the new extremely tech-savvy generations take over the workforce, the older age groups can still remain relevant, useful, and employable.

The modern workplace is a unique environment. For the first time in history, five generations are working together. The demographic diversity comes with challenges in terms of employee engagement, technology advancement and implementation, and overall company culture. However, the variety of backgrounds, experiences, and distinctive qualities each generation brings to the mix can increase productivity and further success of a company. It’s not a secret that creating a team in which people work well together is good for business.

How do we close the generation gap in the workplace, while using diversity to our advantage?

First, let’s see with whom we’re working here.

The boundaries of each generation are somewhat flexible and individual characteristics within each group vary greatly. However, similar experiences within each generation’s lifetime result in general characteristics unique to each group.

Understanding the uniqueness of each generation in light of these characteristics can help close the gap and enhance a company’s culture. Basing company business strategies on the strengths and weaknesses of its employees can ensure full utilization of resources.

Let’s examine these general characteristics of each group.

The Traditionalists (The Silent Generation).

Strengths:

Even though employees in this group are a minority in the workplace now, due to their age and experience they tend to be in high leadership positions. They are seasoned and knowledgeable when it comes to specifics of their industries. Having been through some adversities throughout their lifetimes, they are resilient, hardworking, and resourceful. Their work ethic values hard work and respect for authority.

Weaknesses:

Traditionalists stick to what they know has worked for decades and are resistant to change. Such an attitude can create difficulties in the modern-day ever-moving and ever-changing workplace. This group is the least tech-savvy.

Workplace engagement:

In the world of youth and face-paced digital innovation, it’s important to engage those with the most experience because real-world knowledge is a valuable tool in all aspects of the business. Traditionalists prefer face-to-face communication, so it’s better to talk to them in person as opposed to through email or chat. When loyalty is an important aspect of a task, traditionalists are the go-to people. Their knowledge of the pre-tech world is also valuable. Pairing traditionalists up with younger employees for certain projects can definitely benefit both people and the company and help close the generational gap.

Baby Boomers

Strengths:

While the Boomers are still the largest group of the population, they are no longer the majority in the workforce. Working as a bridge between the exiting traditionalists and the dominating Generation Xs and Ys, the Boomers combine the strong work ethic of the past with the flexibility of younger age groups. The boomers are independent, yet team-oriented; they value collaboration. They are more adaptive and curious about technological innovation than traditionalists.

Weaknesses:

The boomers are new to the fast-paced tech world, so they might still be on the slower side when it comes to change and adaptation to new technology. As Chip Conley claims in his TED talk, their “digital intelligence” is lower than their “emotional intelligence.”

Workplace engagement:

Conley puts it best when he says “you can’t microwave emotional intelligence,” meaning that the human-to-human experience the baby boomers can provide is essential and irreplaceable. Putting this age group in charge when it comes to real-life communication is a great strategy to engage this generation and use the skills these employees possess most effectively. Baby boomers might not be great at all the ins and outs of the fast-paced tech world, but they are experts on human hearts and minds.

Generation X

Strength:

The second largest group in the workplace, this group has a good work ethic, is adaptive to change, possesses great problem-solving skills, and works well without supervision. This group is most connected to social media. Generation Xers are passionate about projects they care about and they value “flexibility, independence, recognition and constructive feedback in the workplace, which often makes them successful leaders,” as one researcher puts it.

Weaknesses:

Generation Xers’ weaknesses lie in their financial priorities as they have more responsibilities that require funding. With higher monetary expectations this group is most non-cost-effective for employers. Gen Xers also value efficiency over quality.  

Workplace engagement:

To motivate Gen Xers in the workplace employers should cut back on micromanagement and explore the passions of these employees. Giving them projects they care about will ensure productivity and increase motivation. Because this group is the most connected on social media, especially older platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn, using its expertise can benefit the employers greatly. Collaborating with both older and younger groups can also help close the generational gap. 

Millennials

Strengths:

The largest group in the workforce the Millenials sometimes get a bad rep, but actually, come with many strengths. They are independent workers, adaptive to change, most educated, tech-savvy, experience-hungry, and are great revenue-generators for employers. Millennials are creative, energetic, and innovative. They tend to work for a purpose rather than for money, though with fewer financial responsibilities they are also better with money than Gen Xers.

Weaknesses:

Millennials tend to value social aspects overwork, less likely to work overtime, are less of team-players, and, most infamously, are often considered entitled.

Workplace engagement

Needless to say, millennial are tech people, so when looking for a team member to handle a tech-related project, a millennial is a great bet. To build on the millennial’s preference for social connections, an employer can put them in charge of networking events. Make sure to provide them with an excellent networking platform they can use to host the online gathering. Whenever some creative, out-of-the-box thinking is required, the millennials are, again, the best people for the job.

Generation Z

Strength:

The newest addition to the newest addition to the workforce, these youngsters are the future of it. They are the most tech-savvy and adaptive to change, creative, multi-tasking, self-learners, pragmatic, and entrepreneurial. They are rebellious to the old tradition. That makes the Gen Zs most creative and innovative as well. Passionate for causes, they are motivated and ambitious.

Weaknesses:

The rebellious nature of generation z could also be a weakness as it may at times get in the way of their work. They are the least loyal group and tend not to prioritize work over leisure.

Workplace Engagement

Since gen z is the most technologically advanced, these employees live for technology. One great way to engage them is to embrace new technology in the workplace. The tech world moves fast and it is important to keep up with it. The creative and pragmatic nature of gen zs makes them perform better in the environments that nurture those qualities, so allowing room for advancement and creativity is also essential. This generation values flexibility, so making room for that might also help efficiency.

Final Thoughts

Keeping the unique skills and characteristics of each generation in mind is important for employers. To ensure success it’s essential to create a company culture that builds onto these qualities, makes room for intergenerational communication, and what Conley calls “mutual mentorship.”

We can all learn from each other and collaboratively build on each other’s strengths. With older generations exiting the workforce, workplaces will see changes in terms of how they operate. Work culture will become more fast-paced, digitally-oriented, less traditional, and more flexible.

But if we don’t learn from older generations now we will miss the chance to absorb their expertise from the world before high-tech and social media.

Technology plays an essential role in the workplace. The younger generation got that part under control. But people are still indispensable. Human to human experience is still the central part of the business and we need those who have the most experience with it – the traditionalists, the baby boomers, and the Gen Xers – to pass their knowledge to the newer generations. Mutual mentorship and collaboration is the key to closing the generational gap and succeeding in a diverse workforce.

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Q & A

For additional questions or concerns please contact help (at) livehelpnow.com or start chat at livehelpnow.net.

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In striving to stay on the cutting edge of innovative software development, LiveHelpNow has transitioned much of our code base into the versatile Elixir environment. The transition process found us in unfamiliar territory, as bridging our systems from an object oriented environment to a functional environment meant needing drivers and protocols that didn’t exist anywhere else in the development community. Our lead developer, Justin Schneck decided to dive right in and create the necessary bridges to ensure our transition was seamless and thorough. Through writing those protocols and drivers he was invited to share our process and experience with the development community at the Commercial Users of Functional Programming (CUFP) conference in Vancouver.

The lessons learned through the Elixir transition process not only bettered the LiveHelpNow product overall, but it changed our teams way of thinking. We have begun to move towards harnessing the creative power in functional programming, resulting in a more versatile, highly progressive product that benefits our customers.

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It’s been a busy month for us, after recently being named to the Inc. 5000 list, we are excited to share more good news. We are happy to announce that HelpSquad, LLC, a live chat answering service, is partnering with us.

We have found that our customers have a growing need for outsourced live chat services. Partnering with HelpSquad is a natural extension of what we do here at LiveHelpNow, as their expertise in providing human capital (HuaaS) provides our customers with a complete package of both software and staffing services.

“The partnership between HelpSquad and LiveHelpNow allows existing LiveHelpNow clients to take advantage of the opportunity to inexpensively extend their sales teams or completely replace their internal customer service and sales teams with our 24/7 live chat coverage. We offer companies representation through our highly trained agents acting as seamless extensions of their brand,”   says Janna Kline, HelpSquad Marketing Director.

“This partnership delivers significant benefits to companies in need of fully-featured customer service solutions. LiveHelpNow has provided award-winning customer service software tools to companies world-wide for over 12 years. Our tools have made providing great service very simple, but with HelpSquad, our customers will no longer have to lift a finger. The one thing missing from our services was the staff to answer live chats and ticketing system on behalf of a business. We can now say we offer that capability,” says Michael Kansky, LiveHelpNow CTO.

This partnership is significant for existing and future LiveHelpNow customers. Current customers can cut costs, save time and increase sales with a dedicated team of sales and service specialists, without having to train, maintain and manage them. New LiveHelpNow customers interested in the well-vetted, U.S. based services of HelpSquad can have both chat tools and a highly trained team of 24/7 sales and service representatives manning their site in a short amount of time.

Learn more about HelpSquad 

HelpSquad grows online businesses by providing highly trained, U.S. based sales and support teams who engage with your customers to drive sales and brand loyalty. Visit helpsquad.com for more information.

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As a leading provider of fully-featured customer service software, we are  proud to announce we have been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies. LiveHelpNow was ranked #4 in Pennsylvania and #284 in the U.S. and Canada. The growth rate of LiveHelpNow has advanced to over 1,635% over the last three years.

It is an honor to share this ranking among some of the most innovative companies in the country. Our tremendous growth is a testament to both the need for customer service management solutions and the power of our robust platform in meeting those needs.

Part of our rapid growth can be attributed to the continued release of dynamic features that set us apart from our competition:

• The LiveHelpNow Challenge has encouraged competitive service improvements by gamifying the service process with thorough performance metrics.
• Sentiment analysis has allowed for preventative service, by enabling companies to be alerted to potentially negative interactions and defuse them before they arise.
• The Twitter to Ticket integration has allowed companies to monitor and control the conversation surrounding their social media presence.
• We continue to expand the list of integrations offered with third party applications, with dozens currently available.

LiveHelpNow offers a full suite of integrated help desk solutions to streamline the customer service process, optimize online sales and generate leads. Our customer engagement solutions are easy to use, highly customizable, affordable, and scalable to fit the requirements of any business, from the small start-up company to the largest enterprise.

Michael Kansky, Founder & CEO of LiveHelpNow, LLC at Inc. 500 event in Orlando, FL (Oct, 2015)

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