Real Time Asset Tracking

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DataWeld’s AcuTrax Asset Tracking software for cylinders, totes, bulk tanks and other types of assets now offers wireless capabilities to track in a near real time environment.

  1. Assets can be scanned and the database updated immediately.
  2. Bulk gases can move in and out quickly with lot numbers.
  3. Cylinders can be returned, filled, and immediately shipped to new customers with the database being updated at every step.

Want to talk more about this option? Great! You can simply send us an email or give us a call at 318-317-7977

Don't have time for a phone? That's fine, we know that you're busy, but, if you have a few minutes for a quick read, then click the Read More button below.

Andrea Striegel
AcuTrax Specialist

How much is too much?

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As a company we never want to be sending out emails or any type of communication for that matter, that crosses that line of too many times. So how many is too many? That's a difficult number to pin down. It depends on many different variables and those variables can change from company to company. What we do know is that a gentle reminder can help spur a thought and/or lead to a sale without be intrusive. A gentle reminder could be a salesperson casually mentioning a sale without trying to "close the deal". It could also look like a reminder on an invoice or statement. However it's done, remember that, as Henry Ford once said, "a business that makes nothing but money is a poor business."

Another year...

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Another year has passed... As you run around trying to get everything in place and try to keep up with everything that's going on at this time of the year, remember to slow down. Running a business is definitely more of a marathon and less of a sprint. Sure there will be times when we have to rush around, when some crisis has taken priority and everything stops until it's fixed. However, this shouldn't be the norm. So during this time, and hopefully throughout next year, take a break, spend time with family and friends. Sit, be still, and be thankful for the things that you have and have accomplished. Today's issues may seem extremely important, but remember that they are merely one brush stroke in the entire painting.

Some Thoughts on Planning

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There are many things to think about when planning for the year. What will be the financial strategy? Will marketing look different? Is there new equipment that needs to be purchased? Obviously, running a business can get stressful, but if there's one thing we know it's that, while there is a lot of risk in business, there are great frameworks that can help to make things operate and function a little smoother. A couple of things included in those frameworks are:

  • Guesses need to be educated and risk needs to be calculated.
  • How you build can matter just as much as what you build.
  • Make sure that your marketing brings in revenue not just attention.
  • Worry less about timing, things get re-invented all the time.

This is by no means an all inclusive list, but will hopefully spark some ideas. Frameworks have been developed for many things, so keep in mind that you don't always have to re-invent the wheel.

Planning Time

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We went from cassette tape to cd to download and now to streaming. The music industry, as with all other industries, has had to adapt and change. As time goes on, as technology improves and advances, we have to adapt and keep up or get left behind. As, the year comes to an end, be thinking about how you could improve. What technology could be implemented? How could you make your business more efficient, more effective? This will look different for everyone, regardless of whether or not you’re in the same industry.

The following are a few things to remember and to help guide you in your thoughts about planning:

  • Adapting to new technology is becoming increasingly more important. We’re moving faster than ever and new technology gives us the tools to be more efficient and effective at both our daily tasks and big picture strategy.
  • Online tools are amazing and can give us access from anywhere we need it. The downside? With more and more web based apps will inevitably come more cyber attacks. This means that security protocols will become increasingly important.
  • Cloud strategy. I know that we sound like a broken record, but things happen. Every company needs to have a disaster plan and part of that could and probably should be a cloud service. Whether all information is hosted and/or run off of a hosted server or all files (not just the critical ones, space is cheap) are backed up and accessible from off site, every company strategy plan should involve the cloud.

Just remember that even a small step is still a step, so take that step forward as we plan for and get ready to move into a new year.

What passwords?

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What if there was something better than passwords? Well technically there is, but it isn't necessarily widespread just yet. Biometric readers have been used for years as a way to unlock our computers (and many other things) and after Apple introduced Touch ID, passwords started becoming less necessary. For instance, I have several apps that now ask me if I want to use Touch ID instead of typing in my password. While this technology isn’t full proof, it certainly is very convenient and a little more difficult to hack. But Apple isn’t the only one in this game. Microsoft introduced Windows Hello which, on compatible devices, can not only read your finger print but also recognize you by your face or iris.

How does this work? Basically, when you set up Windows Hello, the system will take data from the finger print, face or iris sensor and create what Microsoft calls a data representation. In their words, this isn’t a picture, in the case of the face or iris, but more of a graph. This information then gets encrypted and stored on the device. The one thing that some people might not like is that some of this data is collected in effort to see how people are using the software and if it’s working properly. Microsoft does, however, say that all information that could identify the user is stripped out before it’s sent.

What do we think? This could be a good step forward for security. For years, organizations concerned about security have been using facial recognition as well as iris and finger print scanners. This is not, technically speaking, a new technology. It’s just finally made it to the hands of the average consumer and at the end of the day, it works. Will it stop all attacks or all possible break-ins? No, but it’s definitely moving in the right direction.

Keeps your eyes peeled!

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A few days ago I received an email from "UPS". They were claiming that I had unpaid invoices. Now, we as a company use UPS all the time. However, I'm not the contact person nor do they have my email address on file as a contact... It's easy to see through a scam or email virus when the foreign prince is trying to entrust his fortune to you, but this email from "UPS" was not as obvious. At the end of the day, we can never be too careful, so keep your eyes peeled.

How's you virus protection?

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When's the last time you thought about the virus protection on your computer? Often, we only talk about what to do after the infection has happened. However, there are ways to be proactive and in many cases avoid the infection altogether.

One basic way to be a little more secure is to find and fix the areas where a computer might be vulnerable. This might look like running an operating system that is no longer supported, such as Windows XP, or leaving outdated programs, that aren't being used, on the computer. In both of these instances, "doors" are open to an attack. Our advice, delete programs that you're not using. Not only will this free up space and help that computer to run faster, but it will also remove a possible entry point for a virus.

Of course, we can't talk about security without mentioning email. Plain and simple, be safe and cautious. Some things to look out for are the email address (do you recognize the sender?) and the formatting of the email (does the wording seem odd?).  

We've mentioned this a lot in the past, but always make passwords protecting critical information as cryptic as possible. The less they make sense, the harder they are to crack. Basically, don't use your birthday or easily found personal information.

No computer is unhackable, but why make it easy? So, take a few steps or as many as you can to protect that device.

Flooding...

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With all the flooding in Louisiana, we figured that it would be the right time to remind everyone about having good secure backups. A few things to keep in mind with backups are:

  1. Using an external drive can be a very inexpensive way to backup the company server, however, these backups need to be kept off-site in case of a disaster whether natural or un-natural i.e. flooding.
  2. Having an off-site realtime backup, like Carbonite, is always the best option. This also makes it possible to be back up and running much faster given that files can be accessed from anywhere. If you've taken the next step and started having the company server hosted by a service, then the team could log in and continue working as if nothing ever happened. 
  3. A final note is to regularly verify backups. We've seen far too many times where someone thinks they have a valid backup only to realize that either important files are missing or the backups are unusable.

Again, backups are extremely important and, in the long run, very cheap insurance. As always, if you have any questions, feel welcome to send those our way.

Easy Mobile Selling with the Windows Tablet

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DataWeld’s new tablet based software products give drivers and outside sales people the same order processing capabilities in the field that they would have if they were sitting at a terminal in the office.

  1. Orders can be processed with full taxing and special pricing capabilities.
  2. Customer specific purchase history is available with a couple of keystrokes.
  3. Inventory balances can be checked.
  4. Cylinder balances can be confirmed.

All the questions drivers and sales people would typically need to call the office for can now be answered in seconds with no office interruptions. Also, orders taken in the field are automatically updated when the driver or sales person returns. Data entry bottlenecks are eliminated and mistakes are reduced.

Does the customer want a full size receipt? The blue tooth capabilities of the tablet make it possible to print to an onboard printer. Do you need to scan barcodes on your cylinders or products? The built in barcode scanner makes it easy. And the optional cylinder serial number tracking with barcode scanning is built right into the order entry program.

Do you want a lot of data on the tablet for your drivers or minimal data? The choice is yours. It's easy to move from bare bones ordering to full blown customer service inquiries by simply deciding what data you do and don’t want on the tablet.
 

The best part is how the data moves back and forth. All that is needed is WI-FI and the data moves seamlessly between the tablet and the server with a click on the mouse. No cables or cradles to worry about. Drivers and salespeople don’t even need to come into the office. They can send their daily orders to the server while still sitting in the cab of their truck. Convenient, quick, and easy.

Proper Tools make all the Difference

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Having the proper tools can make all the difference in how my day goes. For instance, I'm not a designer, which is why I got excited when I heard about the site Canva. I was listening to a webinar and the speaker talked about it as a design site for non-designers. This instantly got my attention and, after some investigation, I was impressed. The site offered exactly what the person had described. Essentially, this company has designers create the foundation and then the end user can come in and tweak that design by adding their content and pictures. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, then take some time and rearrange the elements. It doesn't have everything, however, it’s great for specific things like setting up an email template, social media post, or infographics. This tool may not be the ultimate design tool, but it might help you and your team to better portray a message to customers. Also, it’s a given that, in smaller businesses, most people on the team will wear multiple hats. Tools like these help those of us that are juggling multiple jobs to do them better, faster, and more efficiently. As always, if you have any questions about this newsletter or suggestions to make it better, please feel welcome to send those our way!

Passwords

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We talk a lot about passwords and security here, but that’s because of how important they are to your computer’s security. If you have a simple password, i.e. 12345 or password (yes people do use that), then keep in mind that hacking such a simple password takes less than a minute. As we’ve said in the past, it doesn’t have to be so complicated that it can’t be memorized. However, a strong password should have upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters when possible. 

Barcode Scanning with the iPhone has been Improved

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The latest iPhone, the 6S, now has an improved 12 megapixel camera. How does that impact you? If you're using the DataWeld iPhone app, or plan to, it can have a big impact. The app allows an operator to use a traditional bluetooth barcode scanner or the built in iPhone camera. The iPhone camera has always worked, but it was more of a last resort. It took too much time to focus to be practical for continuous scanning. Our recent internal testing has shown the iPhone 6S to read barcodes almost as fast as a dedicated barcode scanner. What this means is that you may want to look closely at the iPhone 6S for scanning purposes. If, after your own testing, you decide to use the camera as opposed to a traditional barcode scanner, then you've saved some money. If you decide to continue using the bluetooth scanner, then you have a vastly improved back up scanner. 

Automate those task!

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Having the correct tools can make all the difference when you're trying to finish thousands of tasks during the day. For instance, backups are critical, but if you have to remember to go to the server, plug in a drive, and set the backup to run, then you've spent time on a task that could have been automated. Instead, you could setup a service like Carbonite that backs up automatically and then worry about more important tasks, like filling up your cup of coffee... Seriously though, having the proper tools in place can save little bits of time that may add up to massive chunks of time. What's the point? Always ask the question: Am I doing this task the most efficient and effective way?

There's an iPhone update!

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A newly enhanced and updated version of AcuTrax for the iPhone will be available this May. It will actually make the iPhone work a little more like the other handhelds you're used to using, such as the Janam and the Workabout Pro. When scanning cylinders, the operator will enter the total to be shipped or returned and then start scanning. The program will automatically increment the total number of cylinders shipped and wait for the next scan. 

New Trovan iPhone Reader
In addition to this new version of AcuTrax for the iPhone, Trovan recently released a new transponder reader for the iPhone market. The reader is about the size of a garage door opener and connects via BlueTooth, eliminating the need for cables. The price has been dramatically reduced making the new reader a mere $200. Want to read more? Click here for the PDF.

Going Green

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All of us know that we need to be responsible with our natural resources and with our bank accounts. What does this look like? This might look like changing the light bulbs to LEDs (which are much more efficient and last significantly longer) or maybe turning off some of those unused lights... It might also look like setting up recycling for the company. Regardless, the big idea here is to start thinking about the impact of how we do business. The next two points are some ideas to hopefully get you started.

1. Go paperless: This is one of the things I say all the time and that’s because it has so many benefits. First, with no more paper and automatic backups set to run, critical files are never lost. So scan the important documents and setup a real-time automatic backup. Second, you’re helping the environment while saving money. Consider the following statistic: 39% of copies are thrown in the trash... so why not email that file? Or scan that document into the digital filing system (where everyone has access without printing) and recycle the paper.

This can also look like going paperless on bills. Most companies these days will send a digital version of an invoice (many encourage this) and many like receiving a digital version. When the bill is emailed, it's there immediately and there's no money spent on paper, postage, or envelopes. If you're a vendor, with a good accounting system, the invoicing process can be automated. Invoices could be processed and emailed out automatically without anybody getting involved other than the initial entry.

At a bare minimum, going paperless makes a company more efficient, but in the long road it can make a company more profitable and environmentally friendly.

2. Alternative energy: Solar Power. I know that solar can be a large upfront cost but, if the plan is to stay in the same location for a while, it can easily be looked at as an investment. First, we’re talking free energy. That means no longer paying the power company for electricity or at least not all of it. Second, with enough solar panels, the power company will start paying for the excess energy that is sent back onto the grid. This helps the bank account and the environment. 

There are companies that will cover the roof in solar panels and even create covered parking with solar panels. Installing panels on the roof is pretty much permanent. Covered parking is fantastic, but that is definitely a much more permanent and costly solution. While these options are great for the companies that have the bank accounts to fund them, they're not always practical for everyone to implement. Let's say you're not planning on staying for a long time, maybe just a year or a couple of years. Smaller panels can be mounted on the outside of a building (much like hanging a sign) and used to power smaller setups. Think powering some computers and maybe the lights, but not necessarily a server room.

Again, the main point of this article is not about the above two points, but more so to get us thinking about the impact of how we do business. These ideas are just two ways of many that a company could be more efficient and environmentally friendly, while saving money.