Apps

Features to Look for in a Call Center Software
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The best contact center software is tailored to your needs and process. Every call center has a unique procedure, so there is no one-size-fits-all regarding the software to use. When choosing the right software for your call center, there are various things to consider. One is whether to use hosted or on-premise software. On-premise software is the software you install locally or in the physical network, while hosted software is accessible on the web or the cloud. Besides this, we listed other essential things not to miss when finding the best call center software.

Integration

If you have other tools or applications, you should be able to integrate them with the new software. It makes the process more efficient, as agents don’t have to go back and forth with different applications, thus saving time and improving the customer service experience as they could get their answers quicker.

Remote access

Although the pandemic is over, and most businesses have returned to their regular office operation, some still let their agents work from home. Also, there might be instances that employees need to work remotely, like severe weather or flooding that prevents them from going to the office. The software should let them work outside the office for emergencies like these. An example of this is cloud-based dialer software. Call centers with a high volume of outbound calls could use this for their operation as it automatically dials the leads and transfers answered calls to the agents. Since it’s cloud-based, employees can access it at home, as long as they have a stable internet connection.

Setup time

Time is crucial in every contact center, so the software setup shouldn’t take much time, especially if you receive a high volume of calls. Any delay could affect the satisfaction of your customers, hurting the business in general. It should only take a few minutes to set up, so agents can return to work immediately.

Scalability

Your business may grow, so you might need more agents to add to your call center. Ensure that adding more users to the software you choose will be easy. Cloud-based software is usually paid per user, or they might have a specific price for a certain number of users. It’s convenient to scale up or down, depending on your needs. It might not be the case for on-premise software as they would need to install software locally for every new user, which can be time-consuming.

Multichannel

If your call center provides multichannel services, like email, chat, and call, choose a software that supports this. It should have all these features or let you integrate other channels seamlessly. It benefits both agents and customers, as agents can see previous interactions on various channels easily, which will help them do their job better. Customers will get the help they need efficiently and quickly.

It’s also vital that the software is user-friendly. Agents have different levels of technical skills, so be sure to find one that is easy for all types of users to navigate and familiarize themselves with.

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How Tech Has Revolutionized Warehouse Operations

How Tech Has Revolutionized Warehouse Operations
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There are various technological advancement in the world that has made all types of work easier for people.

Robots are amongst the world’s greatest inventions especially in the field of warehouse operations and industries.

Robots are state-of-the-art machines capable of doing the most extreme jobs in the world such as lifting heavy machines.

There is also software that can be used to perform some complex tasks. For example, you can use software for an inventory of flooring, decking, and also rough sawn wood in many different wood species.

However, that’s only a small fraction of how tech has revolutionalized warehouse operations. There’s more to it which we’ll tackle as we go along.

What are the latest technological trends in warehouse operations?

With COVID-19 hitting, e-commerce has grown dramatically, with consumers increasingly ordering items online rather than going to a store, and they want rapid delivery and easy returns.

To stay competitive in today’s market, you must operate your warehouses efficiently. So, here are some of the latest technological trends in warehouse operations:

Warehouse Management Systems

With more and more organizations digitizing their warehouse operations, warehouse management systems (WMSes) are becoming more vital. Companies use WMSs to keep track of moving parts inside the warehouse.

WMS applications include inventory management, putaway, order picking, replenishment, shipping, and labor management, according to Gartner’s 2020 Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems. WMS systems can increase warehouse productivity and lower costs.

Automation Technology

According to Saurabh Mehta, global head of markets, manufacturing, logistics, energy, and utilities at Cognizant, a consulting firm located in Teaneck, N.J., warehouse automation can help companies meet the new market demands.

He said automation can improve customer service. Due to the growth of warehouses and the number of SKUs, operations complexity is increasing. By automating, you can increase throughput and optimize space, resulting in faster delivery to customers.

Voice-Activated Technology

For warehouse workflow processes, more companies are turning to voice-activated technology instead of conventional scanning. However, expect more organizations will use a multimodal approach combining voice and barcode data collection.

A multimodal approach involves a worker picking up an item and feeding its information to a WMS using a headset. A handheld device with a barcode scanner can be used by an employee if the serial numbers are extremely long.

How has technology improved warehouse operations?

Several companies operate their own warehouses or distribution centers, but opening a new facility requires substantial capital.

Some companies use third-party logistics providers to handle warehousing, distribution, and logistics, while others use on-demand warehousing to secure additional space when needed.

Aside from securing additional storage capacity, warehouses are increasingly relying on technology innovations to provide fast, accurate delivery services.

Here’s how technology revolutionalized warehouse operation over the years:

  • Collaboration mobile robots, another automation solution for warehouses and distribution centers help keep warehouse associates on-task and improve order picking accuracy by guiding them through each task.
  • Using IoT, sensors, and barcode scanners, warehouses can digitize processes that were previously manual, time-consuming, and error-prone.
  • Nowadays, mobile devices have barcode scanning capabilities, thereby eliminating the need for dedicated barcode scanners. Warehouse associates can easily access software systems for real-time data access with cloud computing. GPS tracking reduces thefts and inventory losses. GPS also allows end-to-end supply chain visibility with real-time shipment tracking.
  • Warehouse robots increase efficiency and accuracy by augmenting human labor. As a result, robots reduce the physical strain on human workers, which improves morale and keeps them motivated. By enabling faster fulfillment of orders, they reduce the cost of overtime.
  • Data-driven processes supported by AI and machine learning are making a big impact on warehouses. Collaborative mobile robots, for instance, use machine learning and artificial intelligence to optimize work and pick routes in real-time, reducing unnecessary walking to increase productivity. Using collaborative mobile robots, associates can carry out multiple tasks in a single trip to the warehouse floor, and make rapid decisions based on the current work and warehouse conditions.
  • Drones are used to collect and enter the item location information into the WMS – a process up to 50 times faster than manual entry. In 2016, Walmart tested drones for inventory management, using sensor-equipped drones that flew through warehouse aisles and sent alerts for low stock levels and items that were not stocked.

Final Say on How Tech Revolutionalised Warehouse Operations

Innovations in logistics technology will surely continue to have a noticeable impact on the entire supply chain landscape well into the future.

In a challenging environment, warehouse operators who are willing to adopt new and effective capabilities will gain an edge.

In that sense, it is important to learn how to properly utilize technology to make warehouse operations more efficient and less costly.

7 Apps to Download to Get the Most Out of Your Phone

7 Apps to Download to Get the Most Out of Your Phone
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There are a number of different apps and games that are available for download on your phone, gone are the days where mobile phones are limited to a handful of functions with your phone being just as powerful as many computers in terms of processing power. If you really want to get the most out of your phone then I would look for apps that fulfill a need or useful function that is missing in your life or appeals to something that you enjoy.

1. Instagram

Social media is a great platform that can be used in a variety of different ways depending on how far you are prepared to take it. You can use social media to keep up to date with world affairs and any updates with your family and friends. You can also use social media platforms like Instagram to set up your own page and share your own content and photos with your followers, this is great for somebody who lives a busy lifestyle and doesn’t always find the time to contact family and friends.

2. Messenger

A great application that you can install to get the most out of your phone would be one of the many messaging apps that have been created alongside some of the most popular social media platforms. Messenger for Facebook is just one option but with the opportunity to send messages, call and video call your contacts over the internet, it is a great choice. The great thing about having these extra messaging platforms is that in times when you are out of minutes or credit you will still be able to get in contact with your loved ones provided that you have access to an internet signal.

3. Calendars and Organizers

For those of you that live busty work lives then it is more important than most that you are using your phone to the best of its capabilities, your phone can be a great organization and work tool with all that is needed being a few simple apps that can usually be found free of charge in your app store. Using a calendar or organizer on your phone has many benefits including the fact that you are unlikely to lose them as they are stored in your phone. With many apps you can also back your data up, meaning that if anything was to happen to your phone your work files would be further protected.

4. Group Planners

A more recent development within the world of phone organizers and planners would be the development of a shared planner that can be accessed by multiple people to help improve event planning within your family, friendship, and workgroups. These apps are very easy to find with thousands of users now downloading them to try and keep their lives organized and make it easier for any events or catch-ups to be hosted on a day when everyone is available, with it being made easier by everyone having access to the other people’s schedule.

5. Youtube

The great thing about many modern phones is that they are equipped with a high-quality resolution and screen size meaning that they are well suited for entertainment on the go, this is why making sure that you have downloaded apps like Youtube is essential to getting the most out of your mobile device. The Youtube app is very easy to use for both viewers and content creators with it now being even easier to manage your account from your phone. If you are someone who works in the online industry then having access to all of your streaming platforms on the go could be very beneficial, as you can do things like managing your comments and Private Youtube Videos teilen without having to take your laptop or visit your computer.

6. Spotify

Spotify is a subscription service which provides you with a humongous library of music that can be accessed very easily with your phone, if you are someone who travels or uses music in their day to day life then I would highly recommend that you make the investment as it is much more convenient than transferring files or listening to ads every time you want to hear some music.

7. Shazam

The final app on this list that would really help you get the most out of your phone is another music-related option, Shazam is an innovative application that solves a big problem faced by music lovers. If you have ever been in the frustrating situation of hearing a song you love but not recognizing what it actually is then Shazam is the app for you. This app will record the surrounding noise and recognize any media that is attached to it, also providing available links to the song on Spotify where necessary, so that you can always find the songs you love and add them to your favorite playlists for future listening.

9 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do On WhatsApp
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WhatsApp is one of the most popular online messaging applications that is used by people all over the world. It offers many useful features such as voice messaging, multimedia, free and cross platform text, video and voice calls and so on! Although many people might have been using this powerful messaging app for quite a long, very few, know the things that can take WhatsApp to the next level! If you are looking for such features, tips and hacks, then this guide will help you to know the things that you probably didn’t know existed on WhatsApp:

Disappearing Messages feature:

A long chat history might give you a lot of trouble clearing it up! With the help of WhatsApp’s new Disappearing Messages feature, the chats will be automatically cleared after seven days. You can activate this feature for each of your contacts separately. If you enable this feature, the messages will disappear for both parties. However, if you want to enable this feature for a group, you need to be an admin! Here are the steps to enable the Disappearing Messages feature:

  • Open the contact for which you want to enable this feature.
  • Tap on the name.
  • Scroll down and tap on Disappearing Messages.
  • Select Continue> Toggle the On button to enable this feature.

Background wallpaper in chats:

The default WhatsApp wallpaper is quite boring! How about a change?! You can set a much more vibrant and exciting wallpaper from the three types of wallpaper that WhatsApp offers: bright, dark and solid colors. You can even set the wallpaper from your gallery. Here is how to change it:

Select the ‘three-dot icon’ at the top right corner of your screen. (For Android only)

Go to Settings> Select Chats> Select Wallpaper> Select Change.

Please choose your desired wallpaper from Bright, Dark, Solid Colors and My Photos.

You can even swipe left and right for a preview of various wallpapers!

Use different font styles in WhatsApp chats:

By using some symbols, you can activate bold, strikethrough and italics for your text fonts. This can make the text much more enjoyable! You can even use this feature to a part of a phrase or some specific words.

Bold: write your word or phrase within two asterisks. For example, *Hello* will be shown as Hello.

Strikethrough: write your word or phrase within two underscores. For example, _Hello_ will be shown as Hello.

Italics: write your word or phrase within two tildes. For example, ~Hello~ will be shown as Hello.

Use the typewriter font in WhatsApp chats:

Plain text can get boring. But you can make your text stand out by using WhatsApp’s typewriter font, which is unique and old school! To get this font, type in: “`.

Make sure that the apostrophe style is precisely similar as shown above, i.e.; it slants from left to right diagonally.

Reply to specific messages in the chats:

It can get challenging to reply to a specific text or question when there is a series of conversations that have already happened. Be it in group chats or personal chats, and you can use the new feature of WhatsApp to reply to a specific line of text! Replying to a specific text is very easy; follow the below steps:

Swipe from left to right in the specific line of text that you want to reply to.

If you are using WhatsApp on your computer, right-click on the text line and select ‘Reply’ from the various options available.

Pin a specific chat at the top of your chat screen:

There are specific contacts or group chats that you access daily. But does it get lost or goes right at the bottom due to various other chats? There is a simple solution to avoid that! Use the ‘Pin’ feature of WhatsApp to pin your specific chats at the top of the screen to access them quickly! Here is how to pin a chat:

Tap and hold the chat that you want to pin.

From the top of the screen, select the ‘Pin’ icon.

After your chat is pinned, you can unpin it by tapping and holding the same chat again.

Broadcast your message to multiple chats:

On various occasions, you need to send the same message to multiple contacts on your phone. Copying and pasting the message is not a viable option, neither is forwarding the message to multiple contacts if you have a long contact list! Here comes the ‘Broadcast’ feature in WhatsApp. With this feature, you can send an important announcement or seasonal greetings to various contacts without them being able to see who else received it! Here is how to do it:

iOS: on the top left corner of the screen, tap on ‘Broadcast Lists’> Tap on ‘New List’> Select the contacts you want to broadcast with> Type your message.

You should now be able to see the number of recipients and your message in the Broadcast List.

Android: tap the ‘three-dot icon’> Select New Broadcast> Select the contacts you want to broadcast with> Type your message

You should now be able to see the broadcasted message on the top of your chats.

Read a message without seeing it or use read receipts:

There are certain instances when you want to give yourself time to think before replying to any message. There are two ways to do it:

Turn on message preview: in the iPhone’s app notification, you can turn on the message preview to view it in your lock screen without opening the message. To enable this: Go to Settings> Click on Notifications> Toggle ‘Show Preview’ on.

In Android, open Settings> Go to Notifications> Toggle notifications ‘on’ for WhatsApp. You should now be able to read the message from the drop-down notification bar.

Turn off read receipts: by turning off read receipts, the messages you send and receive will remain delivered. The blue ticks would not appear.

Go to Settings> Select Account> Go to Privacy> Toggle Read Receipts off.

Set custom notification tone:

To distinguish the notification tones of a specific group or chat, you can enable the custom notification tone.

Tap the contact or group> Go to Custom Tone/ Custom Notifications> Select your desired tone.

Did you know of these tips and hacks before? If not, then these top nine tips and tricks will make messaging on WhatsApp easier than ever!

Incredible Google Maps Tricks That You Need To Try
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You have probably heard of Google Maps. It is the handiest app out there that tells the distance between Distance A to Distance B in seconds and is hard to imagine navigating without the app.

Apart from this, they also provide traffic information, help in discovering new places, etc., but do you know there is much more to the app that you’re probably missing out on. In the article, you’re going to learn about Google Maps tricks you need to try now and get the most out of the map.

Remember your parking location

If you forget where you parked your vehicle in the prominent parking place, you’re not alone. Google Maps bought an easy solution to the problem. Now you can access it by just saving your location with a few clicks.

You just need to click on the location icon below, then click on the blue dot and save your location, and you’re done. You can modify it and add notes and pictures for better assistance. You need to click on the search bar to access it, and you see the parking label. It is accessible through Google assistant as well, fast and straightforward.

Travel back in time

You can now see the street view of anyplace from a few years ago or present. You don’t need a desktop to use this feature anymore with the latest update now, and you can use it on the app. You can access this feature by clicking on the stopwatch or clicking on the street view option.

Remember, this feature isn’t available for every place, but you can give it a try. It provides a 4-dimensional view and zoom-in and zoom-out to get the virtual experience of the past streets.

Incognito mode on

Privacy is important to everyone. If you want to go around somewhere without keeping track of your activity or logging, you can try the new incognito mode to avoid adding any search in your log history.

The activity you do while on Google Incognito isn’t recorded, and you’re not visible to anyone on the apps so, be careful while using this feature.

Go Offline on Maps

You might not get an Internet connection everywhere you go, for that Google bought in Offline Mode where you can download the apps for using them anywhere, anytime without an Internet connection. This is useful for times when you know in advance that there will not be any Internet connection.

You have to search the place, take out the map location, and click on the option Offline Map to save the map. You can access it from there when you need it afterward. Keep in mind you cannot access live information like traffic details on a downloaded map.

Multiple Locations

If you need to stop to or more or destinations between your trips, you can add multiple stops using the + icon. The icon may differ for different software. It allows you to add up to nine destinations within a single trip.

You can also search for destinations like a convenience store, ATMs, and shops with a shortcut under the search bar. Or physically type the location in the search bar and click on Add stop. Some suggestions are provided by google maps in case you don’t know where you want to go.

Share your Location

Sharing your location is helpful to help someone with directions without much effort. Someone can share their live place for 25 minutes to up to 3 days. You can choose who you want to share your location with and for how much time.

The steps are pretty straightforward, and you can share the location by clicking on Share your location on your profile icon. The person with whom you share your location can see your real-time location, which means it will move as you move.

Hand-free Navigation

It is one of the Google Map tricks that you should try now while driving. It is hard to use your phone to search for anything or even navigate through the apps. Most of the time, it’s risky to take your eyes off the road. In that case, you can use Google commands to navigate.

Try saying, “Ok Google, Which street is this” or “Hey Google, Which turns should I take.”

Many other commands can be used to use your phone without touching the phone, like finding any nearby stop for quick snacks or finding a gas station.

Measure Distance

You can measure the distance between any two points. Open the app and click on any location, any point you want, tap on the option- measure distance and choose the other place. A white point appears on the selected position.

A card at the left corner shows the distance. Add as many points (locations) you want of any place on earth and calculate the distance between them.

Favorite Spots

Keeping a list of your favorite spots to share with your friends and for yourself is easy with this feature. You can click on the location and tap Save. You can save it to the area on an existing list or create a new one. For example, you can create a list of all your favorite places to eat.

These lists are accessible offline too. You can give your name to the places and access the map without searching for the location again and again.

Recommendation and Local Shops

There are various options available for any place. If you want to get an ice-cream but can’t make up your mind where you want to go, you can take help from Google Map recommendations. The recommendations are based on their popularity and reviews.

You can access the feature by tapping on the blue dots and select “places near you”. Scroll through the options and discover new places. Some information is provided which helps you choose the location you like.

Here are all the Google Maps tricks you can try today. It will help to improve your experience with Google Maps. There is still a lot more on Google Maps, but these are the most exciting and helpful tricks. Give them a try!

What is Chrome Canary and Is It Safe?
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Released in 2008, Google Chrome has become one of the most widely used web browsers because of its crisp design and ease of use. Whenever a new feature or bug fixes are updated, Google Chrome has to undergo a series of intense testing. However, what if you want to try out these updated features before the general users? Just switch over to Chrome Canary!

Chrome Canary- An Introduction:

Google Chrome browser provides its users four release channels: Beta, Stable, Dev, and Canary. With the help of Canary, one of these release channels, Chrome aims at testers and developers to test these bugs and features. The main aim of these developers and testers are to report the issues and bugs so that Chrome can fix them quickly. Users cannot set the Canary version as their default browser since it is unstable. However, even though it can break down completely, developers might still want to use it.

Features of Chrome Canary:

Chrome Canary comes with some beneficial and exciting features! Let us take a look at it:

  • Capping heavy data: whenever a web page is loaded, users are unaware of the data it will consume. After the ‘Heavy page capping’ feature is enabled, users will know whenever the page exceeds the limit. They can also stop the pictures and video from loading. Users can enable the ‘low’ feature, and the data consumed will be low as 1 MB.
  • Customization of tabs: some users find the Chrome tabs and its positioning too dull. However, with the ‘New tab’ button, the tabs can be shifted to a new position, such as the left, right, or after the tabs. A button called ‘Single-tab mode’ with which a subtle fading effect will be added to the tab.
  • Gamepad vibrations: certain browser games requires a game controller to play them. If you are a fan of rumbles, you can enable the controller’s rumble feature on Chrome by enabling the’ gamepad vibration‘ option.
  • Latest UI features: Canary enables users to access the latest chrome features. To use these new features, enable the ‘Use all upcoming UI features.’ By doing this, you will see all the future changes that will come in Chrome.
  • Block downloads from insecure sites: the ‘Block unsafe downloads over insecure connections’ blocks downloads that can use insecure origins in the redirect chain.

Who should use Chrome Canary?

Chrome Canary is not suitable for everyone, as it is an unstable browser. So this might lead to users shifting to a different browser. Issues such as crashes, bugs, slowdowns, etc., might arise daily.

Hence, Canary is primarily meant for quality assurance testers, developers, and curious technical people! But if users want to help Chrome become even better, they can switch to canary to test its features and control the bugs. Once bugs are identified, users can report them to the bug testing wizard. Canary also allows its users to suggest new features.

Chrome Canary- Installation:

If you want to use Chrome Canary, you will have to install it separately on your android smartphone, Windows PC or Mac OS. This can be done without replacing or removing the stable version of Chrome. Here are the steps for downloading and installing Chrome Canary:

  • Windows: download, install and run the latest version of chrome canary. Mostly the 64 bit version is desirable to users, and however, if you have an older PC, there is a 32 bit version.

Mac: users who use Apple’s Mac have to download the Mac version of Chrome Canary.

Android: if you want to install chrome canary on your android mobile, you will have to install it from the Google Play Store.

  • After downloading the Canary application, Windows user can install it by confirming any available on-screen instructions. In contrast, Mac users will have to open the Finder application window and then drag the canary icon to the Applications folder.
  • After the installation is complete, Canary can be accessed in the start menu of the Windows or the Mac’s Launchpad menu. In the same way, after installation, the icon appears in your android smartphone.
  • After you click the canary icon, the Canary window will open, which is quite similar to Chrome’s stable version. After the browser opens, you can start testing it.

You can uninstall the canary version of your Chrome by going to the ‘uninstall programs’ from the ‘Settings’ in Windows. In Mac, you can go to the Finder app and then to Applications to remove the canary app.

How to enable the features and flags of Chrome Canary?

After you open the browser of Canary, some features are available while others are not. While some parts are activated automatically, you will need to start the chrome flags to use the other features. Here’s how to do it:

  • Open a new browser window in Canary> Go to the address bar> To view the hidden flags menu, type: chrome://flags.After the Experiments menu loads, you will see various flags that you can disable or enable. In the Available tab, you will see all the available flags, their description, and use. You will also be able to see if they would be made available for future use.
  • If you want to disable certain flags, you will have to restart chrome canary. You can either close the browser and restart it or click the Relaunch button.

Common issues in chrome canary:

Since Canary is an unstable chrome browser, there are various issues that you might encounter. Here are the most common issues to face in Canary:

  • After disabling or enabling the flags, Canary no longer opens.
  • In the Windows platform, Canary occasionally crashes.

If you love experimenting or are a developer, then Chrome Canary is the browser where you can carry all your activities. However, the best practice is to use canary side-by-side and the stable version of Chrome. In this way, you will be able to contribute your experience and reduce the bugs and crashes in the future release of Chrome.