As with every advance and with the crossing of each new frontier, the constant expansion of business  and the constant improvement of accounting technology and multiplication of business models and strategies  presents businesses with new challenges and new dangers. Your Accounts Payable department is now a vastly more complex beast than its predecessors of even a decade ago were: and it is laden with substantial and serious new responsibilities. What’s more, any increase in the size of your AP department, let alone in its complexity, necessarily opens the door to an increased number of errors: and they can add up. The new complexity and multiplicity of the ways in which AP departments receive payments has created mind-boggling new tasks and this means new dangers of things falling between the cracks. In a more complex, higher-stakes operation, old dangers like fraud, duplicate payments and overpayment still loom large, but in new ways.

Rooting out routine problems like duplicate payments, faulty procedures or just failures to get the most out of the technology that you use requires smart self-auditing. In order to really get to grips with the challenges of a modern and expanding organisation, you need an up-to-date Accounts Payable audit system. That’s where Fiscal Technologies AP Forensics software package comes in. AP Forensics is an easy-to-use system which can give you an oversight of your whole AP operation from A to Z.

The technology choices that businesses make are now crucial to the success of your accounts payable audit operation. The recovery audit software that you use has to be absolutely top of the range or else it is simply useless. Fiscal Technologies accounts payable audit software package AP Forensics falls firmly into the former category. One of AP Forensics greatest virtues is its simplicity. The system is designed to be as straightforward and intuitive for AP professionals as possible, so that information gleaned from your AP Forensics audit can be quickly converted into effective corrective action.

Accounts Payable Audit software isn’t the only important weapon in Fiscal Technologies armoury. Recovery audit software, designed to assist with recovery of money lost through overpayments or other errors which are detected after the transaction has been completed, is a vital tool: AP Forensics has the software solutions that are needed for effective recovery audits, as well as audits of your AP department’s procedures.

Fiscal Technologies’ decade of experience in the AP field points to the fact that if your staff are not adequately motivated; or if they are not suitably prepared for the fast pace of technological and organisational change, then even the most well-meaning management strategies for improving AP will leave your team feeling shell-shocked rather than empowered. AP Forensics is the software package that you need that can deliver the clear information and hard facts that AP teams require to navigate their way confidently through the changing AP environment.

Please visit https://fiscaltec.com/uk

At long last, it seems that the green shoots have arrived. The last GDP figures showed a modest but reasonable 0.3% for the quarter. More importantly, confidence is finally picking up, with a major study finding it is at its highest level since 2010. Of course, the capital has always played by slightly different rules and has always led both the wider recovery and the rise in the property market; commercial property London was hit badly in the Credit Crunch but picked up sharply, too. This was true across all sectors, including housing and retail. But now, with business confidence on the up as well, it might be time to take advantage of the number of shops to let in north London, since there’s a good chance that lending will also soon increase and the wider economy will support your business venture. Alternatively, a shop for sale in London might be a good purchase at the moment. Which you look for will depend on a number of factors, including the nature of your firm and what you can afford at the time.

Landlords, too, might capitalise on this improving confidence. Shops to let in north London are in good supply now, since so many businesses have gone under, leaving empty windows like missing teeth along the streets. Location makes all the difference, of course; some areas of the city will always be popular. But the limited space means that there is only so much supply to deal with rising demand – one of the reasons that commercial property London has generally been a lucrative business. If organisations simply can’t find the space they require, landlords can – and have – demand enormous prices. That’s why a shop for sale in London can be a goldmine for the right investor, who has cash to spare and can afford to snap up a bargain and wait as long as they need to for the rental market to follow. Needless to say, though, whether you’re buying, selling, letting or renting, it pays to do your research. Talk to a commercial property agency for more information about finding a set of premises, or a business expert to put together a proposition for your venture. They will be able to help you make your move based on ruthless planning and rigorous evidence, thereby ensuring that it gets off to the best possible start.

Please visit http://www.claridges-commercial.co.uk

The time has come to think about offices to rent in north London. So far, Camden, Holloway Road and especially the borough of Harringey, all of which are situated in North London, have yet to harness their retail potential. This is not to say that they don’t possess their fair share of shops, but moreover that the shops existing in these areas are somewhat tarred with a bad reputation. Camden, people tend to think, consists of a few a run-down streets that are heaven for tourists, teenagers and those fond of piercings and goth or emo-style clothes. Holloway road, meanwhile, possesses rather too many tired chain stores and could do with an influx of independent outlets. Harringey finds itself in the same boat, though to its credit it does possess a few good finds in terms of vintage clothes and bookshops. As you can tell, the time is right for entrepreneurial types to bring their fresh visions into commercial property London. Many predicted that our shopping habits would shift into the online realm. But this has not occurred: apart from when we are buying products with which we are already familiar, we delight in the physical experience of shopping because we can touch, try and talk about the things we want to buy. And because this preference for real life experience looks set to stay, a long-term idea of offices to rent in north london might also appeal to more knowledgeable retailers.

The catering industry might also look seriously at relocating to North London premises. Despite the financial recession, studies show that one of the last things we stop spending on is the experience of eating and drinking out. This is an understandable fact: though our budgets have been squeezed, we still need respite from the monotonous daily grind of going from home, to the tube, to work and home again. Positive social experiences are what the majority misses most when the pressures of working life get too much. And because these are often best had while relaxing around a table sharing food, conversation and smiles, commercial property in London is worth restaurateurs and pub landlords’ investment.

Commercial property London is also being transformed into art galleries in some areas in London, especially in East and South London. Offices to rent in north London could easily be converted into art galleries as well: there is no reason why north London would not appreciate an injection of art on its streets.

Offices to rent in north london are perhaps less attractive for the art expert who realises that the market can be fickle. Fashion designers can meanwhile resort to their skills for catering to new trends and desires.

Please visit http://www.claridges-commercial.co.uk

Bad Powerpoint presentations can be found in every type of business and government. There are several very simple points that are well-accepted – in theory – to improve Powerpoint design and create outstanding sales presentations. In practice, though, people don’t seem to be able to adhere to them. That has a major negative effect on the outcomes. A meeting that could have captivated and enthused an audience instead leaves them bored thanks to a convoluted, amateurish or nonsensical slideshow. A sales bid that could have resulted in a desirable contract is dead in the water. Reputations are eroded; bosses who are skilled at speaking lose their listeners.

It’s no wonder that firms are turning to professional outfits to put together their presentations, complete with Powerpoint slides: these people are skilled at creating an overarching narrative in which your Powerpoint presentation complements the spoken material – not distracts from it or undermines it. They will also train your employees to do it themselves, if you prefer.

If you are putting together your own slides, bear in mind a few basic points. Keep things simple. You’re not looking to duplicate on the screen what the audience is hearing from the front. Summarise information in short, pre-digested chunks – bullet points are good for this. Don’t be tempted by some of the flashier effects Powerpoint offers: it’s all too easy to try them, thanks to the software’s relative simplicity, but in practice they hardly add value. They just end up as a distraction.  And don’t just limit the amount of information on any particular slide: limit the number of slides too. If your presentation is so complicated that it needs a long series of slides to make it clear, something is awry anyway. You can’t expect your audience to leave with the total content of your talk in their heads. What you do want is for them to take away a  handful of clear, meaningful points. That’s far more effective than overloading them.

Effective Powerpoint design is about deciding what to show visually. Many sales presentations overlook this and do not distinguish between information that is communicated aurally and visually. Powerpoint presentations are very well suited to simple, graphical communication – even if those visuals conceal a wealth of complex detail, as in the case of graphs and charts. They are not suited to large volumes of text. Short captions and summaries are fine, but don’t believe your audience will take in much more from the screen.

Please visit http://www.eyefulpresentations.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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Powerpoint presentations are a very common way to support your verbal presentation and, when employed properly, can provide an excellent boost to your audience’s engagement with the material. Sales presentations can be dry at the best of times, but competent powerpoint design can provide extra details, attract the attention of listeners in danger of tuning out, and provide a crucial second strand of information. Consequently, this is one skill it’s worth learning – or buying in from an external firm if you don’t have the confidence to do it well in-house.

The reason Powerpoint and other visual presentations are so important is that some people simply do not respond well to the spoken word. Each of us processes a presentation in our own unique way and, for one reason or another, we may not take on board much of the information in a talk. There is a principle that some people are auditory learners – they engage well with the spoken word – whereas others are visual (and others kinaesthetic – that is, they respond to doing, rather than seeing or hearing). Of course, each of us is a mixture of these modes rather than embodying one alone. However, the truth remains that a large proportion of us may not digest well information that is delivered orally. Backing up a spoken-word presentation with a visual one caters to these people.

Therein lies one potential risk of Powerpoint, however. It is all too easy to duplicate content on the screen – in the worst cases, simply repeating the spoken presentation verbatim with a set of slides. This is both distracting to the audience and insulting to their intelligence. A better strategy is to complement, not copy. A picture speaks a thousand words, and graphs and photos can supply helpful background information that cannot concisely be given by the speaker. Moreover, information presented this way is far more accessible than written words, in that it is far richer in content.

Powerpoint design can therefore add a great deal to your sales presentations and other events. The catch is to do it properly, since bad powerpoint design will actually detract from your delivery, rather than just not contributing very much. Dedicated companies offer training in how to put together a convincing slideshow – one that will engage your audience and complement your speech. Alternatively, you can simply outsource this aspect of your presentation and get an expert to put it together for you.

Please visit http://www.eyefulpresentations.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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When it comes to starting up a business, location is something that all entrepreneurs must bear in mind: regardless of the kind of service or product being developed, its success will be almost wholly reliant on the attitude of the consumer at its point of sale. An exaggerated illustration of the importance of place in relation to business might point out that situating a night club in the vicinity of a retirement home in Kent would be neither an advisable nor a profitable move. North London, however, provides a somewhat brighter range of business opportunities as its population is noticeably mixed in terms of age, ranging from students to affluent families. And, while these consumer groups tend to be computer savvy and used to buying from internet-based companies, they are also surprisingly appreciative of commercial innovation that helps prevent their high streets from becoming ghost towns. This is why shops to rent in north london or a shop for sale in London can be very worthwhile investments. Indeed, particularly where restaurants, hairdressers and other service industries are concerned, commercial property London will likely never be killed off by our growing obsession with the online.

With this in mind, the entrepreneurial opportunities in the real world seem rather brighter than the depressing economic forecasts would have us believe. There may even be extra money to be gained in combining the benefits of an online business with those of physical premises – offering some products online and other services on a shop floor, for example.

There is therefore no need to be put off by the proliferation of bad news surrounding the lack of bank loans for small businesses at present. Other sources of funding are available and in the current climate of unpredictability where the public sector is losing funds and pensions are looking unpromising it may be a good moment to try and go it alone; to establish something that is not reliant upon the state. shops to rent in north london remain a career opportunity for anyone with determination, imagination, numerical and social skills. And shop for sale in London will benefit those able to pay a lump sum for their floor space and turn business ambitions into life-long plans. Commercial property London is just brimming with possibilities: whether your dream is to set up an art gallery that necessitates floor space, storage space and office space, or a new coffee house requiring room for tables and chairs, real premises may allow these dreams to be achieved.

Please visit http://www.claridges-commercial.co.uk for further information about this topic.

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As websites and the internet have increased the speed of communication, it seems that the ability to be in several places at once without leaving your office will be the only way to get ahead in business.  Video conferencing allows us to do exactly that.  audio visual conferencing is a very good driver for productivity, allowing us to keep in closer contact with colleagues.  The new closeness brought by telepresence video conferencing is likely to lead to new ideas on how to speed up the development of new products and services.

During a videoconference call, all participants are able to see the facial expressions and body language of all conference participants.  These crucial features of communication are lost with a standard telephone call.  Moreover, if this technology is used for customer service and sales, it has important implications for improving customer relations.  If customers with an inquiry or a complaint can effectively meet internal employees by using telepresence video conferencing, your business relationship with customers could be significantly improved.

Furthermore, video conferencing offers a great opportunity to minimise travel expenses – a real winner in today’s economy.  While many people still like to get out of the office and meet clients and associates in person, there are several situations where it is possible to save large amounts of money on airfare and hotel costs, as well as the loss of productivity that results from being out of the office.  Although shaking hands with somebody can never really be replaced, video conferencing allows us to ask ourselves whether the cost of that handshake is really necessary in every case.

With video conferencing, you can easily assemble a meeting of various people from different locations, to discuss whatever it is that unites them.  Whether they are at different ends of the same county or opposite sides of the globe, communication is just as easy.  Many of us feel we can express more through facial expressions than through the tired clichés of business speak, which is why a live video call is often much more effective than a telephone call.  In addition, if anything technical needs to be explained, the visual element is extremely valuable in facilitating an easily understandable demonstration.

Video conferencing is not just a new technology that might be worth getting used to, it is the future of communication.  With telepresence video conferencing, participants genuinely feel as if they are sharing a room with fellow conference participants.  audio visual conferencing is there to make our lives easier – we would be foolish not to take advantage of it.

Please visit http://www.edgevision.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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If you’re working for a large firm then you are probably already paid by BACS. In fact, most or all of the accounts will be settled this way, since bacs payments are speedy, secure and simple. The word stands for Bankers Automated Clearing System, and just means electronic payments. When you log in to online banking and send money to someone else, or pay a bill, this is usually done by BACS (a variation is SWIFT, which is the same except that the cash goes through on the same day rather than in three working days; it does, however, cost more). Many medium and small businesses do not use BACS software for their accounts, preferring to work with cash and chequebooks. It may simply be that the company was started before BACS became common, and the accounts department never updated their software. Either way, upgrading can be a smart way to streamline your finance department.

BACS has a number of benefits over the old-fashioned way of doing things. For starters, it means you don’t have to keep a lot of cash on the premises, since on payday the money automatically goes to workers’ bank accounts. If you’ve been working by cheque, this is a step in the right direction, but it is still subject to error and other glitches – not to mention the trouble of making out a separate cheque for the correct amount to every employee. BACS software can be merged with your accounts software, so the right amounts are calculated for you. This can save a vast amount of time, and avoids most errors you might make – as well as delays. Even if a cheque takes no longer to clear (which is not always the case – BACS varies and some payments can go through very quickly), people still have to pay them into the bank. If you’re pushed for time, a cheque can sit around for days or weeks before you get around to it.

There have been loads of news stories in recent years about the disappearance of the chequebook, as cards become more and more normal. Like cards, BACS is fast and secure – another reason to expect that the cheque will one day become a thing of the past. BACS software therefore has a number of advantages over the alternatives and is well worth looking into if you don’t have it already. bacs payments have well established themselves over recent years for good reason.

Please visit http://www.bottomline.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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The organic way in which many firms evolve means that growing companies do not always have the systems in place that they need to minimise error and waste. One normal area for problems is in the accounts department, where duplicate payments and other mistakes – and even fraud – can chip away at your bottom line, eroding profit margins. Whereas the accounts may be unchallenging to keep track of for a start-up company, as your business grows you may find that the systems you put in place are no longer ideal, and that inefficiencies result – often with surprisingly serious consequences. An accounts payable audit can reveal just how serious; if the error rate is as high as even one percent, then using recovery audit software could mean the difference between turning a healthy profit and getting into real difficulties – or worse. Either way, it’s a good way of making sure you’re only paying what you should, and that people are paying you the right amount, too.

Discrepancies and mistakes are a constant of life, of course, and it’s all but impossible to get rid of these entirely without help. This becomes more problematic when the errors are due not to actual mistake but deliberate fraud, when individuals send incorrect invoices and expense slips with the hope of making money at your expense; this is plainly unacceptable, from a legal, moral or business point of view. Fortunately, such issues can be vastly reduced or even eliminated by the use of the right kind of software and controls, which check your accounts for likely problems and implement procedures to stop this kind of issue from happening in the first place. Some experts suggest that most companies are likely to have an error rate of 0.1 percent, with other believing the rate is much worse. Needless to say, the bigger the company, the greater the absolute amount of money this represents.

recovery audit software will help uncover where the problems are, including pinpointing duplicate payments – one common area of overpayment. This is really the only sensible way of ensuring that your accounts are accurate and that your systems are making the most of your firm, since simple human error – and dishonesty – and the sheer time cost of searching through all the accounts would otherwise be prohibitive. If you don’t already have such software and systems in place, then an accounts payable audit is likely to highlight just how beneficial this could be.

Please visit http://www.fiscaltechnologies.com/ for further information about this topic.

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