CapitalTek April Newsletter Vol. 16

Areyourdevicesputtingoffpotentialnew hires?,p1

Grow your business with influencer marketing, p2

Best POS system for your business, p3 What is Digital Agility, p4 Instagram Business for Ecommerce, p5 Validity of an email, p6

TEKNOLOGY INSIDER

2022 APRIL VOLUME 16

Sports betting sites, p7 Video conferencing for business, p8

Keeping your business safe across all chat channels, p9 Microsoft Excel- Conditional Formatting, p10 Entertainment, p11 Featured Customer- STAN'S HVAC Providing Services in Ottawa since 1969, p12

YOUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, WRITTEN FOR HUMANS, NOT GEEKS

AREYOURDEVICES PUTTINGOFFPOTENTIALNEW HIRES?

Microsoft Teams, Tips, Tricks, And Tools - FREE WEBINAR

APR 12 at 11 AM, see page 8 for more details

A recent study found that one third of US employees are more likely to accept a job where they’ll get an Apple product, like an iPhone or MacBook. And that rises to 49% of Gen Z employees.

It sounds like bad news if Apple isn’t your business brand of choice. And for many of us, it isn’t. That’s because we focus more on the benefits that Microsoft brings to us.

If you’re currently recruiting, or plan to later this year, how do you get around this?

Our advice would be to highlight your use of Microsoft and all of its amazing tools. Because they're not only a benefit to you, but they do help your team to get their jobs done with less stress.

Really, the culture and ethics of your business

We Did It!!! We are so proud to announce that CAPITALTEK has been crowned the Top Choice Award Winner for Top Choice IT Support Services in the 2022 Top Choice Award Survey and it’s all thanks to you!

should be a much bigger draw than the technology you use.

Just 19% of businesses work on Apple devices. That’s a lot of potential jobs for candidates to be turning down!

GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH INFLUENCER MARKETING

Traditional influencer marketing means relying on celebrities and famous bloggers to generate traction about your brand. However, as time changes, with the boom of social media, the number of influencers in the market is rising.

The influencer marketing technique involves affiliating with famous social media celebrities and bloggers for the purpose of promoting product or services. While collaborating with influencers, identify their audience reach and engagement. This marketing tool’s main purpose is to drive sales and build your brand’s credibility.

Strategies for Influencer Marketing

1. Campaign Surrounding

KPIs

Influencer campaigns are exciting and attractive because of numerous ideas and sparks in the campaigns. You can increase your brand’s growth through interesting methods with the help of influencers. Before starting an influencer campaign, identify a goal and target to evaluate the outcome. When you understand the purpose for an influencer campaign, you can draw a line between what works and what doesn’t for future marketing drives. For setting goals, choose KPIs (key performance indicators) corresponding to your business goals. KPIs will enhance your focus to achieve the target. You need to depend on specific goals for campaign success.

2. Finding the Influencers

While selecting influencers, you cannot simply rely on their popularity among the audience. The relevancy of the influencer with the brand is the essence of the marketing campaign. Before you start your search for influencers, check your support to find someone already aware of your brand. Besides allowing easier communication

about the campaign, they will receptively work with your brand as well Furthermore, with these influencers, you increase your growth rate drastically

3. Clear and Concise Outreach

Communicating your idea for a collaboration with the influencer should be the easiest way Many businesses do not receive proper responses from influencers because they fail to communicate through proper channels The mailbox of these influencers is overflowing with fans and supporters. Furthermore, they receive numerous offers for collaboration. You need to give them a reason to choose you instead of others. Here are some tips that you should follow:

Add an attractive subject line

Mention why you are credible

Share some solid reasons why they are perfect for your campaign

Explain what benefits they will receive after collaboration

Your proposal should be sweet and short

4. Collaborating with the Content

Share your idea with influencers and seek their

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suggestions. Remember, you are collaborating with an influencer rather than hiring them.

Influencers should feel freedom in sharing their ideas because they know about grabbing the attention of their audience. Explain your goals to them, and they might come up with a creative idea for the campaign’s success.

5. Choosing the Platforms

Initially, Facebook’s marketing strategies were amazing to deliver ROI for the businesses. As the

audience’s interest increases, you can choose from various platforms as a means to grab their attention. Moreover, new ideas and tools are available to help achieve business goals. As competition on popular platforms grow, you should leverage influencers on platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok.

Digital marketing is shifting drastically as social media platforms give rise to new and innovative marketing techniques and tools. If you fail to keep up with social media marketing, you risk losing customers, wasting your budget, and shrinking your market share.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST POS SYSTEM FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

A good POS system will not only help you manage the transaction it also enhances your cash flow system With these two factors in play, you can easily grow your business By implementing an advanced POS system, you can provide numerous payment options to

your customers These options include online payments, card payments, and cash payments Furthermore, it also simplifies your business An effective all-inone point-of-sale system will help you efficiently perform administrative tasks.

While selecting a point of sale system, you need to consider various factors, including your business type For instance, if you have a restaurant, your business process will be different than a retail business Therefore, you need to choose a system specific to your business needs.

How to Choose a POS System

1. Identify Your Needs

Firstly, you need to understand your business requirements. Your goal is to find the best solutions to your problems. However, you cannot make a better decision without identifying and considering your problems. Therefore, you need to ask some questions. The answer to this question will lead you to pick the right solution: sell?

What type of product do you

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(Continued from page 3)

How you accept the payments?

How many people you have on your team?

What payment method your

customers prefer? your audience? currently using?

How will you interact with

What type of solution are you

2. Perform Market Research

After answering all the above questions, you can use the search engine to list down the best options according to your needs. However, with so many options, you might feel overwhelmed. Below, you will find some best tips that will lead you in the right direction: competitors are using.

Check the system that your Communicate the POS system provider and seek help from professionals Visit tech websites

3. Check the Features of Service Providers

After shortlisting your options narrowing it to two to three POS systems, you can investigate the services they are offering. Here are some factors that you should consider while evaluating your options:

What features are they

WHAT IS DIGITAL AGILITY

Digital Agility is the ease with which an organization can rapidly enable, update, change, or adapt their processes.

offering?

How will their system work for your business?

What is the price of the tool?

4. Download the Trial Version

Once you complete your research about the best POS system for your system, you should download and install the trial version.

When you perform the actions on a trial version, you can understand if this tool will benefit your business or not.

With digital agility, you can improve cross-departmental collaboration. Below are some popular uses of digital agility to improve productivity:

1. Empower your employees with easy-to-understand and simple tools.

2. With digital agility tools, your employees can save time when solving problems. These tools include an easy-to-use interface for your employees.

3. Your employees will easily understand the tool without any need for training sessions.

4 You can easily integrate these tools with third-party plug-ins, thereby increasing productivity

SETTING UP YOUR INSTAGRAM BUSINESS ACCOUNT FOR ECOMMERCE

Download the Instagram App on your IOS or Android device. Create a new account for your business.

information from your Facebook account.

Complete the profile Choose the option “Try Instagram for Business Tools.”

Facebook account or page to this new Instagram account.

Now you can connect your Your Instagram account will autofill some

You can fill in the details about your business, such as business categories or contact information.

WHY YOU SHOULD ENHANCE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Gone are the days when people watched a commercial on TV and decided to purchase a product. Nowadays, most people browse through the internet and conduct research, collect the information, and compare the products side-by-side. This highlights the need for social media marketing to promote your business. Here are some reasons that signify why you need to enhance your visibility on social media channels. You have access to numerous social media platforms and can target a wider

audience compared to traditional marketing. These platforms equip your marketing team with tools to measure the progress of the campaigns and are highly engaging and include numerous tools to promote your content You can also engage with your target audience through different methods such as stories, messages, and comments They also allow you to target a specific audience, understand their needs, and upgrade the product based on those needs

WHEN CONSIDERING THE VALIDITY OF AN EMAIL, DON'T FORGET TO USE...

THE METHOD SLAM

S E N D E R ANALYZE THE SENDER'S EMAILS ADDRESS CAREFULLY S

L I N K S HOVER YOUR MOUSE OVER LINKS, WITHOUT CLICKING, TO SEE THEIR TRUE PATH L

A T T A C HM E N T S USE CAUTION WHEN OPENING UNSOLICITED OR UNEXPECTED ATTACHMENTS A

M E S S A G E WATCH FOR MISSPELLINGS, AND "OUT OF CHARACTER" PHRASING, WITHIN THE BODY OF AN EMAIL M

VILLAIN OF THE MONTH

This month we highlight a scam that demonstrates tactics criminals are using RIGHT NOW, that way you'll be better prepared when the next scam hits.

Jake wanted to place his bets during this year's March Madness, so he took to the internet and started searching for betting providers.

He found one website that was pretty good: they were newly established this year, but they offered 100% guaranteed returns. Jake signed up, and placed his bets. The first go around he was able to cash out, but once he started placing more bets, he wasn't able to withdraw his money so easily. If he wasn't coming across a delay in payment processing, or a technical issue, the platform started to request more money in order to withdraw his winnings.

Jake was getting frustrated, so he started looking into the platform further. He found a safe betting website that listed online sportsbooks to avoid. Turns out that he had been placing bets on a well known scamming site that now also had access to his personal information.

DID YOU SPOT THE RED FLAGS?

Jake'sbettingsiteofferedaguaranteedreturn. Anypromiseof100%guaranteed,orrisk-free,is atoo-good-to-be-trueredflag.

Jake'sbettingsitewasnewtotheindustry.Many sportsbettingscamoperationspopupsuddenly, takeyourmoney,anddisappear.Insomecases, longevitycanhelpidentifylegitimacy.

Jakedidhisresearchatthewrongendofthe process.Heshouldhavereviewedthesitefirst, beforeofferinguphismoneyandpersonal information.

Do your research! Check reviews and comments on betting providers before going all in You can also look on trusted platforms for a list of safe and legitimate online betting locations

Betting sites are meant to look flashy and enticing But don't let looks fool you Scammers are trying to make their sites look legitimate too, and they have the funding to do so

During the month of August in 2020, sports betting generated $2.1 billion dollars in revenue in the US, alone. While popularity soars around online sports gambling, scammers have been taking notice and taking advantage of this booming online industry.

Staff highlight: Maria Alia

April 12 last year, I started working here in Capitaltek. Wooaaahhh!!! How time flies so fast.

I received my education at the Universidad de Manila. I obtained skill in customer service, administrative support, event planning and social media marketing from more than a decade of working in BPO industry.

Clearly, I don't have much knowledge in MSP industry but I believe that continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field.

Currently, I am in charge on the Marketing side of the business I

handle the social media channels and business development team.

This a very fulfilling job for me. I can help our prospective and active clients, and even just the casual people to learn more about modern technology that will help them with their daily activities through social media and other marketing materials we are creating.

Hoping we can reach and help more business owners in growing their companies by partnering with us. Our team is invested in each business we work with, celebrating their success as if it were our own. Because really, it is.

If you’re working from home, finding the answer to a problem can take extra time. But when you’re using Microsoft 365, there’s a feature called Tell Me, whichcan get that tricky problemsolved… and will even do it for you.

Just click ‘Tell Me’ from the navigation bar and type a command. You may be asked to refine your search, and then you click on the option you want. Magic!

Global online sales are predicted to reach 22% of all retail sales next year

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to contribute $15.7 trillion to the economy by the year 2030k

Wearable technology is expected to grow to global shipments of 489.1 million devices by 2023

Keeping your business safe across all chat channels

OK, so work chat won’t be 100% productive all of the time. But would you know if your staff’s 121 chats ever crossed the line from friendly to inappropriate?

While we don’t promote micromanagement or employee monitoring, the rise of private messaging thanks to remote working has led to an increase in sexual harassment and bullying in the workplace.

As usual, Microsoft has got things covered.

This month, Microsoft is rolling out an updated communication compliance feature that will notify you in under an hour if any inappropriate communication has been sent.

The facility will monitor messages sent and received over email, Teams, Yammer, and other thirdparty platforms, and run them by a set of pre-defined policies. When a breach is identified, the messages will be passed to a team of reviewers, who will then notify you within those 60 minutes.

Previously, this detection and review stage took around 24 hours. And although Microsoft hasn’t detailed how it will cut the time so dramatically, it’s definitely a real benefit when you’re trying to keep your team safe and happy.

Is this a feature that you already make use of? If you do monitor your employees already, would this feature make you reconsider the need? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

“Don’t be afraid to change the model”

Reed Hastings, Co-Founder & CEO Netflix

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE OF THE MONTH MONTH

Apply Conditional Formatting

In the conditional formatting gallery, hover over a rule style to see a list of available options.

If you don’t see the type of rule you need, click New Rule to create your own custom rule and formatting.

SELECT DATA TO FORMAT SPECIFY CONDITIONS

To get started, first select the cells that you want to format.

Next, choose a rule variant to highlight the data you want to emphasize.

Cells that meet the rule’s conditions are emphasize d using the formatting style you specified.

OTHER FOR OPTIONS

On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click Conditional Formatting

To remove formatting, click Conditional Formatting and hover over Clear Rules, then choose to clear formatting from the whole worksheet, selected range, or table.

To manage or delete individual rules, select Manage Rules

After you choose a rule, specify conditions for formatting cells within the selected range (based on what you want to emphasize), then specify what type of formatting to apply.

Experiment with different rule types to view your data from different angles.

Click OK when you finish.

CHOOSE A RULE VIEW FORMATTED DATA

Top/Bottom Rules highlight values at the high or low end of the data range.

Data Bars add horizontal bars to each cell. The longer the bar, the higher the value.

Color Scales change the color of each cell based on its value relative to the whole data set.

Icon Sets add icons to reflect high, medium, and low values relative to the whole data set.

The Funnies

Tech Quiz

Which was the first company to manufacture a mobile phone? What did Dutch inventor Jaap Haartsen create?

Which university offered the first-ever academic programme in Computer Science? When did the first virtual event take place?

How much did Steve Job’s first computer sell for at auction?

The answers are below

Q&As

Q: Teams is great, but how can I make it less distracting?

A: Click the colored dot next on your profile, and you’ll see some status options Choose ‘busy’ or ‘do not disturb’ for example, when you need fewer distractions You can also write a messages, so your colleagues know when you’ll be free several documents open at once

Q: How can I make sure my staff stick to cyber security measures?

A: The very best way is to make sure they’re fully aware of the risks, and the extent of damage a cyber-attack could cause. Regular cyber security training for everyone in the business is also recommended

ACROSS

1 Describes the ability of a computer to automatically configure the devices that connect to it, for

4 authorized communications

6. Picture Element is the smallest part of a graphic image Many pixels close together make up the

9. Domain Name System is an Internet service that converts names to IP addresses. A common

12 locate your residence

13. A device that routes traffic between networks

14. on the computer monitor

15 Is a part of a computer system or network that is designed to block unauthorized access while

16 are text files retained on computers by browsers containing various information in regards to a

DOWN

1 Plain Old Telephone Service

2. Pages Per Minute

3. A set of rules by which computers communicate A protocol is much like the syntax of a

5 Internet Service Provider is a company that provides users with a connection to the Internet

7. rather than the language itself

8 would be a system that could use either your home address or the parcel number and

10. printers

11 website visit

1) Motorola, in 1973

2) Bluetooth, in 1998

3) Cambridge University

4) 1993, in a presentation to investors from the Walford Astoria hotel in New York

5) $500,000

PROVIDING TOP-NOTCH HVAC SERVICES IN OTTAWA

Stan’s Heating & Air Conditioning proudly serves Ottawa families with reliable heating, cooling, and other HVAC services. Founded in 1969 by Stanley Sugrue as a family run business with a mission to provide Ottawa families with affordable and reliable HVAC services. Stan believed that a homeowner should not have to

pay an arm and a leg to keep their family comfortable in their home. Today, Stan’s Heating & Air Conditioning is run by Stan’s nephew, Lyle Sugrue, who has carried forward Stan’s legacy and mission by continuing to offer affordable heating and air conditioning services to Ottawa families.

ABOUT FOUNDER & CEO, SERGEY POLTEV

Founder and CEO Sergey Poltev, has been fixing computers since he was a kid. He immigrated to Canada to seek new opportunities, where he launched CALLGEEK (later renamed to CAPITALTEK) in 2008. Sergey was recognized in 2021 with a Forty Under 40 Awards from the Ottawa Board of Trade & Ottawa Business Journal.

Sugrue Owner stanshvac.ca

Lyle