Monday, November 09, 2015

Improving Business Value Through an Efficient Portfolio Management System

Making the next move in the global financial market entails dealing with a combination of fate and quantitative information. While the first one is unpredictable, having a solid reference of useful information about assets, liabilities and risks is already a choice. This is why an efficient portfolio management system has already become an essential part of the business.

Kellogg School of Management, in collaboration with DiamondCluster International, explained that trade press and industry analysts consider IT portfolio management (ITPM) as an integral part of the financial industry. Out of 130 senior IT executives who participated in their survey, 65 per cent believe that incorporating technology in managing of investments could yield significant value. But the question is how?

Visibility is so crucial in the investment world. When you have a good grasp of the past project metrics, it becomes a lot easier to forecast future factors like resource utilization. By presenting a consolidated view of assets, transactions, changes and cash flows, portfolio management system significantly help in better decision making.

Aside from presenting a wide range of useful information, an efficient financial reporting platform also offers tools that could help key players calculate the pros and cons of a project—considering all the crucial aspects, such as financial, governance and resource utilization. The sooner one identifies which projects are not performing well, the easier it is to mitigate risks and maximize the resources.

With these essential benefits, many firms prefer to partner with third-party providers to deploy a solution that really works. Not only does it save them from complex and time-consuming deployment burdens, but it also lessens their operational costs. For example, since cloud-computing solutions are basically pay as you go, there’s no need for capital expenditure (Cap-Ex) at all, said IT and social media authority SalesForce.

“The motives that drive different institutions to cloud differ,” said head of e-channels, Global Transaction Banking at RBS Alastair Brown in an interview with Business Cloud News. He adds, “Tier One institutions are very much focused on reducing costs, getting to market faster, whereas the Tier Two and Three banks want to roll out services like trade finance that they wouldn’t be able to do alone.”

To know more on how a portfolio management system could streamline your business operations and even simplify your job as a fund manager, contact a trusted asset services firm recognized for providing exceptional client care and innovative technology solutions.

Monday, November 02, 2015

Reputation Management: Best Practices in Handling Social Media Complaints

In today’s increasingly digital world, online reputation management forms an important part of corporate communication work of businesses. It is then important to be equipped with the right tools and strategies when engaging with your clients, customers, merchant partners, the authorities, and the general public in this landscape.

Below is a list of best practices when dealing with complaints on your social media platforms.

Listen to what is actually being said. As in most of our day-to-day conversations, it can be pretty easy for the message to get lost in translation because the recipient focused on how it is being conveyed. When you are an online community manager, you cannot afford to commit this mistake. Do hone your skills in reading between the lines and knowing what the other party is trying to say. While you should not condone impolite or downright abusive language, be perceptive and welcoming of constructive criticism.

Ask for clarifications. For you to be on top of everything, you should strive to know everything. Do not hesitate to get the big picture by asking clarificatory questions. What exactly happened? Who is involved? What time and where did this happen? Is anyone hurt or offended? What is their chief complaint? What do they seek? When you know who is at fault and the true extent of damage, you will be able to make informed decisions. This stage need not be made public, however. It’s best if you can release an intial statement promising swift action, get in touch with the complainant in private, and release a final statement with details once everything has been fixed.

Deliver a calculated. If you do find your company and your people to have been the responsible party, do deliver a sincere apology. Monitor the extent of the damage to determine the best channel for your statement. There should be just one official source of responses, and all other parties – especially your employees – should refer to this official statement. Explain how it happened, and how it was certainly not intended and are an exception, not the rule. Do not blame the victims, and express your commitment to offer better service next time. Follow up with the complainants after some time, to know if their concerns have been adequately addressed.

To find out more ways to boost your company’s online reputation, get in touch with experts in digital marketing and reputation management today.