Category: business coach

Growing Your Business – Considerations You Should Make

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We live in an exciting age – we can grow out little homes business incredibly fast now. We have the ability to grow our customer base exponentially with the use of social media, newsletters, online advertisements, and of course, personal engagement. How do you go from one person behind a computer to a team? Once you are ready to take that step, you can visit us at prim-software.com to help you figure it out. 

But, how can you make changes in order to give yourself the best shot at growing?

Targeting

Many businesses will choose between targeting the market as a whole or target customers. You, however, will do both. While it is always prudent to know who your audience is in terms of:

  • Age
  • Location
  • Gender 
  • Income bracket
  • And how they access your point of sale (online)

You should always remember that there are more people you can turn into customers. It isn’t very often that a product will have a single demographic. So, consider this a challenge. Who else could use your products, and how will you market to them? Once you have an idea of who they are, you will be able to pin down the best medium to advertise to them in. 

Products

Your minimum viable product is going to be your workhorse. People purchase it, the sales continue to pour in, and the margins are pretty good. However, in order to really start making more sales, you are going to have to offer more products – eventually. So, think about what would complement your current offering. People like choice (but not too much choice because of that paradox of choice situation) and more than 2 or 3 options are usually better. 

The easiest way to work out what else you should be offering is simply by asking your current customers what they would like to see. You are trying to satisfy those who buy from you now and expand to those who don’t. 

Once you think you have something, ask again. You always need to focus on supply and demand. If your customers are demanding a new product, then work out how to make that happen. 

Sell, Again

If your customers have experienced excellent customer service from you, purchased with ease, had minimal complications and generally a good experience, they are much more likely to come back and buy again. You have all the information you need at your fingertips already. Where did they visit from? Twitter? Facebook? How long did they spend, and was what they purchased on offer? 

Identify a group of customers who have roughly the same pattern and create a mailout. In the mailing, put in items slightly different from what they purchased – and if you have the scope, provide a discount code too. 

Growth isn’t always a fast process, it takes dedication, some time investment, and research into who your current buyers are. But, once you use the analytics you have to their fullest, you can maximize your sales and performance of critical products.

4 Areas To Outsource As A Small Business

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You may find it surprising to discover that even the most enterprising of businesses outsource from time to time. The key to outsourcing is to look at the tasks that take up the most time, your weaknesses and that are simple, mundane tasks. Outsourcing to professionals in areas such as creative, financial or other fields can result in a better quality end-product, and free up time and resources to put back into the company. 

Check out these four areas to outsource as a small business:

Content & Inbound Marketing

Long gone are the days where you were able to advertise using purely god word of mouth and flyers on walls and in shop windows. It’s all about the digital world and how we utilize it to our advantage. Small businesses must compete for customers through online and mobile marketing, which are undoubtedly better and more effective ways for companies to get seen by customers but they do take a lot of time and effort to get right. 

With the number of people searching for businesses using their mobile device or a search engine at a rapid rate, businesses should look to outsource their content creation and marketing to improve their company’s chances of being found by potential customers. The costs and time spent marketing should go down for small businesses who are inexperienced with this area if they choose to outsource. 

Think about outsourcing areas such as:

  • SEO-Search engine optimization.
  • Content creation – Blog posts, Website info and articles. 
  • Social media advertising – Instagram feed, Twitter posts and Facebook. 

Web Design

When it comes to present your business on the web to the entire world chance are you’re going to want to have complete control especially seen as this is the face of your business.  However, web design is another service to consider outsourcing as it means you can ensure you attract customers immediately and hassle-free, you will also have a technical person to refer to if anything goes wrong rather than spending hours sorting it yourself. 

There are both creational and technical components to web design and professionals in this service can work with you to find the right balance for these elements and meet your wants and needs for the site. 

Think about outsourcing these web design areas:

  • Designing and building the background dealings of your site. 
  • SSL Certificates.
  • Databases.
  • Hosting for the website- unless you want to host your own server. 
  • Coding HTML/CSS- although it’s handy to know a little bit about this. 
  • Troubleshooting tech issues- IT services will be able to help set up and maintain software and programs you have.

Accounting

This is yet another area that most businesses outsource and if you’re not already it should be one of the first that you look in to. Yes, it’s ideal and wise for you to be on top of your accounts but this doesn’t mean you need to spend all the time doing it. Merely communicating with an accountant who is looking after your financial paperwork will be sufficient. 

Think about outsourcing these accountancy areas:

  • Payroll management – a month-end job that will free up a lot of time. 
  • Bookkeeping- hand over any expenses reports and let them deal with them.
  • Overseeing cash flow

By outsourcing these types of services, small business owners have the time to spend on growing their company instead of being frustrated with tasks that take expertise and are time-consuming.

Are there any areas that you outsource as a small business already? Please share them below.

What To Look For In Prospective Employees

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A business is only as good as the team running the show, and as the business owner you need to make sure that that team is the best you can put together. That means knowing what it is that you want in your employees and knowing where to find the right people. Both of those can be very difficult, and you will probably find that it is often a case of trying to ensure that you can work on them if you are keen to find the right people. But one thing you can at least do is try to work out what it is that you are looking for in your employees. If you know what qualities you are hoping your candidates will show, it will make the whole process of hiring people so much easier, so it is definitely worth your while. In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the major things you should look for in your prospective employees.

Drive

The last thing you want is a group of people who don’t really care about what they’re doing, and come to work each day with no apparent vigor. What you need from your people is a sense of drive, the feeling that they really want to be there and that they are happy to give it their all and produce great work. The truth is that you can easily determine whether or not someone has drive early on in the recruitment process by the way that they act towards you and towards the whole process as they go along. If they are passionate and committed from the first, then you know that they are the kind of person who is likely to bring that same feeling to your business, and that could benefit your business greatly. Look for that drive whenever you are hiring people, as it is one of the most important things that you can possibly hope to have in your team.

Although there are many other qualities you might also want to look out for, this sense of determination and drive is something that is likely to persist, so it’s a good idea to make this one of the central bases of what you are looking for. If you do that, you are bound to fill your team with the right kind of people, and that will mean good things for your business generally. Drive is literally the driving force that your business needs, and the more people that have it, the better.

Education

There is a good reason that employers will generally want their employees to be well educated. For one thing, it shows that they have the tenacity to see something through to the end: if you know that they have studied for a full degree from the likes of Norwich University, you know that they have the ability and determination to follow a project through to its completion, and that is a very good ability to have in your own team. But being well educated also inspires confidence in their intelligence, a quality which is absolutely always going to be important, especially if the work is likely to be mentally taxing. Put simply, you are always going to want to put educated candidates at the top of your list, compared to those with no or little education.

This is not to say that you should not give those with no education a chance. The level to which a person is educated is often the result largely of where they happened to be born and what kind of upbringing they had, and a truly inclusive employer should make a point to seek candidates of all backgrounds. You might find that someone with no education turns out to be the perfect candidate, and you should certainly keep yourself open to that. But also remember that you should look out for a good education, and when you see it on someone’s CV, you know that it is a pretty good sign.

Interpersonal Skills

The person you hire to work in your team is going to be interacting with you and other people on a daily basis, and you need to be as certain as possible that everyone is going to get along. That does not mean that you should filter people out based on their personalities, but it does mean you should make a point of seeking those people who at least have some basic interpersonal skills which they can bring to the workplace. This is a simple case of ensuring that they are able to speak to people, that they know how to operate in the workplace in a way which benefits everyone, and that they are not overtly rude or aggressive and so on. You can generally determine all of this during the interview stage, and it’s really just a case of watching them closely and using your instincts and common sense to determine whether or not they have these skills. Someone with the proper social skills is likely to be better to work nearby, which is hugely important if you want your team to operate well.

Positive Attitude

Nobody wants there to be a hugely negative force in any team. You will generally want to fill your office with the kind of people who are going to bring a positivity to things, and so that too is something to look out for when you are interviewing candidates. If their presence generally makes you feel positive about your business, then that is a very good person to have around, and you will find that you probably want to hire them, providing that they also tick the other necessary boxes. Whereas, someone who makes you feel down won’t really be a good force to have around, and you are unlikely to want to hire them in the same way.

As long as you are aware of these things, you should know what kind of person you are looking to hire into your team.

Setting up a Successful Business in the Modern World – How Can it be Done?

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Thanks to the internet being available in all of our homes, on our smartphones, at work and just about everywhere these days- in many cases, it seems easier than ever to set up a business in the modern world. Everyone is connected and used to buying online, meaning in theory you should be able to reach a wide range of people and sell to them in a way that they’re comfortable with. However, it’s much more difficult than that in reality, here are some things to be aware of setting up a business in today’s world. 

Find your niche

One of the most significant challenges when it comes to establishing a business in today’s world, is that the market is extremely saturated. It really doesn’t matter what you want to do or sell, it’s likely that  there are hundreds of others out there somewhere on the globe, doing almost the same thing. For this reason, you need first to find your niche and then find your unique selling point when you’re setting up a company, because even if you’re only slightly different from other similar companies, it reduces competition. For example, there are lots of businesses selling baby clothes, but perhaps yours sell all organic, natural baby clothes with ethically sourced materials? It sets you apart and means a certain subset of customers will prefer your business over others. 

Utilize modern business software

Your business needs to be run in a contemporary way. if it’s to keep up with it’s competitors. Outdated manual methods will simply slow you down and always come with the risk of human error. If you want to keep up with your competitors as well as save hassle, time and money, then you absolutely need to be on board with business software and programs. Everything from accounting to legal software, HR, email tools and more are available to all kinds of businesses. Being able to accept multiple payment types is also important, from an EMV credit card scanner to contactless payments to Paypal and more- cash is less frequently used than ever so digital methods and key. 

Think about your advertising

Marketing a modern business really involves knowing what your consumer wants, in today’s world- people are picky. There are plenty more companies out there to offer them what they want, so you need to give them a reason to choose yours. Advancing technology, changing consumer demands, and even the way customers shop (such as on a laptop vs a smartphone) all need to be considered when you’re putting together your marketing materials. Social media marketing, blogger outreach, and video marketing are modern techniques that are highly effective and make use of the fact that so many of us spend time on social media and the type of content we like to consume. Working with influencers is another modern method that takes advantage of today’s society- something to consider is that while celebrities will always be fantastic influencers, ‘real people’ such as Youtubers and bloggers can also achieve excellent success. In some cases, even more! Since they have strong followings to begin with and are generally happy to collaborate with brands it makes a perfect marketing method for many kinds of companies.

Get Your Business The Support It Needs

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When you run a business, you need to always make sure that you are doing whatever you can to keep it running well. More often than not, that means that you are going to need to seek the help of outside forces and agents to ensure that things are going as smoothly as possible. There is nothing wrong with needing to seek help – most businesses do at some point or another – but it is necessary to make sure that you really know what kind of help you are actually going to need to find. In this article, we are going to look at just a few examples of the kind of help that your business might benefit from, so that you can start getting to work on finding the right kind of help for your company.

IT Services

Most businesses have a lot of technology that needs looking after, and there is always so much that can go wrong with it along the way. If you are keen to ensure that your business operates successfully in the future, you will want to make sure that your IT is as well looked after as it can be. A lot depends on your IT operating properly, so this is not something that you should cheap out on. That being said, IT support for businesses is not generally something you need to spend lots of money on, as you can find decent examples of this for relatively little. There is therefore no excuse not to find the kind of support that your IT needs, so make sure that you are doing just that as early on as possible.

Financial Advice

Having a financial advisor is one of the most useful things you can possibly do in business. There are so many aspects to the financial side of business that it is hard to know that you are taking care of them all as you ideally should be, so having someone there to direct you along the way is certainly going to help you out a lot. That advisor will ideally have plenty of experience not just in business, but in the industry you operate in, so it’s worth spending some time finding the absolute best one for your purposes and needs. If you can do that, you should find that you are able to lead your business to financial success much more easily.

Marketing Expertise

Marketing is something that businesses often try their own hand at, to mixed results. If you think that you are going to be able to do this well, then you should try it, but the truth is that the vast majority of businesses will do much better by merely getting someone to help them out along the way. Marketing has many skills involved, and you will find that if you hire out an outsourced marketing team, then you are much more likely to see the kind of success that you are hoping to create for yourself. From branding to advertising, they are likely to really help you out.

Secure Systems That’ll Boost Your Business

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So with the way the economic climate is going at the minute, you’ll no doubt want to do everything that you can to have secure systems that will boost your business. Now is not the time to have sub par businesses, because the world is literally chewing them up and spitting them back out again. There seems to be more of a prevalence of failing businesses, and we think we know a few reasons why. So if you are a new start up, or perhaps you’re in the first few months of running your own business, then this article is going to be perfect for you. We’ve got some secure systems that we think you should be implementing into your business, that will show you a different way of running your business. The systems that you have in place at the minute should be carrying your business, not allowing you to feel the struggle. So keep on reading, and see if you can implement any of these into your business.

Secure IT Systems

So IT is the first thing that we want you to think about, because as a small business, it’s most likely not something that you’ve given much thought to. Once your website has been set up and you’ve got some software downloaded, that’s all a small business tends to focus on. But what you really need to be focusing on, is protecting those systems, and making sure that they’re managed effectively so that data is stored securely, and so that your website is running perfectly. The best way to do that, is to use Stress-Free IT services that will help you to better understand your IT systems, as well as give you server management that’s invaluable. As your business grows, you will most definitely move to a managed server, just because you’ll have your website and your database running off of it, and having that outsourced is going to be far more effective.

Secure Production Systems

Production is another one that you really need to get on top of, before your business starts to grow too large. Production will vary from company to company, and even if you’re not making anything, you’re delivering a service, you’ll still have a production line. So the best way to secure a production system, is to rely on software to help you to track the process of what you do. Whether it be delivering a service, or making a product, to prevent delays and to keep the company on track, you definitely need to have software in place. You could either see if there is already software out there that would suit your business, or you could work with a web developer to get a system produced for your that does personalized tracking. It might seem like a big investment now, but we promise you this is something that will pay off in the long run.

So hopefully you’ll be able to take one of these ideas away with you, because the more you focus on streamlining your business in the beginning, the easier it’s going to manage as it grows.

5 Admin Mistakes That Cost Your Business Time

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Business administration is an essential function at the core of a company. It’s a complex process that includes the organization or resources – equipment, people, money, and premises – and the management of all business operations and decisions towards common goals – which have been defined in your strategy. For a lot of new entrepreneurs, business admin can either refer to the bureaucratic side of sides or the operational performance of all tasks. But what most newcomers to the business world fail to understand is that the administration of a business is the combination of bureaucracy and operations. To put it simply, your admin is what keeps your business running, both in the eyes of the law but also for your team. For a newly formed company, getting things right can take a lot of time; however, if you have sufficient budget and resources, you can afford the learning curve delay. For a solo entrepreneur, however, time is at the essence, and failing to understand your administrative responsibilities could affect your growth dramatically.

You don’t know how to choose your tools

Every business needs equipment, whether your team works with heavy machinery or with digital tools. More often than not, industry sectors that rely on engineering machines and large equipment have detailed guidelines to support new entrepreneurs in their investment choices. However, office-based companies don’t receive such support and often end up in a tricky position to figure out which of the many software tools available are the best suited to their activities and processes. Working with the right tools can save you tremendous amounts of time and money. However, it can be difficult to spot inadequate tools without running comparative performance tests – which is something you can do if you ask to run a handful of tools on a simultaneous trial. 

You don’t know how to manage team duties

Finding the best applicant for the team is a long and involving process. Team recruitment and management are vital factors in your growth. However, if you don’t have any automated HR and payroll solution in place, you’re likely to struggle to keep track of your team duties. Small businesses that grow to hire their first employees tend to misinterpret the importance of HR software tools, as it’s a solution that isn’t suitable for a one-person business. Unfortunately, you can’t rely on manual processes at the end of the month to manage wages, sick days, and holidays. Indeed, it is a time-consuming operation where the smallest mistake can have dramatic consequences.

You don’t know who supports your business

Investors only support big companies, right? Wrong! Small businesses, solo entrepreneurs, and startups can develop a practical approach to fundraising. It is a mistake to assume that you need to get big to get the capital you need. Indeed, there are countless online fundraising platforms from Kickstarter to AngelList can that introduce startups to a peer-to-peer community. After all, nobody said that finding an investor is all about relying on one funder! Crowdfunding strategies let your target a broad audience. Additionally pitching events also welcome new businesses. Investors are keen to discover the successful company of tomorrow; in short, don’t be afraid to pitch your idea even if you’re small! 

You don’t know how to pick an office

Too many new entrepreneurs hit a brick wall when they try to find the best office space for their company. Busy city locations are often too expensive for SMEs and startups. On the other hand, while semi-rural premises are a bargain, they can be difficult to access for employees who don’t have a personal vehicle. But, it’s time to embrace the 21-st century business environment by asking yourself one crucial question: Do you need an office space? Indeed virtual offices are not only a popular and cost-effective solution, but they also allow businesses to choose the best talent for their team, regardless of location. 

You don’t know about business structure

Most entrepreneurs spend a lot of time defining their business idea and market strategy. But when it comes to figuring out what is the best legal structure for their business, new entrepreneurs are not aware of the different options. However, your legal structure can affect your management style, your tax duties, your financial choices, and your market positioning. If you are unsure which of the 3 legal business forms – sole proprietorship, general partnership, and corporation – is the most suitable for your project, you should seek professional advice. Making the wrong decision can be devastating. 

There are a lot of administrative questions aspiring business owners need to answer. Unfortunately, more often than not, enthusiastic entrepreneurs can get confused about their admin processes and waste a lot of time and money with ill-fitting solutions. There is no way around it: If you’re going to launch a business, you need to surround yourself with professional advisors.

What Your Business Should Know Before Digitizing

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It’s easier than ever to run a successful business thanks to technology. With the right equipment, a startup can open up to new markets and expand way past the barriers of the local community. However, there is a catch – digitization is essential to broadening the horizons of your company. Why? It’s because it helps you serve the needs of a global economy.

Integrating new technologies and getting the most out of them is tricky, and it isn’t as simple as clicking your fingers. To do it, you need to understand the basics first, and this post has you covered. Here are four things to keep in mind before you digitize.

How Would You Start Now?

The main question to answer is how you would kick off your business in the 21st-century. With the tech available, it’s evident that you’d invest in the best systems and use Big Data to analyze trends and make informed decisions. Still, if you’ve already started and older systems are in place, it’s difficult to take the plunge. Your company’s phone system is a good example. The old one works and is effective enough, but it isn’t as efficient or cost-effective as the Cloud PBX version. The same goes for accounting software and bookkeeping practices. Although it’s a lot of effort, it’s worth the upheaval.

Don’t Write Off Tech

Technology has a massive part to play in your success. However, it’s not only the things you adopt that are important; it’s the stuff you dismiss. Think of how different the world would be if Apple weren’t allowed to design and target a niche within the electrical industry. By ignoring tech releases and how they can impact you or your competitors, you can miss out on opportunities. Even worse, you can leave the door open for others to absorb your market share.

Be Analytical

Understanding how digital tools are essential to your company is the key, and the best way to do it is to look to the competition for guidance. How are they using tech? What are they doing differently? Answering these questions will help you to understand your strengths and weaknesses and how you can improve. Mainly focus on the flaws because they are holding the company back and preventing it from growing. Of course, it’s vital to be able to read the stats and find the answers. They’re in the KPIs as long as you speak the language.

Integrate I.T

The internet is the single, biggest tool at your disposal, which is why it shouldn’t be segregated from the rest of the company. Using I.T as a problem-solving device when things go wrong is narrow-minded. Instead, integrate it throughout the whole of the business, from accounting to marketing and web hosting to get the greatest results. If everything is compartmentalized, the room for growth is bound to be less as there will be restrictions. And, they’re unnecessary.

If you are in doubt, there are professionals that will offer their services.

Designing Your Office with Productivity in Mind

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When you run a business, you may be more concerned about finding an office space you can afford and filling it with furniture and that is practical, than with the design of the place, but that may be a mistake. Why? Because there is growing evidence to suggest that the design of the office can help or hinder productivity.

Obviously, every business wants to be as productive as possible because it is this that will help the business thrive, and that is why you may need to take a closer look at your office design… 

Allow for Movement

If you want your employees to be more productive at work, don’t limit their ability to move around the space too much. Being able to walk around for a few minutes helps tired, stressed employees to refresh and come back to their work ready to tackle anything.

You may even want to think about installing stand-to-sit desks so that they can switch positions while working, feel more comfortable and thus get more done.

Install Security Cameras

Security cameras, whether they be analog cameras or digital devices, are not only important for keeping your place of business safe and secure, but they can also be used to boost productivity when used inside the office. They show employees that you are keeping an eye on them and that means they are more likely to get on and do their stuff.

Place a Few Plants

Plants aren’t just decorative – they can have a very real effect on our mind and our wellbeing. Numerous studies have shown that being surrounded by nature, including plants, helps to keep stress at bay and boost productivity by at least 15 percent. Being surrounded by plants in the office can also help to boost employee satisfaction levels and engagement. The more plants you have around the better.

Build a Gadget Cubby

It’s perhaps not surprising that a study conducted by OfficeTeam found that the average office employee spends as much as five hours every week using their mobile phone for non-work-related tasks. A good way to get around this is by building a gadget cubby where all non-work devices must live during non-working hours, excluding the lunch hour, of course.

Keep It Clutter-Free

If your office space is packed to the brim with shelving units, papers, and other general office debris, it might be time to channel Marie Kondo and get rid of anything that isn’t necessary or beautiful. Why? Because cluttered space can be too stimulating in all of the wrong ways. It can distract employees from the task at hand and see their productivity drop.The same is true of an unclean office space, so take some pride and make it as clean and clear as you possibly can.

Make it Personal

Allowing your employees to personalize their space can help them to feel happier and more connected, which can, in turn, improve their productivity. A few personal pictures of ornaments won’t hurt, so as long as they’re sensible, give your employees free rein.

The right space can totally transform the quality of your business!

What’s Your Protocol On IT Errors That Stop Work?

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The one thing you cannot predict in business is an IT error. You can train your employees to be the best they can be, you can invest in your logistical structure, you can invest in your storage capabilities, you can do pretty much everything in the world; except know when your IT systems will go down. It’s just the bane of businesses all around the world because no matter how advanced technology gets, it’s still a man made invention. Things we make will always hiccup, breakdown and cause us a severe headache at work. However you need to have some kind of protocol in place for when this happens. There are three stages to this which you need to implement in your own business and train employees to follow.

Is it genuine?

Let’s be honest, even though you have hired some great professionals they won’t all be tech savvy. Many employees will just go by what you tell them and how you have trained them. They aren’t tech specialists and they don’t know every error code in the book. So they could have a problem which is easily fixable even though to them it might look serious to them. Hence why you need to give the responsibility of checking out minor errors to your managers. Managers aren’t just there to count the take of the day, they’re there to give advice, encouragement and also help out with problems that stop the flow of work. Train your managers on how to fix certain minor issues that your software runs into and make sure they are trained to a higher standard that normal employees.

React as a team

When an IT error occurs to one workstation, that employee is no longer able to work at their full capacity. However that could also mean his or her team are unable to continue with their work as they are relying on that individual to complete a task. For example, if an employee is not able to design the logo of a company in your marketing department, fellow employees won’t be able to work on the other aspects such as an advertisement, billboard, pamphlet and social media. So everyone needs to react as a team. The other employees need to talk and agree on the various stages of their own tasks they can complete without the logo or whatever is missing. To this extent, it keeps the ball rolling and allows everyone to carry on working throughout the day.

Specialist help desk

Every business needs to have some kind of specialist help on hand. For  your IT managed services, a company like IntelligIS offers 24/7 monitoring of your IT systems. So, they will know about the error maybe before you do. They can then work quickly to find the source, fix whatever is wrong, strengthen the firewalls and then give you a report of what just happened. This is your final step in the three stage protocol.

IT errors are the bane of the business world. For no apparent reason, entire systems can go down without warning. The key is to figure out if it’s a minor or major issue, then quickly react as a team to keep the workflow going and finally, call a specialist to identify and fix the error.