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Articles by Stephen Darracott
Easing admin challenges in aged care with digital visitor management systems - opinion
Home | Opinion | Easing admin challenges in aged care with digital visitor management systems – opinion in Opinion, Technology, Top Stories Australia’s experience with the coronavirus has demonstrated how rapidly viruses can spread within the community and the devastating impact it can have in vulnerable settings, such as aged care homes.
Why digital visitor and contractor management systems are crucial
The coronavirus pandemic has served as a catalyst for chaos across many industries worldwide. In particular, it has precipitated significant disruption to global and local supply chains, leading to widespread delays in the delivery of goods and services to retailers and communities already wrestling with the effects of the virus.
How to better meet client expectations in 2022
One of the biggest changes emerging from the global pandemic has been to business operations, as an increasing number of workers worldwide embraced hybrid working environments. And as remote and hybrid work create less formal business environments, the lines between business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) experiences have blurred. As a result, there’s been a shift to a more personalised way of doing business and new trends for B2B customer experience have emerged.
The five most common questions company directors ask
Cybersecurity has moved rapidly from the backrooms of the IT department into the boardroom, meaning company directors must be aware of their obligations when it comes to protecting the systems and data their organisations rely on. The scope is now significantly broader than corporate and customer information; it also includes risks with third party suppliers and an understanding of the threats within the wider landscape businesses operate in.
How to prepare for supply chain challenges during peak season
As retailers and online businesses prepare for another holiday season of unprecedented sales numbers, it’s critical that they invest in solutions that will help streamline the delivery process. Investing in a shipping solution that offers automation combined with multiple carrier options can lead to smoother parcel shipping and happy customers. Shoppers have already been warned by companies such Australia Post that they need to get their orders in early to ensure on-time delivery.
Digital finance is the future. Here's a guide to using crypto in business
We’re living in an era of financial innovation with the rise of cryptocurrencies. As traditional money digitally transforms, so will the future of finance in business and our daily lives. The adoption of digital assets is the next competitive advantage for your growing business, keeping you ahead for this new era of traditional finance.
My Adventurous Life: Dick Smith on business and being a daredevil
Dick Smith is a household name for many Australians; a name synonymous with true, Aussie business. And while many know of his successful business ventures, there’s still a lot of things Australians don’t know about Dick Smith: like his endless quest for adventure and philanthropic efforts. He’s had an extraordinary run, which he conchrincles in his aptly named memoir: My Adventurous Life.
How Mustard Made's founders created a multimillion-dollar business
The COVID-19 pandemic has proven beyond doubt that business can be done, and done well, from anywhere. The mass shift to remote work was a forced change for many, and the move back towards a hybrid model is still a work in progress, but many have already begun to excel at working in different locations and at different times. Yet some businesses have always done things this way. For them, asynchronous work is the norm, digital collaboration tools the bedrock.
She's on the Money host Victoria Devine explains when and where you should invest
Victoria Devine is a financial advisor and the founder and host of the personal finance podcast, She’s on the Money. Passionate about empowering women to make smart money decisions, Devine compiled her expert advice into a physical, accessible guide through the release of her debut book earlier this year.
30 business leaders share the tech they can't do their jobs without
It’s 2021, the era of remote work and e-commerce, and pretty much no business operates without using some kind of tech, whether that’s behind the scenes or way up front. But what is actually useful? What makes people more efficient, more connected and more effective at work? We reached out to 30 business owners, startup founders, investors and general tech-types, to find out what tech they use most, and what actually works.
When Molnar met Eisen: The story of Afterpay
Journalists Jonathan Shapiro and James Eyers’ new book about Afterpay covers how co-founders Nick Molnar and Anthony Eisen built one of Australia’s most iconic startups of the 21st century. Buy now, pay later: The extraordinary story of Afterpay, has just been released, coinciding with Afterpay’s announcement that it will be acquired by Square, the payments giant headed up by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, in a deal worth US$29 billion ($39 billion).
Set up for success: The morning routines of 14 Australian entrepreneurs
What are the habits of successful entrepreneurs? And why should you care? In Holly Ransom’s new book, The Leading Edge, she shares the reason why she invites as many people as she can out for coffee. Drawing on a lesson she learnt during a leadership program, to “copy genius”, Ransom makes a point of reaching out to people who she believes she can learn from, and then listens. As Ransom explains: “There are natural laws of human behaviour that govern decision-making, motivation, and results.
The pandemic practices to prioritise in the new financial year
Hybrid working environments have an added benefit of improving mental wellbeing. Photo by Emma Simpson on Unsplash The past 18 months have seen businesses around the world grapple with unprecedented changes. And yet, despite these disruptions, staff who once endured long commutes have been able to strip away distractions and work comfortably and productively from home.
How Sadhana Smiles mastered the system, and made it work for her
Each year, Sadhana Smiles does a business plan for her life, as well as her business. She sticks the plan to her shower wall as a way to stay connected to her goals. A trailblazer in the Australian real estate industry, Smiles has previously led Harcourts Victoria as CEO and been the global chief executive of property management for Harcourts International.
How businesses can prepare for the new financial year
The new financial year presents great opportunities to review and assess current business practices and processes to make informed decisions about the year ahead. The past 18 months have been disruptive yet transformative as companies have adapted to doing business during a pandemic. It’s demonstrated how essential digital transformation is to prepare businesses for the future by providing the flexibility and agility needed to adapt to significant changes in the market.
The secret sauce of Netflix: No Rules Rules
Traditionally, as a startup grows, so does its culture. A successful tight knit group eventually grows to dozen people, then a larger team. With more people to manage, the organisation begins enforcing more rules, processes, and policies. Dress policy, leave policy, and a policy on travel and expenses. This is the traditional progression for almost every company. It’s what we understand as the sensible way of running a business.
The branding secrets behind booze-free beer business Heaps Normal
In the simplest terms, Heaps Normal is an alcohol-free beer brand. It launched last year with its Quiet XPA product — which has alcohol volume of 0.5% — and has recently unveiled its new Isol-Aid Haze IPA, in collaboration with Melbourne bottleshop chain Blackhearts & Sparrows and online music festival Isol-Aid. But take one look at the ads, the social presence and the community that rallies around this business, and it’s clear this is more than another option for designated drivers.
7 smart work practices businesses should keep from the pandemic
Over the past 18 months, businesses around Australia have been forced to review and reassess their work practices. New ways of working have emerged that deliver greater flexibility and focus on digital transformation. Now that the immediate threat of the pandemic is receding, it’s important for organisations to consider ways to continue these practices into the future, according to Stephen Darracott, vice president and country manager, Pitney Bowes, Australia.
How visitor management systems can help promote health and safety at schools: opinion
Home | School Management | How visitor management systems can help promote health and safety at schools: opinion By: Stephen Darracott in School Management, Top Stories June 10, 2021 COVID-19 caused significant disruption for Australians in 2020, with rapid lockdowns, changing restrictions and social distancing guidelines a constant source of frustration for many.
“A very personal experience”: How Bed Threads grew its email database to over 300,000 in four years
Email remains one of the most powerful marketing tools at a brand’s disposal. When working in harmony with other elements of the marketing mix, email can be a potent source of sales; an intimate and personalised conversation with existing and new customers, who want to hear from you. Crucially, a healthy email database is an owned business asset and arguably more valuable than any social media following, regardless of its size.
Mark Bouris led a coup and won a business. Now, he has regrets
Below is an extract from Mark Bouris’ latest book, Rise: How YOU can succeed in business, in your career, and in life, which covers the lessons he’s learnt from growing up in Punchbowl, Western Sydney, and founding one of the most disruptive financial services companies in Australia.
Forget 10,000 hours on one skill. According to David Epstein, range is the key to success
It’s likely you’ve heard of the 10,000-hour rule. Popularised by Malcom Gladwell in his bestseller book Outliers, the rule states that anyone who engages in deliberate practice of any skill or specialty for a total of 10,000 hours will become an expert in that field. It’s the rule that taught us that the key to success is specialising as early as possible and dedicating thousands of hours to one field. But this is completely wrong.
What are NFTs and why are they becoming so popular?
You’ve probably seen NFTs in news headlines, as pieces of digital art being sold for what seem like outlandish sums. Trading on the blockchain, it’s the latest craze for those in the tech space, creating what looks like a speculative asset bubble. As records are broken on a daily basis in the NFT marketplace, it’s feeling a bit like the early Bitcoin hype, as fear-of-missing-out drives big booms.
Junkee founder Tim Duggan shows us how to achieve cult status
Tim Duggan’s Cult Status is a literary roadmap for prospective entrepreneurs seeking to navigate and make an impact in today’s business climate. Cult Status takes incredibly complex and nuanced concepts and distills them into seven simple and cleverly communicated steps. These seven steps provide guiding principles for all entrepreneurs to create a meaningful “cult status” brand.
Passion. Purpose. Profit by Fiona Killackey
You can’t build a business you love (and that is successful) without first understanding where your business is right now. In this exclusive extract from her book Passion. Purpose. Profit, small business expert Fiona Killackey shows you how to work out exactly what is, and isn’t, working in your business. I’m showing my age here, but I finished prep (i.e. the first year of primary/elementary school) in 1985.
Easy steps towards automation to future proof your small business
Boosting productivity, driving down costs and optimising processes are some of the common drivers behind automation. Automating business processes can free up resources and enable organisations to focus on achieving growth and improving customer experience. To get the maximum benefit from automation, small businesses should consider which tasks and processes to prioritise. The first thing to establish is which processes could benefit from automation.
Trends reveal a bright eCommerce landscape for small retailers
In Australia, parcel shipping volumes are growing by double digits, up 13 per cent since 2016, reaching a volume of 794 million parcels. Much of this growth is driven by eCommerce activity and small retailers – there are 45,000 of them in Australia alone – who are looking to remove the complexities of domestic and cross-border shipping. The increase in parcel volume reveals growth opportunity for small businesses, however, complexities are also on the rise.
Your parcel problem could become a people problem
Businesses of all kinds are finding themselves struggling with inbound package volumes these days. Five years ago, most of your employees never gave your mailroom a second thought. Today, personal parcel delivery at work is becoming a critical issue for employees and employers. Across Australia, the parcel shipping market grew by 8.8 per cent, the most recorded growth in the Asia-Pacific region.
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