Why Choose High-Pressure Facade Cleaning?

Summary

– Façade cleaning: essential!

– Pressure washing of a facade

– High-pressure facade cleaning to clean what?

– Why choose high-pressure facade cleaning?

– Who can do high-pressure facade cleaning?

– How to clean your facade?

Facade cleaning: indispensable!

The appearance of dirt is often the result of a lack of maintenance of your facade over time. Facade cleaning is intended to maintain your building; it rids the facades of dirt from atmospheric and biological pollution.

With a diagnosis intended to establish the work to be done, facade cleaning is the first stage to be carried out. Indeed, a clean facade makes it possible to visualize better the lack of protection, the errors of implementation…

Depending on the state of the facade and the type of materials, trimming and means, you have various kinds of cleaning, including high-pressure cleaning that we will see in this post.

Please note that some types of cleaning are pretty straightforward, but others require professional know-how and skills.

Pressure washing of a facade

The high-pressure cleaning of facades is an aggressive cleaning technique with water projection on the facade.

It is also possible to proceed with low-pressure cleaning, more gentle and more respectful of materials.

What is the purpose of pressure washing a facade?

High-pressure cleaning is used to clean:

– greasy dirt;

– dust;

– black dirt;

– paint residues.

It is used on:

– stone;

– brick

– concrete;

– wood.

Why choose high-pressure facade cleaning?

High-pressure cleaning is mainly used for the maintenance of facades and to reduce their clogging.

An annual cleaning will avoid long-lasting clogging provided that it has been treated with a water-repellent product and an anti-moss treatment.

Facades that are already dirty are cleaned thoroughly of atmospheric dirt, especially greasy dirt, using hot water.

Note, however, that you should avoid high-pressure cleaning in winter because of the risk of thermal shock.

It will help if you don’t use pressure washing on surfaces in poor condition. For instance, when there are degraded joints and in case of risk of infiltration.

How to clean your facade?

Before carrying out a pressure washing of your facade, it is necessary to protect the areas that are not cleaned, such as the windows, and protect the environment from water projections.

It is also essential to wear protective clothing, goggles, a mask and a pair of gloves.

Here are the steps for a high-pressure facade cleaning:

– Apply treatment products as needed to the facade to be treated to soften biological soils, greasy soils, etc.

– Soaps, wetting agents such as Teepol can be applied.

– Apply the products with a sprayer, leave for 30 minutes, brush and rinse with a high-pressure jet.

– Start at the top and work your way down the facade, from right to left or left to right, depending on your hand, keeping the spray nozzle about 50 cm from the facade.

– Adjust the pressure so that it is not too strong. Adjust it to the type of material; if necessary, do some tests.

You should use chemicals with care, so read and follow the instructions carefully.

Who can perform high-pressure cleaning of the facade?

It may not be a much easy DIY task to clean the facade of your own business. Suppose you are environmentally conscious or don’t like the smell of chemical solutions that can damage your facades. In that case, Cancore Building Services can help you. They make sure to use only the safest environmentally friendly methods.

How did you find this post? Remember to leave your comments and share.

Posted by : Paul
18 April 2021
General

How to Choose Your Outdoor Blinds

Summary

– What are the characteristics of exterior blinds?

– What exterior blinds should you choose for the windows of your home?

– What exterior blinds should you choose for the exterior structures of your home?

If you want to protect your house, apartment, and terraces and balconies from the sun’s fierce rays during the summer months, you need to think about equipping your facade and your windows with external protection. In their various forms, awnings can be adapted to all situations and can be of excellent service to you. Our article will help you make your choice of external blinds and thus remain with the freshness throughout the hot season.

What are the characteristics of outdoor blinds?

Their purpose is not only to shade your outdoor spaces, terraces and balconies but also to protect the interior of your home, acting as a kind of passive air conditioning. They also help preserve furniture and interior coverings by preventing fading due to solar radiation.

They are resistant to climatic conditions, especially to rain and humidity, thanks to a water-repellent treatment or a coating that prevents water from penetrating them. These treatments also act as a barrier against mould and mildew.

They filter UV rays and therefore protect your health.

They come in many colours, from neutral to bright, plain, striped or patterned.

Attention: if most of them are readily accepted by the local regulations, it is, however, recommended to inquire at your town hall to know if all of them are authorized and thus to be in conformity with the local urban plan or the allotment where the house is built and, in the case of a building, to ask the syndic which colour is to be respected for the installation.

Which exterior blinds should you choose for the windows of your house?

Although we most often think of horizontal awnings, such as awnings or projection awnings, vertical awnings are less common but very effective. You will make your choice according to space’s configuration to be protected; all models exist in ready-to-install or custom-made.

Projection blinds

Also called “Italian blind”, this model is easy to find and install with a few holes and screws. You need to find the right size for your windows.

It is composed of a roller around which the fabric is rolled up and unrolled thanks to a cord and 2 lateral arms that you can lower more or less high until completely hiding the window to be protected.

It is suitable for small windows, and it matches the fabric of the blind that protects the French windows, such as awnings. The arms’ length is limited to 120 centimetres, and their fabric width is also 120 cm.

Awning

The awning is both a decorative and protective element of the facade of the house.

Its large dimensions allow the installation of garden furniture underneath.

It consists of 2 arms that deploy in an open position to stretch the fabric. It is placed on the facade, and its weight requires the intervention of 2 people to do it.

It exists without a box, for the entry-level models, with a half box to protect its canvas when it is raised and with a full box for even more effective protection of the fabric.

It is a model that can be motorized or operated with a crank and home automation so that it opens and automatically closes when you are away, in case of sunshine, rain or wind, thanks to sensors installed outside the house.

Some models with a box are sold equipped with LEDs to illuminate the evenings outside.

In ready-to-install, its size rarely exceeds a depth of 3.50 m and a width of 5 m, which is sufficient to protect a terrace or a balcony of average height. Beyond these dimensions, you must call upon custom-made products or choose to install several awnings, which is not necessarily the most aesthetic choice.

Good to know: the weight of an awning being consequent, and the slope’s adjustments having to be precise, it is often preferable to call upon a professional for its purchase and its installation.

Which exterior blinds should you choose for the outer structures of your home?

Awnings for pergola

Suppose your terrace is vast, and you want to protect it effectively and aesthetically over its entire width. In that case, it may be worthwhile to install a pergola and awnings adapted to it.

These awnings, which are easily attached, usually with a system of eyelets and cables, provide adequate protection from the sun or rain, as they are made of entirely waterproof fabric.

Note: they can be found ready to install if you have chosen a pergola from a catalogue, sold as accessories, or custom-made if you have selected a pergola with personalized dimensions.

Vertical awnings

There are several types of awnings, depending on the protection you want to obtain.

Roller blinds

The fabric slides on 2 stainless steel vertical guides, installed on the pergola’s uprights. They are handy to protect yourself from the sun arriving laterally on your exteriors.

Made of micro-perforated fabric, they allow light and view to passing through, but they are also available in a blackout version to hide from a side view. This type of roller blinds is rarely found in a ready-to-install version because it must meet each structure’s specific dimensions.

Good to know: You can also install these vertical roller blinds on windows. They reduce the heat inside by 30%, acting as a passive air-conditioning system, and reduce the action of UV rays by 90%, thus protecting your furniture and coverings. Their dimensions vary from 80 cm to 300 cm in width and from 100 to 300 cm in height. They can be completed with a protective box.

Fixed awnings

They are installed on the sides of structures, pergolas on the house, or adapted posts on a balcony, and they are designed to break the lateral views.

They are fixed and permanently installed, except when they are removed for cleaning.

It is necessary to find out if they are allowed in real estate and what colour to choose for the fabric and posts.

Good to know: if you want to hide from an environment that is a little too invasive and you are not allowed to install blinds, it is usually possible to do so in a natural way with trellis and evergreen climbing plants. Again, if you are in an apartment building, check with your building manager to determine your rights and obligations regarding plants installed on your exteriors.

Where to find outdoor blinds and at what price?

You will find custom-made awnings in the awning shops, DIY stores, and the Internet or call Blinds and Awnings.

Posted by : Paul
11 April 2021
General

What is Die Casting (Part 2)

This post is a continuation of part 1 on What is Die Casting? Lately, we have gone through an introduction to what die casting is. We will now cover the three variants of this process:

1. Traditional die casting

2. Vacuum die casting (for structural applications)

– Alloys for die-casting

– Alliance Connect (offering the die casting process)

3. Semi-solid die casting (not too common)

1. Traditional die casting

This moulding process allows for the efficient production of commercial parts in large series. A sound and dense surface layer provides mechanical strength. However, elongations at break are low, and the centre of the part is usually porous.

For example, the piston moves at a speed that increases rapidly to a maximum of 2.12 m/s in the last few millimetres of its stroke and then decreases. The pressure in the metal rises to 260 bar.

2. Vacuum pressure moulding

The application of a vacuum between 25 kPa and 7 kPa during the moulding cycle allows evacuating the air in the cavity. This is a solution to the process to reduce the presence of porosity and obtain a dense part. With heat treatable, low iron alloys must maintain good elongation at break (for structural applications).

For instance, the vacuum is achieved by a vacuum pump and vacuum tank. The vacuum is made in the cavity at the beginning of the injection cycle and continues until the final filling. The central machine controller starts the vacuum employing a valve installed on the mould or more simply by a massive air draw and an opening valve. Also, the mould must be equipped with a mechanical valve system or a cooling block with a baffle (solid air draft) to avoid the introduction of liquid metal into the air draft system. The choice of the mechanical valve or cooling block system depends on the size of the press. Valves use less projected area but are more expensive and more challenging to maintain. The level of vacuum obtained in the mould cavity is also affected by the choice of the air duct’s blocking system; the valves have a faster response. They allow reaching an adequate level of a vacuum more quickly.

Nowadays, there is a solid technological development for vacuum moulding of automotive structural parts. The following techniques are used:

– Use of low-iron alloys with magnesium to perform heat treatments and strontium to modify the structure

– Turbulence-free filling of the container using a scupper or by tilting the furnace with in-line filtration of the liquid metal.

– Use of vacuum die-casting

– Control of the process and the temperature control of the mould.

– Development of heat treatments.

Alloys for die casting

The most common alloy for the traditional die casting process is 380, produced from recycled aluminium or a variation, 383, which is more fluid for fine detail casting. Another standard alloy is 360, which is used for high strength applications of complicated and corrosion-prone parts. These alloys are also available with low iron content (A380 and A360) to obtain better elongation at break, but their use reduces tool life due to the mould’s attack by liquid aluminium.

Other common alloys are:

– 413 used for more excellent resistance to wear and for sealing parts

– 443 for good ductility

– 390 for engine blocks

– 518 for marine parts

Foundry offering the pressure casting process

Company

Web site

Location

Alliance Connect

https://www.alliance-connect.com.au/

Victoria, Australia

3. Semi-solid pressure moulding

These processes have been used industrially since the late 1990s. The aim is to mould an alloy in a paste phase (50% solid) in a mould. This allows us to obtain:

– The reduction of porosity

– Better dimensional tolerances

– Lower mould wear

– A very high production rate

– Better mechanical properties

Apart from the low porosity in the castings, the mechanical properties (especially elongation) are improved by a globularization of the metallurgical structure during the paste manufacturing process. The rounded form of the paste allows the rheo fluidization of the flow during casting, i.e. the flow becomes easier as the speed increases. Turbulence and flow separation are eliminated in this type of discharge, and besides, the air in the cavity is evacuated ahead of the flow front. This results in the production of good parts.

Several processes have been developed that compete with vacuum die-casting with new generation alloys or permanent low-pressure die-casting.

Instead, the new generation of methods produces the paste in close proximity to the die press.

These processes combine various methods of stirring the aluminium in the solidification phase and loading the paste into the die press container.

For even more information, please feel free to check the website of Alliance Connect.

Posted by : Paul
15 March 2021
General

Vocal Technique: How To Warm Up The Voice Before Singing?

Having an excellent professional vocal technique is not easy; on the one hand, there are voice warm-up exercises and -on the other hand- vocal technique exercises. Therefore, for you to begin to know your voice and to be able to develop all its possibilities – at a professional level – you must exercise your warm-up and vocal technique daily. The goal is for you to have a good voice. These exercises establish the starting point toward developing a perfect voice. The vocal approach is based individually on each person’s characteristics and the unique possibilities of their voice. Among other matters, the vocal technique works by:

Breathing: Diaphragmatic-abdominal breathing to control air and voice
Phonation: Sound emission of your real voice in your tessitura
Resonance: Knowledge and use of your resonators
Joint: Toning and joint development
Vocalization: Vocal and maxillary musculature exercises for vocalization
Voice placement and placement: Voice placement for full sound

Diaphragm Breathing

For good vocal technique, it is essential to master diaphragmatic breathing. Start with these exercises:

Breathe in slowly through your nose and, with the air, push the abdomen’s muscles, inflating it. Use the abdominal cavity; it is a bellows that you will move at will once you master the technique. Then, slowly release the air as if you were blowing gently without wanting to extinguish the flame of a candle. By releasing the air, your stomach will deflate. In deflation, you continue to act consciously since, at your will, you generate abdominal pressure to apply the bellows effect. Pull your stomach in slowly but firmly. Always practice standing up, raising your head moderately, and releasing your arms and without muscle tension. Try to add some intercostal breathing during any of the breaths.

Voice Imposition Technique

By learning to set the voice, you will optimize the air current resulting from expiration so that it is a constant and regular column that converts the action of the vocal cords into sound. A correct vibration of the air column to produce the sound is what we know as voice imposition.

Exercises Heating Voice

The exercises vocal warm help you to put your voice, avoiding forcing cold, which could generate one dysphonia. Additionally, warming up your voice lets you rehearse modulation and test yourself on treble or bass, seeing how good your voice sounds when warmed up. The voice must have a controlled volume with which to achieve quality and precise loudness. When doing voice warming exercises, do not drink very cold or scalding liquids, as they could adversely affect your throat. Warm-up your voice frequently, whenever you need it; you will avoid injuries and learn to use your voice without forcing it. The vocal warm-up consists of a series of corporal, respiratory and vocal exercises to warm up the muscles of the vocal folds, respiratory, articulatory, and resonance muscles before a more intense activity to avoid overload or improper use.

Voice Humming

During the movement, voice humming, we must modulate the consonant “mmmmmmm” by perceiving how the sound resonates through our nostrils, the corners of the lips, and cranial vibration, as signals that the exercise is being carried out correctly. An elongated “m” should be emitted by inflating the cheeks, then parting the bite by lowering the jaw.

The Voice Twang

Voice Twan is a singing technique applicable to voice training for locution or dubbing. Above the vocal cords is the epiglottic funnel, an “arytenoid” cartilaginous area reduced when performing the twang technique. Using this technique, the voice of the voice becomes clearer and increases the loudness and voice volume.

Warming Up the Voice

We tell you some tricks and exercises to warm up your voice and prepare oral presentations, recordings, conferences, or -if you feel like it- sing something. Begin by relaxing the jaw and semi-bringing the teeth together without pressing between them. Accompany the sound with the “rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr” using air pushed from the diaphragm. If it helps, imagine the sound a horse makes whinnying. Try modulating tones and notice how the teeth vibrate. Open your mouth as wide as you can, and flatten your tongue until – using a mirror – you can see the bottom of your mouth, the familiar bell. It starts a yawn and releases the air through the mouth and the nose simultaneously, interrupting the flow through the mouth intermittently, raising or lowering the soft palate.

Find out the point of vibration of your vocal cords. Say the “zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz” and place the tips of your index and middle fingers – at the height of the nut to feel this vibration. When it reaches the maximum point of vibration, it emits tones opening and joining the lips. Practice the lip trill with the sound “brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr” sound widely and notice the tingle. Now the tongue trill with the “rrrrrrrrrrrrr.” Slowly move your head, left to right and front to back. Do series concentrating on the muscles and tendons that you use in the movements.

Tricks to Have a Careful and Educated Voice

Projects the voice: Others must listen to you well.
Don’t run while talking: Talking fast makes others not listen.
Pronounce well: Pay attention to each word and pronounce them completely.
Breathe well: Use the diaphragm to breathe correctly. Control the flow of air, expiration, and take advantage of it to have more voice.
Modulate your voice: Perform modulations with your voice to avoid monotony.
Smile when you speak: It is proven that voice color is achieved through a smile.
Hum: Humming allows us to know the range of tones of our voice.
Read aloud a lot: Reach an appropriate oral level to master the voice.
He gestures. Rely on gestures to achieve more realism in the voice.
Exercise your tongue: The exercises with the tongue are essential for correct pronunciation.
Project your voice: Elevate the soft palate, the veil of the palate, and you will be able to set the voice.

Want to discover the true essence of your voice? Contact the talented vocal coaches at Rakoon Sound Studios. Located in Miami, they’ll help you achieve your vocal dreams at affordable prices!

Posted by : Paul
25 February 2021
General, Health and Beauty, Music

Reasons to Read a Book to Your Kids

The first memories I have of reading are:

The soft cadence of my mother’s voice.
The hugs.
Character impersonations of my father.

Time after time, I chose the same books. Sometimes I was read to, and other times I made up my versions of the stories.

When I became a parent of 3 beautiful children, I began reading to them the day they were born. I desired to instill in them the same love of reading and create a family with avid book culture.

1. Learning language
Picture books introduce the world of words both orally and visually. Reading aloud helps our children discern that speech is made up of several distinct sounds and that those sounds have meaning. When I read to a small child, I always point out all the colors, shapes, animals, objects, and numbers. The pictures help label these patterns, but the combination of images and stories sharing stories is told in pictures and words. When children begin to tell their own story, they will often draw pictures first and add comments later.

As children learn language from birth, picture books help teach the sounds of words and speech patterns. As our children develop and grow, reading aloud develops the neuro-pathways in their brains.

2. Develops motor skills

When reading picture books, the child’s actual task is to hold the book. While turning the page, our children are invited to interact with the story by moving to the next section. When reading, it is essential to place fingers under the words. This helps with learning how to read from left to right and how words flow across the page. Pointing to the words in a picture book also helps teach the eyes to follow the words. How often do we see a small child holding a book and pointing to the words while “pretending” to read? Although they imitate us, it is a vital pattern to develop to read independently later.

3. Imagination Booster
Are you ready to go on a journey? Books open imaginary worlds to our children and let us explore them together. Books also teach us how to interact with each other and the world around us, whether fictional or real. I have often seen my children go into “imagination mode” after reading a story and recreate in their childlike way the world we visited in our books. Children live in their imaginations first, and only then do they get into real-life situations. The more we can inspire children to engage in imaginative play, the more likely they are to develop problem-solving skills for various conditions.

4. Developing close relationships.
More than the love of books, I think I started reading to my children based on my wonderful memories of reading with my family growing up. In a relaxed atmosphere, reading picture books helps associate reading with pleasure in a familiar place. One of the most important parts of raising active readers is that reading time is enjoyable. Creating a book culture in your home by setting a reading time each day gives your child or children something to look forward to each day. It’s that particular time you spend together. During our reading time, all interferences are turned off or put away. We have a special place where our family gathers to read each day. Each book read adds to the catalog of family experiences and memories. My children often ask me to read the same book over and over again. While we as parents may get tired of the same story, reading the same book multiple times helps reinforce their memories. These moments of snuggling with a good book plant the seeds for a love of lifelong reading.

5. Development of attention span

When we started reading picture books, we chose concise books and gradually moved on to longer books. By reading longer, our children developed their attention span and were able to follow longer stories. One important thing to remember is that when we start reading to our children, they depend entirely on us for storytelling. Soon they gain the ability to point out objects from the pictures and work toward more narrative detail. Picture books are the journey between dependent reading and independent reading. As we expand our reading time, we challenge them to grow into independent readers.

Posted by : Paul
24 February 2021
General

The Importance of Real-Time Statistics Analysis for an Online Platform

In today’s digital world where everything moves fast, it’s essential to have up-to-date information so that you can monitor the performance of your business, whether it be in terms of customer interaction, the success of your promotional campaigns and shifts in buying trends. Therefore, you need to have the means to obtain and analyze real-time statistics. Before we get into the kinds of real-time details you will be able to obtain through your online platform, let’s get a definition of what real-time actually means in this context.

What Is Real-Time Data?

Real-time data refers to anything that creates useful insights you can immediately process and deploy, based on events as they occur in the real world. For instance, if a customer purchases a product or abandons their shopping cart via an online storefront, you will know immediately, in real-time.

Using real-time data leads to a quick, efficient and trackable marketing process, affording additional gains and performance improvements. Because it’s so effective, many marketers and brands choose to rely on real-time information to adjust their marketing strategies quickly and efficiently.

Ways You Can Use Real-Time Data

Now that you have a grasp on real-time data, let’s consider some ways in which it can be used to improve your business.

Know Who Your Customers Are: Real-time data allows you to build an accurate representation and depiction of your audience, with details such as addresses, preferences, habits and more. Real-time data delves into the core of who the audience is. Remember, customers have nuances. They may dislike a certain product within a service category, for instance, while responding to something different within that category that speaks to another need.

Finding the Right Data to Get Your Answers: The trick is to discover why the competition is performing better by knowing your customers. Even if you cannot acquire the necessary insights, you can go through second- or third-party data sources. Or, you can assess the performance and sentiment data related to the products you have released.

Furthermore, you can gather in-depth insights about your audience regarding age, gender, race and more. You can also learn their average budget or family income. Include all this information in future campaigns to improve performance and engagement.

Analyze the Conversion Funnel from a Different Angle: At the core of your business is the customer experience or customer journey. There are different steps in this process, from onboarding to supporting loyal customers. Real-time data allows you to analyze this funnel from different angles. When you create the experience or work on improving it, you look at it from the perspective of your business and brand. You might spend time getting to know your audience and trying to match up with their needs. You don’t often think about what they experience. Unfortunately, this is how many brands and organizations grow out of touch with their customer base. Customer feedback and surveys are among the best ways to see things from the perspective of your audience. You can see why a process doesn’t work as well as you thought it would. With real-time data systems, you can process and combine this information to deliver more influential data. You can see why customers don’t like a particular process, and what can be done to improve performance — both from an efficiency and customer-satisfaction standpoint.

Provide a Unique Experience for Every Visitor: Personalization is crucial in today’s market. Why? Modern data systems are making it possible to deliver unique experiences to everyone. Once customers have tasted this level of personalization, they expect it whenever they visit a website. Seventy-five percent of consumers are more likely to buy from a retailer or brand that:

Recognizes them by name
Knows their purchasing history, and recommends similar items

Guess what makes both above possible? Yes, it’s real-time data. Analytics tools and customer insight platforms allow you to collect, process and deploy this information.

React and Respond to Issues Faster: Real-time data allows you to get a better understanding of what’s happening around you and within your audience, but it also comes in soon enough that you can make split-second decisions. If a product looks like it’s going to waste time, resources and money for little return, you can cancel it sooner than you would otherwise. Why? Because you can assess through real-time data the true performance of the product, why it’s not working and what went wrong.

Smart companies use this type of real-time data to respond to customer service issues faster. Before a customer becomes irate and vents about a poor experience via social media, affecting your brand and product reputation, you can reach out to help solve the problem.

Or, imagine the common scenario where a customer abandons their cart without completing the transaction. You could send that customer an email offering a coupon or exclusive discount, which might be enough to entice them to go through with the purchase.

Want to learn more about the advantages of using real-time data in your marketing efforts? Contact Deliver by Linkeo for more information or to schedule a demo of our products.

Posted by : Paul
22 February 2021
General

How To Develop an Effective Promo Code Strategy

Attracting and retaining the attention of shoppers online is pretty difficult, especially since a high number of online retailers are all competing for the same customers. A very effective tool in reaching out to and connecting with clients is online coupons that offer discounts and promotions – after all, who doesn’t like to get something for less? However, if you really want to make a splash, you need to go above and beyond basic coupon marketing strategies. The upfront investment will be worth it — when done right, promotions will allow you to get new customers, inspire brand loyalty, upselling, cross-selling and more.

In this article, we will look at 5 excellent tips that will allow you to harness the power of coupon marketing and get a leg up on the competition. Let’s begin!

Single-Use Promo Codes and Coupons

Traditional coupon marketing strategies are limited by how they’re set up from the start. The standard way of doing things is to assign a generic promo code for all coupons. For example, if you are offering 20% off all t-shirts, each coupon will have the same code. While quite cost-effective, this approach does bring obvious risks. If that code is shared online, you could end up with more people getting a discount than you originally intended – which might be good for exposure, but will definitely limit your ability to use these promotions as exclusive benefits for loyal customers.

What you need are personalized, single-use promo codes. Rather than creating generic promo codes, you either create many unique codes or issue a new code whenever a request is made by a potential customer.

Platforms like Deliver by Linkeo include tools that allow you to engage your target audience with unique promotions, removes the risk of promo code misuse and opens the door to a number of other clever promotional tactics.

Personalize Your Coupons

Nowadays, it’s not enough to just give customers generic promotions and discounts, you need to personalize the deals and offers to reflect their past interactions with your brand. However, you need to be careful to limit the personalization to what the customers have willingly shared with you, such as purchase histories and personal information supplied when making an account. Birthday discounts, ‘anniversary discounts’ (from the first time they made a purchase with you), or promotions based on how long it’s been since the last time they made a purchase can all be effective ways to reach out and connect.

The bottom line of personalization is to make the customer feel like you’re offering them something exclusive — something for them specifically. Single-use promo codes make this far simpler, allowing you to even tailor the level of discount or type of promotion to match their past habits or reward past shopping history. If customers feel valued, they will be more likely to respond.

Create a Sense of Urgency

If you make a customer feel like they have all the time in the world to use their coupons and promotions, they are less likely to act. Therefore, you need to remind them that they only have limited time to redeem their coupons. This will drive faster response times, and also increase use rates.

A limited-time offer also gives the impression of value. It implies that you’ve offered them the deal of a lifetime with this promotion and that they should act upon it quickly before you change your mind. These types of promotions are a particularly good way to get customers off the fence — for example, email marketing campaigns designed to limit shopping cart abandonment.

Use Gamification Techniques

Despite claims to the contrary, we all enjoy games. Therefore, if you can make the act of shopping into a game, you may well find that it results in a dramatic uptick in user engagement. There are lots of fun ways in which you can incorporate gamification into your coupon marketing strategy. But make sure that the rules of the game are consistent, whatever they may be. If consumers feel as though the game is rigged or simply poorly managed, they’ll be much less inclined to play it.

Let’s look at an example that always gives great returns: Mystery Rewards. These are discounts of an unknown quantity rewarded to customers for completing certain actions like clicking on an email link. It’s always a good idea to use the term “Mystery Prize” in a prominent place (such as the subject line) and to provide defined parameters for the kind of discounts that users can expect.

There are two things that make mystery rewards great. First, people just want to know the answer to the mystery. A desire to solve that mystery will deliver an increase in the clickthrough rate of your email campaign. Second, you will get some of the eye-catching power of offering a great promotion (e.g. 25% off), while really taking a 10%-15% total hit to your margins for that campaign. With the right tool, an algorithm can control this, giving out varying discount amounts to deliver your targeted overall discount for the promotion.

Use Influencers to Engage With Your Customers

In an age where almost half of the global population are active social media users, leveraging influencers has become more important than ever. Consumers trust other consumers, and as such influencer marketing should be a key part of your coupon marketing strategy. Did you know that 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations, while only 33% trust conventional ads?

By giving consumers, bloggers, creators and anyone else with an influential platform access to special discounts, coupon codes and incentives, they become your willing affiliates. They can spread your message into corners of the internet that are hard to reach (or at the very least, expensive to reach) through conventional advertising.

To stand out, you need to be creative and unique. To deliver results that matter to you, you need to keep an outcome-oriented focus. Invest in tools that will let you track results and hone your strategies based on the response of your customers. Experiment with these five tips and get ready to set yourself apart online!

Posted by : Paul
22 February 2021
General

Document Management Systems: Everything You Need to Know About Them

Document management systems are becoming an increasingly important part of companies. The amount of information generated by today’s businesses is increasing exponentially and older storage systems are not adequate anymore. But what exactly are document management systems, and why do we need them? In the article below, we explain everything you need to know about document management systems and their advantages.

What Is a Document Management System?

A document management system is designed to store, manage and control the flow of documents within an organization. It is a means of organizing digital documents and images in a centralized location that employees can access easily and conveniently.

The need to organize information is an important factor in the success of a growing number of businesses, and as a result, paper copies are taking a back seat. To effectively organize, share and accelerate workflow, the document management system must have certain essential features and benefits, like a command line export to schedule your exports or launch them from a third party migration application.

What Are the Advantages of Document Management Systems?

Document Digitalization

Starting to work with a document management system means scanning paper documents. With the help of a scanner, the physical documents will be converted into digital versions that will be stored in a central location. This procedure can be tedious and quite expensive, however, organized and planned scanning is essential for proper use of the system.

Central Location

The number of channels through which information reaches companies is important. As a result, large volumes of information are unstructured and distributed among the different systems of a company. A document management system stores and organizes all the information from the daily work of the company in a single central location. The company decides which employees can access the documents stored there through the licensing mechanism. This centralization of information means the end of infinite searching for documents through the organization’s file networks, which speeds up the pace of work.

Improve Workflow

An electronic document management system can transform workflows into more efficient and productive processes. By automating functions, the system will provide a comprehensive picture of the work processes within the company. This process control will allow you to track incomplete tasks, know which ones are already completed, or automate repetitive tasks that will ultimately save the organization time.

Information Security

There are still many companies that keep their documents in physical folders and, as a result, the possibility of a folder ending up lost or damaged is high. Document management solutions solve this problem. By making digital copies of paper documents, the risk of loss is significantly reduced. In this way, the organization works with the certainty that all its information is securely stored in the same system, a system that can include, among other things, data recovery in the event of a disaster.

Sharing Documents

Many documents are created to be shared. Document management systems facilitate this task. Through the creation of groups or unlimited access to the central location, documents can be distributed internally and externally. Document managers allow different groups outside the company (suppliers, customers…) to access the documents needed for their relationship. Thanks to this feature, small USB keys or emails containing different versions of a document are no longer necessary.

Document Collaboration

There are systems where several people can work on a document at the same time, while it is hosted in a central location. Thus, employees can access an overview of a document at any time, being able to modify it if deemed necessary. Document collaboration thus facilitates the sharing of ideas and information between the employees of a company. However, if the document management system is not fully established, document collaboration problems may continue to exist within the company. The document management guide presents the most common issues that an organization may face in order to get the most out of document collaboration.

If you need a company to help you with your document management system and to export your content, check out Synepsis Consulting. Dedicated to electronic content management systems, this technology company serves enterprises and is the #1 provider of Documentum™ export solutions for your business.

Posted by : Paul
9 February 2021
General

Vinyl Swimming Pool Repairs

Swimming pools are often used during the summer and on weekends. With so much activity in and around the pool, there is a constant need to ensure that pool repair is done from time to time. In a poorly maintained pool, water seeps out and can wreak havoc. What’s more, the pool can also lose water inch by inch, and no one would know about it until the problem is huge.

One of the main reasons why pool repair is linked to proper maintenance is the type of products used to keep the pool in good condition. If the pool itself is not in good condition, how can one relax in or around it? And a family with growing children must keep the pool repair well within budget. Even the pool may need to be waterproofed so that water does not run off and become a problem for the rest of the house structure. What if a hole suddenly develops like a Titanic moment just when you are about to have a pool party? A vinyl pool can develop a leak after frequent use. Get the pool repairman to help you.

All pools will eventually need more than basic maintenance to keep them safe and functional for daily use. While major repairs will require the help of a professional, smaller repairs can often be done with repair kits that can be purchased from your local pool supplier. Before tackling a pool repair, it is important to know what kind of pool you have and what supplies you will need to make the repairs.

Concrete and gunite pools tend to need plaster repair as they age. Common problems associated with ageing in these types of in-ground pools are hollow spots that pop up, chipping and cracking, and wear spots that cause the gunite to show under the plaster. These repairs are fairly easy to do yourself, and kits are available to fix these problems.

Fibreglass pools often get bubbles or blisters along with cracks. These problems are easily fixed with a fibreglass repair kit purchased from a boat and marine supply store or your local pool supplier. The downside to repairing fibreglass pools is that the fibreglass’s colour can rarely be matched perfectly, so the repair will always be visible. The only solution to avoid this outside of hiring a professional is to have your entire pool re-lined, costly and cumbersome to do for a simple cosmetic reason.

Vinyl pools and vinyl lined pools are the easiest do it yourself pool repairs most commonly found. As long as you can locate the leak or crack source, a simple vinyl repair kit will quickly fix the problem. There are some repair guys available now that allow you to fix the crack underwater. Still, it is best to drain the pool below the crack level for the most permanent results and let the vinyl patch dry completely before refilling the pool.

For more severe problems, you should hire a pool repair contractor. Be sure to thoroughly research a contractor and inquire about estimated completion times for your project. If you are aware of a problem with your pool before starting the pool season, you can save a lot of money by hiring a contractor during the winter months when such professionals’ workload is very slow. Problems with large cracks, plumbing problems and filtration system problems are always best handled by the professional repair companies.

The best way to avoid costly repairs to your pool is to hire a professional pool maintenance company to schedule and perform the necessary maintenance or keep a strict year-round routine for maintaining your pool yourself. Neglect of pool maintenance is the most common reason for problems that lead to expensive and difficult repairs.

Leakinc is the specialist in pool leak detection and repair services. Created more than ten years ago, we are the number one choice for all kinds of swimming pool issues. Our team has the experience, skills and necessary equipment to take care of leaks so you can enjoy your pool to its fullest.

Posted by : Paul
8 February 2021
General

Comparing Laminated to Tempered Automotive Glass – Which is Better?

If you’ve been keeping up with the news for any length of time, you’re sure to have come across stories of someone getting trapped inside their vehicle after an accident because the car was equipped with laminated windows. If you weren’t aware, laminated windows are extremely tough and nearly impossible to break with the traditional glass-break tools that come fitted inside every new car’s glovebox. Even emergency first responders can have a hard time shattering a sheet of laminated glass with their specialist tools! On the other hand, tempered glass is very easy to smash through.

Structural Differences Between Laminated and Tempered Windows

Before we get down to the nitty-gritty of which type of automobile glass is better for your side and rear windows, it’s important to understand why laminated glass is so much harder to break through than tempered glass. Let’s first look at how tempered glass is made. Tempered glass has been heat-treated to create a hardened surface, making it much stronger than regular glass. However, when it’s hit hard enough, it instantly shatters into thousands of tiny pieces.

On the other hand, laminated glass is basically a glass sandwich—two pieces of glass held together by a middle layer of polyvinyl. This polyvinyl interlayer is what creates the problem. Even after the glass has broken, it stays in place because of the interlayer. The plastic interlayer can bend and stretch, making it difficult to punch through. Usually, it needs to be cut through with a saw instead.

Benefits of Laminated Side Window Glass

There are several advantages to laminated side windows. Firstly, laminated glass provides for a quieter vehicle cabin. The polyvinyl interlayer acts as insulation from outside sound. There are even types of polyvinyl called acoustic interlayers which are specifically designed for noise dampening purposes. The addition of this interlayer can help cut down on road noise, engine noise, traffic noise, and wind noise to make for a more enjoyable ride. Also, laminated glass can increase occupant security in the case of an accident. According to several reports, the high mortality rates for vehicular accidents can be partially attributed to the occupant being ejected from the vehicle out of the window. Since laminated glass is so much harder to break, the chances that a passenger will be thrown through a closed laminated glass window is significantly less than with tempered glass.

Tempered Side Window Glass Benefits

That’s not to say that tempered glass is an inferior product. Tempered glass is actually lighter and less costly than laminated glass. The savings that result from choosing tempered glass rather than laminated can help play a role in achieving fuel efficiency. Additionally, because tempered glass is more cost-effective, this savings is typically passed on to the end consumer. Therefore, purchasing a vehicle with tempered glass may help you save some money when it comes time to buying your next vehicle.

Should You Purchase a Vehicle with Laminated Side Windows or Tempered Side Windows?

Normally, choosing laminated or tempered side windows is not an option typically offered by vehicle manufacturers. Car models will either come equipped with one or the other depending on what the manufacturer chooses for that particular vehicle line. With this in mind, if you prefer one over the other, you will want to look for a model that is made with your preference of laminated or tempered glass side windows, unless you want to spend a fair amount of money replacing all the windows in your car with your preferred material.

If you have more queries regarding automobile glass, why not get in touch with the experts at Vehglass Australia? With over 25 years of experience in the industry, their expertise is truly second to none.

Posted by : Paul
5 February 2021
General

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