DEVELOPMENT: meeting users expectations and easing frustration

A few tips from Justin James at TechRepublic on ways that developers can meet users expectations and ease frustration.

Introduction
It’s no surprise that users have expectations that, if not met, make those users angry and frustrated. User-friendly applications are much more likely to generate revenue, from sales of the software, sales enabled by the software, or some other revenue model. Yet for whatever reason, a significant portion of applications don't meet user expectations in a number of areas. Here are 10 common user expectations and what you can do to meet them so that you'll have a happy group of users.

See the full article here: http://i.techrepublic.com.com/downloads/dl_10_user_expectations.pdf

BLOG: Trainer Certification from Glasgow CC

For our Business Computing and Website / E-Commerce training services provided to businesses throughout the UK and to recognise the work which we have done with business in Glasgow specifically through their Business Training Grants Programme, Glasgow City Council has awarded Hilltops IT a Trainer Certificate. Well done to Vivienne Watts, Stephen Siggs and Steven Porter for their work in delivering exemplary training courses for our clients.

For more information on our ACT! and QuoteWerks training, plus website services please phone now on +44(0) 1782 564252 or +44(0)844 357 7360 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk

For businesses in Glasgow and any other region, we can also help with practical advice on getting training grants for your business, plus we have all the paperwork to hand in order to move smoothly through the grant application procedures.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Business Development Manager wanted (Stoke-on-Trent)

A new full time position is available for a sales person selling computer software products and services. This is an excellent opportunity to join a small, ambitious, highly motivated and positive team of individuals in a growing business and offers excellent career prospects for the successful candidate.

The role will be predominantly working from the office managing and developing a portfolio of prospective and existing customers locally, nationally and internationally. The successful candidate must be well organised, an excellent communicator over the phone, motivated, confident, highly professional, excellent at building lasting relationships, be able to demonstrate excellent computer skills and have an understanding of the software industry. You will report to the Managing Director and be expected to deliver the agreed levels of revenue and profit, whilst adopting a solution lead, consultative sales approach to ensure that customer requirements are met.

Ideally, you will have experience of dealing with small and medium sized businesses. Experience of contact management, quoting and accounts packages, website and software development processes will also be an advantage.

To start as soon as possible. Candidate must have their own car. Package negotiable, commission based (uncapped).

Please apply in writing to Hilltops IT, Lymedale Business Centre, Lymedale Business Park, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 9QF or by email enquiries@hilltopsit.co.uk. Please include your up-to-date CV and covering letter.

Strictly no agencies.

DEVELOPMENT: skills developers will need in the next five years

Tech Republic software development commentator Justin James released a paper today with his thoughts on skills developers will need in the next five years: http://i.techrepublic.com.com/downloads/dl_10_skills_dev.pdf

Clearly we can always improve, but we were really pleased to read that we already "tick the boxes" in all but one category!

The technical aspects aside - we have always considered it imperative to work with the business to understand their pain points, to be flexible in delivering the requirements which will evolve with the business and communicate effectively in a way that everyone understands.

The one box we can't tick right now if the mobile development, which to date hasn't been necessary for the type of applications and solutions we deliver. Clearly as the power of mobile technology improves and workers increasingly do business on the move, then we will need to address this. But it's encouraging to know that (at least within Justin James criteria) hilltops IT's development team are already off to a very good start!

For more information on our software development and website design and development services, please see our website or contact us direct on +44(0)1782 564252.

BLOG: Hilltops IT attend Promota Promotional Merchandise Trade Association show

The Promota Promotional Merchandise Trade Association show is the annual show for promotional gifts industry supplier and distributor members to meet, network and do business.

Exhibitors commented on the quality of the contacts made over the two day show. The eye-catching Promota show bus in the centre of the hall gave members the opportunity to meet the service providers and find out what the association is doing to support your business in difficult trading times. Both new and long-standing members found ways to protect their company and reduce overheads.

Today representatives from Hilltops IT attended alongside Sourcing City to present and talk about the new and existing products and website services which we have been heavily involved in developing. Plus it was a good opportunity to meet and greet many of our own clients from within the promotional gifts industry.

The solution offerings which had the most interest from attendees include the imminent Sourcing City website development (the current version of which was awarded BPMA Website of the Year 2008), Dynamic Office - a QuoteWerks based software solution tailored for use in the promotional gifts industry, Sourcing Planet - a website optimised promotional gift sourcing tool for end users, plus miscellaneous queries on bespoke back office system customisations and website developments.

Note to non-promotional gifts industry readers: please don't think that our solutions are exclusive to the promotional gifts industry! Our solutions are fit for "any" business that manages customer or supplier relationships, sells products or services or requires a website.

For further information on our website and software development services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0)1782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

BLOG: Hilltops IT launch revised ConnectIT website

It's not just the Hilltops IT website that has had a revamp! The ConnectIT website has had a couple of minor modifications too!

We're inviting QuoteWerks, ACT!, Sage 50 Accounts, Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Goldmine, Maximizer... in fact "any" software consultancy or reseller company which supplies relevant products or services to place adverts on the ConnectIT website.

ConnectIT: not only linking software applications to other software applications, but also prospects to resellers!!!

If you'd like more information on advertising your company's products and services, then please email info@connectit-online.co.uk

BLOG: Hilltops IT launch new website

For anyone that knows us or reads the blog regularly, you'll know this has been a while coming and now it's here! The "new and improved" Hilltops IT website. It has taken a little longer than expected, but that's only due to our commitment to putting our customers first and satisfying their requirements and timescales before our own internal projects.

Now that it is here, the new website represents our company much better. The old one was "ok", but having simply "evolved" over three years, we have to admit that it was getting a bit confusing.

Reflecting, taking a step back, and looking at our company in relation to how we present ourselves on the web and redesigning the logo has been a refreshing experience. The new website focuses much better on the products and services we focus on to give it a cleaner presentation. Having brought more experienced website design and development skills into the business and working alongside them, sharing ideas, we have produced a website which is much more visual and easier to navigate than the previous one.

See the new website for yourself here: http://www.hilltopsit.co.uk/

If you'd like more information on our experiences of re-branding our company or for further information on our website design and development services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk

SUPPORT: Fortnightly digest - what's happening at Hilltops IT and in the world of computer software

Hilltops IT Support Team's diary

Everything outside of the standard Support Desk activity this last couple of weeks has been website, website, website. Working with the website designer to find suitable images, the development team to get the website user-friendly, the consultancy team to get suitable copy which communicates all the services we can provide as effectively as possible and taking SEO (search engine optimisation) into account.

The new Hilltops IT website is here now - the development team are just uploading it now! :-) Clearly we're very happy with the results and (from a support point of view) we think it comprehensively communicates the types and ways we can assist clients - support contracts, online support, online training, etc.

Now for some tips from what we've learnt in the last couple of weeks...

Tips for developing a website

For any budding website developers out there or for anyone considering revisiting their website, the following links might be useful. They are two articles which have recently been posted on the Smashing Magazine website:

• Web Application Interface Techniques - http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/01/12/10-useful-web-application-interface-techniques/
• Techniques for Good Interface Design in Web Applications - http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/01/19/12-useful-techniques-for-good-user-interface-design-in-web-applications/

They are a good summary of what needs to be considered and also ways of achieving the successful development of a good modern website

Tip for avoiding unsolicited (spam) email and viruses

We also had this tip come through on email. Unfortunately we can't credit the originator as his email address had been stripped from the original message. Read on and you'll find out why!

This excellent message ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails. Read the text below...then print it out for future use.

Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% do NOT. Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail?Do you hate it?

Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every e-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five pence for each hit.

That's right, all of that inconvenience over a couple of pence!How do you stop it? Well, there are two easy steps:

1) When you forward e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message. That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second. You MUST click the "Forward" button first, and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message.If you don't click on "Forward" first, you won't be able to edit the message at all.

2) Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the To: or Cc: columns for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the BCC: (blind carbon copy) column for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way that people you send to only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your BCC: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose BCC: and that's it, it's that easy. When you send to BCC: your message will automatically say "Undisclosed Recipients" in the "TO:" field of the people who receive it.

So please, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and the viruses! Finally, here's an idea! Let's send this to everyone we know. (But strip my address off first). This is something that SHOULD be forwarded.

Tip on protecting your email address book

This tip came from the same person, so again unfortunately we can't credit the originator. But if you happen to be reading this - THANKS!

I learned a computer trick today that's really ingenious in its simplicity. As you may know, when or if a worm virus gets into your computer it heads straight for your email address book, and sends itself to everyone in there, thus infecting all your friends and associates.This trick won't keep the virus from getting into your computer, but it will stop it from using your address book to spread further, and it will alert you to the fact that the worm has gotten into your system.

Here's what you do:

First, open your address book and click on 'new contact,' just as you would do if you were adding a new friend to your list of email addresses In the window where you would type your friend's first name, type in ' A'.

For the screen name or email address, type 'AAAAAAA@AAA.AAA'

Now, here's what you've done and why it works: The 'name 'A' will be placed at the top of your address book as entry #1.

This will be where the worm will start in an effort to send itself to all your friends. When it tries to send itself to AAAAAAA@AAA.AAA, it will be undeliverable because of the fake email address you entered. If the first attempt fails (which it will because of the fake address), the worm goes no further and your friends will not be infected.

Here's the second great advantage of this method: If an email cannot be delivered, you will be notified of this in your In Box almost immediately. Hence, if you ever get an email telling you that an email addressed to AAAAAAA@AAA.AAA could not be delivered, you know right away that you have the worm virus in your system. You can then take steps to get rid of it!

Pretty good? If everybody you know does this then you need not ever worry about opening mail from friends.

Tip for installing Microsoft Updates

The updates have been around for a little while now, but this week Microsoft pushed out the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Service Pack 3 releases out through Microsoft Windows Automatic Updates. Particularly the .net update is quite large, so if you are managing a large network of users, why not download the updates manually to a server and then run the executable from there. This will save all users having to download the update, saving them time and avoid creating unnecessary network traffic.

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1

Brief Description: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 is a full cumulative update that contains many new features building incrementally upon .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, and includes cumulative servicing updates to the .NET Framework 2.0 and .NET Framework 3.0 subcomponents.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AB99342F-5D1A-413D-8319-81DA479AB0D7&displaylang=en


Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Service Pack 3

Brief Description: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is a free, easy-to-use, lightweight version of SQL Server 2005. It is fast and easy to learn, allowing you to quickly develop and deploy dynamic data-driven applications.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=3181842A-4090-4431-ACDD-9A1C832E65A6&displaylang=en

For further information on our software support services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email support@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

BLOG: Hilltops IT customer wins award for their website

Sourcing City has won BPMA Website of the Year 2008. Hilltops IT worked alongside Akiko Design to develop the site – each company focussing on their strengths in a project which involved automatic database and FTP synchronisation between remote data sources, complex search functionality, user tracking through the site, plus (of course!) a slick user interface.

Says David Long (Chairman, Sourcing City): “Thanks and congratulations to all of the team that have contributed to our Award; I really appreciate what you do to get us to the top. Many people put a lot of effort into making sure we are the best at what we do and now it has been officially recognised by our National Trade Association. I think we all have every reason to feel really proud of what we have achieved together. To put thing into perspective, we are now officially the Best Website in the £1 Billion Promotional Merchandise Industry.”

Says Stephen Siggs (CEO, Hilltops IT): “It’s fantastic to have been associated with this project and the award. It is particularly exciting in light of the imminent release of a new site, which has improvements in every area plus lots of new features. Wait until your customer-base and BPMA get a load of that!!!”



About the Site
The current site allows users to search (and find!) promotional merchandise products and suppliers thereof from a database of over 80,000 products. Over the five years since its original launched, Sourcing City has become an increasingly utilised tool for Distributors in the Promotional Merchandise industry to find products and for Suppliers to advertise their products.

The site has several product categorisations to help users find products and suppliers. It also has features which allow the user to email information on the product direct to their client.

As well as having a significant design facelift, the new site has hugely improved search functions to help users search and find different and innovative products for their clients’ promotional activities. With this alongside the reporting, ‘page turning’, ‘real-time branding’ and ‘lite’ quotation tool features, users can look forward to a significantly enhanced experience.



Technical Specifications
The current website was originally developed using SQL Server 2000 for data storage (subsequently upgraded to SQL Server 2005) with a Visual Studio 2005 .net 2.0 with AJAX developed front end and content management system (CMS).

The new website (due to be launch imminently) uses the same SQL Server 2005 database for data storage, SQL Server Reporting Services for reporting with a Visual Studio 2008 .net 3.5 with AJAX developed front end and content management system (CMS).

The data which ‘drives’ the site is automatically synchronised from Sourcing City’s [in-house system] plus statistics on “who’s clicking on what and when” are captured as part of the site for market analysis purposes.



Further Information
If you'd like more information on our experience with website design, website development or business intelligence reporting services, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0) 844 357 7360 or +44(0) 1782 564252 or email info@hilltopsit.co.uk

DEVELOPMENT: How are we so good!?

We had a bit of fun / team morale boosting in between Christmas and New Year. In amongst the increasingly negative reports on "depression", "the state of the world economy" and "global economic downturn", we wanted to feel good about ourselves! (Why not!)

Focusing on the things that we do well, why people should buy from us, and having already made a a conscious decision to "opt out" of the recession (what recession!?) we came up with the following list of "how we are so good" with our Software Development and Website Development services. Maybe considered arrogant by some, but as a relatively small but ambitious company, we need to keep our heads up, look to the future and focus on the positive!

We hope you get something out of the list and really hope that your company is "on the up". Try the exercise for yourself - the exercise itself is a great motivator and I'm sure we'll refer back to the list if someone gets a case of the Monday Blues! :-)

How Are We So Good!? Development at Hilltops IT

• We understand the need for a solution from a business perspective!
• We understand requirements from the user’s perspective!
• We understand that clients need flexibility for systems to grow with business!
• We fully understand what it takes to develop a solution! (Development Lifecycle)
• We have implemented many different systems across many different verticals!
• We have a proven track record in developing bespoke solutions!
• We have a proven track record in taking software products to market! (ConnectIT)
• We have a proven track record developing and deploying solutions worldwide!
• We have a wide range of development skills and use the latest technologies!
• We deliver professional services within affordable budgets!
• We keep to timescales and always deliver to schedule!

For more information on Hilltops IT's QuoteWerks, ACT! by Sage, Sage 50 Accounts, Sage MAS90, Sage MAS 200, Microsoft CRM, software development and website development services, please do not hesitate to contact us! you can reach us on +44(0)844 357 7360 or +44(0)1782 564252 or email development@hilltopsit.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!