Bacs software has many upsides for a business

Paul Software

bacs software has been around for some time, but lots of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) still don’t have it. After all, they may have been ok with cheques and cash before that for years, and not had any difficulties. Depending on the nature of business, there may be costs involved, such as buying or upgrading computers to deal with the software that takes care of bacs payments. But bacs (short for bankers’ automated clearing system) has a number of advantages and goes far beyond being able to make a direct transfer of cash from one bank account to another, as you would with regular online banking. Even for a small business, the benefits can be significant, since one of the things it can do is reduce error and improve time-keeping, meaning that everyone is paid on-time – including you.

There are a range of advantages, with bacs software making lots of processes easier. Bacs transfers are quick, efficient and safe (especially compared to writing out reams of cheques or having a huge bag of money sitting around to pay staff, as it used to be done). If you need a faster option – bacs usually takes three working days, though it can be nearly instant – then there are faster variants. It can streamline cross-border transfers with a similar function for international payments. Integrated with specialist software, it can ensure that you don’t make a mistake in payments by validating the account number and sort codes that you enter – thereby reducing the trouble of reclaiming (or writing off) money that you send to the wrong person. When it comes to other parties paying you, there are direct debit collection arrangements. These are set up once and then left to run. The advantages of this are plain: instead of invoicing someone every month and waiting for them to process the request – perhaps with numerous reminders – the money is taken straight from their bank account on the agreed day, meaning that you never have to consider late payment again.

All in all, bacs software offers so many advantages that it’s tough to see why any organisation would pass over the benefits that bacs payments systems can bring. Bacs is increasingly being used across all sizes of business for good reason. It’s fast, efficient and safe, and it reduces error and delays. In uncertain times, those are all welcome reassurances to have since they will inevitably improve your bottom line.

Please visit http://www.bottomline.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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Suggestions for looking for your first kickboxing club

Paul Fitness, Martial Arts

If you need a workout that will tone up your body, teach you new techniques and give you the skills to defend yourself, kickboxing might be the right activity for you.  With kickboxing London you can increase your stamina, flexibility and strength while listening to your favourite music, and get rid of your stress and anxiety at the same time.  If you are looking for a kickboxing club, there are a few things to be aware of, to make sure your new favourite sport gets off to the best possible start.

Kickboxing is a centuries old sport, which was first practised in Asia around 2,000 years ago.  The activity as we know it, though, kicked off in the 1970s, when American karate experts arranged competitions to bring in the full-contact kicks and punches that had been banned from karate.  As one might expect, some health and safety concerns accompanied this change, and so padding, protective clothing and safety rules were introduced into the sport over the years.  This slightly altered, safety-conscious form is the one that is around today.  Still, there are a few different forms, which vary principally according to the amount of physical contact that is allowed between the combatants.

For those who are more interested in the aerobic than the contact element, there is aerobic, or cardiovascular kickboxing, also known as boxercise.  This combines the techniques of boxing and martial arts with the physical characteristics of an aerobics class, so it provides full conditioning and toning as well as teaching new skills.  It involves no physical contact between the kickboxers – rather, it is a cardiovascular workout that is done because of its many benefits to the body.

Kickboxing proper, though, does involve real contact with opponents, and some new starters find it intimidating for this reason.  It is important to appreciate that there is no competition – you can just take it at your own pace, and do not need to face an opponent until you feel it is the right time.  You will increase your feeling of comfort if you warm up your muscles and joints for a good few minutes first. After that, it is usually best to start with upper body moves, learning jabs or punches.  Combining these with kicks can come after a few weeks.

When you first get involved with a kickboxing club, it is sensible to limit your visits to one or two a week, while your body gets used to kickboxing.  There are so many different clubs and people in the kickboxing London scene that there ought to be something that works for everyone.

Please visit http://www.zendokickboxing.com/ for further information about this topic.

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Duplicate payments can be a distant memory if you embrace recovery audit technology

Paul Software

An Accounts Payable audit is a very important part of most workplaces.  However expert and careful accounts teams might be, duplicate payments often happen, and these can incur major costs. Lots of companies call in the services of professional recovery auditors, but this can be an very expensive way of doing things.  If you can teach your own in-house Accounts Payable teams to deal with the recovery auditing, this can be a great way to save money and improve internal processes.  Performing an in-house audit is now a fairly relaxed affair thanks to the development of recovery audit software.

With this software, you can pre-process your upcoming payments, which means that you should never have to pay a duplicate invoice again.  It is possible to audit all your past payment data in one easy step, and regain any money that you have gained back, which often substantially increases your surplus.  Crucially, the software tells you the reason for each duplicate, which means that the audit becomes a way of improving processes rather than just finding individual errors, so that they are unlikely to happen another time.  Taking control of your accounts payable audit process if often a positive thing.  It can be nice to see an outside team of experts come in and handle the entire task, but the knowledge and overview that can be gained from  this process in-house is often worthwhile.

This program finds duplicate payments, invoicing errors, compliance issues and supplier fraud.  As it can be used by Accounts Payable teams, it not only increases control but also improves processes, thus preventing future errors from happening.  Using a combination of search algorithms and pattern matching technology, the software generates a detailed report of potential duplicate payments and errors that may have been made.  The benefits of using this technology are surely clear.

In addition, fairly little training is needed to use the software.  Usually everybody in an Accounts Payable team can use it, without need for any auditing or accounting qualifications.  This is another cost-saving factor, as it means there are no expenses involved in training staff. The installation of this software also tends to incur fairly little by way of cost.  It is a particularly swift process, and designed to work immediately.  Free online training is provided annually, which keeps running costs at a fairly low level.

For many businesses, recovery audit software makes a major difference to the accounts payable audit process. Much can be learnt from the process of looking for duplicate payments, particularly in terms of how the accounts payable department works and any weaknesses it might have, so using your existing team to find these errors is often a wise business decision.

Please visit http://www.fiscaltechnologies.com/ for further information about this topic.

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Phono amp is the component that will make your LPs sound great again

Paul Audio Visual

People collect vinyl for a number of reasons. Some music lovers believe that it sounds better than modern music storage systems; the digitisation process can result in music sounding too ‘clean’, whereas the analogue method used by LPs is more ‘real’. Others may have a large record collection left over from the era before tapes, CDs and mp3s took off. Either way, if you want to listen to your record collection – and get good sound quality out of it – then you will want some specialist equipment. A phono stage (also known as a phono preamp or a phono amp) is the missing link that you can use to hook up a turntable to modern stereo equipment. If you’re a music lover, then you will appreciate that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link; you can’t expect to play good music on a bad stereo set and like the result.

This can present problems if you’ve spent a lot of money on cutting-edge equipment. Mostly, modern stereo sets are designed to play CDs and mp3s, and maybe tapes. What they are not designed to do is play vinyl. There may be a plug in the back for you to connect your turntable, but that in itself doesn’t ensure a good listening experience. The problem is that the signal that comes off a turntable is much lower than the signal that you get from a CD player.

You can get around this by turning the volume up high, but you will swiftly realise that this doesn’t sound good. As well as amplifying the low-level signal of the music, you will also amplify all the hiss and crackle. The result will be your favourite records, spoiled by static. Old amplifiers, intended to be used with turntables, took this into account. Modern stereos do not – and most won’t have a built-in adaptor, since it’s not economically viable. Why bother, when comparatively few people listen to vinyl any more?

The solution is a phono stage – an extra component that plugs in between your turntable and stereo amplifier and speakers. This phono amp boosts the signal from the record deck and makes it usable to the stereo – meaning that you don’t get the crackle that occurs when you turn the volume up high. It is therefore crucial for rehabilitating your old LP collection, and if you have a good stereo then it’s worth investing in a decent phono amp, too.

Please visit http://www.whestaudio.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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Graduate jobs – now available on-line

Paul Employment, Jobs, University

It’s a cliché to say that the internet has changed the whole of our lives but when it comes to tracking downyour dream job as a graduate, it certainlyholds true. Whereas the end of University days used to mean scouring dusty folders at the Careers Centre for information on graduate scheme and internship jobs, all that has changed. Not only do companies have their own web-sites, making it easier to get information on graduate jobs but much of the business of the careers service is also now done on-line. Whether it’s sending out weekly job listings or making most of their services available from the comfort of a student laptop, universities know that getting their graduates into great jobs involves less paper and more PCs.

However, one thing has not changed in this cyber-dominated world. Landing yourself the right job – and that’s one that you find satisfying and interesting as well as one that pays of that mountain of student debt at a pleasing rate – still involves insider knowledge not usually available on company web-sites.  It also takes the honing of specific people skills such as negotiation. This is where a whole new breed of independent careers sites comes in, maximising everything the internet can offer to help students land the graduate jobs or the places on graduate scheme which they so want.

Take CareerPlayer.com, for instance. Some of what they do mimics a good student careers office – they link up job seekers with information about internship jobs or provide information on the big milk round employers, for instance. However, they can also offer things that until now were only available to the very well connected, proving that the web is indeed a socially equalising medium. Interested in a career in journalism? There’s a video interview with a key player in the business. Fancy yourself as a civil servant? The video clips from people who have trodden that path before you may inspire or put you off. There is an enormous library of these clips, all available at the click of a mouse, covering every big industry.

Better still, there are clips on every aspect of the application process, from how to cope with assessment centres or psychometric testing to clinching the deal at the last interview. Each stage of the process is covered with written information available where it’s more appropriate.

With the current market for graduate jobs a tough one, (although, according to the latest figures, not as gloomy as some had predicted), one can only expect that those determined to land the coveted places on graduate scheme or those precious first-step-on-the-ladder internship jobs will increasingly be turning to these alternative providers of careers advice. Frankly, they’d be foolish not to.

Please visit http://www.careerplayer.com/ for further information about this topic.

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What are the requirements for social services jobs?

Paul Community, Employment, Jobs

Social work jobs are attractive to many young people who feel that they would like to help people as part of their job, but many aspiring social workers do not entirely understand what social services jobs entail.  For any school or university leaver thinking about different career paths, knowledge is key, and this article aims to help you to get to grips with the world of social worker jobs.

Social workers might work in hospitals, prisons, residential centres, or offices.  Their principle role is to help clients of any age to identify their problems and to come to terms with them.  This can involve a number of different activities.  Primarily, they would hold interviews with clients and their families, and give them advice and supervision.  Group sessions can be very effective in proving mutual support for people who are dealing with problems, so conducting group sessions is an important activity for many social workers.  In more practical terms, they might arrange support in the form of meals on wheels or financial assistance.  With many clients, the social worker will be one of a few professionals that is working to help a client, so you will need to liaise with police officers, doctors and community workers in order to achieve the best result.

In terms of key skills, the clue is in the name.  ‘Social’ workers must be sociable people, who can communicate with ease with people from a wide range of backgrounds.  You may be engaging with people who are very distressed or experiencing severe problems, so tact and understanding are necessary attributes.  However, it is important that social workers do not try to become the client’s best friend.  These professionals must be able to empathise, while remaining impartial.  For the practical side of the job, problem-solving skills and administrative skills are very useful.  In addition, when working on emotional cases, it is important to be able to switch off at the end of the day.

It is clear, then, social work jobs are demanding, but the emotional element can be one that gives the most satisfaction, as social services jobs enable you to make a difference to peoples’ lives on every working day.  If you have the skills and attributes listed above, then it is certainly worth applying for social worker jobs, or looking at the qualifications you might need to get started.  Many social workers have a three-year degree in the field, so if you are keen, looking at university courses is probably the best place to start.

Please visit http://www.socialworkandcarejobs.com/ for further information about this topic.

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Chelsea builders: a necessary investment for West Londoners in the property industry

Paul Construction

Looking for North London builders can present quite a challenge.  Everyone wants to find a builder they can really rely on, and without recommendations from friends, scouring phonebooks and internet sites for listings seems to offer little guarantee of identifying somebody who will do the best job.  Whether you are looking for chelsea builders or Hampstead builders, the following advice should help you in your search and make sure your loft conversion doesn’t turn into a paid excursion for some cowboy builders.

Most people will suggest that you go for a personal recommendation, but this can be a trickier business than just getting a name from Kate next door.  People who have had building done recently on properties and projects that are similar to the one you have in mind will be the best placed ones to suggest builders who are most appropriate for your needs.  You may also consider using online forums or websites as these seem to be increasingly developing with a local slant.  Still, as with all online suggestions, these should be regarded with a healthy amount of scepticism.  MyBuilder.com is a sort of trip advisor for building work, so you will find previous customers recommending tradespeople by leaving feedback.  You can also search for different building specialisms, which gives you the best chance of finding someone who will do the best job on your individual project.  It is often worth consulting the Find a Builder service, as the Federation of Master Builders vets all the members on its books.

You should ideally get written quotes from three different firms.  The more details you can give about the work you want done, the more accurate your quote will be and the less of a shock you might end up with when the project is finished.  As with other jobs, it is worth getting references from each builder.  Rather than just speaking to previous customers on the telephone, you should if possible visit the property so that you can see the quality of the job for yourself.  A conversation about the job and the service provided by the builders will be far more illuminating than a quick conversation where you hear that they did a decent job.  Once you have chosen a builder, you will need to draw up a written contract, which should be as detailed as possible.  It is certainly worth taking some advice before you do this.

There are so many North London builders that it really is worth taking the time and trouble to find the right one.  As property in these areas is often extremely valuable, you obviously want to be sure that your Hampstead builders or chelsea builders are good enough to enhance do as much for your house value as possible.

Please visit http://www.artisanlondon.com/ for further information about this topic.

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London kickboxing classes: tips for how to prepare

Paul Health, Martial Arts, Sports

I was keen for my son to take up a physical activity as part of his extra curricular schedule, and I thought a martial art might suit him, as it would be a skill that he could develop which would also help his confidence to grow.  I started looking into London kickboxing classes, and found that there was more to the sport than I realised.  The London kickboxing club that I visited gave me some advice about getting started that I found really useful.  Anybody else looking into kickboxing London would do well to think about the following considerations.

It is vital to know your fitness level.  Kickboxing is a very high-impact form of exercise. If the only time you have raised your heart rate in the last year was by running for a train, then this is probably not the activity for you.  If you are keen to get involved despite low fitness levels, then it would be a good idea to spend at least a few weeks doing some gentle exercise.  This way, when you start at your local London kickboxing club you will not be embarrassing yourself by passing out in a puddle of your own sweat in the first class.

In addition, it is important to gauge the level of the class you are joining before you sign up, or pay for a group of classes.  If the entire class has been attending for a year or so, the instructor may not be too willing to accommodate your beginners’ level.  In a kickboxing lesson your classmates are fairly important; if you are a slim young chap who is paired up with a fifteen stone man with strong kickboxing skills, you are likely to spend more time dealing with his strength than developing your own skills.

Once you arrive at your chosen London kickboxing club, comfort and hydration are key.  It might be worth speaking to your instructor beforehand to check whether you need to bring any particular equipment, such as gloves or shoes with a good grip.  The best way to enjoy London kickboxing classes is to dress in loose fitting, light clothes, drink plenty of water, and start slowly.  When my son was first starting out in kickboxing London I made sure he had worked on his fitness, found the right class and instructor, and bought the right kit.  It certainly paid off – he has kept it up for a year now and is showing no signs of slowing down!

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Kickboxing London style

Paul Health

Kickboxing is an excellent way to get fit. The term includes a number of varying styles, but essentially they all revolve around using both punches and kicks to attack and defend against an opponent, in contrast to traditional boxing which only uses punching. A kickboxing club is a great venue to learn self-defence, get fit, meet people and maybe spar with them once you have progressed a little way. In terms of kickboxing London has plenty to offer, with plenty of clubs suitable for all. Just search the web or look in the local ads and you are bound to find something.

Classes are held at different times and on different days, so no matter what your timetable there will usually be something you can get to. The nature of martial arts is that, particularly at the beginning, it’s best to train as frequently as possible, and ideally at least twice a week. This enables you to gain fitness and flexibility as well as give yourself a good grounding in the basic moves – punches, kicks, blocks and footwork – that you will need. Like anything, the more you train the further and quicker you will progress, but it’s important to get that basic grounding.

Many clubs give a free taster session, recognising that lots of learners won’t want to sign up without knowing exactly what they’re getting into. For many people, their only picture of kickboxing and the martial arts more broadly will come from movie. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), those bad 1980s portrayals of karate, kung-fu and kickboxing clubs are not the reality when you actually show up. Times have obviously changed…

In any case, if you are looking to learn kickboxing London should have something to offer you. Sessions are typically fun and light to begin with – there’s no benefit to throwing someone in at the deep end, and safety concerns are taken as seriously as possible. Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothes – a tracksuit, t-shirt or shorts are fine until you want to buy a gi or uniform, if the kickboxing club in question has one. Some are more formal than others in this way. Kickboxing is taught by experienced instructors who have practised for many years, though they are often assisted by competent students. With application and time, you could be teaching it yourself before too long.

Please visit http://www.zendokickboxing.com/ for further information about this topic.

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Getting to grips with design via the external louvre

Paul Construction

When I first got into the construction trade, I found the more technical aspects of the industry rather difficult.  Where construction meets architecture, it all gets a bit technical, apparently! Everyday parlance at work demanded, however, that I understood certain terms – for example, I needed to know my brise soleil from my aluminium curtain and external louvre.  I was hoping to learn a lot on the job but pretty soon I realised that I would only really get ahead if I spent some time teaching myself until I really knew what I was talking about in all things construction.

The word brise soleil, I discovered, is from the French for ‘sun breaker’ which pretty much explains its purpose.  Architecturally, brise soleil describes a function of sun-shading techniques – and there can be more types of them than you might think.  A brise can be a patterned concrete wall, or a more complex creation like the one devised by Santiago Calatrava for the Milwaukee Art Museum.  They are not always ornate or creative, though.  More typically, it will be a horizontal projection from the sun facing side of a building.  Buildings with large amounts of glass can overheat seriously during the summer moths, and a brise soleil is the ideal way to stop this from happening.

External louvres can be incorporated into a brise soleil to make sure it offers protection from sun which falls from a higher angle, while also allowing winter sun in, maximising the passive solar heating potential of the building.  An aluminium curtain is also a way of protecting buildings from the weather – it is basically a curtain wall which provides a non-structural covering of a building, but one which protects it from air and water infiltration, as well as the effects of the wind.  Initially, curtain walls were made of steel, but they tend to be constructed with aluminium at the present time.  The aluminium frame can be infilled with glass to create an aesthetically more pleasing building, which lets in a sufficient amount of natural light.

Although I now understand that an external louvre can be fitted to a brise soleil to minimise exposure to direct sunlight, and an aluminium curtain provides a non-structural outer covering, I still feel somewhat out of my depth when discussing the finer points of these structures with the skilled architects who design them.  The more I looked into the subject, the more I came to see why these professionals need to study for seven years!

Please visit http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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