Posted on Fri, May 10, 2013 @ 03:20 PM
Is your registration software just another pretty interface with nice colors, cute buttons but not a lot of substance? Or underneath do you find a sophisticated, understanding solution that brings out the best in you and your events?
With dozens of providers on the market, registration software capabilities can vary from form-building tools or glorified e-mail services to complete, customized systems that do everything but make coffee.
Most systems, for instance, allow the user to build the basics such as event pages or listings and registration forms. The more flexible, more thoughtful platforms give administrators tools that allow them to create registration web pages that mirror the look and feel of the organization’s website. Included in these systems are a myriad of font and color choices and the ability to import images such as logos, mastheads or background art. Some even provide html and CSS options that free web designers to create.
Systems you might want to take home to mom offer more depth than the typical registration form fields “name,” “organization,” “e-mail” and “phone.” They allow you to craft any question you would like with any type of answer and format imaginable, from text fields to multiple choice queries with radial buttons. The more intelligent systems can deploy conditional logic, whereby the answer to one question can trigger a secondary question (e.g., the primary question asks whether you will participate in the luncheon; if yes, the secondary question then ask that you choose from a list of menu items).
Registration software’s baseline standard for notifications is an automated e-mail confirming that the registrant’s submission has been received. The system that truly wants to be your partner gives you much more. It allows the user to set up automated communications to registrants regarding waitlists, cancellations and changes in schedule. It delivers an e-mail tool that also can be used to market your events to anyone in your registration system’s database, or anyone you want to import into the database.
Online payment is also standard equipment with registration software. For those systems that take a cut of their customers’ transactions, it is as important to them as it is to the customer. Systems more kind to your payment process don’t take a cut of your transactions, work with multiple payment gateways and allow you to create cool features for your paying customers such as discounts and payment plans.
Another key differentiator between the shallow system and the one you can’t wait to log onto is reporting. Any system should be able to tell you the number of registrants or payment received. The best systems give you limitless ways to collect registrant data and equally limitless ways to export it. We’re talking about data-driven name tags, certificates, attendee lists, surveys/evaluations and customized reports on everything from financials to how many registrants chose tuna versus chicken for that luncheon. And, if desired, the data can be exported as bar charts, pie graphs and more.
Two additional features further set apart complete registration solutions from basic systems. True solutions can ultimately be made to integrate with other software systems that can complement registration software, e.g., accounting, CRM and membership software. Sometimes, this involves customization, a second aspect of a complete system simply unavailable with more basic software. Customizations, such as devising a separate drop-down list of provinces for a Canadian client, can turn a customer’s wish-list functionality into another feature of the software.
If you would like to know more about registration software functionality or online registration software innovator ABC Signup, please contact us by e-mail or phone (866.791.8268) at your convenience.
Posted on Thu, May 02, 2013 @ 10:13 AM
Several years ago while working for a company with a unique, global brand, I got a tour of a then cutting-edge, award-winning, customer relationship marketing (CRM) program that my company hired to revolutionize the way it identified and marketed to its customers. After spending what later was determined to be too much time and money learning everything possible about our customers, the CRM initiative generated about a dozen distinct profiles of who buys and uses our product. These buyer personas, if you will, were to drive the company’s marketing efforts going forward.
For the “Nervous Nellies” – those who wouldn’t buy without their spouse’s approval – marketing might be skewed to include something enticing for the individual’s partner. For “Social Sallies” – the women who did their buying in “packs” – group-type offers could be pitched. I’m recreating lost memories here, but you get the idea. The company was able to segment its customers into pretty specific groups then create marketing campaigns tailored to each group’s wants, needs and behaviors.
Fast forward to today, and anyone engaged in marketing – yes, even those administering programs and events – can benefit from this type of intel-based marketing. Most of us don’t have a budget comparable to the program described above, but we can pursue our own “light” version.
Creating a potential customer profile could be as easy as adding a few more questions – to, say, your event or program registration form – to capture such characteristics as age, gender, profession and education. It might take a survey (as well as keen observation) to gather other key metrics, such as why/how they use your product, what their financial situation is and what factors (e.g., price, customer service, features) figure into their buying decision. It is important to apply this research to a sample of non-customers as well – you might discover a segment that you aren’t reaching, and perhaps the “why” behind the disconnect.
Depending upon the nature of your products or services, you could end up with any number of profiles. Concentrate on the handful most responsible for your sales, and develop your marketing around content, platforms and tactics that appeal to what you know about them.
Your communications to a 25-year-old, female med-school resident who doesn’t spend a lot of time making buying decisions might be a lot different from how you approach a 65-year-old male retiree – from the content and offer to the delivery system (e.g., e-mail versus direct mail). Your profile information allows you to speak more directly to your constituents, properly “place” your marketing efforts and even price your products and services closer to the buyers’ sweet spot.
The buyer data should add value to all of your marketing efforts. Internet marketing firm Hubspot advises that you strongly consider these buying personas when you create the content and design of your website. (Here is a free Hubspot template for creating buyer personas.) Even your products and services can benefit from being tweaked to better serve your buyers’ personas.
In a future blog, we’ll share some of the buyer personas we’ve developed to represent ABC Signup customers and prospects. You can tell us if any of our creations correspond with your approximate profile.
If you would like to learn more about buyers’ personas or CRM, we’ll share what we know before ultimately pointing you to other resources or Google. If you just want to know more about online registration software or ABC Signup, please e-mail or call us (866.791.8268x0).
Posted on Tue, Apr 30, 2013 @ 01:43 PM
You don’t have to be charismatic, a smarty jones or have some sort of street sense to strike the gold while picking the winner of the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby. You simply have to be an ABC Signup customer to win our package of Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs’ “swag.”
Whether you choose by winning colors or a brokers tip, it with be worth your while to determine which three-year-old colt will make a spectacular bid on the first Saturday in May (that’s this Saturday, by the way).
You’ll regret the foolish pleasure and unbridled excitement of watching the race unfold if you ponder your selection past the entry deadline of 5 p.m. Saturday, May 4. Yes, I could do this all day. (At this point, I’ve only used a baker’s dozen of the 138 Derby winners’ names.)
Don’t get shut out (14). Click this link to make your pick. Note that the entry list will be finalized Wednesday, May 1 at approximately 6 p.m. when the post positions are drawn, so you are more likely to pick an actual entrant if you wait until after the draw Wednesday to make your selection.
Posted on Thu, Apr 25, 2013 @ 03:01 PM
Even the most experienced program and event administrators fret the big day. Registrations may have worked flawlessly, the presentation rehearsal clicked, audio-visuals checked one-two and the venue wowed, but anything can happen on the day of the event.
To give yourself a little more big-day comfort, check-off your checklist (for the fifth time), brush your teeth and remember these 10 tips to make your event go as smoothly as possible.
1. Wear comfortable shoes.
Or at least mentally, put yourself in a comfortable place, because being relaxed will help you do a better job. And, you may be there a while.
2. Be earlier than early.
Make sure everything is good to go well in advance of start time. Double check the AV. Get a thumbs up from the caterer. Confirm that your speaker/presenter is in the building. Put some of those blue packets of Equal by the coffee. Be there to support other staff and…
3. Welcome guests.
Make a good first impression. Let them know you are happy to have them and value their business. Invite them to come to you at any time during the event should they have any issues or needs. Then…
4. Listen.
Is the venue too hot or too cold? Is the sound too loud or not loud enough? Is someone sneezing who doesn’t have access to tissues? Pay very close attention to your participants to make sure you are doing everything you can to make their experience awesome.
5. Smile until it hurts, and then keep smiling.
No matter how good or bad the presentation or venue or entertainment, your smile conveys a positive experience or, at the least, shows that someone confident and competent is in charge (which can be somewhat comforting if it’s a not-so-positive experience).
6. Never let them see you sweat.
Much like the above, if you show a crack in the armor, you can quickly give participants the impression that something is going wrong, even when they weren’t even aware of whatever got your attention. They probably didn’t know, for instance, that the blinds in the rear right window weren’t closed entirely during the video. We’ll add “Don’t forget to use deodorant” under this item just because it fits well and probably doesn’t deserve a separate callout.
7. Be prepared for last minute hiccups.
Bring extra items to help with any issues, from process-oriented materials like the agenda, remarks, presentations and even a backup laptop to all of the “other” stuff necessary for events. Things like: tissues for that person sneezing at table 12; scissors for the ribbon cutting; mints for your post-coffee breath; extra tape for the signage; or extra pens and paper for participants who forgot. If you administer events, you might want to prepare and bring an event emergency kit.
8. Keep the event on schedule.
Event folks more than earn their keep keeping to the event’s timeline. Start on time. Finish on time. Get in and out of your breaks. This is a challenge made easier if all presenting participants know the timeline in advance and know they will be kept to those timelines on the big day.
9. Leverage your registration tools.
If you have registration software like ABC Signup, pull it up on your laptop or mobile device to track attendance, check payments, send out thank you e-mails and more.
10. Stay late.
In your role, the event usually doesn’t end with the last agenda item. Personally thank any sponsors, speakers, participants and fellow staff members you can reach before they exit. Get feedback, if possible. See that any leftover food goes to a shelter. Clean up. Don’t forget your event kit, backup materials and anything others may have left behind. Turn out the lights on your way out.
Tips 11 through infinity are up to you, the event administrators that occasionally tune into this blog and surely can offer insightful expertise on this topic. Use the Comments section below to add you best “day of the event” tips for those running such programs.
As always, if you would like to know more about registration software and ABC Signup, please contact us by e-mail or phone (866.791.8268x0).
Posted on Tue, Apr 16, 2013 @ 09:35 AM
Not long ago, e-learning was a trend in itself, as it quickly (and virtually) transformed the delivery of education and training. Today, as workplaces and technology continue to evolve, experts suggest a number of trends will soon transform e-learning.
Once considered a nice optional tool, e-learning is now an integral component of education and training programs because of its ability to quickly package and present content to an audience anywhere at any time. Key developments stand to further increase its value.
Mobile devices, for instance, allow Internet training, communications and support to be delivered to students, employees and customers in remote areas. End users, per SHRM’s Seven Trends Expected to Influence Training in 2013, will soon learn on-the-go through highly flexible, mobile e-learning applications.
Research firm Gartner expects “gamification” – which applies game design techniques in non-gaming context – to alter and improve e-learning design. Gartner describes gamification as “a powerful tool to engage employees, customers and the public to change behaviors, develop skills and drive innovation.” (See our blog on gamification here.)
According to trainingindustry.com’s key trends for 2013, another vital development is the adoption of “Tin Can API” as the new industry standard for measuring e-learning design. They expect it to generate innovation in online training products and provide better measurement of their impact.
One particular theme runs common through many of the expert projections: the view that e-learning will evolve into more social and collaborative platforms.
It must – explains author and consultant Harold Jarche in his paper, What’s Working and What’s Not Working in Online Training – to keep pace with the training needs of complex jobs.
Some context: Jarche asserts that technology and global interconnectedness increase the complexity of work, especially as simple work becomes automated and complicated work is outsourced. While this complex and creative work gives organizations their unique competitive advantages, it is also difficult to replicate. Best practices are replaced by emerging practices. The work requires tacit knowledge, knowledge that is “better developed through conversations and social relationships,” says Jarche.
Jarche makes the point that as work becomes more dispersed and complex, training courses should at least be more collaborative and more accessible online. Social, collaborative learning networks also enable better and faster knowledge feedback loops.
Examples of this collaborative evolution already occurring in e-learning are the organizational forums and “communities” popping up online, or the Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) now being offered in Silicon Valley and higher education.
Those represent some of the more notable trends expected to impact e-learning in 2013 and beyond. If you have thoughts on these ideas or want to suggest e-learning trends you foresee, please post them in the Comments section directly below this blog.
If you would like to know more about e-learning, ABC Signup or registration software, feel free to contact us by e-mail or phone (866.791.8268x0).
Posted on Mon, Apr 15, 2013 @ 04:12 PM
In so many things you do online – bank, shop, play, etc. – you encounter some sort of registration and log in process. You might be ordering new ear buds from Amazon, checking on your 401-k or applying to become an Oscar Meyer weinermobile driver or Sports Illustrated body painting assistant.
In these and other instances, the registration and subsequent sign in experience has evolved to become relatively straightforward, consistent and near fool-proof (almost like ABC Signup). But with so many variations in our own experiences as registrants, we quickly pick up some things we like and don’t like in the registration and sign in process.
For instance, most of us prefer a registration form that’s well organized and fits on one (normal sized) page. We don’t want a form that asks for minimal information on each of multiple pages (like we’re incapable of handling it all at once), or a form that asks for so much information that the scroll bar is required. A hodge-podge of multiple required and non-required fields can trip up registrants. And, a form with data fields out of logical order tends to confuse the user and some auto-fill tools.
We enjoy sites that pat us on the back when we’ve completed that initial registration, whether via a confirmation e-mail or a thank you message on the page immediately after we clicked “submit,” “register” or “I can body paint.” Preferably, we get both types of confirmation.
We love the fact that most sites – after the initial set up and sign in – offer an option to remember our log in information. Those that don’t, typically for security reasons, usually offer a quick login/password recovery tool. Unfortunately, this in turn often requires creation of a new, even more forgettable password.
We prefer registration forms that work equally well with mobile devices and tablets. Again, simplicity is essential, as too many data fields won’t fit well on such devices. Also, we don’t like links or linked images placed near these fields, as some of us with bulbous fingertips tend to bump nearby links in the middle of the process and prematurely clear the form while jumping somewhere on the site we don’t really want to be.
We also like forms and sign-in pages that appear aesthetically pleasing yet 100% functional. With registration pages, form should follow function. Pages typically should look like the surrounding website. Over-design the form and you will run the risk of fewer registrations (“I must be on the wrong site”) or more erroneous submissions.
Finally, we expect registration and log in forms to work 100% of the time – on any browser and any platform. We really don’t like having to e-mail or call to report an issue and complete our submission – that’s part of the reason we were trying to do it online in the first place.
What are your preferences with regards to registration forms and log-ins? What do you like and dislike? We would greatly appreciate it if you would share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
If you would like to know more about ABC Signup or registration software, please contact us by e-mail or phone (866.791.8268x0).
Posted on Tue, Apr 09, 2013 @ 01:36 PM
With apologies to Pink Floyd, we do need education, if for no other reason than to help us identify double negatives. While we’re at it, it wouldn’t hurt to have a comprehensive listing of professional groups that focus on it. (Education, that is. A comprehensive list of groups focusing on Pink Floyd is for another day.)
A number of incredibly bright and forward-thinking organizations in the education industry deploy ABC Signup’s registration software to administer everything from professional development programs to special events to summer camps. With this blog, we continue our effort to serve as a resource for these customers – by highlighting some of the country’s top education-related resources.
One caveat: this listing provides summaries and links to resources other than school districts or school cooperatives. We proceeded on the assumption that blog readers already have relevant information about those entities. Also, because of the length of the listing, we’re saving post-secondary resources for another day (but not on Pink Floyd day).
If you want to bookmark this page, hit your browser’s bookmark tool while this page is open. If you have resources you would like to add to the listing, please post in the Comments section below and we will incorporate as appropriate (so that this can become an even more comprehensive listing). Credit to educationoasis, whose aggregation got this blog started.
Administration
U.S. Department of Education
This Fed department establishes policies for federal financial aid to education (and distributes and monitors the use of those funds), collects data on education, champions key issues and ensures equal access to education. Each state has its own department of education.
American Association of School Administrators (AASA)
AASA is a professional organization that advocates for the highest quality public education for all students, and develops and supports school system leaders. The AASA has affiliated relationships with 49 state organizations, so (unless you are in Hawaii) you will also find a sister organization at your state level (contact info here).
National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)
The NAESP serves elementary and middle school principals and other education leaders throughout the United States, Canada, and overseas. Each state has an affiliated organization.
National Association of Middle School Principals (NAMSP)
NAMSP provides a fraternal organization where middle level administrators can dialogue about common problems, programs, concerns and achievements.
National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
NASSP promotes excellence in middle level and high school leadership through research-based professional development, resources, and advocacy so that every student can be prepared for postsecondary learning opportunities and be workforce ready. Click on your state in this map to view the affiliated organization.
Art
National Art Education Association (NAEA)
The NAEA advances visual arts education to fulfill human potential and promote global understanding. Art instructors can find additional resources at their state-level associations.
Counseling
American Counseling Association (ACA)
The American Counseling Association is a not-for-profit, professional and educational organization that is dedicated to the growth and enhancement of the counseling profession. You can find additional counseling resources at the organization’s divisional, regional and statewide branches, linked here.
American School Counselors Association (ASCA)
The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) supports school counselors' efforts to help students focus on academic, personal/social and career development so they achieve success in school and are prepared to lead fulfilling lives as responsible members of society.
Early Childhood
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
NAEYC is the nation's largest organization of early childhood professionals. You can find state and other NAEYC-affiliated offices here.
National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE)
NAECTE promotes the professional growth of its members, advocates for early childhood education and provides a communication network and forum for the exchange of ideas.
English/Reading
American Library Association (ALA)
The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world, providing association information, news, events, and advocacy resources for members, librarians, and library users. Several divisions may offer resources more tailored to your needs.
International Reading Association (IRA)
The International Reading Association is a membership organization of literacy professionals (who by their acronym, aren’t well-read on Irish history). Click on this map to find your state’s affiliated reading association.
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
The National Council of Teachers of English is devoted to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. NCTE affiliates are listed and linked here.
Foreign Languages/ESOL
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is dedicated to the improvement and expansion of the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of instruction. ACTFL is an individual membership organization of more than 12,000 language educators and administrators from elementary through graduate education, as well as government and industry. Note: using your web browser’s search pane, type in your state’s name with “foreign language teachers’ association” and you will likely find a statewide association as a possible additional resource.
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL)
TESOL International Association’s mission is to advance professional expertise in English language teaching and learning for speakers of other languages worldwide.
Gifted/Special Education
Council for Exceptional Education (CEC)
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides professional development, advocates for individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice. You will find state units at this link. There are also divisional and special interests units of the CEC serving as additional resources.
National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
A non-profit, membership organization, NAGC invests all of its resources to train teachers, encourage parents and educate administrators and policymakers on how to develop and support gifted children. Click on your state on this map to find additional information about affiliated state and local associations.
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
NASET is the only national membership organization dedicated solely to meeting the needs of special education teachers and those preparing for the field of special education teaching.
Mathematics
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
The NCTM is the public voice of mathematics education, supporting teachers to ensure equitable mathematics learning of the highest quality for all students through vision, leadership, professional development, and research.
Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE)
AMTE is the largest professional organization devoted to the improvement of mathematics teacher education – it includes over 1000 members devoted to the pre-service education and professional development of K-12 teachers of mathematics.
National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM)
The National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM) is a mathematics leadership organization for educational leaders that provides professional learning opportunities necessary to support and sustain improved student achievement.
Physical Education/Health
National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE)
The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) is a 15,000-member, non-profit professional membership association that sets the standard for best practices in quality physical education and sport. It is the largest of the five national associations that make up the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). AAPHERD has six district-level associations that offer additional resources.
Research
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), a national research society, strives to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.
Science
American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)
AAPT is a strong professional physics science society dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in physical science education. Click on this map if you are interested in taking advantages of the resources of your local section of the AAPT.
National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT)
The National Association of Biology Teachers empowers educators to provide the best possible biology and life science education for all students.
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
The NSTA works with its 60,000 member to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. Here is a listing of state-level chapters of the NSTA.
Social Studies
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
The NCSS is the largest association devoted to social studies education. Its mission is to provide leadership, service, and support for all social studies educators. To find more localized resources, explore the NCSS associated groups and the NCSS affiliated councils (includes state and regional organizations).
Technology
Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT)
The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is a professional association of thousands of educators and others whose activities are directed toward improving instruction through technology.
Unions
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
The American Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, was founded in 1916 and today represents 1.5 million members in more than 3,000 local affiliates nationwide.
National Education Association (NEA)
The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education – from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.
Miscellaneous
Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI)
ACEI, a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization, is interested in sharing new approaches to the education of children and ensuring that these approaches are delivered in ways that enhance children's individual skills and abilities and provide opportunities for success in life.
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
ASCD is a membership organization that develops programs, products, and services essential to the way educators learn, teach, and lead.
National Middle School Association (NMSA)
A voice for those committed to the educational and developmental needs of young adolescents. NMSA is the only national education association dedicated exclusively to the growth of middle level education.
National PTA (PTA)
National PTA® comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools. You can find your state or local PTA’s website and contact information with a quick Internet search.
National School Boards Association (NSBA)
NSBA is a not-for-profit organization representing state associations of school boards and their member districts across the United States. NSBA achieves our mission by representing the school board perspective in working with federal government agencies and national organizations that impact education, and provides vital information and services to state associations of school boards throughout the nation. You can find your state-level school board associations here.
National Staff Development Council (NSDC)
NSDC is now Learning Forward, a membership organization that advances educator effectiveness and student results through standards-based professional learning.
If you would like more information about online registration software or ABC Signup, please contact us by e-mail or phone (866.791.8268x0). Don’t forget to use the Comments section to add useful resources we may have overlooked.
Posted on Thu, Mar 21, 2013 @ 07:31 AM
Decades ago, Mother Necessity – in order to achieve more efficient use of office space – gave birth to the cubicle. Fast forward to today, and one might find “mother” a tad disappointed by a certain aspect of cubicle-laden work environments – our manners.
Many of us, for instance, have labored in a cube farm infested with “prairie dogs” who pop up above the enclosures to communicate with each other. We’ve experienced those associates who eat their corn beef and cabbage in adjacent cubes. Or, we’ve tried to tune out the cubicle co-workers who listen to their favorite polka-rap music – aloud, over their computer speakers.
Too often, cubicles feature a parade of uninvited guests, less than pristine work environments, bosses that hover while a cube denizen is on a call, and more personal conversations than one would ever want to overhear.
This not-so-new phenomenon has generated enough angst to drive HR professionals, journalists and bloggers to pound out various rules of etiquette (even a quiz) for cube residents and their visitors. Most of their recommendations simply apply good manners to this different setting, things like:
- Your cube is a bit of a fish bowl. Keep your space clean, organized and work-oriented.
- Don’t talk over the top of cubicles, or answer a question you overhear across the room.
- Limit personal calls and be discrete. Avoid using the speakerphone setting altogether.
- Treat cubicles as offices and knock lightly or ask if it’s a good time to interrupt before entering.
- Don’t loiter around one’s cube if they are on the phone when you visit – come back later.
- Don’t read co-workers’ computer screens when visiting their cubicles.
- Cubicles make lousy meeting space. Schedule meetings elsewhere.
- Your cube shouldn’t offend the senses – be it sound (you, your computer, music), sight (décor) or smell (food, cologne, perfume, other).
Naturally, rules are subjective and by no means all-inclusive. That’s our polite way of saying the experts might have missed, or misstated, a few things.
For instance, setting out candy is supposedly taboo because it fosters lolly-gagging, but that fails to recognize the upside in morale and positive stimulation of say, Hershey’s minis (dibs on Mr. Goodbar).
Personalizing one’s space with photos is also a gray area – consensus suggests keeping it minimal and modest. We would offer some clarification: no pictures of cats, no photos from the beach, no Justin Bieber posters, and try holding off on the baby shots until six months to two years, when most tykes start looking cute to everyone else.
Personal calls, rightfully, are not recommended. We would take that a step further and propose a ban on certain subsets of personal calls, such as: calls to the radio station trying to win Styx tickets; calls with a mommy-parts doctor; phone fights with a spouse; booty calls; conversations with a grandmother who is hard of hearing; calls with a brother who wants to rehash the big game; calls with a lawyer, probation officer or spiritual advisor; and calls in which one talks about someone in a neighboring cube. (Yeah, like it was that hard to figure out who you were talking about, jerk-face.)
And then there’s the unwritten rule about not touching anything in someone else’s cubicle. Exceptions abound. For instance, what if the cube resident has a bowl of Hershey’s minis? Or, they display own one of those pendulum ball swings on their cube counter top. Or, that particular cube neighbor once replaced your family beach outing picture with a cast photo from Biggest Loser, and you are hungry for some payback.
Navigating the cubicle environment requires decorum and tact much different from the industrial age when one simply assembled as fast as possible in dim light, sweltering conditions, poor ventilation and a level of noise nearly impossible to talk over. It brings a whole new set of challenges – challenges we believe we can meet head on with common sense and helpful tips provided by blogs such as this.
If you would like to know more about cubicle etiquette, ask Mr. Manners sitting on the other side of my carpeted wall. If you would like to know more about registration software and ABC Signup, feel free to contact us by e-mail or phone (866.791.8268x0) at your convenience.
And as always, use the Comments section below to add your thoughts about cubicle etiquette, including any rules we might have missed, lessons from personal experience, etc.
Posted on Wed, Mar 20, 2013 @ 10:12 AM
Most registration software blends spreadsheet functionality with web authoring tools to allow users to create an online platform for sophisticated data management. That platform allows administrators to post event data, collect registrant data and record, track and communicate any subset or combination of each.
Typically, the data managed by registration software migrates into the system in one of three ways: administrators create it (e.g., event data); participants enter it at sign up (registrant data); or administrators import it. The latter is usually limited to spreadsheet-type files of contact information for registrants and prospective registrants.
Sometimes, however, a customer needs to import into their system registrants’ historical information and/or historical event information, perhaps to keep an accurate record for continuing education purposes. And, there are occasions when an administrator needs to migrate specific registrant data from one event to another.
Such challenges trip up a lot of registration software providers. Not ABC Signup. Our data migration services combine robust tools and expert consulting to move the data where administrators need it.
ABC Signup’s registrant import feature allows administrators to bulk import registration information using a spreadsheet template. The import can include basic contact information on each registrant and information on the event. Registrations can be uploaded into a simultaneously-created new event, or added into existing events. Even if the import is used to create a record of an event that occurred outside the ABC Signup process, administrators have the ability to mark registrants as attended as well as issue certificates.
Working within the system, administrators can now migrate registrant data from event to event more easily with ABC Signup’s enhanced transfer capability. This functionality enables the user to transfer all of the data tied to the event’s registration questions to another event with the same questions (or registration form). Prior, only basic registrant information could be transferred by the user from an original event to another.
On occasion, a customer can stump the system. That causes one of two things to happen with ABC Signup: 1) the development of a new or enhanced feature, like that mentioned above; or 2) a consultative arrangement in which our experts solve a specific issue without necessarily creating a new software feature. The latter typically occurs for something so specific and unusual that it doesn’t merit a system-wide software expansion.
If you would like to know more about our data migration capabilities – or are a prospect and want to know more about registration software and ABC Signup – please contact us by e-mail or phone (toll free at 866.791.8268 x0).
Posted on Wed, Mar 13, 2013 @ 03:21 PM
With hundreds of ABC Signup customers offering tens of thousands of events each year, our registration software provides a gateway to a multitude of diverse and interesting programs.
Sure, it serves up registrations to thousands of specialized offerings – such as continuing education for dental students, docent assemblies (look it up) and training on new HVAC equipment – that require prerequisite skills foreign to most of us. But, our system also helps administer online registrations for more than a few events that we wouldn’t mind signing up for ourselves, if we weren’t otherwise occupied.
Some of these events – such as “This Rots! Demystifying Compost” or “Self-Defense Against Edged Weapons” – sound edgy and cool at the same time.
Others appeal to those seeking a fun outlet for exercise or athletic competition. ABC Signup customers host physical activities such as runs/walks, indoor volleyball leagues, a variety of sports camps and yes, underwater sports.
Some events offer an interesting and entertaining day or night on the town. Activities at a planetarium, bus trips to flower shows, college outings to an away hockey game and an aviation camp that lets participants build and fly a hot air balloon are among the many not-something-you-do-everyday offerings of ABC Signup customers.
Educational programs abound with ABC Signup users, including more than a few in non-traditional classrooms that teach life skills. Registrants will find any number of nutritional, first aid, prenatal care and parenting workshops offered by our customers in the hospital/healthcare industry. Culinary schools provide a variety of cooking classes and camps. And one of the easiest means to lower those auto insurance rates is to enroll in a customer’s drivers training program.
Finally, if you are aiming for self-improvement, ABC Signup customers can likely provide guidance. Our users offer everything from health screenings to arts classes to foreign language instruction to tips on how to use an iPad.
The examples above represent a small fraction of the many unique programs and events created and presented by ABC Signup customers. Ideally, ABC Signup customers reading this blog will use the Comments section below to post examples of their cool, interesting, awe-inspiring or otherwise notable events.
If you would like to know more about ABC Signup or registration software, please contact us by e-mail or phone (866.791.8268x0). If you would like to know more about ABC Signup customers’ events, hopefully you’ll be able to learn by perusing the Comments section below.