The eternal question about technology has been first asked by sci-fi authors:
Is technology the surest sign that humanity is going to survive into the future or is technology going to be the end of humanity?
More recently the late Stephen Hawking also shares his worried about the future of mankind, stating that the end might be coming a lot sooner than expected as a result of our love of technology. While it would be unfair to dismiss technology as the evil of all root – after all, don’t you rely on technology right now to read this article? –, it is also important to be realistic about the use we make of it. For better or for worse, technology is a part of everybody’s life. Without denying the increasing risks of creating machines that capable of self-learning, it can be useful to explore how people can make technology a tool of self-improvement, rather than a gadget that thinks for you.
When still recently the news related fatalities as the result of self-driving vehicles, , it can be tricky to talk about safety in the car. However, it wouldn’t be fair to reject the idea that cars can’t be equipped to look after their passengers in the best possible way. In fact, modern vehicles are already packed with gadgets and high tech features that make sure to reduce the risk of accidents for drivers. The process of creating a driverless vehicle is still to reach a positive and satisfactory conclusion. However, you can expect current trials and errors to feed the inventions of tomorrow. The idea is that the mistakes of today can be the success of tomorrow, as long as it pushes people to become more innovative and adaptive. In the long term, in a world where all cars are driverless, mobility, traffic jams, and road rage could be eradicated from the planet.
Increasing kids curiosity
Does technology make people more intelligent? Perhaps not exactly. But tech gadgets can encourage user’s scientific curiosity. A child playing with remote-controlled toys can gain an interest in electronics. A child who is introduced to remote drones – you can find here the best beginner guide for drones – can explore the marvels of physics as well, as it’s a natural thing that to wonder how to toy can fly. There is no guarantee that every kid who plays with tech items will learn from them, but an early introduction can lead to a desire to find out more.
You might not be an IT genius, but there is no age to take on a hobby. Raspberry Pi, for instance, has developed a child-friendly computer to encourage the young generation to get creative. However, as more and more adults are buying starting kits and discovering a new passion, the world is flooded with cool and creative inventions. In 2017, a developer set with his Raspberry Pi a one-click button to start playing your favorite playlist – perfect for a children’s party.
Is tech a blessing or a curse? It’s an open question. But the introduction of technology into our lives has helped more and more people to learn new skills and improve their knowledge. In that sense, tech is indeed making us better.
There will be times in business when you find yourself feeling challenged, facing a difficult situation and being unsure how to resolve it. If you are facing such an issue for the first time, it can become overwhelming – even if you knew that such a challenge would one day occur, actually being confronted with the reality can be tougher to process than you experienced.
While all of these challenges can be difficult to cope with, perhaps the most difficult to deal with is your first dissatisfied customer or refund request. For most businesses, there is little to be gained in contesting this request – you will almost certainly lose the customer for good if you do – so, instead, you should focus on managing the process, and your response, as effectively as possible.
Preparing for your first dissatisfied customer
It is important to have a strategy for managing dissatisfied customers and associated refund requests in place before you actually experience such an issue for the first time. Good preparation ensures there are no unnecessary delays in managing the issue, which can help to ensure you have a chance of retaining that customer in the future. There are two particular considerations when preparing your strategy:
You must ensure you have the ability to issue refunds quickly and effectively, so take the time to read through guides on how to use BlueSnap or other popular payment gateways to issue refunds if you process payments online. Alternatively, if your business takes payments in cash, you will need to ensure you always have enough money set aside to offer refunds if requested.
You must also ensure that you have a “dissatisfied customer” strategy in place. By far the most important part of this strategy is the apology; even if the customer is at fault, you should always seek to apologize for their inconvenience. You may also want to consider offering a discount on their next purchase.
By preparing these two elements, when you do experience your first dissatisfied customer, you are ready and able to cope with the issue on a practical level.
Reacting to your first dissatisfied customer
With sound preparation behind you, this stage – putting your plans into action when faced with a dissatisfied customer – should be relatively simple: just activate the refund in a payment gateway or provide it in cash, then go through your strategy in terms of apologies and discount codes. The fact you have been able to do this quickly should mollify the customer, and the matter can be resolved.
The emotional side
With the customer content with the outcome, it may seem like you have your first dissatisfied customer experience behind you – but, for most entrepreneurs, there will be an emotional impact that can be difficult to process. A dissatisfied customer can shake your confidence, and you may even find yourself beginning to doubt how viable your business actually is.
if you struggle with this, try to keep the situation in perspective. Some customers will inevitably be dissatisfied with your business’ product or service; it’s a fact of business life. Try to see your first dissatisfied customer as a chance to test your prepared processes and nothing more serious than that. While it may be difficult to cope with emotionally, this will fade in time – and you’ll be all the better equipped to handle the same scenario in the future.
In conclusion
Your first dissatisfied customer is a challenge that all business owners must cope with at some point. By implementing the right practical preparation steps, and managing your own reaction, you should be able to move on to a brighter, more experienced business future.
Boosting your income is something you might want to do whether you want to put more money into your savings, go on more luxurious holidays, invest more, or simply have more disposable income. There are all kinds of reasons you might want to boost your income, but few people actually get started on the journey to doing it.
Boosting your income in various ways can help you to ensure you’re bringing in the maximum amount of money that you possibly can. Diversifying your efforts ensures you don’t rely on one sole source of income for cash, as that can make you feel insecure no matter how much money you’re making. What would you do if you lost your job, or had to take a pay cut? It’s always better to have back up plans and steady income streams working away in the background.
Here are some quick and incredible ways to boost your income that you might not have thought of before. Enjoy:
Change The Way You Think And Feel About Money
Instead of looking outside of yourself for ways to make more cash, look inside first. It can sound crazy to some, but changing the way you think and feel about money can make all the difference. Why? Because you literally rewire your brain to make smarter decisions based on money, see more opportunities and find more ways of receiving it. It’s honestly one of the best things you can do if you really want to boost your income.
Start examining the things you’ve always believed now, where you learned them (usually from your parents when you were young) and how you can dissolve them.
Rent Out A Room Or Your Driveway
If you have a driveway that you don’t use, or even a room in your home, it might be a good idea to rent it out. You can make money by barely lifting a finger this way. Alternatively, if you have another property or you just won’t be using yours for a few days, you can use Air B n B to rent it out and make even more cash.
Cashback sites are really great ways of getting money back for things that you would have purchased anyway. You simply click through to the site you want to shop with, and then make your purchase. The cashback site should track it, and after a few weeks, sometimes even months, the money will be paid into your account. It might not look like much when you first start making purchases, but it can really add up if you make sure you’re consistent with it.
Generate Passive Income
Passive income is one of the smartest ways you can make money. Passive income is the art of making money without swapping too much of your time. You pick a passive income stream, such as dropshipping or writing an ebook, work on it initially, and then you can continue making money with it while you sleep. You may need to perform maintenance and marketing depending on what you want to do, but it’s something you can easily do alongside your full-time job. There are so many ways of doing this, including using affiliate links, sites like Matchora and making YouTube videos. As mentioned before, the more diverse your income streams, the better.
Start An Online Store On The Side
Starting an online store on the side won’t take up too much more of your time, and you can sell things you already own that you don’t use or want anymore. You could even buy items wholesale especially to sell, although this will likely take up a bit more of your time if you want it to be successful. Some of the most popular sites for this kind of thing are eBay and Depop.
Become An Influencer
Becoming an influencer isn’t something you can do overnight, but if you make sure you’re consistent with your social media profiles, and that you post high-quality content aimed at a niche audience, you can build a following and get paid to do promotions and sponsorships. Instagram is a great platform for this.
Meet With Your Boss
If you’ve been with the same company for a while, meeting with your boss and asking for a pay rise could be the way to go. Just make sure you have a valid argument for why you should get the pay rise – you may need to be willing to go away and work on a few things they have suggested before asking for one again.
It’s your duty as a parent to teach your children a thing or two, from how to tie their shoelaces to letting them know the importance of going to bed on time, but they can teach you a few things themselves. Seriously, consider the reasons why in this article, and then pay special attention to what your children do and say at home. You will be surprised at what you might learn as a consequence.
Children can’t do everything
Your children will have skills and talents you can only dream of. But they aren’t good at everything. Some kids are great at sport; others have two left feet. Some children are wonderful with a paintbrush; others have no capacity to create more than an abstract blob. You can’t expect them to be good at everything they do, and the same is true to you.
Lesson: There will be times when your children will be reliant on you for help, and that’s okay. While you can teach them a few skills, you will also have to understand that no matter what you do, they will never be able to do everything. The lesson for you is this. You aren’t good at everything either. There will be times in business when you have to call in the professionals for help. This will help you get back to what you’re good at, without driving yourself crazy trying to master things that are beyond your talents.
Children are curious
If there’s one word your child says that is guaranteed to drive you crazy, it’s ‘why?’ Why do I have to go to bed? Why can’t I touch the radiator? Why is the sea blue? Why why why??? Your kids are curious. They want to understand the reason behind what you tell them. They want to know more about the world. They ask questions, not because they want to infuriate you (not all of the time anyway), but because they don’t understand, and they want to learn more.
Lesson: Don’t take things for granted. Always have the mindset to learn more. Why should you try new marketing techniques? Why are profits low? Why do your customers behave as they do? Ask the important questions. Speak to your employees, customers, and other business professionals. Don’t be afraid to ask ‘why’ if the answer can make or break your business.
Fitting in is important for children. They want to be accepted and recognised by family members and their peers. They try to fit in with groups at school. They create clans online when playing video games. They want to feel included, and they don’t like it when they feel isolated. It’s about having an identity, and it’s about having a purpose. It’s something we can all identify with.
Lesson: If you have team members working with you, ensure they feel included in your business. Don’t shut them out from important business matters. Listen to what they have to say. Ensure they are happy and part of the team, and not unhappy while sitting on the fringes. As your children create an identity with online gaming with clan tags and badges, do the same for your team with name and branded patches. Find out more about that here. It’s about fitting in, and your team will become more motivated and productive once they know you have included them in ‘your gang.’
Children have fun
After the rigors of the school day, your children understand the importance of letting off steam once they return home. They chill out on the sofa and watch tv. They play games with their friends outdoors. They probably tug on your arm asking you to join in with their play and games too. Yes, they will have to do homework occasionally, but they don’t let that get in the way of that little word called ‘fun.’
Lesson: Once your work has ended for the day, make time for fun in your life. It’s about your work-life balance, as your life will be too dull and serious if you overbalance it with the work side of things. Let off steam by hanging with your family or friends, take part in hobbies you enjoy, and relax in whatever way is appropriate for you. You may not be as young as you used to be, but you can be young at heart, following your children’s example by having more time for fun in your life. You would be a very boring dad otherwise!
Children take risks
Children show no fear, for good and bad. From riding their bikes down rough terrain to plucking up the courage to asking people to play games with them, they take risks on a daily basis. Yes, they might get hurt, and yes, they may face rejection, but more often than not, they don’t let these consequences hinder their risk-taking.
Lesson: Don’t confuse risk with recklessness. You see, your children can fall prey to the latter, especially when hurtling down hillsides on their bikes. But you can make calculated risks. Provided you have done your homework, you know what risks are worth taking for your business. It may be investing in a new piece of technology or trying a new marketing strategy, as examples. And if you do come a cropper? Learn from the experience, as your children do when they make mistakes. Sometimes, you need to take risks to grow as a person and to grow your business.
Children are creative
Children are naturally creative, especially when playing. Making a fort from your laundry, or creating a rocket ship with the items out of your recycling bin, their creativity holds no bounds. They use their imagination by using what they have in front of them. And while video games have taken over in recent years, they are still no substitute for the world’s your kids can dream up in their heads.
Lesson: In business, you need to be creative. When you don’t have a lot of money to play with, you need to find creative ways to market your business on a limited budget. When you’re trying to outdo your business rivals, you need to be creative in the ways you attract your customers. You need to think outside of the box, use your imagination, and trust your instincts when coming up with ideas. Tried and tested methods are all well and good, but they are no substitute for what may come from your own imagination.
Finally
Business isn’t child’s-play. You do have to behave like a grown-up. But you can still learn from your children and the way they interact with the world. They can teach you how to run your business, and can provide an example on what not to do as well. So, talk to your kids, watch what they do, and consider what you might be able to learn from them. Then let us know what lessons you have learned as a consequence. Thanks for reading.
Technology is changing everything in our lives, including transport. Every week there is something in the media about the progress that is being made. With most countries now having a time limit on the use of petrol and diesel cars, finding other modes of transport is a problem that many developers are trying to solve.
Electric Road Vehicles
Electric vehicles for the roads could be one solution, and they are already here. As more charging points are being installed, more people are turning to electric vehicles. They are quieter and more economical. The first best-seller will be the one that comes up with a way of making the charge last a lot longer than they do at the moment.
Self-Driving Vehicles
There has been a race among vehicles makers to be the first to produce a safe self-driving vehicle, and many of them are in the late stages of development. Unfortunately, there have been several high profile crashes that have not inspired the confidence of the public. So far, these crashes have involved self-drive cars, but how much worse could they have been if the self-drive vehicle is a bus, for example, like the one Mercedes are developing.
Concept Planes
Taking to the sky’s to get out of the heavy traffic in the big cities is a dream many people have when they are sitting in the rush hour each morning. Several solutions are being offered for this one, including the Volante Vision Concept being developed by Cranfield Aerospace in partnership with Rolls Royce and Aston Martin. Flying cars is another option, although the development of those is in its very early stages. Toyota is just one of the companies looking at this possibility.
Monorails
Monorails are not a new technology, but the autonomous SkyTran is. It can cut a two-hour car journey to just 10 minutes because of its 155 mph capabilities. This high=tech system will predict where and when extra pods are needed and will make sure they are there at that time. Using it is easy too. You just go to a station, punch in the destination you want to reach and it assigns you to a pod that is heading there.
Unlike railways stations, the stations needed for SkyTran are quite small, so building plenty of them will not be such a huge challenge.
Hyperloops
Hyperloops are still a dream at the moment but there are two companies racing to be the first success with them. They involve pods traveling through tunnels by speed as much as 500mph. They will make travel quicker, more efficient and as they will be in an enclosed environment, will not have delays caused by the weather.
Reusable Rockets
Reusable rockets have attracted much media attention in the last few months, but as yet it is not certain how many people would actually use them. Elon Musk has said he wants to use them to land people on Mars in just 9 years time, but at the moment there is some doubt if people will want to travel on the first few. They need to see they are safe first of all, and that they are not just abandoned on Mars.
These are just some of the likely vehicles for the future. There will no doubt be many more, some we will love and some we ill hate, but that will not stop the developers from having a go.
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