Atlantic Business Technologies, Inc.

Category: Strategy & Design

  • 25 Cheers for 25 Years of Delivering Innovative Technologies

    25 Cheers for 25 Years of Delivering Innovative Technologies

    Atlantic BT was founded on September 14th in 1998, just 10 days shy of the almighty Google.  While we may not have grown to Google’s size (yet!), we take great pride in the fact that we have been in the game for as long as the most popular search engine in the world. Our founding belief was in the power of technology to shape the future, and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing for the last 25 years – delivering innovative technologies. 

    What better way to commemorate our journey than by raising 25 cheers for all 25 years that we’ve spent transforming technology? Let us take you on a journey through the remarkable milestones that shaped Atlantic BT into the powerhouse it is today. 

    1. Cheers to the beginning. 

    One of our very first projects was building software to help medical offices process prescriptions faster. An innovative idea for new technology 25 years ago, that’s become a real game-changer today for doctor’s offices and patients alike.   

    2. Cheers to surviving Y2K.

    As the new millennium approached, there was widespread fear among computer experts and financial analysts about the potential chaos that could ensue from transitioning from a two-digit year ’99 to ’00. The worry extended to various computer systems, including those used for airline reservations, financial databases, and government operations. Spoiler alert, nothing happened! 

    3. Cheers to free resources like The Wayback Machine. 

    Internet Archive, a nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, launched the Wayback Machine in 2001. It allows users to view previous versions of websites and observe their appearance at different points in time. Here is a link to their search engine. Type your website into the search bar to check out what your own site looked like “way back in time”. 

    4. Cheers to making everyday business better. 

    It’s clear we’ve been laser focused on our mission from the very beginning. In 2002 our website read:  

    Now that the dust is beginning to settle, it is more obvious that the real future of the Internet is not replacing regular business but making regular business better. That’s what Atlantic BT does. We make everyday business better.

    5. Cheers to Tom, everyone’s first social media friend.

    Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe first introduced the world to social media with MySpace. The platform launched on August 1, 2023 and was the first social networking service to reach a global audience. “Tom” was everyone’s first friend on the platform. 

    6. Cheers to building trust with reputable brands, like NC State University. 

    In 2004 Atlantic BT launched a new version of our website, where we highlighted the work we were doing with NC State University – the largest four-year university in the state of North Carolina. 

    7. Cheers to being the hostess with the mostest. 

    Atlantic BT has been and remains a leader in providing secure, reliable web hosting services. 

    “I started with ABT in 2005 and have been consistently happy with the service. It’s been fun to watch ABT grow alongside my company.” – Andy Jones, Founder & Managing Director of Private Equity Info.  

    8. Cheers to innovating technology with the cloud.

    In 2006, Amazon launched Amazon Web Services, which is now the world’s most broadly adopted cloud. Cloud computing provides a huge cost savings to businesses and Atlantic BT is proud to help our clients with the shift to the cloud as a Select Tier AWS Partner. 

    9. Cheers to blogging.

    There are currently 500+ articles on our blog where we share our knowledge and learned experiences with our users. Our very first article was published on August 15, 2007 and featured advice from our CEO and Founder, Jon Jordan. 

    10. Cheers to forging long-time client relationships.

    In 2008 we launched a newly revamped website for Training Industry, a leading source of information on the business of learning. They needed a more robust CMS to allow them to add additional functionality to their website. Atlantic BT delivered that and more, as Training Industry remains one of our most loyal clients to date. Our gratitude is immeasurable. Thanks Training Industry! 

    11. Cheers to interactive website design. 

    In 2009 we created a fun way to display our newest work on our website. Users could click to “open” a folder and see what we were up to. 

    12. Cheers to tablet computing. 

    On April 3, 2010 Apple released its newest invention, the iPad, pushing tablet computing into the mainstream.

    13. Cheers to The Drupal Association.

    Drupal is an open-source CMS supported by The Drupal Association, a non-profit organization. Drupal 7 is one of the longest-running versions of Drupal to date. It was released on January 5, 2011 and nearly half of all Drupal websites are still running on Drupal 7. As the saying goes though, all good things must come to an end as Drupal 7’s EOL date has been set for early 2025.  

    14. Cheers to leveling the funding playing field.

    Passed in 2012, the JOBS Act loosened some of the regulations around investing, making it easier for companies to raise money through equity crowdfunding. Plus, it gave innovators of all types and sizes an opportunity to make their ideas a reality. Kickstarter became a household name by the end of 2012 when a smartwatch company crowdsourced over $10M in funding. 

    15. Cheers to building great website + long-term partnerships.

    Since its inception in 1932, the American Board of Dermatology has certified over 15,000 physicians in dermatology and dermatopathology. In 2013 they partnered with Atlantic BT to overhaul their website with a fresh, updated look. They also tasked us with building a membership portal, which we continue to support today. 

    16. Cheers to building a “work hard and play hard” culture.

    Building a company that people love to show up to everyday has always been important to Atlantic BT. In 2014, our website read “our guys and girls work hard to deliver amazing results but we are careful to create a balance of work, fun, and professional development”. And we were clearly diggin’ that new scooter trend in 2014… 

    17. And cheers to receiving awards for that culture.

    The Triangle Business Journal awarded Atlantic BT with the 2015 Best Places to Work award. It was our third time winning it in four years. Click here to read how our CEO, Jon Jordan, worked to build an award winning culture. 

    An amazing culture is more important to me than any other measure of business success, including how much revenue we generate.” – Jon Jordan, Atlantic BT Founder & CEO

    18. Cheers to the release of Figma.

    When building websites for our clients, we need to be able to share our early ideas with them before we get too far into the development process. Released in 2016 as a web application, Figma allows designers and developers to work together to build and fine-tune user interface designs in real-time. And to easily share these early ideas with our clients via a web browser, unlike prior UI design programs that came before it.  

    19. Cheers to solving tough challenges.

    “Your Toughest Challenges Are Where We Begin”. This was the welcome message on our homepage in 2017. It was a time where many organizations were making the shift from manual business processes to automated ones. Businesses were struggling to adapt to new technology and integrate all of their systems to work together. We enjoy a good challenge and learned this is where we shine. We’ve been very fortunate that so many companies have trusted with their biggest tech challenges. 

    20. Cheers to our fearless leader, Matt Lemke. 

    In late 2018 Atlantic BT’s CEO & Founder, Jon Jordan, approached our Chief Operating Officer, Matt Lemke, about assuming leadership of the company. Matt began working as a web developer with Atlantic BT in 2005 and then went on to serve as IT Director and VP of Technology. Today, he still serves as President while Jon Jordan remains Atlantic BT’s CEO and is still very active in the company. 

    21. Cheers to one of the largest software acquisitions in history.

    Atlantic BT has been very fortunate to work as a trusted partner of Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of enterprise open source solutions. In 2019, Red Hat joined forces with IBM in one of the largest software acquisitions in history. 

    22. Cheers to redesigning websites.

    In 2020 we launched the current version of our website, making it the 16th design in our website’s history. Redoing our own website so many times, we know this is where we thrive- building complex websites. Websites that handle large amounts of traffic and content. Our clients aren’t building their websites for the first time, but rather require improvements / redesigns for the 3rd, 4th, 5th generation of their original site. 

    23. Cheers to creating progress people love.

    Creating progress people love has been our mantra for a few years now. It means putting our customers, and our customers’ customers, as the center of our efforts. Understanding their needs, desires, and pain points, and designing innovative technology that solve their problems and improve their lives. It means creating progress that resonates with them on an emotional level, and engaging with them in a way that builds trust and loyalty. This type of customer-centric thinking has been what’s kept our business thriving with such a loyal client base. We cannot express in words how grateful we are, but that’s not going to stop us from trying. Thank you, thank you, thank you.   

    24. Cheers to setting milestones for general aviation.

    In September of 2022, General Aviation Modifications Inc. (GAMI), received approval from the FAA on an expansion of a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) that would allow their unleaded fuel to be used by the entire general aviation fleet. The approval came after more than 12 years of testing by the FAA to ensure the fuel was safe for general aviation. We worked with GAMI to digitize the STC generation process. We are so honored to have been a part of this momentous milestone. 

    25. Cheers to ChatGPT and the mainstreaming of artificial intelligence. 

    While 2023 marks a huge milestone for Atlantic BT, it will also go down in history as a monumental year for innovative technology with the launch of ChatGPT. Artificial intelligence is going to completely change the way we live and work. It’s the beginning of a new era in technology and as an organization that’s helping other businesses build and adapt to AI, we’re so excited to have a front row seat to history in the making. 

    The journey to 25 years has been exhilarating. And it’s only the beginning. We plan to keep pushing boundaries and breaking barriers to develop innovative technologies that simplifies the lives of every client we touch. 

    If you want to get in touch, click here to start the conversation. 

    Cheers!  

  • The ChatGPT Effect: Why Your Company Needs an AI Strategy and Practical Use Cases for Getting Started. 

    The ChatGPT Effect: Why Your Company Needs an AI Strategy and Practical Use Cases for Getting Started. 

    When OpenAI launched ChatGPT, the world suddenly couldn’t stop talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI). In the months after it launched, millions of people used it to write songs, apply for jobs, and even win the lottery (so claims a man in Thailand). With the general population paying such close attention to ChatGPT, it underscores the importance of an AI strategy for businesses operating in today’s digital age.

    Yet AI is no spring chicken. Scientists first began talking about an “artificial brain” in the 1940s, with 1956 credited as the year artificial intelligence was officially founded. 

    So how, nearly 70 years later, was ChatGPT able to finally mainstream AI and set off such a huge cultural phenomenon?  

    ChatGPT: The AI Strategy Wake-Up Call.

    ChatGPT was able to generate text that better resembles human speech and engages in conversations with people in a manner that we haven’t seen with any other system that came before it. 

    Some argue its impact could be internet-scale disruption. 

    Yet, so many businesses are still in a state of uncertainty, without any formal plan for how they will implement an AI strategy into their operations. AI is complex and constantly evolving. So it’s understandable how half of US businesses still don’t have a plan for how they’ll use it. Plus, it’s so new that many business leaders aren’t even sure of who to turn to for help (btw, we can help 😉). 

    It seems unfathomable that 30 years ago businesses would have been scratching their heads, wondering if they really need this new internet thingy. 

    Yet that’s where we are right now with artificial intelligence.

    In this article, Bill Gates reflects back to mid-2022 when he challenged OpenAI to pass an Advanced Placement Biology exam. He thought it would take them a few years. They finished in a few months. So, yes, your business absolutely needs an AI strategy.  

    Atlantic BT has been building websites, improving software applications and managing cloud services for 25 years. That’s more than two decades of experience using the same kind of strategic thinking and creative development required for AI. 

    We thought we’d use some of that knowledge and experience to help other business leaders try to understand where and how they could use AI to improve their operations. And if you need help implementing any of these ideas, reach out to Atlantic BT to help you create an AI strategy that is right for your business. 

    Transforming Business Operations with AI: Practical Use Cases Across Departments

    AI can help businesses to streamline their operations, enhance customer experiences, improve their current products or services, or even create entirely new revenue streams. Examples of the latter require more specific conversations, as every business is unique in the products and/or services they offer. 

    But one thing most businesses have in common are the departments necessary to support their operations, such as accounting and human resources.

    Most of us have already recognized the power of automating some of the mundane processes of these supporting departments. Now with AI we can also pass on some of the analyzing and decision making as well. These use cases offer some great starting points for crafting your own AI strategy.

    AI in Accounting: Enhancing Cash Flow Management and Financial Forecasting. 

    One of the most significant benefits of AI is its ability to identify patterns in large data sets that would be impossible for any human to comprehend. 

    With Accounts Receivable, for example, AI can predict when invoices are likely to be paid based on each customer’s history of settling invoices. And similarly, it can predict what might not be paid. Thus, the business can focus their AR efforts where they’re needed most. With AI, businesses can better manage their cash flow and plan their own spend. 

    And how about with auditing? The primary objective is to ensure accuracy and compliance in financial statements. Traditionally, auditors review a subset of transactions, which leaves room for errors and missed anomalies. However, with AI every single transaction can be reviewed. And in real time, allowing businesses to identify potentially risky transactions before they happen.

    Businesses can also use AI with financial forecasting and budgeting. These algorithms can analyze historical data and make accurate predictions about future outcomes. This enables businesses to forecast demand, optimize inventory levels, and make informed decisions based on predictive insights. So, why not kickstart your AI strategy by using it to shape your company’s financial future?

    AI in Human Resources: Refining Recruiting Efforts and Analyzing Productivity. 

    Human Resources is another department that will benefit from an AI strategy. Businesses can use AI to better refine their recruiting efforts. It can track and analyze hiring conversion rates, thus identifying the organization’s most successful recruiting strategies. 

    AI can also help businesses track and analyze employee productivity. It can determine how much time employees are spending on certain tasks and also predict where bottlenecks are most likely to occur. Managers can better identify areas for improvements and detect issues before they become a significant problem.  

    AI in Marketing: Enhancing User Experiences and Analyzing Advertising. 

    User experience and customer service enhancements are likely the most recognizable forms of AI, even prior to ChatGPT. Anyone who shops online has likely encountered and even used a “live chat” feature. 

    Ecommerce businesses use AI to recommend products that align with customers’ learned interest. If you have a social media account, you’ve probably witnessed businesses implementing AI strategies with their advertising efforts.   

    Speaking of social media, AI can help businesses to create content for their posts and ads. As well as your website, brochures, product descriptions, etc. Really, any department could benefit from AI to create content – emails and reports, policies, proposals. Want to get started now? Check out the new Chat feature from Microsoft Bing, it’s free.   

    AI can also help your marketing department to better analyze how well your advertising strategies are working. At Atlantic BT, our campaign conversions from Google Ads and Social Media are already integrated with our Salesforce CRM, creating some very insightful reports. But we still have to interpret that data ourselves. 

    By leveraging AI-powered analytics, organizations can make data-driven decisions, identify patterns and trends, and uncover hidden opportunities for growth.

    Getting Your AI Strategy Started: Assessing Processes and Identifying Opportunities

    Now that you have some ideas for what Artificial Intelligence can do for your supporting departments, it’s time to begin crafting an AI strategy for your business.  

    Step one is the same as it would be when implementing any other type of technology solution. You should begin by assessing your current business processes and identifying where AI could make a significant impact. Consider how AI can streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, or even create entirely new revenue streams. 

    In the tech world, we can this step the discovery phase. 

    Discovery is a crucial first step that builds the foundation for design, development, implementation and maintenance. Partnering with a team experienced in AI strategy development will be extremely valuable. Additionally, collaborating with experts to understand the possibilities and limitations will help you develop a roadmap that best aligns with your goals.

    Partnering with an AI Consultant 

    Implementing an AI strategy for your business can be a complex and challenging endeavor. Partnering with a firm, like Atlantic BT, can provide the expertise, guidance, and support needed to ensure successful implementation. 

    Even if you aren’t sure what you want to do, but you just know that you don’t want to be left off the AI train, let’s still schedule a call. 

    We can help you to flush out your business goals, acknowledge your pain points, and identify opportunities for improvement. This will help you better prioritize AI use cases and define clear objectives for your AI strategy.

    Click here to book a consultant with the Atlantic BT team. 

    We’re excited for what the future of our own business operations look like with the AI enhancements we have planned at Atlantic BT. And we know it will be just as exciting to partner with other business leaders to do the same for their organizations. 

    Atlantic BT

    Great organizations, from startups to enterprise, have trusted Atlantic BT since 1998 to design, develop, and secure their most important web projects. We deliver mission-critical technology and build powerful experiences that drive organizations to achieve their goals. And we’re doing the same with artificial intelligence. Check out the Our Work section of our website. Here you can read through some case studies of technology we’ve developed for clients across many different industries like ecommerce, nonprofits, higher education, and more.

  • Unleashing the Power of Cloud with Atlantic BT’s Select Tier AWS Partnership

    Unleashing the Power of Cloud with Atlantic BT’s Select Tier AWS Partnership

    Welcome to the future of cloud computing, where we, as a Select tier AWS partner, are ready to take your business to new heights. Our partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) is more than just a badge—it’s a testament to our commitment to delivering top-tier cloud solutions to our clients.

    The AWS Partner Network (APN) Advantage

    Being part of the AWS Partner Network (APN) is a significant achievement. The APN is a global community of partners who are committed to helping customers build, market, and sell their AWS offerings. This includes a wide range of services from storage and databases to analytics and machine learning.

    As a Select tier partner, we’ve proven our expertise in AWS services. We’ve passed rigorous certification processes and demonstrated our ability to deliver effective solutions. We’re not just experts—we’re trusted professionals with a track record of success.

    Take, for example, our work with Mutual Drug – a billion-dollar business that supplies more than 500 pharmacies with over 25,000 drugs and other items. With a business model completely dependent on online transactions, Mutual Drug recognizes the importance of superior network reliability and Amazon Web Services’ position as the leader in this space. Several years ago, we helped Mutual Drug to create a scalable and fault-tolerant hosting solution on Amazon Web Services. 

    Delivering Success with AWS Partner Led Business Support

    Our partnership with AWS extends beyond the Select tier. We’re also part of AWS’s Partner Led Business Support program. This program enables us to provide our customers with extensive technical support, ensuring their AWS solutions are optimized for their specific needs.

    We’re here to help you navigate the complexities of the cloud. Our team of certified professionals will guide you through every step of your cloud journey, from initial consultation, to ongoing support, and through your first production incident. We’re committed to delivering solutions that drive your business success and keep you secure.

    Why Choose a Select Tier AWS Partner?

    As a Select tier partner, we’ve met specific requirements set by AWS, including extensive training and a proven track record of customer success. But we’re not just a partner—we’re a proven, endorsed team of cloud professionals.

    It’s tempting to chalk up this success to simply choosing the right technology and capabilities to master, then implementing these solutions for our clients.  But the truth is, we got here because of the effectiveness and empathy of our team. How they creatively approach problems, while collaborating with clients, matters. 

    To really delight clients, you need more than intelligence and expertise. You need a spirit of cooperation that listens closely to a client’s unique situation. That is the inspiration to design an inclusive process to craft, test, and optimize technology. 

    The Future is in the Cloud

    The benefits of cloud computing are extensive. From increased efficiency to cost savings, the cloud is transforming the way businesses operate. As a Select tier AWS partner, we’re at the forefront of this transformation. We’re not just delivering cloud solutions—we’re building the future.

    Ready to Elevate Your Business?

    Are you ready to take your business to the next level with AWS? As a Select tier AWS partner, we’re here to help. Contact us today to learn more about our AWS services and how we can help you achieve your business goals.

  • Why We Included User Interviews in Our Website Improvement and So Should You

    Why We Included User Interviews in Our Website Improvement and So Should You

    Websites are not static objects, they need to scale and change as your company grows. Before long, websites can become stale, outdated and accumulate technical debt if left unattended. Therefore, website improvement needs to be a regular part of every company’s business practices. It can be difficult to know what parts of the website needs improving or agree internally which parts should be changed. User Interviews can be a big help in deciding where your organization should focus its improvement efforts.

    You Don’t Know Until You Ask

    Atlantic BT recently decided it was time to update the website to reflect our change and growth and reflect the needs of our users. Like many companies, our internal stakeholders had differing opinions on how the website should be redesigned. As a B2B business, we want to make sure our website is a pleasant experience for the people that make the decision to use our services. We weren’t sure any of our ideas for the website would actually accomplish that. 

    The solution may seem obvious, but the best way to find out what problems, desires and goals your customer has when interacting with your website is to ask them. So we did.

    How We Did It

    We didn’t just throw out a survey to a bunch of clients and website users either. That kind of research will tell you whether they like your website or not, but not why. So the results still wouldn’t help much with how to change your website. We asked five of our clients to do a user interview, a user experience method where researchers conduct one-on-one sessions with users to ask questions about a product or website. You can include either established clients or potential users within the same demographic as your clients, although you will get differing results. 

    Established clients will be able to tell you what they love about your company/product/service and whether your site represents that well. Potential clients can give you a fresh perspective on your website. They can tell you whether it is understandable right away without any background knowledge. 

    During our user interviews, we gave our clients tasks to complete and spoke aloud as they walked through the website, revealing what they did and didn’t like about it.

    Users Provide a Valuable Perspective

    Clients and customers can offer feedback with unique insights that may have never crossed your mind. During our user interviews, we found out from our clients that the navigation and content around our services was overly technical, which overwhelmed them. It turns out, our services really only made sense to people who work in the technology industry, which only make up a small percentage of our clients.

    Previous Atlantic BT website menu, included a lot of terms users did not understand.

    “I really think you should dumb down this menu with easier to understand terms. I don’t know what ‘application development’ is”

    Atlantic BT Client

    On the home page, users either skipped over the Services content altogether or had a few choice words about it.

    “I wouldn’t read this section the way it is now,” one participant said.

    “I probably wouldn’t spend too much time on this,” said another participant.

    Users skipped over Atlantic BT’s Service section on the home page.

    To fix the problem, we restructured our menu and service offerings to include more user-friendly verbiage. We organized our services by user needs, by our expertise, and by technology that we use. 

    User Interviews Can Align Team Members

    It’s very compelling to see first-hand what your clients, users, or customers think about your website. Having direct quotes makes the issues that they bring up difficult to ignore. When shared with team members, their insights can help get your team to understand problems with the website, prioritize and follow through with the plan.  

    After our user interviews, our team was able to come up with a strategy for the services on our website. Our new services section used more straightforward terminology and simplified the number of services to key ones that our clients understood.

    Atlantic BT’s new Services section after including user research.

    Summary

    When you work in an industry for a long time, it can be easy to forget what is common knowledge and what isn’t. This can make it difficult to know whether the content on your website is understandable or usable. When in doubt, it’s always a good idea to ask your clients for their opinion. Conducing User Interviews as part of your research has the following benefits for websites:

    • Determine if your messaging is resonating with your audience. 
    • Pinpoint specific problems in the website that need to be addressed
    • Discover if information is findable, intuitive and engaging. 
    • Align members of your team to what changes should be made.

    Contact Atlantic BT

    Annie Tudora has a Master’s degree in User Experience Design with years of industry experience to match. If you’re interested in learning how Annie’s expertise could help you build a more user-centric website, let’s chat. User interviews are a great place to start.

  • How User Experience Can Make Or Break Your Website

    How User Experience Can Make Or Break Your Website

    User experience, or UX, refers to the overall experience that a user has while interacting with a website. It encompasses everything from the website’s layout and design to its functionality, responsiveness, and ease of use.

    Navigating a website without a lot of effort or difficulty. No fuss, no muss. That’s an exceptional user experience. 

    In this blog post, we’ll explore what user experience is, why a great user experience is important in web development, and what you should do to get right.

    What is User Experience?

    User experience is all about creating a positive experience for the user. It involves designing a website that is easy to navigate, has a clear and intuitive layout, and provides users with the information they need. 

    Good user experience goes beyond just giving customers what you think they want. According to Nielsen Norman Group, world leaders in research-based user experience, to achieve high-quality user experience, there must be a seamless merging of engineering, marketing, graphical and industrial design, and interface design. 

    Additionally, a website that prioritizes user experience can help to build trust, increase customer loyalty, and ultimately drive sales.

    How Does a Poor User Experience Impact a Website Visitor?

    Simply put, poor user experience will make visitors leave. If a website is difficult to use, slow to load, or doesn’t provide users with the information they need, visitors are likely to leave and look for alternatives. 

    According to a recent study shared by Medium, 46% of website users studied will leave a website if they cannot immediately determine what the company does. Being unable to find the company’s contact information was the second reason website users abandoned a site, followed by poor design and navigation. 

    Poor user experience can and will damage a company’s brand perception and reputation. Thus leading to a loss of potential customers and revenue.

    How to get User Experience right? 

    A study by Forrester Research determined that with a great user experience, a website can achieve conversion rates of up to 400%! The following factors are crucial to get right for a great user experience on a website:

    1. Navigation – A website’s navigation should be clear, easy to understand, and intuitive. Users should be able to find the information they need quickly and easily.
    2. Content – Content should be well-written, easy to understand, and relevant to the user’s needs. It should also be presented in a way that is visually appealing and easy to read.
    3. Load Time – A website should load quickly to provide users with a seamless experience. Slow load times can lead to frustration and cause users to leave the site. Here are a few tips for improving website speed.  
    4. Responsiveness – This means ensuring that the website scales on different browser sizes and looks great on different devices. Mobile devices are now beating out desktop users, accounting for 52% of global website traffic.   
    5. Accessability – A website should be usable by everyone, including those with disabilities. This involves having proper tagging and descriptions on elements and compatibility with assistive browsing devices. Accessible designs lend benefits to everyone, for example, subtitles on a video help those watching in loud spaces. Here’s an article that covers more detail on website accessibility. 

    How can Atlantic BT help improve website user experience? 

    Every single project at Atlantic BT begins with what we call the discovery phase. Here we’re focused on the problems that need to be solved, which leads naturally to understanding your users and their needs. The discovery phase is led by members of our team who hold masters degrees in user experience, and have years of practical experience to back up their training. 

    Our discovery phase includes a very strategic process for ensuring we get the overall user experience right. We conduct stakeholder interviews and user interviews to best understand the needs of both the company and their target audience. The user alignment process helps us to visualize the commonality between stakeholders and their users. 

    We then develop user personas, the most crucial part of the UX research process. User personas will help our team empathize and plan for a range of user needs and preferences. With a clear understanding of the users, our designer and developers will create a user experience that maximizes engagement and satisfaction. 

    The work we did with the North Carolina Department of Revenue is a great example of how Atlantic BT helps organizations to improve their website’s user experience.  

    The NCDOR offered 13,000 PDFs of documentation on their website in an effort to assist citizens with understanding their tax requirements. However, their office was overburdened with phone calls from citizens asking for this exact information the agency had available online. The problem was poor user experience. Without good information architecture, navigation and searchability, the average citizen couldn’t find the information they were looking for. 

    Once we launched their new website, the NCDOR noticed an instant impact. Call volume reduced, web usage increased and users began to prefer filing their taxes electronically. Read the full case study. 

    The Bottom Line: Website User Experience will Impact a Company’s Bottom Line

    In conclusion, user experience is an essential component of a website’s success. By prioritizing user experience, businesses can create a website that not only looks good but also meets the needs and expectations of its users. 

    A great user experience can help to increase customer satisfaction, encourage repeat visits, and ultimately drive business growth. According to the same study from Forrester Research mentioned above, every single dollar invested in UX returns an average of $100 to the bottom line overtime. 

    Contact Atlantic BT

    The North Carolina Department of Revenue is just one of many examples of the positive “bottom line” impacts Atlantic BT’s efforts have achieved for our clients. We have over 20 years of experience and a multidisciplinary team of experts ready to help you to achieve the same results. 

    Send us a message to schedule some time to chat with our experts. 

  • From Chaos to Control: How a Technology Consultant Can Streamline Your Business’s Tech Assets

    From Chaos to Control: How a Technology Consultant Can Streamline Your Business’s Tech Assets

    Companies today face all sorts of disruptions, but the most complex among them comes from technology assets. Even if you were clear about your organization’s systems and platforms just a few years ago, chances are that everything has changed since then. Recognizing this, Atlantic BT steps in as a leading technology consultant, offering a suite of services to help organizations navigate the ever-changing technological landscape.

    You may find that you’re spending more time keeping up with technology than you are on your core business functions, which will cause your business to suffer. Perhaps your workers are continually burned out because in addition to carrying out their core jobs, they are having to put out technology fires. 

    Successful companies adapt to new technology changes in order to maintain their market presence, increase their market share and keep up with the competition. If your organization is struggling to keep up with the ever changing technological landscape, it may be time to partner with a technology consultant.  

    What is a Technology Consultant?

    Technology consultants are indispensable allies in today’s digital age. They guide businesses through the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, advising them on the use of modern tools. Possessing the right digital technology can propel a business to the forefront of innovation and significantly enhance revenue generation.

    An experienced technology consultant will bring a robust understanding of technology, its workings, and its business applications. This expertise is rooted in extensive industry experience and an educational background in technology, enabling them to help businesses leverage technology effectively and efficiently.

    Exploring Key Technologies for Business Growth

    In the digital era, businesses are increasingly leveraging a variety of technologies to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and drive growth. These technologies, ranging from Content Management Systems and Customer Relationship Management systems, to data analytics tools and cybersecurity measures, serve as the backbone of modern businesses. They not only automate and simplify complex processes but also provide valuable insights, improve online visibility, and ensure the security of digital assets.   

    Here’s a closer look at some of these key technologies and how they benefit businesses:

    • Content Management Systems (CMS) for managing and updating website content.
    • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems for tracking customer interactions.
    • Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems for managing business processes. 
    • Data Analytics tools to derive insights from large volumes of data.
    • Social Media Management tools for managing their online presence.
    • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools for improving their website’s visibility on search engines.
    • Cybersecurity measures to protect their digital assets.
    • Cloud Computing services for scalable computing resources.
    • E-commerce platforms for online sales. 

    Each of these technologies plays a crucial role in the digital transformation journey of a business, and having the right guidance can make all the difference. 

    What Does a Technology Consultant Do?

    Technology advisory partners get to know your firm’s technology needs well, help you architect your technology strategy, and then use deep knowledge and experience to execute these strategies. 

    They can help you with your existing technology footprint or guide you in building new transformation initiatives. They exist to help you achieve your business objectives, reduce risks, make life easier for your employees, and keep your company safe from cyber threats. An experienced consultant can also help you with insights on industry best practices, recommend new technology adoption or technology upgrades and even help host and maintain your critical technology. 

    These partners – which are often managed services providers – already have relationships with companies that provide access to core and emerging technologies such as business process automation, HR management, and cloud-based operations. This can take the pressure off your own staff so they can focus on growing your business and meeting customer expectations. 

    “A managed service provider (MSP) delivers services, such as network, application, infrastructure and security, via ongoing and regular support and active administration on customers’ premises, in their MSP’s data center (hosting), or in a third-party data center.” – Gartner

    When working with a managed service provider or technology consultant, businesses can expect comprehensive support across a multitude of areas:

    • Custom Software Development: Technology consultants often aid in the creation of tailor-made software solutions, while also ensuring their maintenance, updates and security.
    • Technology Infrastructure Updates: Consultants can assist in planning for infrastructure changes, forecasting costs, and conducting risk assessments.
    • Repairs and Maintenance: They can cater to the support needs of the company’s IT tools, which includes software, hardware, network connections, and cybersecurity tools.
    • Project Management: Some consultants assume a project management role, supervising development and implementation projects within the company.
    • Cybersecurity: Technology companies who specialize in cybersecurity can advise businesses on the latest security measures and tools available in the industry.

     

    About Atlantic BT

    Atlantic BT is an award-winning managed service provider located in Raleigh, NC. We’ve been in business since 1998 and have served as a trusted technology consultant for enterprise businesses since our inception. Training Industry has been a client of ours for over a decade. Read more here about how our technology consulting services have helped their business to grow. For more information about working with Atlantic BT, visit our website, or call us at 919-518-0670, or send us a message to schedule some time to chat.