Welcome to ACT Business Machines - 109 Signal Mountain Road PH 423-266-3774 Chattanooga, TN 37405 FX 423-266-3775

You have business challenges. ACT Business Machines provides solutions. ACT is more than just business machines these days. If you don't harness costs and manage technology, you can't compete. We have 50 years of experience integrating, and servicing, office technology in the workplace. Your business has unique needs. We have unique solutions to make your business great. Businesses used to focus on Adding machines, Calculators, and Typewriters. Today, success is measured through Accessing Current Technology. Let ACT show you how integrating the latest technology can help make your business great. Whether you need Phone Systems, Network Services, Document Management, or a Business Consultant, ACT is here for you.
Network/IT Support VOIP/Business Phone Systems Print Device Sales & Service Document Management Business Coaching High Breed Managed Services Visit SERVICES for more details or call us today!		Why choose ACT? Speed Up Your Business by providing decision-makers with access to crucial data, leveraging current investments across all your back-office applications, and maintaining flexibility. Minimize Your Workload through stellar tech support that keeps your network and office systems operating at top speed. Maximize Your Reach with improved communications between clients and employees, as well as efficient document management. Unleash Your Creativity as you empower your employees to reach their full potential with access to the wealth of data at your disposal.

Communication in the Chaos

It seems that chaos surrounds us. Multiple phones, emails, things ringing and vibrating, people pulling at me from all directions, and I still have other duties that I need to get done. How is it that we can communicate effectively in all this chaos? I find that it requires a bit of self-discipline and taking advantage of technology that is available to me, and the storm is a little calmer.

One of the biggest issues that I face on a daily basis is getting others to respond to my requests, so that I may continue with a project. I cannot control their response, but I can be different when a response is required of me. Make a pact with yourself that you will return emails and voicemails within 24 hours, even if the response you need to give is negative or neutral. I have found that people respect that and return the favor. I also try to set clear expectations on both parties. When do I need to call back and what response is expected. And then do what I agreed to, whether it is to respond, or to call back.

Another method of clearing the chaos is to minimize where I have to go to retrieve communication from others. This term is commonly called "unified communication." I need to look for ways to minimize the portals I use and need to communicate effectively. Modern technologies let me get emails from multiple accounts, voicemails, video messages, texts and calendar events in one place. That way I don’t miss your communication, whichever medium you decide to use.

If you need help calming the chaos of communication in your business, give us a call. We can help.

Fall is in the air

Fall is here. The nights are chilly, the days are warm, leaves are colorful and falling, the fireplace is looking more inviting and the daylight is more precious. It doesn’t really look that much different than yesterday, but when you look at it compared to a month or two ago, it has changed dramatically. All of the changes of the seasons are constant reminders that business is changing, too.

We depend more and more on electronic data, less on paper, more on email, less on faxes, more on texting, less on talking. At times it is hard to fathom the changes that have ever so slowly crept into our lives, but they are constantly there.

One of the things that we see on the horizon is “the Cloud” and how it will change the way we do business. Proper use of it can begin to unlock your business from the brick and mortar that it is sometimes tied to now, but it is not an event, it is a process.

We believe that the migration to the Cloud is inevitable and that you can gain an edge on your competition by having a plan of how to best utilize it, or lose an edge by not utilizing it well.

Give us a call to help you map out a plan for your technological future. It can be the turning point you have been looking for.

You have to know your business

2012 marks our 50th year in business.

You would think that I know our business inside and out. We use the processes I have set in place. We have many clients we have served for decades. We have vendors we have worked with for years and years. But I find that if I don't continually, objectively evaluate where we are and what is happening, that all of a sudden, we are behind and trying to catch up.

Things change. Technology changes, people change, the economy changes and with each of those changes, my business changes a little. I find that if I don't use the tools I have to objectively look at where we are and what it will take to get to where we need to be, that I end up being reactive instead of proactive. We end up being behind instead of leading the pack.

Many of the services we offer, help you monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of your business information flow and back office processes. We can help you monitor your business and make positive changes that will help set you firmly on the road to success. You have to know your business to grow your business.