There were a number of things I took away from Mike Agerbo’s talk at yesterday’s Flexstyles event at TELUS House Toronto, but the biggest one was exactly how valuable it is to have an employer that is supportive and even promotes a flexible work life.
Mike Agerbo is the CEO of Blink Media Works, a medium-sized and BC-based award-winning agency that specializes in corporate videos, commercials, animation, instructional videos, webinars, & broadcast programming based out of BC. The company is also the epitome of flexible – and both company and employees are seeing the benefits of re-thinking the typical 9 to 5 and the age-old idea of going into the office.
The 2012 Office
Mike spoke at length on all of the ways Blink creates flexible working styles for their employees. Here are a few that you might be able to consider for your “office.”
Workplace design. Blink is a cubicle-free zone with an open workspace designed to foster collaboration, conversation & creativity. As a member of several similar cubicle-free zones I can attest to how well they work. Just put in some headphones if you need some alone time, or if there is a private call that needs to be made, grab time in one of the shared meeting rooms.
Culture is Critical...and a perk! Mike showed an image of one of Blink’s last company events – snowshoeing! In addition to that the whole team does drinks every Friday to catch up and the office is even friendly to pets. Blink’s perspective is that future employees place a lot of value on a great culture and will seriously consider that as a perk and part of the overall package when they’re choosing their next employer.
Flexible Hours and Job Sharing. While these are obviously great things for employees, Blink has found that they’re also great for the employer. At Blink if you’re a night owl you can come in late and leave late, while the reverse is true for early risers. Two employees can even share the same job and ultimately work hours that are customizable to their life. With this kind of flexibility, it really seems like you get the best and the most out of your people and they get a job that works with their individual lifestyle.
Technology and working from anywhere - Skype and smartphones and cloud, oh my!
In addition to making the Blink office policies flexible, inclusive and individualistic, the other smart thing Mike realized would benefit his business is employing all of the technology at his fingertips. That way he and his employees could truly work from anywhere.
Here are a few of the tools they really like:
Virtual meetings. With Facetime, GoogleChat, GoToMeeting, Google+ Hangouts employees can keep in touch no matter where they are.
Mobile Devices. Blink employees aren’t dependent on being at their desk thanks to mobile devices. They can work on a different floor with another department or at the park across the street with their smartphones.
Cloud. Blink listened to all the talk around cloud and ended up implementing it to their strong advantage. It increased their capacity without investing in new infrastructure or buying software licenses for every employee and brought down hardware costs as well – there’s no longer the need to buy large, expensive hard drives or servers.
Avaya IP Office: Blink uses also uses unified communications, specifically Avaya IP Office from TELUS, which allows them to pair their desk and mobile phones for maximum efficiency, using one business number to each employee, reaching them wherever they are. The digital communications management tool that allows you to connect offices in different locations together as if they were a single office. Mike played the video below that showcases Avaya IP Office and it's capabilities:
The Blink team and company are continuing to thrive with all of the great processes and tools they’ve put to work to make flexible working a reality for their business.
What about the softer side of business?
I can’t write about a TELUS event without mentioning the idea of giving back and that attitude was on full display yesterday with a significant donation made to support young entrepreneurs in Canada through the Canadian Youth Business Foundation. And it couldn’t have happened without everyone in the room: for every event attendee through 2012, TELUS has committed to donating $100 per person to the Canadian Youth Business Foundation.
If you’re a business owner looking to help your business and help the next generation of small business in Canada, be sure to watch the @TELUSBusiness twitter feed for your next chance to learn with us at TELUS House Toronto.
Rebecca Bailey is a Product Manager with TELUS and manages marketing campaigns dedicated to small and medium businesses.
Last week Ken Redekop (Director of Customer Experience Management Solutions, TELUS) and I presented the first in a series of webinars on the subject of ‘Improving Customer Experience in a Consumer Empowered Economy’. In this first webinar, The Cost of Business as Usual, we discussed that historically, cost per channel alone has been the single most important consideration organizations have considered for channel design. But the real challenge for enterprises today is to determine how to provide excellent customer service given the introduction and adoption of new technologies and constantly changing consumer attitudes.
Increasingly we are seeing the proliferation of customer service channels, all 24 of them! So how do organizations know what channels to deploy to best service their customer base? If you look at the channels that drive the most customer loyalty, voice (call centre), web self-service and social media are at the top of the list. From a cost perspective, voice still is most expensive channel with IVR being the least expensive. But solely focusing on costs and driving interactions to self-service channels is not a winning strategy. You win and your customers win by looking at a fully robust mulit-channel solution that will improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
When fine tuning your channel strategy keep these key points top of mind:
Great customer service drives business performance: 70% of consumers are willing to spend more money with a company that provides good customer service.
Poor customer service can drive customer defection: 36% of consumers will consider defecting if their query isn’t resolved within 2-3 attempts.
Customers are multi-modal: Canadian customers use an average of 3 different channels when they engage with customer service centres.
The nature of the query is a key driver of channel choice: Web-self service is the most preferred channel for updating information (50% customer preference), whilst Live Agent is the most preferred channel for customers making a complaint (86%).
Not all channels deliver service equally: First contact query resolution is lowest for enquiries coming through Fax (48%). Email (55%) and Letters (57%).
Cost per interaction varies significantly across channel: Live agent calls are rated as the most expensive with an average cost per interaction of >$4.00, whilst IVR is <$2.00.
What other factors should organizations consider when designing a multi-channel service strategy? Do customer value, customer context and emotional state, and inquiry type play a role?
We will be discussing how to get started on building your own multi-channel service strategy at our webinar on June 19th. But before we get to that, let’s take a deep dive into the emerging channels of social media and mobile devices on May 31st. This topic is cool to talk about at the best of times, but will be made even more fabulous given we will be talking with social media icon and Canadian You Tube sensation Dave Carroll. Register to attend now!
Looking forward to speaking with you then!
Doc Wallace
Dr Catriona Wallace is a Customer Service Futurist, Academic and Business Owner of Fifth Quadrant Pty Ltd, a Service Strategy & Research company, callcentres.net Pty Ltd, an online publishing business and ACA Research, a full service market research firm. Dr Wallace has a PhD in Organisational Behaviour, is Adjunct Faculty at the Australian Business School, is the author of The Complete Guide to Call & Contact Centre Management, has a strong following of her blogs ‘Your Call’ and ‘Devil Wears Grey’. Dr Wallace is one of the world’s most cited commentators on customer service trends
In the first article of the business video series, we took a look at some of the possibilities of the 'do it yourself' video. If you are a business owner or marketing professional, creating webinars, video blogs and other content marketing can be effective in finding new customers and solidifying existing ones.
In this blog, we will explore some of the tools and tips to producing your video in a professional way.
Tips on creating your webinar style video: planning the content
Keep it short. Keep in mind that people have short attention spans online. Research demonstrates that you lose up to 75% of viewers after 2 minutes. So say it quick and say it well. Better to do a “series” of videos instead of one long video.
Take time to experiment to find your style and voice. Are you better at reading a full script or does it sound dry? Are bullet point notes good for you or do you find you lose your train of thought? Or perhaps just a visual presentation set to music is better. Do a few dry runs to figure out what works best for you.
Take your time when speaking. Most people speak too quickly, causing "umms" and "ahs" and tripping over words. Purposely slow down.
The secret to a good video blog: sound & lighting
Great video comes down to two major points: sound and lighting. There are other considerations, but nailing these two will go a long way in solidifying the legitimacy of your video and stop you from breaking the cardinal rule of “first, do no harm” as mentioned in the first blog. Some potential DIY camera options include:
Smartphone or even tablet
Webcam
Digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR)
Point and Shoot Camera
HD Video Camera
Try and ensure it has a microphone jack to enhance the sound quality.
Steady video footage is best. Use a tripod or something else to help steady the camera - a stack of books, countertop, cardboard box, etc. Shaky handheld footage looks amateur.
Think about your surroundings. Don’t dress it up too much, you want to make it look as natural as possible.
Use available light when possible. Sit facing a window or with it on your right or left side. Avoid shooting outside on a sunny day, it may cause you to squint and the light is constantly changing with the movement of clouds. Shoot outside on an overcast day or inside with big windows will work well too. Don’t have the camera looking into the light, this will cause you to be in darkness. If available light isn’t sufficient, use a desk lamp or table lamp with a soft shade or no shade at all. Putting the light slightly off centre is a nice touch.
Sound. Good sound can make or break your video. Using a microphone doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. A wired lavelier (clip on mic) can be fairly inexpensive (mine was around$50) and can plug into most computers and cameras. A gaming headset can also work and typically ranges from $30-$50) which plugs right into your computer. Avoid built-in mics on your camera or computer as they pick up background noise. All these things could distract your viewer from what you are saying. Get the mic as close to your mouth as you can. The closer it is, the quieter any background noise will be.
Next week's post will focus on “putting it all together” and how to present your video content in a professional way.
Currently working on a DIY video? Let us know what you're up to - leave a comment or question below.
Nelson Dunk loves movies. He is a filmmaker and owner of Skylight Productions, helping companies across North America convey their message in a creative and cinematic way. Nelson started creating videos in the Non-profit sector and quickly discovered that HOW you communicate is just as important as WHAT you communicate. Nelson is always looking for opportunities to create impacting and creative films, whether in the creative or corporate arenas. Capturing and conveying stories is what he finds most exciting.
Any who travels for business can probably relate to the pains of mobile connectivity: finding a Wi-Fi hotspot to get online with your laptop, paying through the nose for high-speed access at your hotel or risking a data breach because of a cleverly disguised rogue network at the airport.
Instead, many computer-using Canadians are opting to bring their own wireless connection with them – in the form of a “Mobile Internet Stick” that snaps into an available USB port on your laptop.
Not only are these small accessories ideal for those who don’t want to hunt for a Wi-Fi hotspot – because it’s cellular, you can even get online in the back of a moving taxi or on a park bench – but you’re not putting your data at risk by cyber-snoopers who prey on users of public Wi-Fi networks.
I’ve been spending time with the impressive Huawei E397 4G LTE Mobile Internet Key, an ultra high-speed solution that works on the Telus Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in major Canadian cities; theoretical download speeds top 100 megabits per second. In areas without support for LTE devices, the Internet Key falls to Dual Carrier HSPA+ (up to 42 Mbps downloads), HSPA+ (up to 21 Mbps downloads) or regular 2G/3G bands following that.
Faster speeds -- which might even exceed your home or office broadband connection -- mean you can engage in videoconferencing, download large files in mere seconds, stream content smoothly or access data in the cloud so quickly it’s as if the files were stored locally. (Anecdotally, I also let my kids stream Netflix movies while in the back seat of the car.)
This small, black Mobile Internet Key (93 x 35 x 15 mm) can be rotated once it’s plugged into your laptop’s USB port, to position it vertically, horizontally or even diagonally.
Setup is a breeze. Simply snap off the cover to insert the SIM card, plug it into the Windows or Mac laptop and the built-in Huawei Connection Manager software begins installing the necessary drivers. After a few seconds, you can access the Internet by clicking the “Connect” button. That’s it! A green LED light on the unit confirms connectivity to the Telus network.
This Mobile Internet Key also has a slot for a microSD card, if desired, to add up to 32GB of external memory to your laptop. No power is needed to use the key as it uses the computer’s power to operate the Internet stick.
The Huawei E397 4G LTE Mobile Internet Key is sold for $149.99 with no term -- or $0 on a 3-year plan, $49.99 on 2-year plan or $99.99 on 1-year plan. Data plans vary, but you can learn about monthly costs by clicking here.
We recently came across an interesting article and discussion on LinkedIn about how to approach the topic of a cloud solution inside your company. This can be a tricky subject when within each organization there are many stakeholders with various levels of technical understanding and the definition of cloud is often confusing.
The discussion asked, “How is your organization going about researching and preparing for the possible adoption of cloud?” and many concerns were raised about “cloud” simply being a buzz word. This is a challenge I see in companies trying to push to the cloud.
While there is little doubt that cloud offers tremendous benefits – such as outsourcing the management of compute infrastructure or at application levels and reducing capex and opex waste through less overprovisioning – what both the IT department and users are struggling with is which legacy architectures and use cases fit best and what operating procedures need to change.
In helping customers adopt the cloud, I point out that certain legacy applications simply should not be put into the cloud. Some of these applications were designed in an era where all the resources were assumed to be local, or certain components such as disks were believed to be unreliable, so they have a lot of overhead code – such as trying to ping the component systems to ensure it is working, sometimes at a rate of hundred times per second.
This approach is not necessary with the modern components that make up an enterprise-class cloud, and it will likely cause major performance issues when the distances are separated and resources are non-local.
Not all legacy applications fit into this category – many will be fine – and new applications use different architectures and approaches that are tailored for the cloud. This is the same story for operating and control procedures, which are derived from the architectures and technologies being deployed.
The cloud is a major paradigm shift and not just a catch phrase. So companies need to be aware of these issues and develop solid plans to get from the legacy to the cloud. The business benefits for those who get it right, early in the game are huge.
There’s no doubt about it; online video marketing is on the rise. Many experts have said that 2012 will be the year of video. I wholeheartedly agree with this. As recent as 5 years ago, creating a marketing video would have cost thousands (or even tens of thousands!) of dollars. Even then, you would be hard pressed to have anyone see it. In today’s world of social media and SEO, getting your video some airtime is easier than ever, but there are some guidelines to follow in order to be effective and stand out.
“First, do no harm”
Know when to call a professional. A mentor of mine taught me that the first rule of medicine is the same as the first rule of marketing, “first, do no harm”. Your brand is the most valuable asset your business possesses, so tread carefully. This blog series focuses on do-it-yourself options and tips for creating engaging video materials, but you must remember to “first, do no harm” to you brand. Don’t create something that will make your business seem amateur or cheap. Know when to call in a professional. Like doing your own website or accounting, you need to know when you need something only a professional can provide.
“What do I want to accomplish?”
Answering the why before the what. Before the cameras start to roll, you need to establish why you are creating your video. What are you trying to accomplish? What is the end goal? Some possible goals include:
Establish yourself as a “thought leader” in your industry
Engage your customers and prospects with informative content
Promote your product/service
Create a “website hook” that will explain your business in 60 seconds
Create a new opportunity for SEO
It will also help to take a look at your skill set:
Do you carry yourself well in front of a camera?
Are you good with bullet points or with a word-for-word script?
Are you tech saavy or do you need a simple solution?
Determining your goals and existing skills will help you figure out what form your video should take.
“Examples”
What you can create. We will be looking at a few examples of effective video marketing in future articles, but you can start by exploring what other people are doing. Hop on YouTube and see what you think works and what doesn’t work. Here are a few general styles of DIY videos we are going to explore in future posts:
The Screencast/Webinar are quick & easy videos that are created using Powerpoint, keynote or screencast software. Most people are already familiar with these programs that allow you to record vocal narration simultaneously. This style of video is good for visual or conceptual information.
The Video Blog is a personal and engaging video created using a webcam/video or camera/smartphone. It's best used for short videos as they are generally taken in one shot. It may take a few takes before hitting the mark. This type of video is great for those who speak well from bullet points, scripts are difficult to pull off.
The Website Hook or Product Video can be done as a screencast or video, but is short and general and shows off what your business is all about. It should be handled carefully as this is the first thing people will click on your website. These videos take more work and planning but can be a dynamic add to your website.
This is a great time to be creating video content. It can be a powerful tool to engage your audience, establish your credibility and to get you discovered in search rankings. The next article takes a look at some of the tools and secrets of the trade that you can use to make your videos more professional.
Nelson Dunk loves movies. He is a filmmaker and owner of Skylight Productions, helping companies across North America convey their message in a creative and cinematic way. Nelson started creating videos in the Non-profit sector and quickly discovered that HOW you communicate is just as important as WHAT you communicate. Nelson is always looking for opportunities to create impacting and creative films, whether in the creative or corporate arenas. Capturing and conveying stories is what he finds most exciting.
On March 19th, TELUS and The Globe and Mail announced the launch of the #challengecontest, an opportunity for small businesses to present their biggest challenge and how a $100,000 grant from TELUS would help them overcome it.
I had the opportunity to sit with Steve Tustin, senior editor for CCG at The Globe & Mail and contest judge to find out what he’s looking for from contest entries this year.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing small and medium business owners today?
What we hear from businesses through The Globe and Mail challenge series is the need for good expert advice, which, of course, is what the challenge series is all about. In particular, one challenge we hear of often, is how to help small businesses buy the right technology and then use it to its maximum potential, And, how to use social media, in order to help them grow their business. They understand that social media provides significant marketing potential for their business in terms of extending their brand reach to people who are interested in their services and products. But because they are already stretching resources (people, time, money) as far as they can, dollars and time are tight, so getting the right advice is imperative.
Have you heard any qualitative feedback to date on the contest?
I’ve heard some potential candidates say that the challenge wasn’t for them because they were too small (just starting out their business). But as far as The Challenge Contest goes, there’s no too small; there’s just thinking small. I think that taking part in the contest, and putting a full effort into filling out the entry form, is an excellent way for any business to take a step back and think about where they want to be in one or two years. Sometimes hard to find the time or motivation to do that when you’ve just started and you’re dealing with the day to day issues.
What is your advice to contest entrants – what are you looking for from contest entries as a judge in 2012?
I would encourage anyone entering the contest to take their time and really define your challenges and goals. An excellent way to prepare for working through the entry form is to go online and read the challenge series, along with the story about last year’s winner. The series is a great resource that can help you explain specifically the results you want to achieve with that $100,000 grant. As judges, we’re looking hard at your potential.
What are some of the additional benefits business owners can gain by entering the contest?
Although the $100K is awesome, again I think it’s always important for any business to take the time to stop and analyze your business and challenges, beyond the day to day, or even month to month but a year or more ahead.
Small business is what drives our economy, and we hope that by engaging in the contest many of the businesses will be re-energized with a clearer roadmap for their business that will stimulate both growth and competitiveness.
My name is Evan Carmichael and I believe that the fastest and most effective way to build a business is to model the strategies of people who have already done what you’re trying to do. I call it Modeling the Masters. My last post with almost 6,000 views and 40 comments was 3 Success Lessons from Madam C.J. Walker (America's first self-made woman millionaire).
Today we're going to take a closer look at the fifteenth child of seventeen children who only had two years of grammar school education and went on to become an entrepreneur and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. This is the story of Benjamin Franklin and the top 3 lessons that you can learn from his success.
Must Watch Video
“If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” - Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin (born January 17, 1706) did not come from a family of prominence. Instead, his family could only afford to send him to two years of grammar school and by the time he was 13, Franklin's father sent him off to apprentice at his older brother's print company. Here, Franklin helped to compose pamphlets, set up type, sell the paper on the streets and perform other printer-related duties. Franklin also began writing columns under the pseudonym ‘Mrs. Silence Dogood’, who he fabricated to be a middle-aged widow. Dogood was an immediate hit with her writings about the problems and social conditions of women, but when James found out it was actually his younger brother writing her column, he was furious. As a result of James’ ensuing harassment and beatings, Franklin became a fugitive and ran away from his family at the age of 17.
Franklin tried his luck as a printer both in New York and New Jersey, but to no avail. He then moved to Philadelphia, where he did manage to find a job with a printer. But, Franklin was unsatisfied with his prospects there. After a brief stint at a printer’s shop in London, England, Franklin returned to Philadelphia in 1726. Four years and much borrowed money later, he had finally set up his own printing house. He began to publish a newspaper called The Pennsylvania Gazette, in which he would regularly give himself space to comment on the most pressing social issues of the time. He cultivated an image of himself as an intellectual and a productive young man and his writings were the beginning of what would earn Franklin significant social respect.
In 1748, Franklin officially retired from the printing business, although he continued writing literature and satirical essays throughout the rest of his life. He began to take a more formal role in public life, becoming councilman, Justice of the Peace in Pennsylvania and elected member of the Assembly. Five years later, he was appointed Joint Deputy Postmaster-General of North America and several other posts. In perhaps his most well known feat, Franklin began working towards independence as part of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence. In 1787, after he had retired from public office, he attended a series of meetings that would result in the United States Constitution. He became the only Founding Father to sign all three of the country’s major founding documents: The Declaration of Independence, The Treaty of Paris and the U.S. Constitution.
Action Item #1: Always be Learning
If you want your company to grow and become successful, you need to continue to grow as an entrepreneur. Invest time and resources into yourself and your team so that you're always learning new skills and pouring them back into your business. When you stop innovating and learning your business will start to decline.
Despite having no formal education, Franklin understood its importance and set out to satisfy his insatiable appetite for knowledge on his own. While his father couldn’t afford to send him to school, he nonetheless took the young Franklin on walks to various tradesmen, teaching him about their tools and techniques. His father also exposed him to politics and current affairs, having himself been an active member of his community. By the age of 11, Franklin had taught himself English, French, and Italian and doggedly chased down any literature he could. Franklin’s endless curiosity helped fuel his business pursuits and his scientific inquiries and propelled him to the forefront of America’s intellectual community.
According to Franklin, “It has been useful to me, having learned so much by it as to be able to do little jobs myself... From a child I was fond of reading, and all the little money that came into my hands was ever laid out in books... Genius without education is like silver in the mine... Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
Action Item #2: Don't Waste Time
How much time do you waste every day? Are you really doing the important things that you need to do to grow your business or are you keeping "busy" with email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Successful entrepreneurs don't waste time. When it's work time, they work! Focus your energies on the tasks that will explode your business and ignore the distractions.
In his autobiography, Franklin recalls his early days of owning a printing shop when he was just starting to get set up on his own and he would often stay in the office working well past 11pm. If it meant getting a task accomplished on time, Franklin would even stay overnight to do, or redo it if that was the case. It is this strong work ethic that carried Franklin through to the end of his career. As one of the most curious and ingenious of America’s earliest thinkers, it was no difficult task for Franklin to find something to occupy his time with. Industrious to the core, Franklin believed strongly in seizing the moment and putting every minute to good use. However, working hard was not only a matter of profit and dollar signs to Franklin; it was a question of utilizing what was given to you. Thus, at the very bottom line of Franklin’s success was the hard work he put into every single goal he decided to see through.
According to Franklin, “Employ thy time well if thou meanest to get leisure... Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry, all things easy... He that rises late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business at night... Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.”
Action Item #3: Be Kind to One Another
A lot of people think to be in business you have to be cutthroat and ruthless. That couldn't be further from the truth. You can have tremendous success by being kind to everyone involved with your company - and it's a lot more fun too! At EvanCarmichael.com one of the first things we look for in a new hire is "Is he/she a nice person?" I hope you'll consider doing the same.
Even though Franklin was wealthy enough to retire comfortably by the age of 42, he continued to pursue civic projects and carry out benevolent acts throughout the rest of his life. He staunchly believed that the good life was achievable in direct proportion to one’s contribution to society and thus, from universities to hospitals to firehouses, Franklin dedicated his resources to giving back. Franklin demonstrated that you could be a successful entrepreneur and still have compassion and care for the world around you. A precursor to today’s movement towards corporate social responsibility, Franklin proved to be once more a pioneer in his field.
According to Franklin, “He is ill clothed that is bare of virtue... Advance civic public purposes and at the same time support the self-help efforts of individuals... Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none... If you wouldst live long, live well, for folly and wickedness shorten life.”
True Story
Benjamin Franklin had no real opinions on slavery until he went to England. His wife, Deborah, was not well educated and had problems even writing to him, but pressured him into visiting a grammar school for black children while he was stationed in London. After visiting the school, Franklin found, to his surprise, that black children were just as smart at white children. After coming to this realization, he changed his entire outlook on the way slavery was being conducted in the United States.
Unknown to most people in America, Franklin was one of the first American politicians to advocate the end of slavery in the United States. He had been socially active most of his life, even creating one of the first fire departments in Philadelphia. During the end of his life, he spent a lot of time speaking, writing and publicly admonishing other politicians that believed in slavery. He wanted to start schools for black children and offer them the same things white children had, but in the end, all of his talk would be disregarded. However, his beliefs would eventually lead Abraham Lincoln to the same realization.
Quotes
“Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”
“I didn't fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong.”
“Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.”
What Do You Think?
Do you continue to learn or do you know it all? Do you waste time or manage your days efficiently? Are you kind people and socially active in your community? Tell me what you think by leaving a message below.
Hi, I am Doc Wallace, Managing Director of Fifth Quadrant Research. Last week Ken Redekop wrote a blog post on Improving Customer Experience in a Consumer Empowered Economy based on a study by Fifty Quadrant. In the coming months I will share my insight into this study on how consumer contact preferences are evolving with the rise in adoption of mobile devices and social media, and provide tips your business can implement to prepare for this evolution.
The series will begin with a discussion on the cost of providing customer service through various channels. In the second blog I will explore the emerging customer service channels of Social Media and Mobile Apps and hear from a social media hero, Dave Carroll who wrote the ‘United Breaks Guitars’ song which resulted in United Airlines losing 10% share value. In our third and final blog I will bring it all together and share with you how to design and implement a Multi-channel Customer Service Strategy.
So what is “The Consumer Empowered Economy” and why should it be important to you?
In today’s economy, we are seeing the balance of power shifting from the organization to the consumer, a trend we term, The Consumer Empowered Economy. Consumers are demanding more ways to interact with you so it’s imperative to start thinking about how you deliver customer service. There are many channels that exist today:
Voice – call and contact centre
Face-to-face – store, branch, office, shop
Online – web forms, applications, etc
Correspondence – letter, fax, email
Social Media – online interactive dialogue
Mobile – smart phone mobile apps and SMS
Within these channel categories there are at least 19 ways to interact with an organization so deciding the best approach for your business can quickly get overwhelming. To that end, I invite you to attend an interactive webinar series on the Consumer Empowered Economy that will deep dive into the following topics:
Webinar 1 - Tuesday May 10 – The Cost of Business as Usual
Webinar 2 - Thursday May 31 - Customer Service through Social Media and Mobile Devices
Webinar 3 - Tuesday June 19 - The Multi-Channel Customer Service Roadmap
Dr Wallace is a Customer Service Futurist, Academic and Business Owner of Fifth Quadrant Pty Ltd, a Service Strategy & Research company, callcentres.net Pty Ltd, an online publishing business and ACA Research, a full service market research firm. Dr Wallace has a PhD in Organisational Behaviour, is Adjunct Faculty at the Australian Business School, is the author of The Complete Guide to Call & Contact Centre Management, has a strong following of her blogs ‘Your Call’ and ‘Devil Wears Grey’. Dr Wallace is one of the world’s most cited commentators on customer service trends.
Even with all of today's high-tech tools, many still prefer good old-fashioned pen and paper. This is especially true for jotting down notes and reminders.
So, what if you could combine the simplicity of paper note-taking with the power and convenience of a tablet computer?
A new app, Sticky Notes for iPad, aims to fuse these two worlds – and it works, for the most part. There's a lot of room to grow, but this free app is off to a great start.
As you'd expect from an app called Sticky Notes for iPad, this free download lets you post virtual sticky notes on the iPad's 9.7-inch screen. You can select the background colour and material of your board – be it a corkboard, cloth, blueprint, wood or chalkboard, to name a few --- and then you simply tap to start a new note in landscape or portrait mode.
Type what the reminder is, such as "Don't forget to call John about the meeting next Friday." You can use your fingertip to adjust the size, style and colour of the font, as well as drag the sticky note around the board and adjust the paper colour and size, if desired (such as larger notes take higher priority).
Alternatively, if you own the new iPad, you can touch the microphone icon to the left of the spacebar on the onscreen keyboard and speak your note aloud; your spoken words will show up as text a moment later as if you typed it with your fingertips. Speaking of the new iPad, the app was recently updated to support the new Retina Display screen with higher resolution than its predecessors.
The Sticky Notes for iPad app is drop dead simple to use, whether it's to stay organized at work or at home with the family.
But it's not a perfect produc. For one, because it's digital, it's too bad you can't set an alarm on a note, so that it can ring and show up on the iPad screen when you want it to. Otherwise, you might not get the reminder unless you manually open up the app and look at your virtual corkboard. How cool would that be to see a yellow sticky note appear with a note about something you need to know, when playing a game, browsing the web or typing an email?
Secondly, there is no iCloud support for this app; imagine if everyone in the office (or family) could post notes in the app and they'd automatically show up on everyone's device, wirelessly.
Finally, it would also be great if the app supported handwriting and/or hand-drawn sketches, and such, as many other apps do.
Even with these shortcomings, Sticky Notes for iPad is a free, simple and useful app to help keep you organized. It successfully fuses "old school" paper reminders with the power and customizability of a digital platform.
Canadian Youth Business Foundation's (CYBF) Linda Morana Discusses the Qualities of Good Mentors
Linda Morana’s new job as Mentor-in-Residence at the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) is to act as mentor to the mentors. “It’s a unique role that focuses on the mentoring methodology as opposed to business skills and business techniques,” she says.
The CYBF – which provides comprehensive support in the form of coaching and financing to Canada’s young entrepreneurs as they launch or build their business – has 2,000+ active mentors and is always seeking business professionals looking to make a difference.
“A mentor is not a consultant,” Morana notes, “They are there to ask questions and help the entrepreneur think out of the box.” TTB spoke to Morana about the mentors training program she is designing, which focuses on soft skills.
How does your role help CYBF mentors?
From a mentor survey, we saw that 72% wanted mentor resources, best practices and learning opportunities. In response, the Mentor-in-Residence role was created. I’m creating and designing an online, self-paced learning program, in a modular format that will help mentors enhance their mentoring skills. Some of the training covers role clarity; how to build trust; and help the entrepreneur find the motivation.
How do you determine the needs of CYBF mentors?
On a quarterly basis, our mentors give a status update through an online forum and they share their challenges and needs. We also have a peer-to-peer networking event called Entrepeer Experience and this is where mentors and entrepreneurs and community partners of CYBF meet and network.
What are some of the challenges?
At around the six-month mark, entrepreneurs get into a challenging time because they may have started testing out their business and they may have to rework it or find a new model. Sometimes they lose sight of the big picture and that’s when the mentors provide a supporting role and encouragement. And if they were keyed into the motivation of the entrepreneur at the beginning, then they can remind the entrepreneur of why they’re doing what they are doing.
What do mentors take away from the experience?
They tell us that they’ve learned to be better leaders. There’s an inter-generational exchange that takes place where mentors are exposed to new technology as well as social media and new business trends that entrepreneurs are introducing to the market; innovative strategies to gaining new business; new business development.
What are the qualities of a good mentor?
One of the key qualities of a mentor is having patience and understanding that it takes time to build a strong trusting relationship. Sometimes it takes time for the entrepreneur to share all the details of the dream they have as its something they’ve been working on for a long time.
Second, be willing to be vulnerable. When mentors share what’s worked for them and, more importantly what hasn’t worked such as recent mistakes and failures, it helps bring the mentoring relationship to an equal plain. It helps the entrepreneur understand that failure, sometimes, is a part of being successful. That opens the door for the entrepreneur to share their current challenges and they don’t feel embarrassed.
We really encourage the mentor to help the entrepreneur solve their challenges and problems so that they aren’t dependent on the mentor for advice and solutions at all times. It’s about giving them options about the process that one would take to solve a problem, so they can be independent and empowered. Also key, the ability to listen and question.
What are the first steps in establishing a successful mentoring relationship?
At CYBF, before the match is official, the mentor and mentee have an introductory meeting to see if there is good synergy; if not, either can opt out. From there it’s about setting expectation and accountability. We have an online orientation program called Meant To Be, which they complete together. It helps them set the stage for the mentoring relationship, [and] it identifies the expectations for the mentor and entrepreneur and helps clarify their objectives.
Sometimes we don’t put thought into the logistics [such as] how often will we have meetings and how long will meetings be and who is accountable for what, so Meant To Be takes them through that. At the end of the online program both have a customized mentoring agreement, not a legal contract, but they agree to do certain things. A development plan is also key; the entrepreneur has an opportunity to discuss what his or her goals are. Ultimately they have a plan about how they are going to achieve these goals and it helps create direction for future mentoring meetings.
Amber Nasrulla is an ex-pat Canadian writer based in L.A. who specializes in profiles from business leaders and scientists to Hollywood celebrities. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including the L.A. Times, The Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Magazine, ELLE Canada, Chatelaine and Reader’s Digest Canada.
Big data and data analytics are rapidly changing business, open government and citizen services, security and privacy. Whether it’s easily mapping a bus route using Google Maps thanks to open access to data provided by your local transit provider, discovering correlations between magnesium deficiencies and migraines, or uncovering a breach in your organization’s security infrastructure, big data is here to stay and will have dramatic impacts on us in the future.
But what is Big Data? The core aspects of big data to consider are that:
(a) It is increasingly easy to gather, store and manage very large datasets (b) Using data analytics and correlation engines we can extract value from these datasets in ways to drive new opportunities (c) If you can do it for good, others can do it for evil
Big data and data correlation are being used for good in a number of ways. Have you recently had a credit card cancelled by the issuer without reporting fraud yourself? Most people are not aware that the majority of credit card related breaches are not discovered by the consumer, merchant or transaction processor, but by Visa, Mastercard and American Express. Those three companies have huge datasets and correlation capabilities that enable them to see patterns in fraud and relate them back to the specific sources of a breach, usually becoming aware of these problems before the troubled organizations. Gathering more data, and finding ways to sift through that data is incredibly important to the future of security.
In the Enterprise, we see security event and incident management tool (SEIM) deployments as the front line of this approach. By aggregating system logs and looking for anomalies, and over time being able to sort out the wheat from the chaff, an organization is able to take a more effective stance as it relates to security events. Often, when organizations have failed to put effective logging techniques in place, it is nearly impossible to actually determine the source or cause of a breach, infection or data loss. But when the tools are in place and properly used, over time organizations are able to become more aware of when incidents are occurring as they occur, and reduce the impact and spread of events, thus the costs associated with them. The Rotman survey we do annually shows that organizations who invest in log and SIEM tools consistently experience improved security outcomes.
However, the bad guys also have access to these same tools. In addition to the huge databases of stolen credit card numbers and other personal information available on the web for small change, criminals are increasingly using big data techniques to correlate individual pieces of information on victims into richer profiles, which can be sold for higher values. Bringing together a credit card number with address, name, date of birth and mother’s maiden name results in a much richer profile for an identity thief to wreak havoc. Researchers have also used data correlation techniques to bring together public voting records, land records, anonymized health care studies and social security or insurance numbers to reveal information that was never intended.
If your organization is responsible for verifying identity in order to establish credit, provide access to resources, sell services or other reasons, it is important to keep in mind how easy, and cheaply this information can be gathered for malicious purposes, and develop effective countermeasures to prevent fraud. That fraud has costs both to your organization and the individuals who suffer the identity theft.
So, keep in mind the value of data, how easily it can be gathered, tools available for analysis, and find ways to use it for your advantage and to offset the risks to your organization.
There is a list of people a mile long who can give advice on the pros and cons of growth through acquisition or internal expansion and you will hear advice on which way to go. Instead of reiterating it here, it’s important for businesses to come to the conclusion themselves and be comfortable with their decision. Here are a few things to keep in mind when looking to grow through acquisition.
1. Do your homework
The first and most logical question to ask: ‘is there a target company or companies available where I want to expand? If the answer is yes, before you go any further you must do some homework.
You need to know what you are prepared to pay for the target acquisition. You can arrive at this by a number of steps dependent on the type of business you’re evaluating. You will want to investigate what are the standard valuations for this type of industry. Some valuations are based on a multiple of Sales (High Tech) to a multiple of EBITDA (Earnings before Income taxes, depreciation and amortization) to so much per employee. This could be your starting point or ending point, however, some businesses also take into account other qualitative parameters.
2. Qualify the expected value
Some other parameters that may weigh into your decision include: • What you can do with the acquired business • The value-add business you can bring • The quality/quantity of their customer base • The established business culture • Quality of staff
You’ll want to ensure that you’re also taking into account any negatives such as dependence of business on the current owner. It is important that you list all these issues before you start the process so you know what your objectives are and where you want to take the business upon acquisition.
3. The investigation process: finding the right acquisition
When you are starting to investigate companies to see if they are a fit and interested in being acquired, at times I have found it better to go about this through a consultant. It can often be difficult to run your business and look for target acquisitions at the same time; either the effort to find a business suffers or your own business suffers due to efforts spent on growth. When you’ve matched a potential acquisition to your needs, doing your homework as stated in point one becomes important as, typically, the first question on the table will be price. If both businesses are on par, the next steps are to move through point two and do your due diligence.
The question still remains, what happens if you cannot find an acquisition? The alternative is growth by expansion, posing a new set of questions including weighing the challenges against the opportunities.
Best of luck in whatever route you choose.
Donald Clarke is the Montreal-based owner of Gunite Investments Inc. and has acquired and grown companies organically.
Dermalogica founder Jane Wurwand was in the Santa Barbara Zoo in California with her daughters a few years ago when a stranger began shouting her name.
A woman was hurtling down a hill with two young boys and an older lady trailing behind. Once they caught up to Wurwand, and confirmed that Wurwand was, indeed, the CEO of the skincare company, the woman shared her story. “She said, ‘Because of you I make over a $100,000 a year [and] I am raising my two boys on my own. This is my mother who lives with me and helps take care of my boys. I left a really bad relationship and I have only been able to do it because of you!’”
Wurwand said to her, “Well, I love that you thanked me personally but trust me it’s you that did it.”
In addition to Dermalogica, which Wurwand founded in 1986, she also launched the International Dermal Institute in 1983, a postgraduate training centre for skin-care therapists. The lady at the zoo had studied at the Ventura, CA chapter of the institute. Wurwand smiles and says, “I’m really happy that Dermalogica was the tool that allowed her to have that kind of financial independence.”
A native of Scotland, Wurwand was a month shy of three years old and the youngest of four girls, when her father died. To look after the young family, her mother took a job as a night shift nurse. “My mum needed to be financially independent and had to quickly figure out a way to do it,” Wurwand says. “All of that threads through my whole life.”
Wurwand is committed to assisting women entrepreneurs and to community investment on a local and global scale. For Dermalogica’s 25th anniversary in 2011, Wurwand launched FITE (Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship). Dermalogica partnered with KIVA.org, a micro-lending website, to help women around the world launch or grow their businesses.
“This is a hand up, not a hand out,” Wurwand explains, “These are loans that are repaid. And KIVA attracts a 98% repayment rate on a micro-loan.” Dermalogica’s goal was 8000 micro-loans in the first year and they’ve funded more than 10,000.
TTB spoke to Wurwand at Dermalogica’s global headquarters near Los Angeles. What is the philosophy behind the FITE campaign?
We thought, how could we do something that would touch all markets and that would also engage our entire distribution network, manufacturing, to salons and spas that sell the product to the end consumer who buys the product?
The consumer takes off the product sleeve, opens it up and, inside reads the story of a woman who is hoping to get funded. Dermalogica has placed the funding in the kitty with KIVA and all the consumer has to do is enter the code by the date and direct where that money goes.
One thing I know about our industry is that, as woman, we process our information through storytelling and discussion. I feel confident [that] if we know the stories of these women we will be connected to them and we will say, ‘That could have been my story’ or ‘That is my story’ or ‘Wow, I’m glad that’s not my story.’
In order to launch a community investment initiative like this, what were some of the crucial elements?
If you’re not providing a great treatment you’re not going to build a clientele. So it comes from a strong foundation of training and, of course, the product, which you’re retailing to the customer and you’re making profit on it and that keeps everything ticking over.
What has surprised you most about the process?
I thought we would be funding predominately in developing countries, and that’s not been the case. We funded more than 1,000 of our loans in North America. We’ve funded in Ireland, in the U.K. as well developing countries.
The other surprising thing has been to understand how incredibly disadvantaged women are in most countries. And how the access to credit isn’t an opportunity for many women. Either they can’t legally own their own bank account, so the only money available to them would be from a moneylender at an exorbitant interest charge or they are allowed to have credit, but the minute they marry, the money is automatically their husband’s property. The direction that FITE has taken me is in for advocating for those women.
Amber Nasrullais an ex-pat Canadian writer based in L.A. who specializes in profiles from business leaders and scientists to Hollywood celebrities. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including the L.A. Times, The Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Magazine, ELLE Canada, Chatelaine and Reader’s Digest Canada.
Naturally, you don't carry around a flatbed scanner with you to digitize documents, receipts, business cards or hand-written notes and sketches.
But a newly updated app called Scanner Pro from Readdle can turn your iPad or iPhone into a powerful – and portable – scanner to accomplish these kinds of tasks.
While it's missing a key feature -- which I'll get to momentarily -- this business app works very well, and with exceptional "scan" quality based on my experience with the new iPad and its superior rear camera.
Ideal for any hard copies you want scanned and saved, Scanner Pro allows you to capture paper documents, contracts, magazine pages, whiteboards, business cards, cheques and receipts – and the digital version shows up on the iOS screen a second later. More so than other scanner apps I've tried, text is incredibly crisp and clear. Paper photos can also be scanned, and they look remarkably good.
For optimum quality, you'd lie the paper down onto a flat surface, like a desk, stand above it with your iPad, and line up the edges with the on-screen gridlines (such as an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper or magazine article). Tap the photo button on the edge of the screen, hold still, and you'll see a flash and hear a camera click. Once captured, you can tweak the edge alignment, if needed, and select a desired size (e.g. A4, letter, Ledger, Business Card, etc.) or type of scan (photo, document or grayscale).
Once saved to the iPad, you can rotate between landscape and portrait modes, create multipage scans, crop out unwanted areas and more. Scanned papers are automatically saved within the app but you can also email, save in your Camera Roll, open as PDF in a supported app (such as iBooks), wireless print or upload to a cloud service like Dropbox, Evernote, Google Docs or WebDav.
You can also assign a password in order to view the document, fax it somewhere or manually transfer scanned docs to a PC or Mac (by dragging and dropping from within iTunes).
Disappointingly, one thing Readdle's Scanner Pro app does not do is OCR, or "optical character recognition." This is a handy feature when scanning documents because OCR software can translate typewritten (and in some case, handwritten) words into editable text. Once it can recognize words, you could perform tasks like search for a keyword within a document, get a dictionary definition by tapping on a word or tally up multiple receipts for your expense report. You get the idea. Because the scan quality is so good, it's a shame OCR isn't included but perhaps it will in a future update.
Even with this omission, Scanner Pro is an excellent app for those who'd like to digitize and organize their paper world.
