Nowadays, with growing concern for the environment, many businesses want to create a greener working environment. The internet of things (IoT) technology has all the potential for creating a more sustainable workplace, as it connects multiple parts of the system and operates with an analytical approach. IoT gives the possibility to connect devices within a company’s networks so they can interact with each other, provide the necessary information, and optimise processes. IoT can be the system of a wide range of devices and tools, connecting anything from coffee machines to the dashboard of a company car. However, as this technology expands and more devices become interconnected, this can noticeably increase energy usage. That is why it is needed to ensure that the electricity consumption of IoT systems is covered by renewable and low-carbon energy sources such as solar panels. Despite that, there are good reasons for adopting smart office technologies. With the help of IoT, offices can increase productivity, employees can focus on more important tasks, and the work environment can be safer and more comfortable for them. Here are the different ways businesses can benefit from IoT in their daily operations. Reduce Consumption.Commercial buildings like offices can use IoT to reduce their resource consumption and maintenance costs, as well as increase their operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Interconnected devices can give the possibility to control almost everything in the office starting from lighting to heating and water supply. Picture the following scenario: many offices employ a large workforce and in order to fulfil the drinking water consumption, a number of water dispensers are placed throughout the building. With the advantage of technologies like IoT, there is no need for constant checking of bottles as the management of water dispensers becomes smart and easy with the system alerting the maintenance personnel when needed. The system monitors the water dispensers with sensors and compares it with the water level of other machines. Then it informs the administrator directly about the level left in the dispenser who can instantly replace it. From that output, administration will now know how fast the water level is likely to change from one percentage to another and how soon the water in the bottle will be fully empty. This will allow to predict future consumption and manage the delivery of water bottles in a more efficient way with reduced HR costs. Improve Operational Efficiency.Open and integrated systems are creating new opportunities for businesses to use their data, allowing working smarter — not harder. Through the use of IoT solutions, businesses can analyse which areas have no success, specific trends that the company may benefit from, or ways to decrease costs. Instead of collecting information from different departments, with the help of IoT, management can instantly obtain up-to-date information about what is going within the company. In other words, IoT enables centralising database according to business needs, which later allow identifying operational problems in order to react in the shortest possible time. Detect Future Problems.Connected devices and sensors can help predict future failures and effectively use the company’s resources towards maintenance, or even react to emergencies without human assistance. For instance, businesses can spot any asset in the office starting having problems and immediately repair it avoiding downtime. If there is a power failure, IoT can also automatically back up power to keep any important assets in the office running. Enhance Customer Experience.With the help of IoT, businesses are able to collect an enormous amount of data. This data can help optimise products and improve the overall value provided to the customer. Additionally, by using IoT, companies can track the performance of their products more closely. Based on this information, businesses can easily find potential issues in any part of the supply chain and thus build better product flows. Moreover, the technology could be used to alert customers when maintenance may be required. This can help optimise the operations around the product which, in return, would be beneficial both to customers and to the company, as it improves product performance and utility as well as strengthens and facilitates closer relationships with customers. Create Competitive Advantage.Information is becoming a crucial way for companies to outperform their competitors. Integration of IoT systems within business processes give managers the right tools to make rethinking and effectively improving a strategy possible. The right usage of big data can give significant value to the company. With proper analysis of the available information, companies are able to narrow down the customer segment and, therefore, create products or services more targeted towards the end user. In addition to this, IoT can improve decision making, minimising the risk by detecting hidden threats and opportunities in the market. The right usage of such big amounts of data — also for benchmarking purposes — gives the possibility for a business to be ahead of the competition by acting more quickly and making more informed profit-conscious decisions. Without the proper use of the available information, companies are much more likely to experience failure. from http://www.youngupstarts.com/2019/04/19/the-benefits-of-iot-in-various-parts-of-a-business/
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Today’s competitive business world requires people to continually learn and grow to become more effective in their jobs. This can pose challenges for bosses who have to figure out how to best convey new information to a wide range of employees who have different learning styles. A mismatch between learning styles and training or communication methods can be discouraging to everyone involved. After all, the majority of people (65 percent) are visual learners. Traits of Visual Learners.Per Inc., employees who are strong visual learners often dress well. They are usually found in a meeting with a well-used notepad jotting down information or drawing out important concepts. Many visual learners also do well in opportunities to self-instruct but will often lose focus very quickly if a discussion or lecture turns into a long monologue. Reaching visual learners in the workplace is vital because they are often creative, design-savvy, and have a strong sense of orientation and planning. These attributes can be beneficial to a wide range of businesses and other team members who might learn in different ways. But to get the value and true potential out of visual learners, the processes first need to be put in place. Three Ways to Maximize Visual Learning in the Workplace.1. Less Talk, More Words. The best way to reach visual learners is to make sure relevant information can always be seen and that discussion stays on point. Communicate through email or by note when possible instead of over the phone or speaking in person for these reasons. Encourage people to take notebooks to meetings so they can write down key points and outline what is being said. Structure meetings and collaboration sessions to allow everyone a chance to speak. Limit interruptions and cyclical discourse to keep the meeting notes clear. These process tweaks will allow visual learners enough time to take detailed notes, which you should encourage them to share following the meeting to make sure everyone is on the same page. Next time you see an employee doodling during a meeting, don’t assume they’re spacing out. They are probably just a visual learner coping with a boring discussion. 2. Bring Raw Information to Life Through Data Visualization Software. Using data to try and convey information can be a formidable task if you have a room full of visual learners. Fortunately, there are a wide array of data visualization tools that can bring complicated spreadsheets and disparate data sources together for engaging and actionable insights. Using data visualization software not only aids visual learners, but anyone in the organization that depends on data to make decisions. Visualizing data does not have to be a complicated process when insights are automated. Data visualizations generated by ad-hoc search queries, like ThoughtSpot’s platform does, allows any employee to digest information and apply it in their daily workflow. Since visual learners respond very well to color, mapping numbers and data points using hue or shading positions can be another good way to convey important information in an easy-to-digest manner. 3. Incorporate Lots of Graphics & Pictures. Visual learners are not going to take much away from a 5,000-word whitepaper or a long lecture-style meeting. Break up long documents with charts, and other diagrams that show key information in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Incorporate color and photos into presentation slides to keep visual learners engaged. Even better, print and pass out the necessary diagrams and charts before a meeting or lecture so visual learners can follow along and digest information at their own pace. Embracing the range of learning styles in the workplace makes businesses more agile and productive as employees have access to learning mediums that accelerate their takeaways. Reaching visual learners through training, meetings, and other day-to-day activities in a suitable format will allow creativity to flourish in the workplace and keep businesses ahead of the competition. from http://www.youngupstarts.com/2019/04/19/maximizing-visual-learning-in-the-workplace/ Learn Mandarin In Singapore:Why Its So Beneficial When Starting Up An International Business4/18/2019 Mandarin is the most widely spoken first language of the world. Many countries, among them Singapore, speak it. If you’re in Singapore, you can learn Mandarin in many ways through private schools, local community clubs or government-accredited agencies. Aside from gaining new knowledge and fluency in another language, learning Mandarin is also beneficial when it comes to starting up an international business. Here’s why: 1. You can be at par with the competition.Learning Mandarin through language centers like Yi Mandarin in Singapore can hugely benefit you if you’re starting up an international business by improving one crucial factor: communication. With efficient communication, you can quickly close business deals and open up your international business to new opportunities that could benefit the startup. With 14% of the global population speaking Mandarin, you can compete not only locally, but globally, because of the large number of people who can speak the language. You could also navigate easily through the places in Singapore because it is one of the most spoken languages in the country. In addition, you are also improving and opening your doors to business opportunities with the fastest growing economy in the world: the Chinese economy. China has products in nearly every industry, from clothes to the latest technology the world has seen, and this could be crucial to your international business as you will be able to deal with just about any type of business venture. By improving communication skills to close out better business deals quickly and to cross the borders of business opportunities and ventures, you can indeed be at par with international competitors as having an edge in Mandarin can become your key to success. 2. You can make more networks in business.Another crucial factor when it comes to the success of starting your international business is business relationships. To be successful in the international market, you need to establish long-lasting and trustworthy relationships so that more business opportunities will come knocking at your door. Every billionaire did not gain success overnight, much less by themselves. They made it possible because of the relationships that they built around the company, which provided them with new business opportunities that paved the way to their professional achievements. To establish long-lasting and trustworthy relationships, you need to communicate better with people, and what other better way to do that than to learn their language. A lot of CEOs and business executives are native Mandarin speakers, and an excellent way to impress them is to speak their own language. In that way, you are showing that you give importance to your business relationship with them. Therefore, you are establishing better foundations for business opportunities to flourish, which can be possible by expanding your business network. 3. You can familiarize yourself with Chinese culture.By learning Mandarin, you will also be immersed in Chinese culture, enabling you to break the culture gap in the event that you have to communicate with Chinese executives or establish partnerships with them. In being more knowledgeable and familiar with their culture, you can avoid committing mistakes that could otherwise leave a bad impression upon the person you are about to close a business deal with. For instance, Chinese people prepare rare or expensive foods to show respect to guests. You can also use this when meeting with Chinese investors: prepare rare or expensive meals to let them feel they are valued. You can also make them feel more at ease when discussing business deals with you since they know that you are familiar with their culture, which also involves how they typically conduct their business affairs. Learning their language and customs can help you easily convince them to invest in your business. These can be small but crucial aspects that could help you make or break a business deal. Since Chinese people value their culture, learning it can open more potential investors or partners for your international business. They often value relationships and most of them only establish partnerships with people whom they are familiar with. Learning Mandarin will also teach you how to interact with them better. Conclusion.Learning Mandarin in Singapore could be hugely beneficial not only when starting your international business, but also for your personal growth as well. By learning this language, you are improving your intellectual skills, as well as social and communication skills, which are vital in establishing a successful global business that could potentially benefit everyone your company, whether you’re based in Singapore or elsewhere in the world. from http://www.youngupstarts.com/2019/04/19/learn-mandarin-in-singapore-why-its-so-beneficial-when-starting-up-an-international-business/ Businesses need to protect their brands and intellectual property in their country of origin – and abroad. A trademark registration assigns ownership of a business name, logos, slogans and other unique features of your company. It protects against any ownership infringements. With many companies taking advantage of the access to global reach that the Internet has afforded them, or are now trading online in other countries, protecting their brand overseas has come into focus. These companies need to ensure their brand’s rights extend beyond Australia. You will automatically get some protection when you lodge a mark in Australia, but it’s not sufficient to prevent another entity using your intellectual property in another country. If you don’t have the adequate protection or rights in the markets you are trading in others can legally use that same mark. If you register your trademark in Australia, you can file a single application with The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), under their International Trademark Registration facility. This allows you international registration under what is called the Madrid Protocol. It has a membership of over 95 countries. The protocol recognises that if you’re using a trademark globally via the Internet, it automatically places you as a trader in an international market. You are covered if you’ve nominated the countries (also members of WIPO) in which you want to trade. A trademark professional can guide you in this process. Each appointed state conducts research and will respond with its result to the WIPO head office. If you’re selling your services in another country using an online platform, you could receive a letter of complaint from another trader in that territory implying that you’re infringing on their mark rights. You may inadvertently be encroaching on their intellectual property if you don’t adhere to the regulations in the WIPO protocol. You’ll need professional guidance when an international rights holder contacts you, and you’ll need to rectify the alleged infringements immediately. This could be something as simple as amending your contact details on your website to prove you don’t deliver products in that country. You may need to update wording to clarify that you’re not affiliated with that rights holder. If you rectify the issue, the trader will have limits to the damages they can collect. If you ignore their allegations, they may have the right to claim damages. It’s unlikely you’ll have infringed in other situation if you’ve acquired a trademark ‘in good faith’ and have provided detailed contact information. It’s advisable as a new business owner to first register your mark in Australia and then the countries you intend to trade in or promote your brand. It’s unnecessary to apply to every state; focus on those that are relevant to your product or target market. You need a trademark professional to guide you about potential pitfalls too. In Australia, for example, if you register a trademark and then don’t use it, there is a system in place that allows your mark to be removed. Most territories have a similar clause in operation. For example, the USA requires traders to prove they are still using the mark continuously to retain ownership. An important factor to note is the day you file your application to register your mark in Australia. This is called a ‘priority date,’ and it’s automatically recognised in other countries you apply for a trademark in. It covers a period of six months from the date you file. The benefit of this is that you’re covered for half a year by your original mark registration, giving you time to assess the viability of your product or service internationally before you pursue intellectual property protection outside of Australia. An international trademark comes with government and professional fees and can be complicated and expensive depending on the country you’re applying it and the options you adopt. Costs will vary according to:
For more information about Australian trademarks visit www.mmwtrademarks.com.au.
from http://www.youngupstarts.com/2019/04/19/can-i-trademark-my-product-overseas/ by Chris Grey, co-founder and COO of CapLinked In the uber-competitive startup world, surviving is success in itself. Conventional wisdom says that 90% of startups will fail. So founders, listen up: Before envisioning your new company as the next headline-making unicorn, consider all the hard work — and luck — it takes to even reach profitability. Many aspiring entrepreneurs love to picture the finish line, but rarely account for the daily chaos they’ll face along the way. As a founder, you have to come to terms with not having complete control — of your team, the market, or your valuation. This is one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in my eight years of running CapLinked. We’re not worth a billion dollars. And for that reason, we’re not celebrated as a true success in the tech industry. Because the tech world is a lot like Hollywood — it’s all about the stars, the elite few you read about in The Wall Street Journal and Entrepreneur. But in reality, in the tough-to-break-into world of Hollywood, anyone making a living as an actor is a success story. The same is true for tech startups. If you survive and you make money, that alone makes you part of an elite group — the top few percent. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and think what I’ve learned along the way is well worth sharing. These are the six toughest lessons I’ve learned while building a business from the ground up: 1. You can only achieve what your team is capable of doing.Seem obvious, but many people don’t get it. The mythology of startups revolves around the idea that you should always shoot for the stars, but the harsh truth is that you won’t always possess the firepower to do it. Your company is limited by the people within your organization. So we should be teaching startups to work with what—and who—they have. That way, founders can set reasonable, attainable goals for their team and their company. This isn’t something we talk about enough. In the startup world, there’s this overly optimistic narrative that anything is possible. But early-stage startup founders can’t think this way, because when immediate goals are unrealistic or unachievable, a startup is bound to crash and burn. For this reason, self-awareness is key to survival for startups. If you’re going to swing for the fences, you have to fully understand what your team can do. Or you will just end up striking out. 2. You have to understand what your advantage is.One of the first things every founder should do is determine their competitive advantage. This will save you a lot of time — and heartbreak. If you can’t quickly determine your competitive advantage, you probably don’t have one. And if you don’t have one, you will never succeed. Think of it this way: If you’re playing poker and don’t know who the weakest player is, it’s you. You need to determine your advantages, disadvantages, strengths, and weaknesses. Like with knowing what your team can do, you have to know yourself inside and out. 3. Most goal-setting strategies don’t work.Goal-setting is one of the most useless activities that a company can spend its time doing, mainly because the generally accepted idea of how to set company-wide goals is inherently flawed. Instead of having everyone focus broadly on a universal goal, companies should focus on helping each employee become their best, most productive self. In fact, I invest in an employee performance enhancement company that is pioneering an approach built on this exact philosophy. The company is called 15Five, and I expect that some day it will be a unicorn. The power of this approach is that it works from the bottom-up, rather than the conventional top-down approach. It evaluates each team member as an individual with distinct abilities and strengths. It provides employees with support, not just a grade. And in turn, it helps businesses see better tangible results across the board. 4. You have to use data to evaluate people’s skills.Being data-driven is almost always a smart choice when evaluating your people as well as your company. Before I began relying heavily on what the data told me, I placed too much emphasis on what people told me about their skills and knowledge. A lot of the time they ended up producing more excuses than results. My advice is this: Set high standards for the people you hire. Because in this industry, 100% of the value truly is made up of the people involved. Sure, IP and patents are the marks of a company with great value—but that’s only true when they’re associated with the right people. And for that reason, every tech startup — or any startup, really — should be using data-driven benchmarks to ensure their people are producing great results. Don’t accept excuses. 5. You have much less control over things than you think you do.The first step is accepting that many of the factors that make a startup successful aren’t within your control. You’ll never have control of the people around you, the industry you enter, or the value of your company. Outside of your own behavior and decisions, there are tons of variables that are completely immune to your influence. Many people don’t realize that there’s a lot of luck involved in business — especially in the startup world. It’s really not that much different from winning the lottery. Here are a few things founders often think they have control over, but really don’t: Attracting talent. Your company will always seem more interesting and attractive to you, the founder, than it is to potential hires. The people you want as part of your company won’t always want to join it. Fads and phases that launch industries and products into the stratosphere are largely unpredictable and difficult to understand. Many investors put their money into what is trending, even when it’s not clear why it’s trending. For this reason, the value of your company may be volatile and mostly out of your control. The motivations of other people. You’ll never fully understand what attracts people to a company or drive them to do almost anything they do. Your startup may seem like the most interesting and attractive opportunity in the world to you, but investors and employees often won’t see it the same way. One great example of the slipperiness of trends is social buying. Years ago when Groupon was the biggest thing in startup land, billions of dollars were invested in hundreds of copycat social buying startups. Groupon has since proven to be mostly a flash in the pan and the hundreds of copycats mostly became nothing. Billions of dollars disappeared and thousands of starry eyed founders and employees ended up with nothing. It was just a trend that fizzled out. The value of your company, in many ways, has absolutely nothing to do with you. So by all means, do everything you can to succeed. But also accept the fact that you have very little control over what happens. 6. Running a business is inherently chaotic.Founders must have a high tolerance for extreme uncertainty. Every day I respond to multiple crises I had no idea were coming. One day, we have problems trying to renew an insurance policy. The next day, an employee unexpectedly quits, leaving a number of responsibilities to an already busy manager or putting more on to me. The day after that, a customer reaches out with a major issue, entirely shifting our focus and diverting time and resources we’d planned to spend on something else. When investors are involved, the chaos rises to a whole new level. You have to worry about whether they’re going to give you the funding they promised. Depending on the kind of money you take, your investors may be setting the agenda and constantly disrupting the priorities you set for yourself and your team. Each of these lessons drives home the point that awareness is the most important quality for a founder to have. Self-awareness. Awareness of the things you can control and awareness of the reality that a lot of factors will be completely out of your hands. The awareness that success requires knowing exactly where your company stands in relation to competition. And the awareness that even if you do everything right, and make all the right decisions, success is never guaranteed.
Christopher Grey is the co-founder and COO of CapLinked, and enterprise software company offering an information control and risk mitigation platform for the sharing of confidential or sensitive documents and communications outside of the enterprise. Previously, he was a senior executive and managing partner in private equity and corporate finance for 15 years and directly involved in the deployment and management of billions of dollars of debt and equity investments in various industries. Christopher founded two companies, Crestridge Investments and Third Wave Partners. from http://www.youngupstarts.com/2019/04/18/two-thirds-of-startups-fail-within-the-first-5-years-these-are-the-toughest-lessons-ive-learned-running-one-for-8-years/ On 16 April 2019, I was invited by my dear friend Ross Quintana to join the popular, weekly Adobe series “#AdobeChat.” I have to say that it was one of the fastest hours I’d experienced in a long time. In this conversation, we, along with countless forward-thinking executives, discussed “The Deep Work of CX and Digital Transformation.” Of course, I peppered in a bit about Lifescale and how it affects employees and customers. Below, I’ve collected Adobe’s questions along with my answers to share with you here. There are also, hundreds of exceptional responses that are also worth your time. I hope this helps you in your work… -- Hello! Thank you for having me as your guest today! #AdobeChat @Adobe @AdobeExpCloud Q1: Definition: #Digitaltransformation is the pursuit of innovative & agile business & operational models — fueled by evolving technologies, processes, analytics & talent capabilities — to create new value and experiences for customers, employees & stakeholders. Q1: In my research at @altimetergroup, I’ve found that advanced #digitaltransformation & #CX are linked. Focusing on customers gives DT purpose that unites the organization around innovation, delivers new value and brings about change that impacts customers + business Q1: The problem with separating #DigitalTransformation and #CX is that, without a human-centered purpose, i.e. CX or #EX (employee experience), we emphasize the “digital” in digital transformation. We lead with technology and that’s a mistake that many companies make. Q1: @lifescaleu shows how customers/orgs are connected also leads to a parallel thread of how employees and customers are connected. They/we are people and things like living a distracted life affects behaviors, well-being and happiness. This is a chance to add value! Q2: We live in a time of #DigitalDarwinism, technology and society evolve and so do markets. Investing in modern technology to modernize businesses is no longer enough. The key is to adapt business/operational models & innovate product/services to be relevant. Q2: Without the deep work, companies miss what it takes to truly be relevant, to compete in ways that survive and thrive #DigitalDarwinism. This is why #innovation inspired by the people (+ data) defining #CX and #EX are so vital to meaningful #digitaltransformation! Q2: In my latest book @LifescaleU, I wrote directly to individuals and not executives for the first time. It was intended for them to see the need for deep work personally and professionally…to see the value of human centeredness in #digitaltransformation Q3: Customers, + you and me, are incredibly distracted, busy, multitaskers, who live life online, spending 4+ hours a day on mobile devices consuming the feeds of others while sharing slivers of our own lives. We are competing for attention in a time of personal chaos. Q3: Without understanding + emphasizing customer & employee distractions and the effects of personal tech in their lives, we cannot guide #digitaltransformation and #innovation to deliver true, relevant value in every state of their life cycle. We’re missing humanity. Q3: These insights lets us connect how individuals, consumers, employees & leaders all must do personal deep work and focus to impact the greater whole. We can also show how organizational problems in creativity, focus & purpose are inherently people problems. Q4: Organizations are too focused on dashboards, numbers and technology instead of people, employees and customers. If we don’t know the problem, we won’t know where the huge opportunity lies. It’s human. It’s people. There’s a human side of #digitaltransformation! Q4: The #1 challenge in #digitaltransformation and #innovation is organizational culture. It’s also the #1 catalyst in advanced orgs. This is a time to spotlight the humans inside and outside to become fully aware of the real threats/opportunities we’re dealing with. Q4: Many organizations I study suffer from “out of touchness” where execs are not the customers and employees they’re trying to reach. They’re an incredible disconnect, which over time leads to “#experience divides” and sets the stage for #creativedestruction. Q5: On average we are distracted ~200 times per day. We spend 4 hours a day on our phones. (not talking about those who are far more connected). Each distraction takes ~23 minutes to get back into the groove. We are all distracted in our own way without knowing. Q5: Employees lose ~2 hours during their work day to personal distractions. This has tremendous costs to productivity and output. We #multitask, we move faster, our brains are less creative, our work is shallower, we are moving and reacting without space to innovate. Q5: Even I was distracted. I failed 2 years ago to deliver what would have been my 8th book because I too struggled with distractions. My output stalled because I skimmed over the deep work. I couldn’t spark creativity. Meaningful transformation starts here. @lifescaleU Q6: Where to start? Ironically, deep issues are tied to human roadblocks, i.e. egos, cognitive biases, ignorance/arrogance, fear, entitlement, et al. The other side is that change is seen as a cost center and not an investment in the long-term #shortermism Q6: As #changeagents, we have to build bridges to colleagues, the C-suite and other stakeholders/shareholders/boards. They don’t know what they don’t know. So, we have to link the human story to business growth + value to customers/markets. Those that do, win. Q6: When we miss the human issues, we miss true connection to customers and the ability to genuinely guide, inspire and empower employees in new directions. We all need to work on ourselves and help others to do so as well. @lifescaleU Q7: My friends at @gapingvoid have some of the best, most creative answers when it comes to designing cultures for #innovation by focusing on the emotions and aspirations of people through art and science. Here’s one such story. Q7: #innovation #culture is intentional, purposeful, relatable, inspirational + cultivated. Culture is often not a priority nor is it largely understood by execs. It’s not a vision/mission statement. It’s not employee engagement. It’s the foundation of why we work. Q7: #innovation #culture is the social construct for what binds & drives us. It’s why #EX is so important. We need to invest in motivation, learning, unlearning and also #digitalwellness to connect the dots between employee experience & customer experience! @lifescale Can I take a minute to acknowledge all that is amazing about @Ross_Quintana? He’s genuine, compassionate, thoughtful, so so so smart, witty, sweet, funny, helpful, creative, and loving. Thank you for being a friend Ross. Q8: Successful orgs in #digitaltransformation + #innovation journeys are #agile #open #empathetic #flat #empowering #experimental #reflective #humancentered #adaptive #aware #directed and #motivated. This is a time for #leadership, not just #management + scale Q8: Successful #digitaltransformation is shaped by data, social science, culture design, innovation + human beings. #Changeagents who challenge convention & unite everyone around a more meaningful and value-added future are the leaders we need right now. That’s you. Q8: Define your values, find your purpose, define your vision, articulate success in steps, visualize your path forward, create an action plan, and take your first step…then the next one…and the next. Soon you’ll be far along and inspiring others to follow along! Thank you for this opportunity to be with you. I wanted to share these links to help you… The Digital Change Agent’s Manifesto The State of Digital Transformation The Six Stages of Digital Transformation Brian SolisBrian Solis is principal analyst and futurist at Altimeter, the digital analyst group at Prophet, Brian is a world renowned keynote speakerand 8x best-selling author. In his new book, Lifescale: How to live a more creative, productive and happy life, Brian tackles the struggles of living in a world rife with constant digital distractions. His model for “Lifescaling” helps readers overcome the unforeseen consequences of living a digital life to break away from diversions, focus on what’s important, spark newfound creativity and unlock new possibilities. His previous book, X: The Experience When Business Meets Design, explores the future of brand and customer engagement through experience design. Please, invite him to speak at your event or bring him in to inspire colleagues and fellow executives/boards. Follow Brian Solis!Twitter: @briansolis ____________________________ Follow Lifescale!Main Newsletter: Please Subscribe The post The Deep Work of CX and Digital Transformation appeared first on Brian Solis. from https://www.briansolis.com/2019/04/the-deep-work-of-cx-and-digital-transformation/ by Kristen Gramigna, Chief Marketing Officer for BluePay Offering multiple convenient payment options to your customers minimizes the chances of turning away potential sales. Few business decisions will have a greater impact on your bottom line than allowing customers to pay using credit cards. Here’s why. In just 2018 alone, card-based sales exceeded $3.6 trillion in the U.S. That number is only expected to soar as traditional standbys like cash and check continue to fall out of favor. When it comes to accepting credit cards, many entrepreneurs are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of options out there. This choice paralysis often leads to inaction, which ultimately yields fewer overall sales. Fortunately, incorporating credit cards into your payment environment isn’t as hard as many people believe. By using the checklist below, you can get up and running relatively quickly. 1. Decide Where You’ll Accept Credit Cards.The first step involves deciding where you want to accept credit cards:
This step is important since the hardware, tools, and configuration all vary depending on how and where you interface with customers. 2. Who Processes Your Credit Card Sales?Next, you’ll need to decide whether to choose a payment processor or a third-party marketplace to handle incoming credit card payments:
3. The Hardware and Software You’ll Require.Next, you’ll need to choose the appropriate tools for credit card acceptance. As mentioned before, what you select depends on where you interact with your customers. Online Credit Card Acceptance. As an e-merchant, the hardware requirements are nonexistent. However, you will need either a payment gateway or hosted payment form to securely process credit card data. You’ll also likely need some type of shopping cart software — one that integrates seamlessly with your existing website. Mobile Credit Card Acceptance. If you regularly sell off-site, you’ll need a smart device and card reader to process credit cards on the go. Some mobile solutions also come with printers. Others will send invoices and receipts via email. Note that if your mobile reader isn’t EMV-enabled, you could be liable for fees and penalties associated with fraudulent transactions. In-Store Credit Card Acceptance. If you operate a traditional retail store, most of your sales will be generated in-person at the checkout counter. For this, you may need a setup that includes:
4. Time to Comparison-Shop.The above describes all of the nuts and bolts you’ll need to get up and running. It’s a good idea to list these items on paper as you begin shopping for the most appropriate payment setup. For example, knowing you’ll need a credit card reader for your retail store allows you to ask the right questions as you start exploring options:
The same is true of software, fees, and service agreements — all of which vary considerably from processor to processor. However, there are even more important questions and considerations you can use to weed out unqualified candidates. For example, it’s best to avoid any payment solutions that: Aren’t PCI-compliant: Consumers aren’t the only ones who find credit cards attractive. Criminals do, too, which is why plastic is such a common target for fraud. You want a payment solution built around PCI-compliant data security and the latest fraud-prevention tools. Can’t grow with your needs: You might start by selling online — over time, you may want to branch into a brick and mortar location, as well. If your current processor doesn’t support this option, you’ll have to migrate your entire payment environment to one that can. Doesn’t offer enough features and benefits: Many small businesses start with bare-bones payment solutions (to keep costs low). Yet, not being able to leverage payment integration, recurring billing, or ACH payments down the road could end up costing more than you realize. As you start shopping around, it may take a few days to get all the answers you want. Nonetheless, the investment is worth it if you can find a payment solution that scales with your needs and helps your business grow. One Final Credit Card Acceptance Tip.There will come a time (in the very near future) when your business is finally able to accept credit cards. Don’t forget to share this news with all of your customers. Newsletters and emails can help, but you should also add the appropriate credit card logos to your site, invoices, and storefront window.
Kristen Gramigna is Chief Marketing Officer for BluePay, a leading provider of fast, easy and secure payment processing solutions. She brings 25 years of experience in the bankcard industry in direct sales, sales management and marketing. from http://www.youngupstarts.com/2019/04/18/how-your-small-business-can-start-accepting-credit-cards/ Louis Carter is a well-known executive coach, CEO, and social/organizational psychologist. His books include “The Change Champion’s Field Guide“, “Best Practices in Talent Management” and “In Great Company: How to Spark Peak Performance by Creating an Emotionally Connected Workplace” (McGraw-Hill Education, February 21, 2019). He was voted one of the Top 10 Organizational Culture Gurus in the world and is CEO and founder of the Best Practice Institute. We ask Louis about his latest book on organizational management. What is the Best Practice Institute? What is its mission?The Best Practice Institute is a think tank and solutions incubator founded in 2001. It’s won a number of awards and includes more than 42,000 ranking managers from Fortune 500 and Global 1000 brands. Our mission is to transform ourselves and our organizations by implementing the best and next practices in organization development and change. We want to create a world of work where everyone wins. I launched it with ten Fortune 500 C-level executives — pioneers of change management, including Kathleen Dannemiller, Marshall Goldsmith, Richard Beckhard, Warren Bennis, W. Warner Burke, Frances Hesselbein, Sally Helgessen. We have over 900 experts, thought leaders, professors, and university department chairs contributing original research, innovative publications, and practice on management and leadership. We offer peer-to-peer networking, learning and research resources, benchmarking opportunities, a library of webinars, podcasts, publications, and more. We reach over 500,000 management professionals. What was the impetus for you book “In Great Company”?I truly believe organizations can be a horrible place to be. I have been in organizations that haze, daze, and confuse. That was the defining experience of my first job, where my boss told me to stay in the office and do everyone’s work while he went out to a party with my coworkers. At 2 am, finally done, I realized I was locked in without a key or code to get out. My boss was so drunk he barely understood why I was calling him. When I joined a company whose people share great integrity, ethics, respect, values, and a clear focus on outcomes, I felt connected and worked more deeply. Everyone wanted to help me succeed there, and I reciprocated happily in everything I did. The more I gave to others — leads, ideas, and help, the more help, leads, and ideas I got back. Life was good. In college, I got my first taste of how a group of leaders with passion for something can make real change happen. I created and founded one of the first student-run course evaluation guides. I brought together a group of students who were passionate about the quality of education, and the power of our voice as students. We did our analysis with scantrons, paper and #2 pencils. We collected thousands of signatures from the student body, and the President – Clarie Gaudiani – gave me a check for $10k and a job working for her to create the Conn College Review. Decades later, when I had already written ten books, my mentor Marshall Goldsmith, coauthor of many books (like “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” challenged me to come up with a new idea. My books focused on the hundreds of models, tools, and instruments that great executives were using to create change, talent and leadership development programs. But the through line was something more innate. I asked executives: What really drove the success of your program? What makes you want to perform more and better? What makes you want to run for the hills? After coding all of the answers, I saw that everything came down to feeling connected emotionally to your company. That’s biggest factor for the success of their change programs, leadership, and even back at home. I also realized there’s a disconnect about what people want from work that cuts across the organizational structure and company culture everywhere. Explain the process of writing In Great Company: how did you draw on your work with the Best Practice Institute, and the research the Institute conducts?The Best Practice Institute brings together some of the best and most passionate leaders in organization development and talent management. I drew from their research, writings, and my own conversations with them. Repeatedly, they expressed concerns with the disconnect between leadership intent and rank-and-file perceptions. They understand that an organization’s success depends on reconciling the dichotomy. This drove me to pull together ideas I had been developing separately, and shaped and directed my research among employees, managers, and executives. Though bursting with data and information, I saw the need for practical definitions and useful practices. That led to the workbook and toolkit approach of In Great Company. You’ve worked with notable organizations, such as the J&J, Federal Reserve Bank of NY, Allstate. How can legacy institutions or large corporations work to change their culture?Culture change happens from the top and from the outside, when people see what is happening and rally around a common vision. When they share a sense of how they want to respect each other and the world at large, great things happen. I have noticed that culture change happens faster when there is a lack of internal bureaucracy and politics. When large organizations thrive on politics, they can barely move. A change project that should happen in two months takes ten years. I know people who come into work completely exhausted because their meetings result in absolutely nothing happening. People give their “yeah, sure’s” and never do anything about it. Their culture of accountability is at rock bottom. What do you do about this? Release people of their burden of moving slowly, which needs to start at the top. The highest CEO-level must demand it, live it, and show he or she is getting involved. For example, in sales: work with salespeople, do a sales process with people, set the vision, work with marketing, show a sale from beginning to end. Shadow a salesperson on the road. Show the value of hard work and getting it done, and learn from failures as well as successes. My CEO client, Morris Miller, is an extraordinary example of this. As co-founder of Rackspace, he got deeply involved. Then he sold Rackspace for billions. I do the same thing in my company. I get involved, show how to go rid of the roadblocks, and we all succeed together. When you lose your entrepreneurial culture as you grow, you lose your agility. Don’t let this happen. Be the entrepreneur that made your company what it is today. When you lose your roots, you lose a part of yourself, and your company. Explain the power of emotional connectedness to drive performance — why are traditional incentives like salaries and bonuses less effective?People will work towards a reward, and larger and richer compensation and perks will often lure people to reach and perform high. However, using money to motivate tests ethical behavior, drives employee turnover, and inspires discontent. It’s too often inconsistent, counterproductive, and punitive. I asked 150 executives, “What is the one single factor you need most from an employer to motivate your performance and help you be great at your job?” Nine out of ten said it was a “feeling of respect.” Only two out of ten said compensation, benefits, or perks. I then expanded that research to over 300 CEOs and Chief HR Officers, thousands of employees one of a Global 500 manufacturing company, roundtable discussions with colleagues and management experts, and conferences with hundreds of employees. All my inquiry, analysis, and synthesis led to one result: Respect in the workplace is directly related to a feeling of emotional connectedness. People feel respected in an environment of mutual support, a bond of acceptance, values alignment, two-way dialogue, and reciprocal trust. Respect enables emotional connection, and emotional connection cultivates respect.
Learn more about Louis Carter at louiscarter.com/project/in-great-company. from http://www.youngupstarts.com/2019/04/18/interview-louis-carter-author-of-in-great-company-how-to-spark-peak-performance-by-creating-an-emotionally-connected-workplace/ Both successful and effective communication and positive physician-patient relationships have been associated with favorable patient health outcomes. This alone should be a strong clinical indication that improved patient experiences could lead to better healthcare outcomes overall. If the following suggestions can be made use of and the patient experience is improved overall, a given clinic or hospital may be seeing fewer malpractice attorneys. Further, patient experience may be one of the critical factors when it comes to reducing overall malpractice or potentially fatal poor decision making. How to Improve Communication with Patients.Communication is a soft skill that, while many doctors were trained to provide care, they may not have developed throughout their education. Communicating effectively is a skill that requires cultivation and training. Making sure a physician or anyone interacting with patients knows how to communicate best in a variety of everyday and tough situations is key to making sure patients feel seen, and patient flow is improved. Offering regular training sessions can help develop these potentially neglected soft skills. How to Improve Patient Relationships with Their Care Teams.Patient relationships, though the key to the patient experience, can be fickle. Going to the doctor is something someone does and then expects to be diagnosed and treated. What is that diagnosis is elusive or the patient requires a long course of treatment? Developing a relationship where the patient feels that their physician knows and understands their needs is critical. How this is done varies from patient to patient. In many cases, allowing physicians the luxury of spending more time with their patients is vital. Know What a Patient Needs, Not Just What Their Symptoms Require.Often, a doctor with reach for a prescription pad before thinking about a more lifestyle-oriented solution. If a patient can’t sleep, they may be prescribed sleeping medication rather than be asked what their sleeping habits are like. The root of the problem may be a dust-mite allergy, bed bugs, or just their sleeping position or bedding. Evaluating Antiquated Processes.Not every administrative process or role is necessary. Technology has rapidly changed many industries, with healthcare being one of them. By adopting these technologies, waste is reduced overall. Streamlining Administrative Processes.Doctors, on average, may spend as much as two-thirds of their time on paperwork as opposed to seeing or treating patients. While support staff can help with this burden, technology may be a better bet. By making the most of intuitive programs, templates, and “smart” healthcare platforms, doctors may end up with more time to spend with patients. Making the Most of Telehealth.While not approved, available, or able to be billed to insurance in many areas of the country, telehealth has steadily been being adopted and improved. This can enhance the healthcare experience of any patient with a busy schedule in addition to any patient that happens to be home-bound. Telehealth may be most effective in psychology and psychiatry. Not only is it able to bring care into the home, but by doing so may lower stigma and reduce resistance to seeing someone for a mental health issue. It may also reduce missed or skipped appointments. from http://www.youngupstarts.com/2019/04/18/how-to-improve-healthcare-patient-experiences/ Today’s startup environment is dynamic. It’s impossible to grow your business with purpose and conviction if you don’t make a concerted effort to get ahead of things before they happen. And while you won’t always be successful in predicting what happens next, a proactive approach to startup growth and development will, more often than not, put you in a place to be successful. In business, it’s easy to get become so consumed by what’s happening around you that all of your time goes toward reactive management. This could look like answering an endless stream of customer emails, attending multiple meetings per day, reviewing work and progress, coaching individual employees through their own specific challenges, and addressing customer service complaints. As entrepreneur Dave Bailey explains, “Reactive time is spent working on other people’s priorities.” On the other hand, “Proactive time is spent working on your own priorities.” If you want to do less of the former and more of the latter, you’ll need to prioritize your approach. Here are some of the things proactive startups do on a regular basis: 1. Start Each Day/Week With a Plan.Any time you enter into a workweek or day without a specific plan of action, you’ll find that you’re highly susceptible to what’s happening around you. Without any prioritized allocation of your time, reactivity becomes the natural order of the day. The most proactive startups are the ones whose founding teams are purposeful about setting clear, precise, and forward-thinking goals that control the company’s trajectory, as opposed to letting others influence how time and energy is spent. 2. Seek Out Customer Feedback.Customer feedback is obviously important. Your startup will receive feedback sooner or later (whether you want it or not), but it’s far better if you proactively seek it out. In doing so, you can remediate issues sooner and quell small flames before they become roaring fires. 3. Leverage Prescriptive Analytics.Supply chain management is a big deal for startups that produce and sell physical products. The advent of artificial intelligence has paved the way for new methods – most notably prescriptive solutions that produce future predictions combined with suggestive actions that will result in best possible outcomes. “Rather than spending hours gathering and preparing data, teams take advantage of automated collection and analysis, which frees up their brain power to focus on working strategically,” LeanDNA explains. “With a single click, analysts, buyers, managers, and executives can see historical trends, future projections, and recommended next steps for improving outcomes.” This visionary approach to supply chain management has spilled over into other areas of business and now dictates how savvy startups handle things like inventory, sales, marketing, and customer service. 4. Invest in Preventative Maintenance.For startups with lots of equipment – which includes physical machinery and/or computer technology – preventative maintenance is an absolute must. Research shows that the right preventative maintenance plan results in a 545 percent return on investment. In other words, you can’t afford not to invest in a preventative maintenance plan. Savvy startups inventory all of their equipment and develop proactive plans that identify issues earlier and allow for strategic solutions to be implemented before serious damage, delays, or downtime occur. 5. Always Network and Recruit.Every startup encounters situations and periods of time where assistance is needed. Whether it’s in the form of an investor, employee, business partner, or supplier, it pays to have existing relationships in place so that you can deal with these situations in a timely manner. Having said this, make sure you never stop networking. Even when you feel like things are going well, have a hungry attitude. This is especially important when it comes to recruiting. You never know when a key employee or team member will leave and you’ll need to find a replacement. Already having a list of people you can reach out to will speed things up and make the process less emotional. How Can You Be More Proactive?Proactive strategies will look different for every startup. It all depends on the industry you’re in, the stage of development, what you’re trying to accomplish in the short-term, what your long-term goals are, etc. By processing every decision through a reactive vs. proactive lens, you’ll find that you approach startup growth and development in a contextualized manner that puts your business on a path toward success. from http://www.youngupstarts.com/2019/04/18/5-powerful-ways-todays-thriving-startups-are-becoming-more-proactive/ |
ABOUT MEHi my name is Maxine 27 years of age living in Pittsburgh, PA. I own a small business and spend my time reading tips about incresing sales. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |