Could BlackBerry be worth $19 Million?

Why not?

If WhatsApp is worth that with no revenue then BB with revenue could be to the right buyer.

I own a couple of thousand shares of BlackBerry that i bought at $45 so my comments will not affect their valuation.

What do you get for $19m?

Patents and more Patents

Technology

QNX software which is quickly gaining market share as the Internet of things moves into the automobile. Ford Motors just announced that they will install it in their new car line up replacing the problematic Microsoft SYNC. I actually preferred to rent Fords because of this great SYNC infotainment  software so if  Ford is moving to QNX then that can only mean it is so much better.

BBM

It was the reason crackberry was so popular and yeah the keyboard as well but now that it is moving to multiple platforms the app becomes much more valuable

BES

The BES server software is still the most popular device management tool out there. With the ability to split personal from work, the BYOD trend becomes stronger. If an employee leaves then just delete their work partition and it keeps the baby photos in the personal section intact.

Mobile Payments

RIM had a mobile payment app under BBM years ago that was not too successful but could be redesigned for todays marketplace

Emerging Markets

BB has done well in those markets and is a more desirable device

Security

Still has the highest security rating and may be NSA proof

Ok, lets offer $9 billion

Don’t Make These 3 Video Meeting Mistakes

If you’re not using video meetings to connect with prospects and clients, you’re wasting tons of time. There’s no reason to spend hours driving to and from sales meetings anymore.

Just open up a browser, log onto an online meeting site (ala GoToMeeting) and send the link info to who you want to talk with. Voila! You’re connected.

Using video makes it even better. You can quickly establish personal relationships with new people at a much deeper level. And, with ongoing relationships, it keeps the momentum going.

That’s the good news. But … there’s always a but … doing it well requires mastery of new skills. Believe me, I’ve made a ton of mistakes in the process. Here are a just a few:

Mistake #1: Technology Screw Ups

If you’re like me, using new technology is not second nature. I freak out when things go wrong. To ensure that doesn’t happen, I practice ahead of time with safe people who will still love me even when I’m a total loser. Or, I rope in a savvy geek to give me step-by-step instructions.

Make your mistakes before you go live – or risk embarrassing yourself.

Mistake #2: Unwanted Interruptions

After my husband barged into my home office during an important online meeting, I realized I needed to do something. Today, my office has a huge “Do Not Interrupt” sign outside it when I’m online.

Make sure you shut down text message and email too. I’ve heard horror stories about what’s popped up at a most inopportune time.

Mistake #3: Inappropriate Looks

If you’re using video meetings to create a personal connection, then doggone it, you need to be looking people in the eye. Obvious, yes. But when you’re talking to someone online, I’ll bet you’re looking at where their video shows up on your screen  -- which may be in the lower corner.

Make sure to move their smiling face right up under your camera. That way you’ll be looking directly at them – not at their navels.

If you haven’t tried using online video meetings yet, it’s time to get started. Yes, it’s not easy doing something new. But, I can assure you that it’s worth feeling awkward for a short while in order to realize the massive benefits. 

Six Tips for Making Your Business More Efficient

Six Tips for Making Your Business More Efficient

Here are 6  tips for using the latest network technology to help your business work more efficiently, reduce costs, improve on customer satisfaction, and stay ahead of the competition. 1.     Deliver anytime, anywhere access to employees on the go. To stay productive on the move, your employees need to be able to reach the people and information they need—anywhere, anytime. With tools like virtual private networks (VPNs), your employees can work outside the office and still enjoy safe access to the business network. 2.     Make it easy to work together. Smooth collaboration between employees, partners, suppliers, and customers is a sure-fire way to boost efficiency while also reducing costs. A network lets your business take advantage of interactive calendaring, videoconferencing, unified communications, and other technologies for easy collaboration. 3.     Enable employees to take their phone systems wherever they go. Missed calls create project delays, wasted opportunities, and lost revenues. With a networked voice and data solution, your employees can have one phone number that rings simultaneously on multiple devices, so customers reach the right person the first time. Your staff can access all their communications from anywhere, checking for e-mail, voicemail, and faxes from just one inbox. 4.     Streamline customer communications. Delivering fast, knowledgeable service is the best way to keep customers satisfied. Linking your telephone system to a customer relationship management (CRM) solution is a great way to enhance customer communications. When a customer calls, a pop-up window with their records appears on an employee's IP phone screen, computer screen, or both. 5.     Reduce unproductive travel time. All too often, time spent on the road is time lost. A telephone solution that offers video calls and Web conferencing can help reduce the time and expense of traveling to offsite meetings and training sessions. Instead of spending time traveling, you can use the time to get work done with technology. 6.     Improve the Contact Center. Too many organizations take this for granted and lose customers over time with a poor contact center experience. Offer web chat, SMS integration and better call flows to keep your customers engaged and happy. Remember, 80% of calls answered in 20 seconds or less is key.

Making Company LinkedIn Pages work for You

 I was asked last night by a business man who felt i had experience in social media ( I think i do based on some training) about how best to use his company page. I took a quick look at it and it was stagnant, stale ands last updated 3 years ago....ooooppppsss....you are no longer relevant. So here are some quick tips and he will take advantage of a social media student providing some assistance

Making Company LinkedIn Pages work for you 

Groups are most successful when used to build networks and engage in conversation, while LinkedIn Company Pages are where the advertising and self-promotion belongs. Launched in October 2011, Company Pages allow companies to update their status, a Facebook-like approach to social media. “Companies should be using their pages as a far more aggressive tool to create and build reputation among their networks,” said Boyd Neil


> announce corporate news and events 
> post information about products and services 
> share multimedia content, press releases, media coverage, etc. 
> list job postings 
> announce changes within the organization
> celebrate success
> a landing page from other social media networks

SOCHI 2014 The First BYOD Olympics

The SOCHI Olympic games is the most technologically advanced of any sporting event. One area is the increased us of high definition video not just in security cameras but for the actual filming of the sports events themselves. Smaller cameras can be placed in locations that can offer a insider view of an event.

The biggest change is in wireless coverage in the BYOD  ( Bring Your Own Device) trend. It is expected to have over 2000 access points and over 100,000 BYOD devices all using social networks or live streaming events and replays.The wi-fi network is expected to be the biggest of its kind. The expected 40,000 athletes, media, volunteers, and staff is also expected to flood the social networks with photos and video. Sochi will have a 54TB-per-second virtualized backbone and multiple 10-gigabit pipes running from the Black Sea resort town back to Moscow to handle all the data movement expected to be generated.

Avaya, is the sponsor for this network and the expectation and promise is to deliver a glitch free flawless experience. Taking their learning's from the Vancouver Olympics, they are applying it this time around with also new enhancements in the underlying infrastructure.

Panasonic, another global sponsor has installed almost 7000 HD security cameras that will also be a level of defense in increasing security for all attendees at the games. The HD video network will be separate from the wi-fi network.

The Avaya techs have place mobile access points on sleds and they will be placed along each event and media photographers will be able to upload large photo files to their editors for review and upload to websites.

For the first time all video media will be using IP TV in place of the traditional coaxial cable network.

Network Virtualization is being used to separate the various networks from each other and an Identify Engine will be used to allow users access to its own service.

Another new twist is the second screen phenomenon where tablets and smartphones as the second screen to follow a game can become the primary screen to watching them. So far my behavior has been similar to watching a Formula 1 race. I can watch the big screen TV and see what the producers have for me and I can use my tablet to take advantage of a real-time lap scoring app to keep on eye on the lap speeds. I could use my smartphone to engage in conversations with the various social media networks. I think the Lazy Boy recliner will now need more things from the Tether Tools catalog.

The new Olympic fan can be inside the games watching the Canadian womens hockey team beat up on Finland and use their second screen to look up info or stats of the players and then while cheering loudly after a goal, use the replay feature to replay the goal on their BYOD device, and then tweet out the Yeah Go Canada.. All this engagement leads to a new skillset - live multi-tasking.

That now begs the question of powering up your devices and I can only think that a 8 lb 12V 7AH gel cell battery with a USB converter in your back pack may be the only way to keep things working. At least you can leave the external wi-fi antennas at home this time. Maybe, a solar powered charger may be useful as well.

Are you multi-tasking and using multiple screens watching the olympics this time around? I would love to hear your thoughts

Quota Quota Quota

Quota and commissions are scary words for the sales person to understand. You have to meet Quota as defined by management and you need to make commissions to pay for your BMW 735 lease and Hugo Boss suits...maybe buy food and diapers for the family.

How do you do it?

Education

You need to know more about your products than anyone else in the company. You need to be the expert and trusted adviser. Study...study hard

Identify the Target Customers

People buy from People and from those they trust

If your solution or product cannot solve a business problem or improve revenues or other measurable target then you may need to look elsewhere

Allow the Customer to Choose on their own Time

If you Push or try to do a Hard Close on your customer..you will lose. You are not selling a used car and if you become desperate then tell your manager to give you another 30 days. No One and I mean no one needs to be pressured into buying. If that is the approach then it smells and a fish stinks after 3 days.

Remember, people buy from people and they buy from those they trust

Be honorable, Honest, Ethical and think long term

Happy Selling!

Corporate Canada - Let Innovation Happen

1. Let The Opportunity to share and discuss new ideas Happen

Empty the suggestion box and really and I mean really discuss each one

2. The Crowd is Smarter than You

The crowd is smarter than you so please listen unless you are down in the street with an ear to the rail tracks

3. Let the Process happen naturally

Let the folks meet up for a conversation to see if there is interest in the innovation

4. CREATE A BUSINESS PLAN

Can we make some money on this?

5. Put the Innovators in a Box and then let them out of the Box

Things can happen either way

Shareholders and employees and consumers depend on you to create new innovation

30 second elevator pitch

Hi I'm John Leonardelli from One Million Acts of Innovation and what we do is connect innovators together to create random acts of innovation. It helps provide more jobs, more revenue and increase Canada's GDP for the betterment of Canada. How can we work together to make this a success?

Shake Hands

The New Social Media Elevator Pitch

The New Social Media Elevator Pitch

The standard elevator pitch is under going a face lift with the new Social Media platforms. Getting your customer attention may never be the same again with reality pitches and Twiter pitches and the such.

The elevator pitch is a means of convincing prospects of your business potential in 30 seconds or less.

As the new social media has exploded in recent years, the number of channels and methods to pitch has increased. The new elevator pitch allows you to reach a broader audience and receive critical feedback and comments to improve your pitch and business. If you are having trouble reaching your clients then you need to try a new way:

Reality Pitch: As reality TV has taken the living room by storm, it has also opened up a new channel for pitching business ideas. In Canada, , entrepreneurs only have a few minutes to use their elevator pitch on investors in the successful reality show Dragon’s Den. In the USA they pitch it to Shark tank.

Tube Pitch: YouTube, the online video sharing service has over 100 million viewers. This is a large market for any new upstart company. Forget the 120-page power point business plan; the new pitch allows you to evoke the passion behind your idea or business. It is all about the STORY

Twitter Pitch: Twitter is micro-blogging or cb radio style broadcast allowing text messages of 140 characters or less. Twitter has taken the 30-second elevator pitch and turned into a 140 character pitch.

Blog Pitch:  TechCrunch has defined  Elevator Pitches as “One Startup. 30 seconds. Go.” The blog describes its service as “where founders and CEOs get a chance to pitch their startups directly to you, the TechCrunch audience. It uses crowd soureicng to figure out what is good and what is bad.

Slide Pitch: SlideShare is an online slide presentation community. Creating your elevator pitch in a brief slide presentation can reach your audience or allow you to send them to a website for more details. Another, social media channel to exploit your story. Rememebr, use no more thaqn 10 slides or assume Power Point Death.

Elevator Pitch Falls into the Cracks

Does using the new media make your business idea more susceptible to competitors? Who cares?

A business idea that can be easily copied by your competitors has no barriers to entry and will more likely fail and be deemed by the wayside. If you have a great idea, with proprietary technology or patents, you can be at less risk than pitching a less protected idea in the new media.

The new Social Media platforms offers new opportunities for the average person or business AND can help expand your business globally. Just Ask Matt Granger

Mark Derbyshire Understands Retail @ Holt Renfrew

It is no secret that Mark has helped transform luxury retailer Holt Renfrew since his appointment years ago, but more recently HR has come under pressure from other US based retailers moving to Canada.

Nordstrom and  Saks Fifth Avenue will be opening stores in Toronto this year. That will put pressure on existing luxury retailers to step up their game. 

Do they really have to step up their game? Look at Target, they took over the Zellers operation to take advantage of their real estate footprint, but is failing at grabbing the consumer mindset. They have not done any direct mail flyers in the local paper and when trying to shop in their stores the selection and inventory count is very poor. Every retailer was scared about the Tarjay entry into the market and they have proven the fear to be false. That is too bad since Walmart does need a competitor to keep them on their toes and they have been quietly make improvements. However, the food shopping experience is cleaner at Target.

So what does Mark DO KNOWING THAT COMPETITION IS COMING? he takes 100 loyal and not so loyal customers out for lunch and asks them simply how they can make a better store and a better shopping experience. This is a perfect example of how the leader of a company takes an active role in innovative transformation. Too many leaders do not have any experience out on the shop floor or sales floor and appear to be blindsided when the quarterly earnings are way below expectations.

This is how its done and the results in the creation of a cultural innovation mindset is a real game changer. In today's highly competitive market place it is imperative that the C Suite be out in the field with a nose and ear to the ground to understand what is actually going on.

The Yorkdale Holt Renfrew store has doubled in size and has been redone to the nines to ensure every shopper has a thrilling experience.

Heart Attack Symptoms: What To Do in an Emergency

Do you know how to recognize heart attack symptoms? A heart attack usually occurs when there is blockage in one of the heart's arteries. This is an emergency that can cause death. It requires quick action. Do not ignore even minor heart attack symptoms. Immediate treatment lessens heart damage and saves lives.

Recognizing Heart Attack Symptoms

Heart attack symptoms vary from person to person. Not all heart attacks begin with the sudden, crushing chest pain that many people picture when they think of a heart attack. In fact, some heart attacks cause no symptoms at all. This is more common in people who have diabetes.

Heart attack symptoms may begin slowly, causing mild pain and discomfort. They can occur at rest or while you're active. Depending on your age, gender, and other medical conditions, symptoms may be more or less severe.

Learn here how to recognize heart attack symptoms.

Heart Attack Symptoms and Warning Signs

Common heart attack symptoms and warning signs may include:

• Chest discomfort that feels like pressure, fullness, or a squeezing pain in the center of your chest; it lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
• Pain and discomfort that extend beyond your chest to other parts of your upper body, such as one or both arms, back, neck, stomach, teeth, and jaw
• Unexplained shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort
• Other symptoms, such as cold sweats, nausea or vomiting, lightheadedness,anxiety, indigestion, and unexplained fatigue

Chest pain and discomfort are the most common heart attack symptoms for both men and women. But, women are more likely than men to also experience other symptoms, too. These might include shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, unexplained extreme fatigue, and neck, shoulder, upper back, or abdominal pain.

What To Do When Heart Attack Symptoms Occur

If you or someone you are with experiences chest discomfort or other heart attack symptoms, call 911 right away. Do not wait more than 5 minutes to make the call. While your first impulse may be to drive yourself or the heart attack victim to the hospital, it is better to call 911. Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel can begin treatment on the way to the hospital and are trained to revive a person if his heart stops.

If you witness heart attack symptoms in someone and are unable to reach EMS, drive the person to the hospital. If you are experiencing heart attack symptoms, do not drive yourself to the hospital unless you have no other choice.

Many people delay treatment because they doubt they really are having a heart attack. They don't want to bother or worry their friends and family. But it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Personal Telco Project

There is an interesting movement going on in Portland, Oregon and it is all about providing cheaper, and private wireless.

The Personal Telco project is a community based wireless mesh network. The network is a bunch of interconnected wireless routers, or nodes, which interconnect traffic between users and network hop off points to the Internet.

The user connects his wireless router to an external antenna and the mesh technology connects into the community airspace fabric.

These experiments show how the power of community with off the shelf technology can bring link minded enthusiasts together.

Now take this methodology and apply it to a remote community with no internet access by landline. A satellite internet drop can be connected to a village mesh network providing internet access to its members. Take this community and empower them with DataWind or Android tablets and each user now has access on a shared basis that will empower them to learn and share in conversation.

If the village lacks reliable power then wind, solar or water can be used to keep the batteries charged at the mesh hub but also can be used to keep those tablets charged. Soon, a 12 year old will have become the village IT administrator using the internet at night to study for his IT certifications through a MOOC and one day will leave the village an imigrate to another country. He will make money that he cannot have imagined and be able to send money back home to his family. Thats the power of community and technology.

https://personaltelco.net/wiki

http://villagetelco.org/mesh-potato/

Low cost ways to market your business

Marketing doesn’t have to be expensive. Find out how to keep your marketing strategies smart and cost-effective.

Small business marketing is about making your target customers aware of your products in focused, effective ways that are easy on the back pocket.

Increase positive word-of-mouth

Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most popular small business marketing options because of the credibility impartial third-party recommendations can lend a brand. Another plus is that it is usually free. Simply focus on delivering excellent customer service, actively ask clients for referrals, and make sure you get on top of any complaints or service issues as soon as you can.

 "The greatest compliment is a referral"

Personalize the experience

Going that extra mile for a customer is a great way to spread word about your company, but rather than just entertaining a special request, bring home your efforts by showing you’ve paid attention and know exactly what your customers want before they ask.

 A package with airline tickets was returned to the travel agent due to a wrong postal code. The owner dropped it off personally.

Provide incentives

Rewarding customers is a widespread and effective marketing manoeuvre for businesses of all sizes, but the rewards don’t have to be big and expensive. The cost of a discount, free gift or even just the chance to participate for the chance to win a prize can go a long way.

Coupons or Contests work very well. Why not reward your best customers with a Samsung Tablet? They are under $200

Brand everything

It’s easy to forget the small marketing opportunities that sometimes slip right under our noses – and branding opportunities are top of the list. Think beyond basic business cards and email signatures and get your brand out there on your vehicle, stationery, invoices, proposals and clothing – even your kids’ softball uniforms if the team’s looking for sponsorship.

The big Brands understand this very well

Be social

Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook allow you to open a direct dialogue with customers. If your target market is a clearly definable social group, you can try to tap into that community via blogs, social media comments and tweets. The key is to comment or blog frequently, consistently and with subtlety, emphasizing and promoting your brand values and not just your products or services.

Using Social Networks have been proven to increase brand presence and sales revenues.

Become an expert

Promote yourself to the media as an authority on your sector of business. Contact journalists with story ideas, send in letters to the editor and even try your own hand at press releases related to newsworthy issues affecting your industry. Public speaking can also be an option too, and once you’ve established your credentials, customers seeking knowledge and expertise will start to seek you out over your competitors.

Everyone wants to buy from a trusted advisor.

Network

In many industries, it’s all about who you know rather than what you know. For small businesses looking for a low-cost way to market, networking at the right functions, trade shows and social events can lead to referral partnerships or entrance into a network of companies that refer customers to each other.

Local chambers of commerce are a great place to start.

Tips on Using Social Media to Market your Business

1. Have a Clear Game Plan

Identify your business goals  and target audience before you venture into Social Media networks. What do you want to achieve, what message do you wish to convey and what is the type of social media channels used by your customers.

2. Decide on your Content

Research who you customers are and their behaviour and select the content that will capture interest of your key audience. Ude a variety of fresh, relevant and value-added items that project your brand image across different social media platforms. Be consistent.

3. Measure your Success

Monitoring is important to determine which methods are providing you with the best results. Make changes as some content is more effective than others. This will allow you to better understand the timning and trelevancy of your activies across the differnt netwoprks.

Tip #1 Tell a story
Tip #2 Customer Testimonials are important
Tip #3 Be honest and authentic in your approach

How to Avoid having your cellphone location Tracked

If you travel to the Queen West business district, a comnpany called |Turnstyle Solutions will track you. They have sensors installed that will identify your unique MAC address (cellphone or laptop) and track your activity as you shop around the community.

Hmmm johnny was at Dark Horse and probably had a coffee, then he wandered around a couple of art galleries, a book store then was at Condom Shack for 32 minutes and then was at Trimurti Indian Cuisine for 2 hours. That sure is creepy. The Queen West BIA gets reports as to who is coming to their area.

How do you prevent this?

1. Boycott the Queen Street BIA. However, eventually every business district will begin tracking you

2. Turn off wi-fi and Bluetooth on your smartphone, tablet or laptop

3.Do not use free wi-fi or access it to log onto your social media accounts. If you are at an airport using the wi-fi you will be tracked and may be tracked to see where you land

4.Avoid smartphone apps. Angry Birds has been known to track location data and many loyalty reward cards do the same.

5. The Pebble and Samsung Gear Smart watches have Bluetooth. Shut them off.

6. Opt out from Tracking if given a choice

7. Turn off your phone and remove the battery. Bell Canada has been tracking its 7.7 million mobile subscribers for quite some time

Big Data and Analytics can crunch the data and figure you out pretty quickly if tied into your air mile card or credit card bills.

Lets see he bought wine at the Wine Rack, something at Victoria Secrets, checked into the Dollar Motel for the afternoon rate using his Visa and texted CandyGirl several times. What an odd place for a job interview or customer meeting.

If you are a criminal , please have your cellphone with you so the tracking information can place you ate the scene of the crime.

Technology can be good and bad and may impact your privacy

Consumers are demanding a Flawless On-Line Shopping Experience

Consumers continue to demand a flawless on-line shopping experience. What drives consumer behavior and what influences them during the on-line encounter?

At the top of the list, Shoppers leverage promotions such as discount coupons or free shipping when buying on-line.

Shoppers want a simple shopping cart process that makes checkout fast and easy

Shoppers frequently will use reviews and ratings when making a purchase

Shoppers have adopted retail branded mobile apps in making e-commerce purchases

Shoppers continue to showroom and use bar code tools to scan and check pricing while in a store to make a buying decision. His is more prevalent in a shopping mall where multiple stores may sell the identical item.

Shoppers expect a easy customer service experience when interacting with the contact center

What is really interesting is that the smartphone has become the bridge between the online and in-store experience. This has completely changed the buying process and consumers are voting with their feet and wallet especially on big ticket items.

1)     Let’s take a popular book seller who charges $ 39.00 Canadian for the book S by J.J. Abraham and Doug Dorst  while the US price is $35. When the dollars were at par the Canadian consumer was gouged. The online price from the same book seller is $24.45 but with free shipping for orders above $25. You have to buy another book to get free shipping since you are 45 cents shy of the offer. So if you are lucky you will get two books for the same price as the in-store price. Free shipping and price is the key driver on this transaction.

2)     Want to simplify your coffee buying experience? The Starbucks smartphone app makes buying easy and also manages your rewards program which in the past was always a headache as it was email and coupon driven. Starbucks is the number one choice for the mobile user.

Take Tim Hortons that also has an app but no rewards program AND the scan to pay application only works in select locations centered in the St. Catherines area. Hmmm my city is not included….No Timmy Me app for me.

Second Cup has no App.

McDonalds has no app and uses stickers for their coffee rewards program.

No surprise that Starbucks is leading the mobile consumer gain coffee cup down.

3)     I need to find an extra battery for my Samsung Note 3 and I am at the mall. I scan the bar code at one store where its list price $49.95, the other store has it list price as well. Hmmmm Amazon has it for $40 with shipping…If I can wait a week for delivery I save $10 plus another $1.30 in tax. Showrooming can save a consumer money.

4) I have a problem with a reward on my Starbucks card. However, I need to enter my 16 digit card number and also a 8 digit pin in order to get help while calling in. I use the mobile app so I have no clue what the numbers are. I sit in the Starbucks and cannot do much until I get home. Can I not just touch a button on the app and it calls in for me and exchanges the info the agent needs before I can discuss my problem?

Top Five Contact Center Trends for 2014

The customer contact center experience is going through rapid transformation as new technology is improving the overall experience.

Customers are demanding that they be able to to interact with  their vendor by whatever method they choose.

Increased revenues, increased CSAT scores and increased customer retention is the primary benefit of those organizations that take a long hard look at their contact center and make improvements as necessary.

In many cases, this will mean replacing their aged and discontinued TDM based contact center for a cloud based or hybrid cloud based solution that offers a complete suite of interaction technologies.

The top trends are as follows:

1. Migrations to the Cloud

Cloud based contact center solutions are becoming a very strong viable choice. This is due to the ability to add features quickly, a monthly cost model, lower TCO than premise based solutions, and a strong redundancy solution. The best providers provide a list of applications that can transform your business.

2. Mobile Devices Driving a better Interaction Experience

Consumers want to be able to interact using their smartphone for voice, smartphone through an app, or tablet driven.

3. Big Data

Without a doubt a contact center that uses big data will have a better understanding of their caller and their buying patterns or history. This could improve the inbound experience but is also valuable in an outbound call. If you know Bobby buys his acne products every three months then it is simple to reach out and offer a reminder. I think Amazon does a great job with this because if you are buying books on woodworking then you might also be buying woodworking tools.

4. Speech Analytics

This powerful tool can really simplify the whole "please listen carefully as our options have changed.....press 1 for English and 2 for French....blah blah blah".

Service.......Internet......Cable Modem........ring ring ring...."Hello How can I help you?"

5. Social Media

With the rapid rise in social media networks and a place where consumers spend time then there may be a compelling business case to offer integration within those platforms. If a consumer is within Facebook or a vendor Facebook page then why not be able to click to the call center for service?

People also use twitter to blast out their dissatisfaction so coupled with Big Data a trigger can occur where the agent does an outbound call to the angry consumer..."I understand you are unhappy with your Delta Flight...how can I help?"

6. Personalized Multi-Channel Service

This will allow a better call experience for the consumer with a personal touch to their interactions. No need to offer a French or Spanish menu if they speak English, no need to got through multiple menu trees when the caller is a platinum rewards member and should be bumped or transferred to the high priority queue. if they always ask for a emailed sales receipt then just make it happen automatically without wasting 20 seconds of dialogue to ask for the email address. Its on file already.

7. The Browser is another interaction Channel

If I am getting upset with trying to make a purchase but before going through registration, verifying the email address , etc. etc. to find out my $12 purchase warrants a $40 DHL shipment cost, then why can I not do a web chat and confirm it before wasting time. Web chat works great when on your tablet while watching TV and trying to buy something. Make sure your website or e-commerce site is smartphone or tablet friendly. Shipping costs is the primary reason in the abandoned cart report.

8. CSAT is Important

Customer satisfaction scoring is important again for those that forgot the past ten years. It is easier to retain a customer than find a new one. Happy customers will continue to buy more stuff from you and with big data you can actually promote new products and services to your existing customers in order to increase the wallet share.

How to Beat a Speeding Ticket Tips

So you just got yourself a speeding ticket and you have a fine, increased insurance premiums and possible demerit points. I have gathered some simple tips to help you beat it.

1. Take Notes

After you received your ticket, take notes relating to equipment used to catch you, weather conditions, directions, location of speed signs, street information, Officer behavior and conversation details.

Sometimes photos can be useful as well

2. Review the Ticket

Look up the violation numbers associated with the Highway Traffic Act, the fine amount and all details. Cops make errors and those errors can help you in court.

3. Hire a Paralegal

Many ex-cops now work as the ticket fighter paralegals and there are various franchises to call upon. Most offer a 15 minute free consulation to see if there is a chance to beat the ticket. Depedning on the situation spending $300 to fight a $300 ticket could make sense because if demerit points are taken then insurance premiums will go up considerably.

The paralegal if engaged will set a court date, ask for disclosure and represent you in court.

4. Take a Day off of Work for the Court Date

You can mail the plea to the local court house, or you may have to go in person to book. Once booked, change it to a later date that may prevent the police officer from appearing in court. This is a common tactic as the system will try to have the officer spend a day in court defending his stack of tickets.

No need to take time off of work if a paralegal is hired. That's is their job to represent you

5. Request Disclosure

You have a right to disclosure which will include the officers notes, equipment used, witness statements, record of speed, etc.

You will have to go through the prosecutor at the Provincial Offences office.

6. Plea Bargain

Depending on your driving history, it is possible to plea bargain for a reduced fine, a reduced demerit points or it tossed out of court (if warranted). The prosecutor will be interested in settling the matter quickly as the courts are jam packed every day.

Do not forget to treat everyone in the system with respect and be polite.