Minimun Wage Complainers should Just Stop!

If the minimum wage is increased by $1, the business owners have already started to complain how they will go out of business or lay people off. Going from $10 to $11 is let’s say 10%, that’s not a big jump. If we really want to help the poverty stricken employee then the boost to $16 and has a feel good about better social responsibility and becomes a game changer especially in a dual income family which adds a $1000 extra income per worker, or $2000 for a family. That is per month. A family making a combined income of $40k in Toronto these days is at the food bank a lot. How much is life better at $64k??

The government gets a share, and the employee spends more so the local sales tax coffer gets a boost, and maybe the children get a better breakfast and a tablet or laptop computer to study with. Maybe the extra money supports an internet connection or buying a used car and not having to rely on buses and subways. Let’s go to $16 and make a real difference.

The business owner gets a motivated employee that shows up on time and works harder. The business owner wont struggle finding staff if he pays better than the minimum and helps improve his business. The business owner sees revenue increases because his staff is happier AND MOTIVATED TO OFFER BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE which is a positive improvement for a small business owner.

The boost is 60% so let’s say revenues increases by 30-40% then the other 20-30% can be found in efficiency and more focused cost savings. There are many areas that efficiency can be gained to offset the salary increases and by having a round table with staff will find areas that money can be saved. Maybe you have to raise prices a bit as well but people will pay extra for smiles and better service.

If consumers come to your business and the service is poor because of low employee morale then the consumer might as well go buy on line. The retailers doing the best right now is those that offer better customer service than everyone else.

I have compared the experience in getting a coffee and the one that pays more is a better experience and the same thing for a sandwich shop that believes in a better social index. The cost of the items may be slightly more expensive but you feel better knowing your purchases make a positive impact.

and do not forget your tip could be putting food in a kids mouth as a single divorced mom struggles to make ends meet and continue to instill hope and pride in her kids.

Free Coffee Shop WiFI sells more Coffee and Food Items

Free Coffee Shop WiFI sells more Coffee and Food Items

Offer free WiFi and you will sell more coffee and food items especially if there are outlets available to charge and power devices. Pretty simple! An MBA is not required to figure this out.

For the independent coffee shop owner it s a $80 WiFi router and a $30/month Internet connection.

Actually anywhere your customers need to hang around are other ideal places like Doctor and Dentist offices, Care dealerships and yes even the laundromat.

The new Policing Pyramid

The new Policing Pyramid

Socila Media networks, mobile technologies, and analytic tools are enabling changes in how policing occurs. This enables communites to crowdpolice their environment and the police have better tools in response and incident management.

Are we safer today than we were 20 years ago? I believe so

BBM Meetings Mini Review

BBM Meetings is a fantastic business collaboration app and it is more than just video calling. It is less expensive than the traditional desktop versions like Webex or GoToMeeting, however it is built for mobile.

The frustration many users have with the desktop versions on the mobile device is the logging and pin code management. It’s a struggle to get logging in sometimes.This is where BBM Meetings excels. For example, users are usually rushing from location to location or in their car and no longer need to fumble with dial-in numbers and passcodes. Rather, BBM Meetings will automatically call them when the meeting is ready to start. The dial in number service is still there of course.

It is designed for up to 25 users and can be used on android, apple or BB 10 device and yes you can share documents. Add the secure security features of BB and the business community can enjoy an improved collaboration experience in an easy to use manner.

Couple this with the Passport screen size and the mid life manager can now see the charts without glasses.

The Pocket Guide to Successful CRM Implementations

The Pocket Guide to Successful CRM Implementations

Many sales managers and sales operations staff are looking at CRM as a way to manage and to report on sales activity. More frequently, marketing is also jumping into the fray with marketing automation tools integrated with CRM. In both cases, Mobile access is a huge value driver and productivity tool.

Sometimes this project starts with a Business Analyst and other times the tasks are done by the IT department (using similar process documents) and it really is a function of resources or the size of the project. It really is the team that makes it happen!

Regardless of the size of you company a successful Salesforce CRM project requires planning, commitment, and strong sponsorship from your company’s executive team. It’s also critical that you understand the needs of your managers and users before getting started. Without a detailed understanding of these needs, it’s easy to get derailed in customizing the application.

Here are the 5 areas to a successful implementation:

1. Plan and prepare
2. Set up and develop
3. Deploy Salesforce CRM
4. Drive adoption
5. Continuously improve.

I am providing some guidelines based on past experience with various CRMs across different organizations that can help you achieve better success in your deployment journey.

START

The start of any project requires the following elements to be identified up front:

• ·         Who is the executive sponsor?

The project’s executive sponsor should participate and support the initiative from the beginning, through the cutover and beyond.

• ·         Who are my stakeholders?
• ·         Do we have a scope defined and has it been documented?
• ·         How will measure success?
• ·         What are the resources available for this project?
• ·         What is the communications plan for the project?
• ·         Who is on the team?

The size and scope of your project will determine how many resources you need. However, all projects should include the following even if some participants wear multiple hats

System administrator - This person should be involved throughout the implementation and afterward. It’s important that the administrator understand the business processes and requirements from managers and users.

Project Manager - This person leads the implementation and makes sure the project tasks and overall timeline are on track.

Business Analyst – this key individual usually will develop the business case and requirements documents and work in conjunction with the PM to ensure project success.

One or more power users - These users help make sure your project will meet the needs of the end users, including management. Consider training these users first and then providing more in-depth training.

One or more trainers - Trainers need to identify relevant materials from salesforce.com or develop specific training materials (such as quick-reference guides). You’ll need to provide training guides for the initial implementation and to on-board new users and once the application is live.

PLAN AND PREPARE

Understanding your data is Critical

Whether you’re moving from another CRM application or simply tracking customer information in spreadsheets, you’ll already have existing data. Data always becomes a bottleneck if it’s not reviewed and cleaned early in a project. It is a critical element to success because I have seen so much bad data causing problems within CRM.

Most customers underestimate the effort it takes to clean up, map, and load data. Data shouldn’t be loaded until your system is set up, including setting up your role hierarchy, sharing model, and sharing rules. By taking the time to understand your data during at the start of planning stage you can avoid a lot of issues later on. Maybe have a sandbox CRM just to manage the and test the data loads.

Determine whether you can meet the requirement with out-of-the-box functionality or business processes (low effort) or whether custom development or integration is required (high effort).

CORPORATE VISION

The most important element of a project is the vision. This sets the foundation for success going forward.

• ·         Set the vision and goals
• ·         Define strategies for achieving the vision
• ·         Prioritize the goals for achieving the vision
• ·         Ensure the value drivers (goals) are aligned to the project

This could simply be to implement a CRM solution for managing sales leads and providing reporting. It could start with using the existing customer database then adding in new prospects. Provide reporting to management and train the users. You can then add increased functionality in a second phase. Do NOT START by making it too complicated with a lot of customization.

MEASURING SUCCESS

Success is measured by having 3 metrics that tie into the value the drivers. After setting a baseline measurement and realistic targets we can implement a performance measurement. The solution implementation will have to ensure we meet the measurements required.

Metrics are what needs to get done by when as an example.

This could be simply to ensure all customer data records are entered cleanly, the required reports are functional and training is delivered to each user.

ROADMAP

The roadmap helps chart the course for the journey ahead of you. Once you have identified the core capabilities that align with the vision and value drivers you can then prioritize them. The priority is for the elements that offer the most value in order to achieve the desired state.

Good roadmaps include the ability to start and stop along the way or even take a detour. Usually this is where new requests are desired and can be added to the solution.

For our example the elements could be to also develop the account screens, sales entry screens, reporting and dashboards required.

IMPLEMENTATION APPROACHES

The two most widely used approaches in the world of software are the “waterfall” and “scrum” implementation approaches. Waterfall is the traditional, phased, sequential approach that may lead to a drawn-out implementation timeline. The scrum approach is to constantly build and deliver small units of functionality and revisit and refine them with each cycle.

Salesforce.com is best served with the more iterative scrum approach for its implementation once installed. Start with basic functionality and then add new features and enhancements in an on-going fashion.

I think it is best to start with the waterfall approach for the initial implementation and then start using a more agile approach to add additional functionality. Delivering too much too soon leads to complexity and that is not a good approach

PROJECT TIMELINE

A project timeline will be required to manage all the tasks and show the stakeholders what the roll out plan looks like.

Once you’ve chosen an implementation approach and prioritized all requirements, you can build the project timeline. Every timeline needs to include the time required to design, build, and deploy. Prioritization of requirements is also key to ensure any “must-haves” are included in the first phase or rollout.

If you use a scrum approach, your timeline will consist of short iterations of the design, build, and deployment phases for a smaller set of requirements.

With the waterfall approach, the design and build phase includes all requirements prioritized for the initial deployment.

For both approaches, consider what tasks can be done in parallel, such as cleaning data and loading data.

The timeline you defined in the planning stage should define the deployment phases and associated schedule. At the first stage, your task is to get your instance of Salesforce CRM “production ready” by creating and adding users, loading your data, and training users.

It's important to communicate early and often, so users know about coming changes. Communication should come from the executive sponsor and focus on both the benefits to the company and what’s in it for the users. Build excitement and set expectations. As the deployment draws nearer, outline the deployment plan, including when users will be trained and how they’ll be supported.

Before loading your production data, first load all users. You can load users manually, one at a time, or with the data loader functionality. We recommend you first load all users and data in a sandbox environment before loading the final set of data into your production environment.

IMPORT DATA

Because data is loaded at a specific time, the transition will be easier if the data load is as close to deployment as possible. Be sure you schedule enough time to map and test the data. Here’s a summary of the steps involved in importing data:

• ·         Plan your data import
• ·         Prepare your data
• ·         Test the import
• ·         Execute the import
• ·         Validate your data

GOVERNANCE

This is becoming more crucial because it ensures that decisions are made based on information and communication across the project teams. This really allows the stakeholders to make informed decisions.

• ·         Develop guidelines for the project and who is the approver
• ·         Develop a process for reviewing the scope and direction of the project
• ·         Include any Subject Matter Experts (SME) or the prime stakeholder
• ·         Establish how the information and project is to be communicated
• ·         Ensure all key users are properly trained in the CRM product being implemented

ARCHTECTURE/TECHNOLOGY

Most if not all successful CRM installations are successful only because they had a solid foundation and shared design vision.

Since Salesforce.com is in the cloud then the technology risks are removed from the equation. So with a resource defined as the architecture expert you can also identify and constraints and all the service that integrations will be required. Once done we can include the architect design in the project workbook.

Our example is straightforward as the customer data is coming from a CSV file and the solution is in the cloud. However, there is still accessibility to the information via the internet that needs to be addressed and any back up plans.

Ensure that proper certification and training is carried out ahead of time not afterwards.

Data and clean data is the king and one of the most important elements of the project.

PROCESS AUTOMATION

Improvements in any organization comes from this section. There are 3 basic steps:

• What is the current process?
• Where can we make improvements?
• Have gaps been identified?
• List and prioritize and include in the roadmap

For our example the improvements is where the customer account information is visible to all users, the sale process and documentation is attached within the opportunity and reporting is available.

When starting with a new solution the PA tasks are usually up front in the project and the PA is more beneficial once a system is in place for some time that improvements can be made.

I love to use whiteboards and diagrams to show how the process and the day in the life actually is seen. It also beneficial to map this against the salesforce.com functionality available.

Reports and dashboards are also key deliverables.

USER ADOPTION

The key to any program is the users actually using the technology. If you provide simplicity and proper training and the value is delivered easily, then user adoption increases dramatically. However, just because you built it does not mean they will come. A perfect example is a company that is so focussed on exploiting an internal social media platform that the time and effort involved actually takes away from face time with customers. The user sees the task as being encouraged to chat internally, sees no value in selling more so doesn’t bother with the tool. Management then tries to have users start to comply with “must send chat messages every day on internal forums”. The users start to see value when they can reach other experts to answer questions in an open chat forum that helps them answer customer questions faster than email. The way to start this properly is to:

• ·         Use the SME and super users
• ·         Have employee focus groups provide feedback
• ·         Ensure that you have exactly what the user needs
• ·         Communicate, communicate and communicate success stories

I think the Sales Engineer/Technical support  forum is an excellent example for a chatter group. Sales can ask or posts questions like “customer is looking to be able to import his current Act! Data into saleforce.com…can we do that?” and get a fast response among the community. Over time these forums become searchable.

If the users do not like the solution and use it every day then the project is a failure.

Do not forget to ensure senior management has the right reports and dashboards prepared for them.

They need to be properly trained to access them.

Although Salesforce CRM is easy to get up and running, proper planning and preparation is essential for a successful implementation. Start by securing executive sponsorship so you have support when building your project team and communicating with the end users. Set up and customize the application so it works for your company’s unique needs. And continually revisit and optimize the application, build and refine your metrics, and always keep your end users and overall vision in mind.

Good Luck!

5 Secret Sales Tips for Retailer CSR Staff

5 Secret Sales Tips for Retailer CSR Staff

The world of retail is changing at a fast pace and to remain competitive it is important that retailers “connect” with their customers. Here are 5 simple ways to become more engaging:

1.       Make an Emotional Connection – Consumers want to feel emotionally connected and engaged with brands. If they feel that connection then they become more loyal and spend more with that brand. It is all about building a trusting relationship

2.       Earning Trust – Consumers are a finicky bunch and are ready to shift spending with just a click. In order to build trust you need to be authentic, honest and transparent

3.       Increase and use live face time – Customers want to feel comfortable shopping and more so in-store. Ensure CSR staff are engaging with consumers and that the shopping environment is conducive to a special shopping experience. Special can be small things or a luxurious climate. This can also be done by using video communications in the contact center.

4.       Respect – Always be respectful of customer’s time as today people have become more impatient. Simplify the shopping experience on your website and improve the experience in the store. It is easy to abandon a buggy of goods when arriving to a fast checkout line that has 23 people in line and the other queues are just as jammed. Too many complicated web screens and lack of shipping costs information is another way to increase the abandon cart rate.

5.       Multi-Channel Experience – Smartphones and mobile data plans makes it easy to shop around. Many consumers already have basic information on their purchases and can “showroom” quickly. They can call the contact center while in-store but will not tolerate a 20 minute wait time. Many consumers will take the web experience and email the customer service staff for further information or to understand shipping costs. Many retailers respond to emails several days later which by then is too late.

Retailers need to get back to basics and focus on improving the experience and fixing the little things that are easy to do and can improve the bottom line dramatically.

The Internet of Things is also the Internet of Wearables

The Internet of Things is also the Internet of Wearables

A new category has emerged over the years and it’s all about wearables. To me it’s the Internet of Wearables or IofW as we push the data into apps and the cloud and use analytics to better manage our fitness.

At a recent developer conference it was inspiring to see a table full of smart watches and wearable fitness trackers to play around with. Each had a common purpose but varied in form and function to deliver the same result. We are really at the tipping point wear the onslaught of Chinese products in the sub $30 range will be available at discount stores everywhere.

The biggest complaint is that you do need to be prepared to charge your device every few days because the small form factor means a small li-on battery. I found out the hard way when I went to Japan and forgot my special charging cradle for my Samsung Gear watch. I could not for the life of me find the cradle in Akhibara or Wilsons so I was not able to ever know what time it was. I used a compass and a sundial instead.

Let’s take a look at what’s the latest offerings timed for the Christmas season.

High End Wearables

Years ago Furla an Italian leather bag maker came out with a bag for travellers that included a built in light. The Boarding Bag as it was called did not start a trend.

Now Ralph Lauren has announced its “Ricky Bag with a Light”. The Ricky bag is $3500 and when you add a built in LED light and also a USB charger it now becomes a $5000 bag.  This is luxury item and is hand made in Italy with the finest leather, gold hardware and purple nappa satin liner. The artisanal craftsman takes at least 12 hours to stitch this together buy hand and maybe a soldering iron as well. Naturally, Ralph will have you order this item as a special order which is just fine with its well-heeled consumer. Now the fashionistas have power to go and can look forward to plugging their bag in at the end of the day.

But the House of Ralph Lauren has been busy in their lab experimenting and prototyping their high tech Polo Tech shirt. Sensors and conductive silver coated thread are embedded to capture the wearer’s heart rate, breathing and stress levels. This is all game changing with more products from other manufacturers surely to follow.

Aspinal of London also has a wonderful pebble leather tote bag (again made in Italy by artisanal craftsmen) that comes with an optional usb charger in a leather pouch. Not so creative as it really is a Mophie battery pack and Tumi did the same thing with their travel charger I bought 5 years ago. What is innovative is how fashion designers are embracing new technology and implementing them in a way that can enhance the consumers brand experience.

I heard rumors that Tory Burch was also looking into technology and did announce a Fitbit arrangement housed in a brass bracelet. I think she will add sensors in her iconic line of flats (shoes) soon.

Diesel partnered with Samsung with their version of the Gear S Smartwatch. Vertu does the same in enhancing cellular devices (notably the Blackberry)

Tommy Hilfiger not to be left behind has a solar panel jacket with built in battery and I expect Burton to do the same for snowboarders. This is creativity at its best and forces better thinking and better design for the consumer.

I look forward to Roots Canada working on a solar powered toque, charger equipped Muskoka weekender bag and even a campfire series of usb battery equipped sweat pants.

At Dreamforce 14, Will.i.am announced his smartphone cuff that had some really awesome features but also included battery equipped clothing and a speaker equipped backpack. This type of creativity is to be applauded. Will.i.am also announced a sensor in its shoe line that its sensor also measures weight (using a pressure sensor) and can integrate with a fitness app that can coach you through a work out. This is interesting as the technology is being implemented in a better way to assist the consumer in getting fit

Even Dewalt and Milwaukee are doing wearables with their heating element equipped and usb battery equipped winter jackets. Just what the trades needs to survive the harsh Toronto weather on the job site.

I expect to see a lot more in the Internet of Wearables #IofW marketplace in the coming year.

So where does that leave the rest of the traditional wearables? Lots to choose from and the price points are dropping to where consumers will buy one instead of filling up their car with gas.

These devices continue the same story of counting steps, calories burned, some monitor sleep or track heart rates, or even gps enabled location information. Push it to your smartphone or even into the cloud for that matter. Then take the watch which adds the time function, Evernote and PebbleBucks along with the fitness apps. The smartphone does this too now so what do I do with my Fitbit? My Fitbit holder cracked under normal use so I think my mom’s dog will enjoy it more than I will if he doesn’t chew it first. With several smartphones and watches to play with I am not sure I need a purpose built gadget to monitor how many steps I walked that day.

The foundation is set for these devices to measure ekg (Nyomi does it) and blood sugar or urine levels and help manage our health care in the future to come. I applaud this innovation and how it promotes better fitness for its wearer.

Lets take a look at some of these Activity tracker wearables:

Fitbit

They have several models based on functionality and form and do a fantastic job at measuring steps, distance, stairs, sleep and calories burned. They integrate with various smartphones and have a great dashboard. I love how simple the One charger is. However, there have been complaints about quality. The ability to just clip it on is a popular feature as well as a little display. Customer service was no help in getting it fixed

http://www.fatguyshrinking.com/fitbit-ultra-repair/

BodyMedia

This is an arm band worn on the upper arm and also does temperature and movement tracking. By adding the additional sensors over its competitors it does offer a more accurate calories burned calculation.

Jawbone

Their bracelets are also popular and also have created a stir as they gave users a rash. They have no display but can vibrate to tell you to get up off your chair and move around.

Withings Pulse 02

This device offers some creative elements such as altitude, pulse and can even estimate blood oxygen levels.

Garmin Vivofit

They also have an action camera so why not a wearable. The really wonderful feature of this device is the battery is said to last a year (all other devices do need regular charging every few days). The display is very useful and it can be used in the shower or while swimming.

Nike

The Nike Fuel caused a stir with its iPhone app and sensor placed in the shoe but the FuelBand edition offers some enhancements and is worn on your wrist instead. I tried the shoe sensor but returned it for a better Fitbit so I can use it with any shoe until the Fitbit build quality started falling apart.

.Microsoft Band

Wow they also have added a cloud based health app that works on android, iOS or windows. It crunches the data for you and is planned to offer proactive actionable insights and  advice. This could be the killer app we have been waiting for. There is a heartrate monitor, GPS and a  UV sensor as well. Plus it adds email and Cortana as well.

Apple Watch

No clue yet as it is not available in stores yet but it will need to be charged up at the end of every day.

As a cyclist, I have not looked at any technology or apps that can improve the rider experience beyond the cycling computer. I will investigate and report back in another blogspot post.

So what does this all mean?

It means you have things to by that can be great gifts or stocking stuffers that will help motivate the user to better fitness and it will fund future work on wearables and IofW to predict health issues, manage our health or help cure our ailments. We are still at an early age with lots of upside for innovation to occur.

We are able to provide real time information from your wearable (those that are 4G or Blue Tooth or Wi-Fi equipped) and plot it on a map and use it to highlight your Facebook status so when you get  text you can double flick your wrist and bleat out a response with a Google Map link showing you are running along the Santa Monica Pier, sweating profusely and unable to take calls at this time. I would not mind a wearable that will figure out that I have fallen asleep, turn the house alarm on, turn off all forgotten lights, lower the NEST thermostat, and put my smartphone on do not disturb and have the refrigerator do an inventory check and text me a shopping list when I awake. Trust me the technology is there and people are able to do just that today. I would like to add the app that says “we noticed in your urine that you had a vitamin D deficiency” and add that to my IofT powered smoothie machine to add some vitamins to my drink. The party animals among us will enjoy the top selling “You Got a Hangover” app informing you upon wake up that you are hung over and your smoothie will help alleviate the symptoms before brunch time.