Goodbye Voice Mail Goodbye Sales Revenue

Large corporate organisations are making the news these days touting how they are shutting off their voice mail systems. Apparently, no one uses them anymore...really?

Many use speech to text to unify the mailbox to a email or text that translates the voicemail into a text based message...works for me and many others.

I left tree voice mails recently to a sales person for a purchase I was hoping to make...no response!

I also followed up with a couple of emails....again no response!

I zeroed out and called switchboard and "yes let me transfer you as he is sitting at his desk and it goes straight to voice mail (since he is on the telephone).......

So I give up and after talking to the customer service rep for the product manufacturer I am now going to try my luck with another retailer.

Its been almost 3 weeks now and I still have not been able to buy any product.

Lets see if they have voice mail

Working Remotely Productivity Tips

As we move from the office cubicle to the remote home office, a number of distractions can come into play preventing you from getting work done. Remote workers can be at home, a customer office, a hotel room or even a coffee shop.

Here are some tips to stay productive and ON track:

1. Get dressed for work and stick to your routine as if you were going to the office. PJs are not correct remote worker attire
2. 
   
3. Have a specific workspace..kitchen tables do not count...
4. 
   
5. Keep in contact with office staff
6. 
   
7. Time to stop work at the end of the day and recharge. Don't work 12 hour days all the time as you will get burnt out

Why Conference?

It seems at one point in the next ten years the conference industry as we know it will no longer exist. New digital developments are hoping to disrupt the conference format but it seems conferences in the live format continue to prosper.

Why?

Conference attendees like to meet real people in real time with common interests

Conference attendees like to engage with their fellow tribe members

Conference attendees are thirsty to learn and uncover new ideas and methodologies from experts

Conference attendees enjoy the social interaction

Conference attendees are present and engaged in the moment at the venue

Conference attendees enjoy the "bumped in the corridor" meet ups

All these things are hard to replicate when a conference is attended over the internet

Canadian Small Business must embrace the Cloud in order to Survive

Canadian Small Business must embrace the Cloud in order to Survive

Recent research continues to demonstrate that canadian small business (and mid market) continue to lag behind their peers in innovation and technology.

• About half of canadian businesses have a website
• Less than 25% use a form of cloud services

This prevents canadian small business to grow and prosper while lowering their costs because they are not embracing the new technologies.

Lack of growth in the small business sector means lack of growth in jobs for Canada. lack of growth in jobs means our youth continue to suffer high unemployment rates which is as high as 15%. Compare that to the national overall unemployment rate of 6.8%.

Small business that has become a digital or technology leader will continue to outperform their analog peers and competitors year over year. For many businesses its allowed them to survive the disruptive ways of the internet.

There are 3 simple things any small business can do

1. Add or improve your web presence with a website or better content
2. Improve or add social media elements to your marketing strategy
3. Adopt the use of cloud services and mobile devices

Its not difficult and its not expensive to transform your analog business to a digital one

John\GaleForce7

Canadians’ digital behaviours - Microsoft Study

According to a new report from Microsoft Canada, which included an online survey of more than 2,000 Canadians, as well as an observation of more than 100 study participants doing tasks while their brainwaves were measured using electroencephalography (EEG) our digital behaviours is changing rapidly.

Canadians’ digital behaviours

When nothing is occupying my attention, the first thing I do is reach for my phone

65+: 10% agree

18 to 24 y.o.: 77% agree

I check my phone at least every 30 minutes

65+: 6%

18-24: 52%

The last thing I do before I go to bed is check my phone

65+: 18%

18-24: 73%

I often use other devices while watching TV

65+: 42%

18-24: 79%

I watch more TV programs through catch-up/streamed TV than live

65+: 13%

18-24: 74%

I often watch a number of episodes of a show back-to-back

65+: 43%

18-24: 87%

How changing attention spans affect people at work/school

Really have to concentrate hard to stay focused on tasks at work/school

All: 44%

Highest among:

Early tech adopters: 68%

Heavy social-media users: 67%

18- to 24-year-olds: 67%

Heavy multiscreeners: 57%

High-volume media consumers: 55%

Get sidetracked from what they’re doing at work/school by unrelated thoughts or daydreams

All: 45%

Highest among:

Early tech adopters: 66%

Heavy social-media users: 65%

18- to 24-year-olds: 61%

Heavy multiscreeners: 60%

High-volume media consumers: 55%

Don’t make the best use of their time so sometimes they have to work late/weekends

All: 37%

Highest among:

18- to 24-year-olds: 71%

Early tech adopters: 62%

Heavy social-media users: 62%

Heavy multiscreeners: 51%

High-volume media consumers: 48%

Source: Microsoft attention spans online survey, Spring 2015, 2,000 Canadian respondents

CES 2015 - Internet of Things, M2M, Internet of Wearables and stuff

This year the IofT, IofW and m2m has taken off for personal and business use. Look at Nest with their smoke alarm, camera and the thermostat and others with light controls. Also how many fitness trackers are now being sold and business is embracing the new M2M technologies to improve services.

A lot of new stuff for sure but where are the standards? It will be the VHS vs Beta battle all over again.

IofT Standards

The Allseen Alliance is backed by Microsoft and LG as the heavy players.

The Open Internet Consortium is really Samsung and Intel.

Interesting how two potential appliance makers have differing and competing views. My LG coffee maker will not tell my Samsung Dishwasher that the coffee is ready and to expect a coffee cup soon.

CLASSIC PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE

CLASSIC PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE

Making pizza dough is very easy, it just takes some time and a little bit of effort.

500 g Caputo Type ’00’ flour

320 ml warm water

 10 g sea salt

   6 g of dry yeast (use 5 g if cold proofing)

   2 tbsp of olive oil

This recipe will make enough dough for 5 pizzas

      1.    Mix water, yeast and oil. I use warm water at 35-36°C. Any hotter and it will kill the yeast

2.    Sift the flour with salt into the mixer bowl

3.    I knead the dough using a Cuisinart Mixer with a Dough Hook. Start at low speed and slowly add water. Mix for 4 minutes. If you are going to do this by hand then figure on 10 minutes. You want the dough to be stretchy.

4.    Once they’re mixed, I’ll time 4 minutes on the same setting. If you’re hand kneading, knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is stretchy and velvety.

5.    Cover the dough and let sit for 20 minutes and then knead again

6.    Now you can cut the dough into 5 balls, cover them with cling wrap and a kitchen towel. Let them proof for 2 hours in a warm place. A better proofing method is to let them sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 – 48 hours. This proofing method provides a better flavour as there is more time for the sugars and yeast to do their thing.

7.    Once the dough has proofed you can stretch it out to the desired thickness and shape you want. Top and bake and Enjoy!