Month: September 2012

Businesses have always made a point to be where the consumers are. In this century, that means the internet and social media. But, unlike the traditional advertising and marketing tactics of the last century, companies are still finding ways to improve the performance of their online presence, such as using database software to track key web analytics and data.

Google Analytics is a popular way for companies to track the performance of their website, advertising campaign or blog.

When companies use Google Analytics, they are given a wide swath of data that's been compiled by the tech company's service. This includes reports on site traffic, such as unique visitors and time spent on each page, as well as click-throughs and conversions for display ads. Real-time reporting measures website activity as it happens. And content and social media analytics measures audience engagement and in-page analytics that show where users go within a site.

While Google Analytics can provide excellent data for companies to monitor how well their website or blog is performing, self-hosted web analytics are rising in popularity among users.

According to Search Engine Watch, self-hosted analytics solutions offer the convenience of speed to customers, as they do not have to wait for a remote server to respond to a request for analytics. In addition, they allow the owner full control over their website data. Part of this control is the added security measures that self-hosted analytics offer.

When using a web-based service such as Google Analytics, companies put sensitive data at risk of being intercepted or lost through the cloud. Self-hosted services, though, securely store the data wherever the administrator would like it. Companies may want to consult FileMaker developers to work with creating their own self-hosted analytics software.

Businesses can customize this software to provide more details on conversions and leads than they might receive through Google Analytics. FileMaker developers can consult with businesses and aid them in developing the best possible analytics software for their company by creating a custom-made solution to their advertising and web tracking needs

According to leading research and consulting group McKinsey & Company, big data is becoming an increasingly important asset to all businesses – regardless of size or industry.

In a study released by the group, 15 out of 17 sectors in the United States have more data digitally stored per company than the entire United States Library of Congress's digital archives.

In addition, the company found that there is a 60 percent potential increase in operating margins for retailers that use big data effectively. 

But, CompTIA, a nonprofit IT consultant, found that many companies do not have a thorough understanding of all the data they're gathering. The survey also found that most companies are using big data for Web analytics, with 15 percent using it to measure email marketing campaigns and 12 percent using big data for social media monitoring.

"As expected for an emerging technology with an evolving definition, many executives are still moving along the big data learning curve," said Tim Herbert, vice president of research at CompTIA. "Not every business will need a big data strategy. But, just about every business will need to effectively aggregate, store, manage and analyze the data they do have, regardless of its volume, velocity or variety."

In order to effectively do so, companies will need to invest in custom database software that can aggregate and help interpret this big data.

By using database software such as FileMaker, companies will be able to effectively gather and compartmentalize all the terabytes of data that they may be collecting.

In addition, McKinsey's report also cited a potential lack of professionals that would be needed to help analyze this data in the years to come. Companies that may be struggling with understanding the raw numbers on their own may find that this software can aid in the implementation of data-centered IT branch.

Recent studies show that working from home can have many positive benefits for employees and their company. This may be why, according to Stanford University (which reported on the study) over 10 percent of employees in the United States say they regularly work remotely.

With the growing trend of working from home and allowing employees to bring their own device to work, it has now become critical for companies to provide their workforce with custom database software they can access from anywhere.

Especially because, according to Stanford University's report on CTrip's study, the employees who consistently worked remotely for a nine-month span saw an increase in performance by 13 percent, further encouraging the practice.

In addition, the control group, which worked from the office for the same time period, saw no increase in performance. The remote employees also recorded "substantially higher work satisfaction and attitudinal survey outcomes."

While CTrip's study may not speak for every company, the rise of remote workers is certainly an indication of the burgeoning trend. If companies wish to support a company where employees can work from home, they may want to invest in custom database software that can aid in project management despite being out of the office.

When attempting to finish tasks or make deadlines, it can often be imperative that the lines of communication are completely open and can induce the cooperation that may be needed to complete a task in a quality manner. While many employees may need to work remotely, by implementing a project management software program, managers can ensure that all employee are able to access task lists and critical documents when they need them.

Furthermore, using mobile database software, such as FileMaker Go, can help those employees who are even more remote by allowing them to access the same data and documents on their smartphones.

According to a recent survey by Harris Interactive, 47 percent of Americans who visited a doctor's office this past year said they were very satisfied with their appointment. In addition, another 36 percent said they were "somewhat satisfied" by their visit.

The survey also found that 83 percent of respondents say that knowledge, training and expertise among doctors and nurses was "very important," which came out to be the most important factor for consumers. In second was the doctor's ability to access the patient's comprehensive medical history (62 percent) and "time spent with their doctor" came in third (59 percent).

But, the survey also says that with the recent changes in healthcare legislation, the market is shifting toward a more consumer-oriented environment.

"Customer experience matters in healthcare and will continue to impact purchasing decisions and customer retention," said Debra Richman, senior vice president of healthcare business development and strategy at Harris. "The healthcare customer is increasingly evaluating brand equity, convenience and product or service value as they make choices. In an increasingly competitive healthcare marketplace, a positive customer experience will serve to differentiate health plans and providers."

Customer relations software can be extremely advantageous to any company, but clearly even more so in the healthcare industry. In order to create and implement a program that will be suitable to each individual facility and program, providers may want to consult FileMaker developers to help create custom database software.

Physicians and administrators can then use this software to store survey results from patients which can help improve operations to enhance the consumer experience. Also, the database can help physicians track patient billing data, keep up with regulatory compliance rates or even assist with daily tasks they may have otherwise overlooked.

Bring your own device (BYOD) is becoming an increasingly popular trend in the workplace. In fact, according to a survey by Global Information Inc, 65 percent of corporations from around the world that responded said they have adopted some kind of BYOD policy or will by the end of 2012. The results also showed that the two main motivators for allowing a BYOD policy is cost reduction and staff motivation.

While, according to FastCompany, ensuring data protection is a main point of concern for many IT departments, the successful sharing of information and documents between different devices and operating systems can also be very important and tricky to manage.

With the rise in workers using their own smartphones or laptops in the workplace comes the need for companies to provide a system in which these individuals can successfully upload and share information and documents across the company despite some workers using their own devices and others using corporate-issued computers.

This can easily be done with custom database software. For example, at an advertising firm, members of the art department may prefer to use their own Apple laptops while account managers might only use a PC. In order for the art department to share documents with the account managers to present to clients, they may need file sharing software that can effectively work across platforms.

Furthermore, as more workers use their own smartphones to stay current with email and other important information, using a mobile version of the same custom software can aid in this developing trend. By investing in FIleMaker Go, companies can efficiently aid the use of personal mobile devices for work-related activities. 

According to a recent survey by TeamQuest Corp., an IT consultant, nearly 65 percent of the survey's respondents said that their IT departments are chaotic. This classification usually means that the department doesn't learn of any issues until after users call to complain about them.

Having a "chaotic" IT department can adversely affect business, as many companies are now very dependent on software and digital information to run efficiently.  According to the source, companies will benefit if they are able to use their IT departments to mitigate risks, optimize virtualization and overcome cloud challenges if they are using the cloud to store any important information or backup documents.

"Understanding your IT environment isn't rocket science," said Per Bauer, director of global services at TeamQuest Corp, in a press release. "But, using mature processes and tools can keep headaches at a minimum – yours and your customers. Technology and business are moving at a swift pace and companies need the IT organization to provide the right data to make important business decisions. That becomes more difficult when you're putting out fires."

For companies that are experiencing issues with IT, they may want to invest in custom IT database software. FileMaker developers can create IT software programs that allow managers to pinpoint their operational weaknesses, whether its a standalone IT firm or a single department within a larger business.

For example, if an advertising agency has an issue with sharing campaign artwork and important client briefs, custom database software can help make file sharing much more efficient.

Or, if a healthcare center has issues organizing patient information or physician schedules, investing in database software that tackles these issues can help improve operations and, therefore, create a more productive business. 

When applied to most business processes, custom database software has been proven to offer benefits related to productivity and profitability. This software can have significant benefits for the management of customer relationships, one expert argues, even if executives must account for the unpredictable "human element".

In a piece for CIO.com, author David Taber – who profiled the SaaS CRM software Salesforce.com in a recent book – offered a few reasons why business executives find it harder to pull the trigger on an investment in CRM software than they would with other types of business software. Chief among these reasons is the contention that CRM software deals with humans, moreso than software designed to manage manufacturing and accounting processes.

All the same, CRM software does in fact yield productivity and profitability benefits, and Taber argues that the benefits could be even more significant when all factors are considered. If CRM software were to drive a 5 percent increase in sales team "wins," he says, a business could theoretically enjoy a 10-percent increase in profitability.

Of course, the effectiveness of this software all depends on its design and implementation. That is why it is important for businesses to implement a solution that offers maximum usability, a quick learning curve and scalability.

The best option for sales teams looking to implement customer relationship management software may be to turn to a FileMaker developer to craft a custom-made software solution that can scale as the business grows. If this solution is intuitively designed to serve and respond to the unique teams of the sales team for which it was developed, its success may be all the more significant and notable, making it a much easier buy for top-level executives worried about the bottom line.