Month: May 2013

Recent events in Oklahoma have once again shown the resolve of individuals in the face of a crisis. We are a strong species and when disaster strikes, whether it’s in Oklahoma, Boston, New York or anywhere else in the U.S. or even the world, we come together to find solutions and strategize recovery efforts. Today, much of this initiative is being aided by the use of technology, particularly big data management systems.

A recent Forbes article examined the power big data can have in assisting with humanitarian efforts. Organizations leading the way are able to obtain valuable information, perhaps from a tweet of an eye-witness, and report on it in a way that can map out successful recovery plans.

“Crisis-mapping technology has emerged in the past five years as a tool to help humanitarian organizations deliver assistance to victims of civil conflicts and natural disasters,” the article said. “Crisis-mapping platforms display eyewitness reports submitted via e-mail, text message and social media. The reports are then plotted on interactive maps, creating a geospatial record of events in real time.”

Recovery efforts can not afford to suffer any kind of delay. Organizations must be able to extract pertinent information quickly because time is always of the essence in these types of scenarios. Building a custom database software system can allow users to view the information they need and make proper decisions based on its value. This will expedite a number of processes and allow those assisting with crisis management to get to work right away.

FileMaker is an ideal platform to build this solution on as it allows for developers to create the functions needed to assist with data management of this magnitude.

RadioShack is in the midst of a rebranding strategy that it hopes will erase the stigma of the company being out of touch with today's consumers. 

For years, the electronics retailer has suffered from a poor reputation, which ultimately allowed it to be passed by companies like Best Buy or Apple's retail division. But Jennifer Warren, RadioShack's chief marketing officer, hopes that giving the store a facelift will yeild strong results. Warren spoke with the Dallas Business Journal about her company's strategy and suggested that changing the company's customer experience initiative will allow RadioShack to compete with the leaders in consumer electronics retail.

"Right now we're the stop for people to get products so they can go play in life. But with the redesign, in addition to being on the way to play, we'll be a destination for play," she said. "We're going to look to strike the balance between making sure we stay relevant to our current customer base and broadening and becoming relevant to a younger base as well."

A rebranding strategy cannot happen on a whim. It requires a tremendous amount of planning and data analysis. RadioShack executives likely had to examine the behavior of its current customers and compare it with that of those who shop at its competitors. Compiling this information and managing it requires a system that can allow users to properly analyze data. If RadioShack didn't use the right solution, it wouldn't be able to extract the most value from its data, and its rebranding strategy would not live up to its potential.

Implementing a custom database software system can help organizations in a similar area compile data and use it to their advantage, which will help users make smart decisions throughout the rebranding process.

The ability for companies to communicate with customers is crucial, and requires a software system sophisticated enough to manner in which businesses reach their intended target. Organizations use customer relationship management (CRM) solutions to assist with the process, but in the age of big data, new needs are reshaping the basic functionality of these systems.

Custom application development is a high priority for many organizations when it comes to finding solutions to help engage customers. These individuals dictate the success of the business, so it’s crucial to ensure that no shortcomings are experienced throughout the company’s relationship with them. Thankfully, with the help of complex big data strategies, businesses can strategically build systems designed to cater to customers in a way that ensures positive results.

This trend is catching on, according to a report from Gartner. The research firm projects that big data is going to revolutionize the CRM system. In an interview with Computer Weekly, Gartner Research vice president Kimberly Collins said that while data will certainly reshape the way we work with customers, benefits will only be experienced if information is managed properly.

“In many ways there is a huge opportunity,” Collins said. “But if CIOs and business leaders don’t work together and put their arms around it, they will see a lot of renegade, tactical efforts in their organization.”

FileMaker development can help companies obtain the right solutions to manage the data pertaining to their customer interactions. Building a custom database management system will help companies ensure they are using their information to the best of their ability in order to maintain steady relationships with all their customers.

In case you haven’t noticed, we are big fans of FileMaker around here. Not only are the developers on our team certified in numerous versions of the platform, we are always up-to-date on new product releases and strive to become one of the first organizations to receive certification after they launch.

FileMaker Pro 12 was released in April of 2012. Today, Kyo Logic has four FileMaker development professionals certified to work with that platform. Our professionals have a full understanding of its features and our skill and expertise allow us to get the most out of its functionality. Because we were one of the first companies to receive certification in FileMaker Pro 12, our experience sets us apart from the competition.

While we encourage our clients to embrace innovation and stay current with FileMaker platforms, we understand that’s not a practical option for everyone. That’s why we employ a staff who is certified in a number of FileMaker’s older releases. We have five developers certified with FileMaker 11, four with FileMaker 10, three with FileMaker 9, two with FileMaker 8 and one with FileMaker 7, so even if you’re hanging on to an aging system, you can rest assured that we have someone with the ability to work with your platform.

Going forward, we will be on the lookout for future FileMaker releases. When FileMaker 13 becomes available, you can be sure that we’ll be one of the first companies to study its capabilities and become certified developers. FileMaker is always on the cutting edge of developer platform technology, and we are always taking necessary steps to keep up. Regardless of the version we develop in, you can be certain that each solution we create will be done so with the speed, efficiency and precision our clients have come to expect of us.

Data has always held an important position in the organizational structure of the healthcare industry. Organizations have used information to fuel innovation and find new ways to enhance their patient care efforts, but before medical institutions can move forward, they have to develop a solid base of quality care and patient experience initiatives that they can build off of.

When patients check into a hospital or doctor’s office, they have a number of unique qualities that ultimately distinguish themselves from every other individual who walks into the front door of that facility. The more the organization knows about the specific patient ahead of time, the better they can treat them. This is similar to the way businesses use data to cater their product development and marketing to each individual.

When data isn’t properly managed to help cater services to the individual, the results can lead to poor service and dissatisfied patients and family members. A May 13 article in The Boston Globe features the story of Calvin Hill, a man who went to great lengths to help his father Foster Hill, after he was diagnosed with later-stage prostate cancer. While the younger Hill was doing everything he could to ensure his father’s recovery, he admitted it didn’t feel as if those tasked with helping him expressed the same level of concern.

Hill explained the frustrating ordeal of trying and failing to receive treatment specifically catered to his father’s needs. While he didn’t want special service, he felt as if taking each relevant factor into consideration during the treatment process would have gone a long way toward improving the level of care his father received.

“You show up to the hospital, and it’s like Groundhog Day,” Hill told the Globe, explaining that there were few discernable differences between the way each patient was cared for. “It’s this outdated standard of care created for this hypothetical average patient. But no one’s an average patient.”

However, Hill has the resources to do something about this. His company, GNS Healthcare, processes big data and uses pertinent information about each patient to help generate a specific care plan designed to address certain variables, such as medication allergies and unique symptoms, in conjunction with basic identifiers like age and gender. Couple this concept with the innovative medical practices found throughout Boston and the surrounding area, it’s likely that patients will soon enjoy a level of personalized care they never knew.

While this concept has many in the industry very excited, it’s important to understand that it all begins with the ability to view and manage information quickly and efficiently. FileMaker development can help organizations build a custom database software system designed to process information and design specific strategies based on that data. By using FileMaker, users can ensure their solutions are created properly, which can alleviate the risk of inaccurate information processing. Nothing would be more damaging than creating a system to organize specific care strategies based off of inaccurate information.

Working with a FileMaker development specialist can help guarantee the quality of a data management solution.