Author: Justin Hesser

Customer service is a major issue for any company. But, as online retailers begin to increase in popularity, these strictly digital businesses have found that not having a tangible presence for consumers to go to with problems and questions can exacerbate the standard customer service challenges.

For example, Inc. Magazine recently spoke with Audrey Griffith, the owner of online vintage-clothing retailer Modcloth about how it was able to solve critical customer service issues. The company was experiencing an ever-increasing backlog of complaints and customer service requests without enough information.

“Our biggest issue was that we lacked reliable statistics about our performance, ticket first-response rate, first resolution rate, satisfaction ratings and industry benchmarks,” Audrey Griffith, customer-care manager at Modcloth, told the source.

In addition, Griffith also stated that they need to be able to comprehensively understand why customers came to their brand and be able to turn that data into information that will allow them to create better business decisions.

By consulting FileMaker developers, businesses can create the custom database software they will need to properly store critical data points, such as who is complaining about what, when they issued the complaint and even how high of a priority this industry may be.

While having the ability to acquire this customer service information is the first step in improving customer relations, it’s not the end of the story. In order to properly analyze this data and turn this information into actionable decisions, business owners will need to store and organize it in a database that is customized to their specific needs and can help them make the decisions they need to improve their company.

As 2012 comes to an end, many business owners may be trying to find out what they can do to enhance their success going into the new year. By taking a look at what techniques may have found success this past year, a company can use these tactics to keep the momentum going into 2013.

According to Harvard Business Review, the number one trend for sales teams in the upcoming year is “sales force behavior modeling.” This technique is when companies study the patterns and behaviors of their top-performing sales representatives and try to figure the common denominators and differentiators between them and their co-workers.

Furthermore, “sales force verticalization” is on the rise and will continue its upward trend into 2013. This tactic allows representatives to specialize in particular types of clients the company may be looking for and create a more effective team as these employees can create more personal relationships with leads. Furthermore, this can help a business’s conversion rate shoot up as employees are more likely to convert leads into clients if they can specialize in their industry or market.

And, in 2013, territory management will begin to incorporate the use of big data in a more effective way, predicts the source. By doing this, regional managers will be able to create a more efficient way to approach and pitch to potential clients based on data specialized for that region and its markets.

Regardless of which trend a business adopts into the way its sales representatives work, having the proper technology to support the team is critical to a company’s success.

By consulting FileMaker developers, businesses can create custom database software that aids sales representatives by aggregating and sharing critical information they may need to perform at their best.

For example, businesses can effectively curate leads based on their likelihood to become conversions, creating a more efficient sales force. In addition, representatives can use the database to log calls, and track the lead’s progress through the pipeline.

Also, FileMaker Go is a great mobile app for sales representatives as it can allow them to prepare for meetings and pitches via their smartphones should they be on the road or presenting to clients abroad.

Cyber Monday has come and gone but that doesn’t mean the work is over. For many companies, it has actually just begun, as retailers with an ecommerce site must now set about packing and shipping the orders. This may be an especially daunting task this year, as it was one of the most lucrative Cyber Mondays to date.

According to IBM, online sales increased by 30 percent over this time last year and a good 36 percent over Black Friday. In addition, more than 18 percent of consumers visited a retailer’s site on a mobile device, a 70 percent increase over 2011’s Cyber Monday.

“Cyber Monday was not only the pinnacle of the Thanksgiving shopping weekend but when the cash register closed it officially became the biggest online shopping day ever,” Jay Henderson, strategy director of IBM Smarter Commerce, said in a press release. “Retailers that adopted a smarter marketing approach to commerce were able to adjust to the shifting shopping habits of their customers.”

For companies with an ecommerce site, the rest of this week may be a flurry of boxing, shipping and processing still-incoming orders. As such, with such a huge increase in sales seen across the board, small businesses may want to consult FileMaker developers to create a custom database software that can handle the large influx of detailed information.

For example, in every order there is at least one set of credit card information, a billing address and a shipping address, which could very well be two different locations. And, in addition to that, businesses will need to make sure each customer gets the right product, sent to the right address and with the proper invoices or receipts printed and placed in the package.

With that much information, investing a custom database software can aid with a business’s efficiency and accuracy when processing orders, ensuring that no customer experiences any holiday shopping headaches.

Dr. David Harris, a professor of immunology at the University of Arizona and the chief of science the Cord Blood Registry, was recently awarded the "20 Years of Discovery and Innovation" award by the Arizona BioIndustry Association, for his "pioneering" work with stem cell research.

According to a press release by AdiCyte, Harris was one of the first individuals to begin banking stem cells for future use and created the Arizona Cord Blood Bank. Throughout the 20 years that Harris has been researching stem cells, it is likely that the software he used to store and analyze his findings has changed drastically.

Research can be a critical aspect to how well a university or healthcare facility performs and is received by the public. Institutions that have award winning researchers are often awarded grants, endowments and are in higher demand than less lauded competitors. But, in order to have a dynamic facility with top-notch researchers, an organization must have the software to keep up, as many scientists rely on this to aid with their discoveries.

How to use custom database software to store and share research

Healthcare facilities can benefit from implementing their own research and development software. By consulting with FileMaker developers, hospitals that also conduct research can create custom database software that allows them to store and recall critical information and results, and also share this information with other doctors in the network.

By doing this, healthcare providers can create a community that is on the forefront of research and innovation within their field, and also inform fellow physicians and nurses on the latest data available in the field. This can help foster an organization that is innovative and committed to success.

As discussed by this blog, big data is a mainstay in business operations. It's become essential for companies to now have the technological means to accumulate and analyze massive amounts of marketing and customer behavior data. But, choosing which variables to measure can be a complicated task, mostly due to the massive amount of data that's available.

According to Harvard Business Review, companies can increase the effectiveness of their analytical methods by adding what the source calls "signals." These data points are essentially more columns in a spreadsheet, but help add texture to the data that's being collected.

For example, a retailer that tracks customer spending habits would probably keep track of the customer's name, if they bought more than one item and what time they purchased the product. But, by adding in another signal – or variable – like whether the customer has a rewards card, businesses can gain a clearer picture on what types of customers are behaving in what way.

This can allow companies to adjust marketing methods and promotions, which, if done correctly, can foster better sales and a more efficient workforce.

But, in order to achieve this, businesses will need the technology to help maintain and analyze these statistics.

By consulting FileMaker developers, companies can create custom database software that can keep track of whichever signals they choose. Since no business is the same, the more customized the data can be, the more likely the company will benefit from its analysis.

As the article's author stated, "opinions are great, data is better," and using custom database software can provide a more effective way to analyze big data and make important decisions.

This blog has reported on the rise in big data and how many businesses across industries have used it as a way to improve operations and work more efficiently and effectively. But, a recent Time article has outlined the way President Barack Obama was able to, essentially, base his 2012 re-election campaign on the aggregation, analysis and dissemination of big data and turn it into actionable results.

“We were going to measure every single thing in this campaign,” Jim Messina, President Obama’s campaign manager, told the source.

Immediately after taking the position as campaign manager two years ago, Messina hired an analytics department that was five times larger than the one President Obama used in 2008. Rayid Ghani, who used to analyze big data to optimize supermarket sales promotions, spearheaded the technical department.

The campaigns data analysis was huge. During every day of October, engineers ran the election 66,000 times over night, preparing for every possible outcome. When managers arrived the next morning, the computer spat out the chances of the candidate winning in every state. The data used during these tests was updated constantly.

Furthermore, while campaign workers were able to model exactly which type of person was likely to donate or what public figure they may be most swayed by (Obama held major charity events with George Clooney and Sarah Jessica Parker), secrecy was the utmost priority. So much so that the analytics department worked in a separate room from the rest of the campaign and most tasks were given code names. One senior aide described the data sets as their “nuclear codes.”

It’s clear that one of the advantages to President Obama’s victory on November 6 may have been from the massive amounts of information it was not only able to possess, but also process and articulate to major decision makers. For small businesses, this can be accomplished by consulting FileMaker developers that can create custom database software molded to fit the needs of specific businesses.

With President Barack Obama re-elected on November 6, the impacts of his landmark healthcare law – Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) – will continue to be felt in hospitals, physicians’ offices and insurance companies.

As such, these healthcare companies will surely be adjusting the inner workings and daily operations of their businesses. This marks a period that has the potential to be rather unorganized and inefficient should the affected businesses not have the capabilities to remain on task and productive during times of great change.

According to technology company hCentive, insurers and healthcare companies may need to take additional technological efforts to maintain order and workloads while making the changes necessary to comply with PPACA laws as these mandates make it increasingly harder for health insurance agencies and hospitals to meet goals for performance and efficiency.

“Insurers need a product that can integrate not only with state exchanges, but also billing, claims and federal hub and exchange,” Manoj Agarwala, president and COO of hCentive, said in a press release.

Using technology in times of change to ensure stability

By consulting FileMaker developers, insurers and healthcare associates will be able to make sure their operations are kept organized and efficient during times of change and innovation.

These professionals can help businesses create custom database software that can be used to manage and access whatever aspects of the company they feel needs the most security. For example, should an insurance agency need additional support maintaining subscriber information and data, the database can be used for that. Likewise, a healthcare facility can use the software to maintain an efficient and well-ran facility, while the inner-workings of the system undergo major changes.

In an industry as modern and evolving as marketing and advertising, companies may find that their turnover rate is slightly higher than that of other industries. According to a salary survey by industry staffing agent Major Players, this may be due to junior and middle level employees prioritizing their personal career development and seeking out better positions and opportunities.

This also gives solid reasoning for human resources departments to invest in custom software, as high turnover increases the complexity of their workload.

According to the survey, nearly 30 percent of workers moved to different companies in the last 12 months. Of this percentage, 16 percent were at the same level and 13 percent moved up the ladder. In addition, of those that moved, only half received a pay raise and 37 percent stayed on the plane and 13 percent took a pay cut.

Furthermore, one in 6 permanent professionals received an internal promotion while freelancing rose by 88 percent in the “digital technical jobs” field, showing that the market movement isn’t just between companies but has even involved freelancers and internal adjustments.

“In this market, creatives know they have to fight harder and sometimes make sacrifices to gain that top-level experience and stand out from the crowd,” said Jack Grafton, CEO of Major Players, in a press release. “This, combined with the invention required for sophisticated digital, integrated and social media campaigns is creating an increasingly elastic job market, not just in freelance but in perm as well.”

With such an active job market, human resource departments in these firms should be sure to keep a sharp eye on their employee database systems. By consulting FileMaker developers, these firms can invest in custom software that will allow them to more effectively track personnel movement. This can be especially helpful if one firm prefers to hire more freelancers – which require different paperwork and payments – than permanent positions and vice versa.

With Bring your own device (BYOD) policies rising in popularity and so many workers sharing computers for personal and work-related tasks, many IT employees and everyday workers are becoming increasingly nervous about security and privacy.

In fact, according to a Harris survey, 82 percent of regular employees consider the ability for their digital activity to be “tracked” as an invasion of privacy. And 76 percent say that they would not allow their employer to view which applications may be installed on their own device. This creates a divide between employees wanting to use their own computer and smartphone and employers’ ability to make sure that these tools are suitable for work.

“Bring your own device policies are commonplace across most organizations. The survey results show that the vulnerability of personally identifiable information is a significant concern, and that organizations need to be just as concerned about user privacy as they are about the security of corporate data,” said Christopher Clark, president at Fiberlink, which commissioned the survey. “However, the situation can be easily solved by IT by using a mobile device management solution that can set privacy settings to stop collecting personal data from staff members, but these measures are rarely put in place.”

As BYOD policies begin to rise in popularity, companies may benefit from consulting a FileMaker developer to create custom database software that allows employees to store and access key documents and project task lists, which can be kept separate from the personal documents that may be on their device.

As smartphone and tablet ownership increases with the the percentage of employees who continue to work after hours or at home, it may also benefit these companies to implement a FileMaker Go custom application for workers who will use a mobile device to complete tasks. This can allow for increased security and efficiency when out of the office.

As technology advances, so does the way many industries go about their usual operations. For healthcare, imaging machines have become a critical component to gain an understanding of what is going on within an individual’s body. As such, a recent report by Global Information Inc has shown that the medical imaging industry is burgeoning with developments.

Some of the main catalysts for the industry’s projected growth are nontraditional uses for diagnostics and monitoring for new therapies and minimally invasive procedures, according to the source.

“The dynamics of imaging agents are changing and significant growth lies ahead,” says the report’s press release. “Among the key trends: ultrasound contrast media is a rising star in the quadrant; PET is a prime growth driver for radiopharmaceuticals; nuclear medicine provides a potential growth avenue for radiopharmaceuticals; and fledging market battles teething challenges.”

Clearly, technology development and research is taking a priority in the healthcare industry. As such, biomedical engineering firms and other developmental companies may want to invest in custom database software to ensure that they are able to keep up with the rising competition in these fields.

By consulting FileMaker developers, companies can create a research database that can be used to help manage projects and spread information between departments. This software can also be accessed via mobile devices through using FileMaker Go, which can be very valuable in laboratory settings where researchers may need to move from stations and machines and record insights and observations.

By using FileMaker and FileMaker Go for research and development teams, companies can ensure they can stay ahead of the pack and not fall behind the competition.