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The traditional nine-to-five, cubicle farm workplace of old is quickly being filtered out by the rise in many non-traditional companies and a younger generation beginning to enter the workforce. In response, many companies are implementing alternative work schedules and cultures, which can lead to organizational issues that can be solved by custom office management software.

According to Harvard Business Review, many companies are using alternative methods to increase productivity. For example, technology and engineering giants Google and 3M will grant engineers sabbatical to work on personal projects and develop their skills, known informally as "innovation time off."

Another software company in the United Kingdom called Red Gate started a "coding by the sea" project, where a group of software engineers took out a beach house for a week to fix problems and bugs in their products and advance on new ideas. That idea expanded to "down tools week," where every employee puts their regular routine on hold and commits to a new project or issue about the company that's been bugging them, attempting to solve it within the week.

Other businesses have begun to give employees more loosely defined roles, which allow executives and managers to partner up with other departments and add a variety of skills and experiences to solve problems in more unique and creative ways. According to the source, "truly innovative companies avoid giving people job descriptions, or they find creative ways of encouraging them to join multiple projects."

While many businesses are beginning to use these alternative ways of pairing employees, it's critical that an organization is still able to stay efficient during these innovative times. By consulting FileMaker developers, companies can create custom database software that allows them to manage and organize employees and task lists so supervisors can gain a clear look at the productivity and performance of workers and how well these techniques may be working.

As this blog has reported, big data is becoming a critical element to maintaining an effective business. This is because the information that is being used by companies can be beneficial to every department, should they have the means to store and analyze this information.

According to CIO, an IT blog, companies can use big data to answer key questions that will provide insight into their clients. These questions ask customers about their motivations, the appeal of certain products and the factors that would lead them to prefer one brand over another.

The companies that can use big data to thoroughly answer these questions will be able to set themselves apart from the competition, according to Walt Hauck, the chief information officer of Dun and Bradstreet, a consultant and research firm.

“I think big data is the beginning of the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots,'” Hauck told the source. “You’re either going to be able to take your data, manipulate it and understand it at scale, or you’re going to follow those that do.”

The benefits of managing big data

By consulting FileMaker developers, companies can create custom database software that allows them to store, manage and analyze the specific sets of data that affect their business, product and customers.

Using this technology can help businesses implement more effective strategies into their sales forces that will create a higher percentage of conversions. Companies can also use this information to aid customer service representatives or account managers in their effort to gain greater insight into client issues and concerns and address those more thoroughly.

As citizens gear up for Election Day on November 6, political campaigns are doing what they can to reach potential undecided voters at the last minute. According to On The Media, a New York City-based radio show, this often includes sifting through mounds of data about undecided voters that campaign managers obtained through businesses and other organizations.

“They’re running algorithms that are basically looking for patterns between that big mass of data they have about each of you with the information that their polling tells them about specific attitudes about the election that’s underway,” Sasha Issenberg, a political journalist, said during the show.

PJ Vogt, a producer for the On The Media, mentioned that when Republican candidate Mitt Romney was campaigning for governor of Massachusetts, his team used big data to learn that undecided voters were also most likely to be premium cable subscribers. This information gave campaign managers a way to pivot marketing tactics and appeal to this single audience.

Using custom software to maintain customer data

While running for a public office may be much more intense than advertising a new product or service, it’s essentially the same. By using big data to cultivate information about loyal customers, but those that are on the bubble but likely to be persuaded, companies can find a common denominator that will allow them to form a foundation for their marketing or advertising campaigns.

But in order to do this effectively, companies will need the technology to house and manage all this data. By consulting FileMaker developers to create custom database software, marketing departments will be able to more effectively aggregate and analyze this information to find the strongest connections between potential customers.

As reported by this blog, data analysis has become an increasingly necessary part of running a successful business. According to Harvard Business Review, this concept fits right in with customer service and relations, allowing representatives to engage and satisfy customers much more effectively.

The source states that there are a few tactics companies should adhere to in order to get the most out of customer data. For example, businesses should be systematic in their approach. Analyzing large amounts of data isn't something that can be done on the fly, it requires a careful and comprehensive system and process to go through before any decisions can be made.

Furthermore, it's critical that companies focus on the most vital data. While using as much as possible can help, it can often leave departments overwhelmed and inundated with numbers and graphs. By keeping it simple and focusing on the critical statistics, companies will leverage their data analysis much more effectively.

"Research shows that personalization can deliver five to eight times the ROI on marketing spend and lift sales 10 percent or more," writes Josh Leibowitz, Kellungerman and Maher Masri, authors of the article and major executives at McKinsey and Company.

Custom software can aid with customer relation data

Companies looking to increase their efforts in maintaining customer relations data should consult FileMaker developers to create custom software that can be molded to their specifications and needs.

For example, if a business needs to place more effort on discerning between the different groups and demographics that make up their client base, it can be helpful to use database software to create graphs and charts depicting what clients do and don't have in common. Furthermore, with this information, companies can share the graphs and charts with other necessary departments, such as sales or account management, which can then make additional adjustments to support the breakdown in customer demographics.

With the combination of custom database software and big customer-centric big data, businesses will be able to pivot themselves for a more client-oriented experience and deliver better results.

While traditional forms of marketing – such as taking out advertising space in local newspapers, sponsoring radio shows and running a commercial on a local television station – may still be a major source of brand awareness, internet marketing has taken on a greater role for companies and marketing departments and understand that more consumers are getting their media online.

As such, internet marketing has gained importance, requiring marketing managers to think of ways to gauge the effectiveness of their campaigns. With the rise in big data, these professionals have found the resource they needed to identify which advertisement techniques are doing well and which may need more work.

According to a survey by eXelate, a data processing company, 54 percent of advertising agencies, 15 percent of marketers and 31 percent of advertising platforms state that the way professionals use big data is becoming more elaborate and technologically advanced.

In addition, custom data has been cited as the best performing data for marketing and advertising managers.

"The fact that custom data was cited as the most effective form of data for both branding and direct response campaigns among marketers, advertiser and platform respondents alike proves the leading role data modeling will play as well as head into the new year and continue to unlock the power of 'Big Data' for digital marketers," Mark Zagorski, CEO of eXelate, said in a press release. 

Leveraging big data with custom software

With the increase in the amount of data being used by marketing and advertising departments, these managers would be wise to invest in custom database software that can help manage and analyze critical statistics.

By consulting FileMaker developers, businesses can create the custom software needed to ensure they have a marketing department that is abreast on the latest trends and tactics in the industry, as well as keeping a pulse on consumer behaviors.

As reported by this blog, big data has become a staple in American businesses, regardless of industry. This is due in part to the overall usefulness of the data. One of the very first sectors to grab onto this method of analysis was marketing and advertising, and companies in this industry are often aided in their online endeavors by statistics presented by Google Analytics and other analytical software.

But, Google has expanded its own analytical capabilities with Universal Analytics. This allows companies to submit marketing data they have accrued to Google Analytics to develop a more customized and comprehensive view of the ways consumers interact with their businesses.

“Measurement today is evolving from technology that counts site traffic into a broader system that measures your effectiveness in advertising, sales, product  usage, support and retention,” wrote Manav Mishra, group product manager at Google Analytics, in a blog post. “Ultimately, this sort of integrated measurement can help you deliver the best service, products and experience for your customers.”

Managing a marketing department with database software

Of course, businesses can enjoy a more comprehensive view of their own marketing data through the implementation of software. By consulting FileMaker developers, companies can create custom database software that allows them to track the analytics of advertising and social media campaigns. Furthermore, this software can also be used to upload the artwork for banner advertisements, easing communication between employees that may not know how it will look and keeping marketing teams on the same page.

In addition, marketing and analytics database software can be a great way to make tangible goals for a marketing team. By using the system as a way to present and store analytical figures and progress, managers can set goals for click-rates and conversions, while also displaying the progress of these initiatives. This tactic can help motivate employees while also keeping up with the necessary statistics.

As more consumers begin using social media channels such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, companies are being expected to maintain an active presence on these channels as a way to aid customers with questions and provide useful information on products and updates. While many industries have begun adopting this model, the pharmaceutical industry specifically is now starting to implement this tactic, according to a survey by Best Practices, an industry consulting and advisory service.

According to the study, more than 50 percent of pharma companies expect to use more social networking, online video and other digital mediums to increase brand awareness and communicate with customers.

This technology will be used to help businesses increase the timing and effectiveness of communicating with customers about diseases and developments in the industry.

How technology can be used internally by pharmaceutical companies

While pharmacies are expecting to increase their usage of digital marketing and social media to increase customer communication efforts, using custom database software can help increase their daily management and productivity efforts.

By consulting FileMaker developers, pharmaceutical companies can create management software frameworks and databases that allows supervisors to effectively monitor productivity in major research and development projects. Furthermore, software can be used to help delegate tasks, post documents to be shared with the entire workforce and help offices save on supplies by cutting many extraneous paper products that were necessary when employees had to submit reports and findings by hard copy only.

Furthermore, because these databases can help businesses cut office supply costs, pharmaceutical companies that are using social media as a marketing tool can promote themselves as an eco-friendly or green business due to their efforts in limiting paper consumption.

Of the recent changes in the healthcare system made by the Obama Administration, one has caused the industry’s leaders to reconsider the way they view patient satisfaction.

While most companies find the reward for consumer satisfaction in a loyal customer base, or a good review on a social media website to bring in more traffic, the healthcare industry, instead, will be paid nearly $1 billion by the federal government based on patient satisfaction surveys, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The higher hospitals score on these surveys, the more they will receive as an incentive from the White House. Should they score low, they will lose money. This has forced many healthcare facilities to rethink the way they approach patient satisfaction and the obstacles that are inherently present in a hospital. Some physicians are skeptical.

“You go to Disney for a great vacation experience,” Dr. Rhonda Scott, chief nursing officer at the Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, told the Journal. “You go to Ruth’s Chris for a great dining experience. Do you think it is a great experience when I tell you that you have stage-four cancer and you may be dead in three months?”

Using database software to maintain patient satisfaction

By consulting FileMaker developers, healthcare administrators can use custom database software to track patient responsibilities and duties. Such capabilities encourage well-run offices, shortening extended waiting times and eliminating frivolous appointments or frustrating patient experiences. Some healthcare facilities have deployed practice management software effectively to organize appointments, send out reminders and coordinate in-office communication.

Ultimately, even if administrators find that certain patients have not been served in the best way possible, a physician can circle back later to do the extra leg work needed to ensure that the patient is satisfied, helping facilities maintain a good score on the government’s surveys. That’s the type of increased visibility available through custom database software.

NASA has led the way in research and development for sciences across many practices, whether it be engineering, biology or chemistry. This is due in part to the organization’s ability to aggregate and synthesize massive amounts of information and research.

NASA recently landed a remotely human-driven rover on Mars called Curiosity. In the time since our last post on the subject, researchers were able to use the rover to take a sample of Martian rock and send its composition data back to Earth, revealing that its chemical makeup is very similar to some rocks here on Earth. This ability to accrue a high level of sophisticated information is a big part of what’s made NASA as successful as it’s been.

Turning research into results

Research is a critical component to any business, regardless of the industry. As information has become more widely available, companies have been able to use data as a way to improve their own management and enhance the knowledge of managers and employees across the board. This is perpetuated by the rising use of big data, which businesses have tapped into to analyze their operations and determine which areas may need to be improved.

In order to effectively manage and spread big data and research, managers should consult FileMaker developers that can create a custom database software capable of housing this important information and sharing it with employees.

By doing so, a marketing company, for example, can share key client details and research from its account managers to its creative directors and copywriters, ensuring that all departments have a comprehensive understanding of the client and their industry.

At the same time, financial professionals can use a sophisticated database as a means to evaluate the latest data on client behaviors and cross-sell opportunities, identifying new ways to expand the business’ growth.

With the rise of filesharing technology, many markets have undergone seismic changes in the way they function. One that’s probably experienced the most transformations has been the music industry.

When the popular British band Radiohead released its album “In Rainbows” completely online in 2007, only charging fans an optional donation to download the album, the success of the release brought shockwaves through the industry – millions of downloads at an average of $5 an album.

This influenced many more musicians, including up and comers the xx, who released their new album in a similar way in September 2012. By choosing one particular fan to initially download the album for free and then share it with friends across social networks, the band was able to create a buzz and fanbase before their album was released. They partnered with Microsoft to create a website that tracked the spread of the album across the world. According to the Harvard Business Review, the experiment highlights the tendency of information to be shared.

But, the story of artists such as Radiohead and the xx are just microcosms of how the spread of information can be a vital practice to not only the livelihood of musicians, but also that of businesses everywhere.

Regardless of the industry, being able to use a company-wide, custom application that allows employees to post sales figures, research results, product information and important client details can allow a business to grow and prosper.

When every worker has this information right at their fingertips, it leaves them with no excuses for not knowing what an account’s new art looks like at an advertising agency, what a patient’s insurance number is at a physician’s office or how many hours a junior lawyer at a firm may have spent on a client.

By consulting a FileMaker developer, companies can ensure that their employees have the tools necessary to not only get the job done, but do it as well as they can through the sharing and storage of information.