The Biz

Salesforce Launches New AppExchange

2009-03-17T13:02:04Z

Today, marks the launch of the redesigned AppExchange, a online application store for business users where they can extend the functionality of Salesforce.

As many of your know, I'm a strong advocate of Salesforce for both small and big business. In fact, we started with the Professional Edition focused on the Customer Relationship Management elements and have since upgraded to the Enterprise version and have taken advantage of the full suite of tools.

Many of those tools have been found in the AppExchange, including Salesforce for Google Apps, Salesforce for Google Adwords and Salesforce Mobile.

Here is what's new.

1. New App Lists

In addition to seeing the most popular apps and latest listings, you can now view our top native solutions and staff recommended apps.

2. Multi-Dimensional Search

Search for apps by industry, edition, price, and function- all at the same time.

3. A Product Comparison Matrix

Add up to three apps to your 'Saved Apps' section, click 'compare' and see how apps stack up against each other in a side-by-side matrix.

4. Improved User Reviews

You can now rate apps on multiple dimensions like ease of use, support and value. Additionally, partners and customers can comment on user reviews that are out of date or inaccurate.

The site is a huge improvement over the old version and the AppExchange product team is looking for feedback. So, if you're a Salesforce user, head on over to the AppExchange and drop them a quick note with your comments.

Will Kindle pose a threat to professionally recorded voice overs?

2009-03-05T15:59:15Z

It's doubtful that the Kindle's new synthetic voice technology will replace professional narrators, at least in the foreseeable future.

The principal reason why the synthesized voice poses little threat to voice over recordings, particularly long form narration such as audiobooks, is simply because the vocal characteristics and inflections of synthesized voices are predetermined, leaving no room for uniquely creative or intelligently "human" qualities such as making bold choices with regard to context and interpretation with the purpose of enlivening the text.

Synthetic vocal delivery, although executed well to a degree, falls short on a deeper level and as a result will never possess the core capacities that a performer hired to record an individual script would.

Given that Amazon owns Audible, a web service dedicated to selling professionally narrated audiobooks, it would appear they are hedging their bets by promoting and selling the Kindle, playing it safe by having one foot in the attractive and proven audiobook market worth $2 billion (sales grew 150% in just one year and are still on the rise), and one foot in the synthetic voice market for text-to-speech, ultimately saving them money by not having to hire voice talent to narrate.

With the demand for audiobooks skyrocketing, going from about 4,000 produced per year over the past several years, to 24,000 by 2012, Amazon stands to cash in handsomely by covering both ends of the spectrum, regardless of the significant difference in vocal quality.

Build a Knowledge Base You Can Be Proud Of

2009-02-02T18:26:19Z

Let's face it. People are busy.

Many customers nowadays prefer to hunt down the best solution for themselves. Some don't actually want to speak to a customer service agent on the phone. Nor do they want to wait days on end for an email response.

The logic here is simple. Your customers are thinking that by the time they locate your phone number, place a call, navigate through your interactive voice response system and wait on hold to finally reach an agent for customer service they can just as quickly "Google" the right answer. In fact, they may be right.

What's the challenge? How do business managers make sure that the right tools are available and confidently provide valuable solutions that will meet the needs of our customers on their terms?

Let's explore three web-based tools that will position your company to do just that.

Have a Public Knowledge Base

Whether you call it a knowledge base, solutions database or simply your list of frequently asked questions, you need to offer answers to common questions related to your company, product or service.

Your knowledge base should be the backbone of your online "Help" section, typically located in the upper right-hand corner of each page on your website. This is standard practice and customers expect to consistently find help by glancing up toward the top corner of the page.

In the help section, offer FAQs in the form of a question. For easiest navigation you can categorize the solutions, keeping it limited to no more than a handful of basic categories. People tend to scan category names first and then drill down to the particular question. This method can ease frustration.

"Solutions" should be titled in the form of a question, so that your customer will identify with the situation. For instance: "What is your return policy?" or "I lost my password. What can I do?" When your customer clicks on the question, the page refreshes with the matching solution.

Regardless of which industry you're in, there are common issues that tend to crop up, namely questions related to the features and benefits of your product or service, how to place an order, and so on.

In fact, you'll kill two birds with one stone as the knowledge base is often the first point of reference for your customer service agents when pressed with a particularly challenging question.

Why Have a Public Knowledge Base?

Give customers immediate, 24/7 access to critical information. Through a self-service portal view, customers can find answers by browsing by topic or searching FAQs.
Customer service and support staff can access your knowledge base, allowing them to reduce customer handling time and improve first contact resolution rates.

Reduce phone and e-mail volume by providing customers with information and self-help online. When an agent is required to solve an inquiry, easily direct the customer to the most appropriate channel through seamless escalation paths.

Learn about customer needs and preferences, and understand how to improve content and processes through in-depth reporting capabilities.

Encourage employees to contribute content to your knowledge base. Distribute the information using centralized knowledge-sharing services, continually improving the quality of the application. Most file formats and documents are accepted so document upload can be quick and simple without format conversion.

What To Look for in a Knowledge Base

• Powerful search and retrieval methodologies, ensuring customers receive rapid, accurate, and consistent responses.

• Easy authoring, robust review workflow, and flexible article access to further enhance the centralized knowledge repository.

• Simple rating system that gives your customers the option to click a 'helpful' or 'not helpful' button after reading a solution.

• Insightful reporting tool indicating which articles users seek and what information is unavailable, driving continuous operational improvements.

Knowledge Base Vendors

Now, let's look at some vendors that you may want to consider.

Kayako
Kayako develops market-leading help desk software and support desk Software.

Live Person
Gain insight into website activity, increase sales and reduce support costs with Live Person Contact Center

Salesforce Service & Support
Salesforce offers a modern web application that helps companies deliver the right answer the first time, every time, through both call center and self-service channels

Make It Public

Once you've installed your knowledge base, test it for accuracy. Run a few searches to ensure that the best answer comes up in the results. If you need to, modify the title of the articles, or reword the solution to better match what people will be looking for.

Before you know it, it will be time to launch your public knowledge base to your customers. Consider sending out an email campaign to your customer list informing them of this new tool designed specifically with them in mind.

Key Performance Indicators

After a few weeks, or a few days depending on how many customers you have, you'll start to see an improvement. What should you expect? Companies have reported that they have reduced email volume by 80% and reduced call volume by 15% in the first month of use, 50% in the first year*. That's impressive!

Here are some recommended key performance indicators that will help you measure your success:

Public Knowledge Base Activity
A report to answer the question: How useful is our public knowledge base?

Most Accessed Solutions
A report to answer the question: How many 'viewed' responses have we received?

FAQ Positive Responses
A report to answer the question: How many 'helpful' responses have we received?

Top 10 FAQ's
A report to answer the question: What are the most accessed frequently asked questions?

Wrap Up

Clearly, a public knowledge base is a critical component of servicing your customers online. It empowers both your customers as well as your agents to search and retrieve the best answer for a given situation, ultimately resulting in fewer calls and less emails. It's no wonder that getting a public knowledge base online should be your top priority for 2009.

Download the Audio from President Barack Obama's Inauguration

2009-01-16T15:56:26Z

On January 20, the United States of America will inaugurate its 44th President, Barack Obama. President Obama will be the first African American to hold the office, and will step into the White House in the midst of a trying economic situation and panoply of unresolved international issues.

To commemorate this historic moment in U.S. history, Audible has pulled together the best audio on presidencies of the past, on President Obama himself, and on the challenges ahead. You can listen to our 44th President read his autobiography or hear FDR's 1933 Inauguration Address. Get it all in the Audible Inauguration Room.

And be sure to check back on January 20 to download President Barack Obama's Inauguration Address free!

Audible Inauguration Room

• The Inauguration Room
• About President Obama
• Inauguration Speeches, 1933-2005
• Presidential Biographies

Industry Report Will Go Deeper Next Year

2009-01-04T19:08:48Z

Last week I had published the annual Report on the Voice Over Industry that was well received. Thanks to all the people who blogged about it.

At voxmarketising, Peter O'Connell has some praise as well as shared some dislikes that I'd like to discuss here.

Let's run though some of the comments shall we?

A Simple Slideshow

I enjoyed presenting the information in a graphical manner, as opposed to the lengthy text versions done in years past.

With a decision to provide the information as a PowerPoint presentation, rather than a white paper, I was subject to keeping information to a minimum and often omitting sources. Upon further reflection, a simple "Sources" slide at the back of the presentation would be helpful.

Have More Recommendations

Also with respect to limited space, I wasn't able to add "Recommendations" or suggested next steps on how to capitalize on current trends such as the popularity of iPhone applications, videogames or audiobooks. Perhaps a series of future blog posts would be a more suitable venue?

Comparing Voices.com to voice123

Four years ago when I started writing annual reports, they were for internal purposes only, which explains the competitive research elements. This is the most simple and straightforward reason why I've included a Time on Site chart comparing Voices.com to voice123. The fact is, Voices.com has more to offer and as a result, the site engages visitors at a higher level.

Voice Acting Hub Growth

The report stated that the Facebook Group has grown over 1200% since it started just a few short months ago. Frankly, the Voice Acting Hub is the only group with statistics that I had access to. If someone else cares to share their stats, please do so in the comments. It would be interesting to comparing numbers. [Full disclosure: Voices.com is a sponsor of the group, and members of our staff are the group admins]

TouchGraph, Interesting But Not Well Explained

Touch Graph is a fascinating little application that lets you visually map niches on the Internet. This slide could have easily been expanded into two or three slides offering further explanation and tips on how to run your own reports. Agreed, a link would have been helpful, and I'll add this in next year's report.

Charge for a More Detailed Report

Speaking of next year's report, it will still be free. Why charge when the purpose was to inspire voice talent to explore new opportunities?

Again, the point is to get people thinking about different areas within the business that they could be addressing and inspire the production of new demos, new marketing campaigns and more recognition for our industry.

We'll be working with partners intimately involved with certain areas of the industry with the purpose of presenting their statistics in addition to our own for the next report to give a better rounded perspective and offering of information to the public and those most interested.

Add Your Feedback

If you have read through the Report on the Voice Over Industry 2009 and have other comments, please add them below.

David

Annual Website Maintenance Checklist

2009-01-03T13:23:29Z

It's the time of year when we make resolutions are made. I'm not much of a resolution-maker myself, but I'm going to suggest that small business owners make one. Namely, it's a suggestion that you resolve to fix up your web site and pay attention to things you might have ignored for too long. I know you're busy and your time is valuable, so chances are good that you've missed a few minor issues that are making your web site look old and outdated.

Think about this way: Your car needs a tune-up every 15,000 miles or so to keep it running at its best. Your teeth need a checkup at least once or twice a year. Well, a regular checkup will also keep your web site running in peak condition.

1. Review your company information

If you have a staff listing or directory, is it up-to-date with correct names, titles, and other contact information? If you have a "Contact Us" or "About Us" page or something similar that discusses company history, make sure it's updated, especially references such as "We've been in business for eight years."

2. Review your contact information

Are the phone and fax numbers, mailing and email addresses listed on your site all current? You're obviously losing customers if the phone number has changed.

3. Review your email routing

If you list support@yourdomain.com as the main contact address on your site, is it being routed to the correct person? If your shopping cart sends order information to sales@yourdomain.com, is that going where it needs to go? Make sure your email routing reflects any organizational changes you've had.

4. Review and test your contact forms

If you have contact forms on your site, review them to make sure they work, they're easy to use, and to see if they need to be updated. You might want to start asking people how they found your site or something else that your contact form doesn't ask now. Also, be sure to try to "break" the form. Submit it without the required information and see how understandable the resulting error message is.

5. Review your automated outgoing messages

Do you send an automated confirmation message or receipt after someone orders a product or uses your contact form? If so, review that outgoing automated message to make sure it says what you want it to say, and that it has the right contact information.

6. Update your copyright and/or privacy policy statements

If you have a copyright notice on your site, make sure it's not outdated. If you have a privacy policy, review it to make sure it accurately describes your current policy toward handling your customers' personal information.

7. Test all outgoing links on your web site

Outdated or broken links make your site look stale. It's also a source of frustration for your customers who click on links that don't work. Check all links on your site to make they're accurate and up-to-date. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) offers an online link checker that makes this easy to do.

8. Review the hidden sections of your web site

If you have any password-protected areas, do the passwords need to be changed? If you had staff changes during the year, this might be a good idea. It might be a good idea even if you didn't!

9. Review your domain record

Make sure your domain registrar has current contact information for you. If they don't, you might miss renewal notices and other important announcements about your domain. You might also want to read How to Protect Your Domain, which has some additional things to look for on your domain record.

10. Do an overall review of your web site

This is something you should really be thinking about on a regular basis, but web sites often get ignored in the daily grind of running a small business. Ask yourself: How fresh is the content on my site? Do any pages need to be updated? How does my site look? Is it time for a more professional or modern design? Does my site offer the kind of features or tools that let my customers get what they want when they visit?

Some of these suggestions will only take minutes to complete, while others will be more time-consuming. But no matter how busy you are, checking your web site at least once a year is a resolution worth making ... and keeping.

Update The ⓒ Copyright Year On Your Website

2009-01-02T14:15:10Z

First of all, Happy New Year!

And, with the new year comes some annual maintenance that every webmaster should be conscious of. Here's a quick tip from my list of annual website maintenance.

Build Trust

Having your website reflect current and accurate information helps build trust. Yes, even the year beside your copyright notice makes a subtle, perhaps sub-conscious, impact on your visitors.

Be Relevant

Your website visitors expect you to be on top of the latest developments in the business and technology world.

Show You Care

For those websites that can make the change quickly, it shows your visitors that you care. Take a moment now to update your website's copyright year... or email your webmaster if they take care of this for you.

Search Engines Update Their Copyright Year

Let's take a look at how the search engines have done, shall we?

Google

Yahoo!

MSN

Have You Updated Your Copyright Notice Yet?

5 Second Usability Test

2008-12-30T19:11:51Z

We've explored usability before, but today, I found a tool that makes website usability testing a snap!

A new app, most appropriately called Five Second Test allows website designers to upload a screen shot of a page, invite participants to view the page for exactly 5 seconds, then type in what they remember from the page.

Take the 5 Second Usability Test now.

Web Usability in a Nutshell

Web usability is an approach to make web sites easy to use for an end-user, without requiring her to have any specialized training. The user should be able to intuitively relate the actions he needs to perform on the web page such as click a link or press of a button.

Isn't Web Usability Only for Large Websites?

For many small businesses, the 5-10 page brochure-style website works just fine, but that doesn't mean you can ignore usability. It's the foundation of treating your customers and prospects well when they visit your website.

With tools like the Five Second Test and a host of articles and resources, there's every reason it's time to polish up your website, get some feedback and make a change for the better.

Here are some web usability resources to get you started.

Web Usability Resources

To learn all more about usability here some additional resources:

• Jakob Nielsen's Alert Box column
• Usability 101
• Top ten mistakes of Web design
• Usable Web is a collection of 786 links and accompanying information about human factors, user interface issues, and usable design specific

Usability Podcasts

• The User Experience Podcast
• Usability Tools Podcast
• DesignCritique

Help Our Development Team

Do a good deed and help our development team improve our design by taking the five second usability test.

Take the 5 Second Usability Test now

Have a Resource You'd Like to Add?

If you're into usability and know of another resource, please add it by leaving a comment below.

David

Voices.com CEO Speaks at OIART's Entrepreneur Week

2008-06-11T13:20:32Z

As many of you know, I'm an honors graduate of OIART, the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology - one of the top audio production schools in the industry.

One of the many reasons I chose to attend OIART was the high job placement rate of their graduates which results in excellent connections within the industry. Graduates are invited back to OIART as guest lecturers, and this year I was happy to speak and share my experiences as an entrepreneur.

Industry Revolution

For those unfamiliar with Voices.com, I open all lectures with the story of how Stephanie and I founded what was then Interactive Voices.

The idea was simple: What if we could build an online community that brought together freelance voice talent from around the world and provided them with job opportunities?

The challenge was significantly more difficult in that we needed to revolutionize an industry and inspire people to change their hiring habits - from the old way to the new online approach for finding voice over talent.

Building an Online Business, One Page at a Time

In those early days, we wrote all the HTML for each web page on Interactive Voices. Profiles were created, edited and updated by Stephanie or myself and voiceover demos were sent via email, then uploaded to our web server.

Even MP3 files for voice over auditions were sent by email, then we'd upload them to our server for the clients to receive. We even built a simple user-interface for the clients to listen and evaluate the voice talent that had replied to their job posting.

In short, it was far from elegant and we quickly realized that our process wouldn't scale to thousands of job opportunities as we had envisioned.

Building a Team

The first people we hired to help manage the growth was an outstanding Web Developer and System Administrator, Wesley, and a compassionate Customer Care Manager, Carol. Since then, we've rounded out our team.

Re-Branding & Making the Transition

One of most-significant changes over the past few years was the acquisition of the domain name, Voices.com and the re-branding of our company. Seeing as our customers were already familiar with us as "interactivevoices.com", moving to "voices.com" was easy for people to make the leap. Simple names work online.

The Growth of Voices.com

Since completing the move to Voices.com, the website and the community has flourished. At the same time, the industry has exploded, too. The voice-over industry is now a $10 Billion industry and with more uses of voice in audio, video and multimedia, I'm confident this growth will continue.

OIART Student's Predict a Mobile Technology Revolution

Near the end of the presentation, we discussed how social media, blogs and podcasts are changing the media landscape. I also posed the question, what's next? To my surprise that prompted a 10-15 minute discussion on how technology is becoming increasingly personalized and mobile.

I found this particularly interesting as this was the same day that Steve Jobs was giving his keynote presentation introducing the iPhone 3G.

Business Resources

To wrap up the session, we blasted through an outline of a business plan (PDF) as well as a number of websites and software tools for operating a business.

Are You an OIART Graduate?

Drop a line and let us know what you've been up to lately by leaving a comment below.

Image © OIART.org

Technorati Tags: OIART, Audio Recording School, Audio Recording Technology, David Ciccarelli, Lecture, and Voices.com.

Blogging 101 - Tips for Effective Business Blogging

2008-05-31T11:52:05Z

There has most definitely been a shift in the media landscape, from traditional media including newspaper, radio and television to online media. The most prevalent of the online media sources are blogs.

What Is a Blog?

Weblogs, web logs or simply blogs, as they are known, are easy-to-use websites (no HTML knowledge required), where you can quickly post thoughts, publish articles and interact with people. Blogs are typically accessible to any Internet user.

Blogs are Exploding

Technorati is now tracking over 50 million weblogs and about 120,000 new weblogs are being created worldwide each day. That's about 1.4 blogs created every second.

Businesses can take advantage of this powerful communications medium, starting with a few simple steps to get involved today.

How To Get Involved

Before jumping in and creating your own blog, it's strongly advised that you should explore who else is blogging in your industry.

To find a blog, visit either Google Blog Search or Technorati.

1. Discover a blog
2. Subscribe to that blog
3. Comment on articles
4. Link to your website

How To Add Comments

Once you've found a blog that covers a topic that you're interested in, it's time to participate. Comments add value to the conversation that’s already going on. They should:

๏ Be Insightful
๏ Be Validating
๏ Carry Momentum

What Can You Do With Blogs?

With some background knowledge of who is blogging and the style of writing your fellow bloggers are pursuing, let's explore how you can use blogs in your business.

With a business blog, you can:

๏ Write about new products or explain your products' features
๏ Highlight the benefits of doing business with you
๏ Send company updates
๏ Minimize customer service or technical issues by answering questions on your blog
๏ Write how-to articles
๏ Inform your customers of changes in your business

Creating Your Own Blog

By this point, you likely have plenty of ideas for using a blog in your business and are ready to start blogging today. The good news is that you can get started in as little as five minutes.

There is however, one final decision to be made. You'll need to pick between a "Hosted Blog" or "Installed Blog".

Hosted Blog

A hosted blog is offered by a third-party service that is accessible on the Internet. Online services such as Blogger, WordPress and TypePad allow you to create an account, login and start a blog. At that time, you can personalize your blog by choosing a theme. It's really that simple.

If you don't have your own website, or are looking for an easy-to-use tool, consider one of these blogging options.

๏ Blogger http://www.blogger.com
๏ WordPress http://www.wordpress.com
๏ TypePad http://www.typepad.com

Installed Blog

Installed blogs are blogging software packages that you first download to your personal computer, then install on your web server. For those who are familiar with HTML and logging into their server via FTP, an installed blog is by far the better option for a variety of reasons.

With installed blogs, you have significantly more control of the look and feel of your blog, your visitors remain on your website, and any links to your articles are links to your domain name which is a primary factor in obtaining good search engine results, also known as search engine optimization.

If you have your own domain name and a webmaster who can help install a piece of software on your server the installed blog option is your best choice.

๏ WordPress http://www.wordpress.org
๏ MovableType http://www.movabletype.org

Start Blogging

Regardless of which option you choose, you'll notice that writing a blog post is strikingly similar to writing in Microsoft Word or any other text editor. Each blog post includes:

๏ Post Title
๏ Body text
๏ Time and date stamp
๏ Tags or labels used to organize similar posts

Claim Your Blog at Technorati

After you've published your first blog post, you can claim your blog at Technorati. When you first sign-up at Technorati check the "I have a blog and would like to claim it now." check box.

The process is really quite simple and it's worth taking a few moments to get this set-up.

๏ Claim Your Blog on Technorati

Blog Consistently by Sticking to a Schedule

One of the questions that comes up at speaking engagements is "how often should I blog?" which varies and depends on how much you have to say.

To not overwhelm yourself, aim for publishing one post each week. If you get ideas in between posts, perhaps start a new draft. Before you know it, you'll have a number of draft posts lined up which are excellent reserves for those dry periods when you're stuck for something to publish.

In short, write only when you have something of value to share. You'll also find that the more you write, even if you're not necessarily publishing each article (there's no shame in holding onto some drafts), the easier and more momentous your blogging becomes.

Do You Have a Blog? Add Your Tips to the List

If you've been blogging for a while you surely have some excellent advice to share.

Add your tips by leaving a comment below.

Why People Do Not Reach Their Potential

2008-04-26T02:34:15Z

In personal and professional development it's my belief that everyone has a seed of success within them. It's also true that few ever realize their success potential.

Why is that?

Here are four reasons why people who are poised for success may not reach their potential, and how you can apply some simple truths to experience your own break through.

1. CHOICES

Many people make choices that limit them. As the saying goes "There is a choice you have to make, in everything you do. So keep in mind, that in the end, the choice you make, makes you."

But aren't there talented people? Yes, and it's their talent and right choices make a talented person.

As Socrates said "To move the world, we must first move ourselves."

2. TIME

Many people have no idea the process of reaching their potential would take so long. All things are difficult before they become easy.

It's it true that projects usually:

- Are more difficult than we anticipate
- Take longer than we anticipate
- Cost more than we anticipate

As you've probably discovered, shortcuts don't pay off in the long run, so prudent planning and a realistic estimate of time required to complete a project, develop a new skill or reach a goal is an excellent step in the right direction.

3. PRICE

Many people fail to pay the price that their potential demands.

Often times, our challenges in life are not in understanding how to reach our potential, but rather they are in doing what it takes to get there.

Charles Schwab said, "When a man has put a limit on what he will do, he has put a limit on what he can do."

4. PROBLEMS

Many people fail to think creatively when problems arise.

There's a difference between problem spotting and problem solving. Anyone can spot a problem, be it an issue in a relationship, a technical issue or a health issue. The counsel of experts is relied upon as they know how to provide a solution to a difficult problem.

The next time you mention a problem, why not follow that up by suggesting 3 possible solutions, with one of them including you?

WRAP-UP

Break through and reach new heights in your personal and professional development by making good choices, realistically assessing the time needed to reach your goals, paying the price when it's asked of you and meeting problems with solutions.

If you found this article helpful or it added some insight in your busy day, add your comment below.

David

The Best Leaders are Listeners

2008-04-19T17:07:51Z

Friday, I attended the Maximum Impact Advance Simulcast that provides the business professional with a wealth of information designed to help people grow their influence. I joined 50,000 leaders, across North America, renowned authors, businessmen and leadership experts for an event that won’t be forgotten.

The founder, John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker and author who has sold over 13 million books. His organizations have trained more than 2 milion leaders worldwide. Every year, he speaks with Fortune 500 Companies, international government leaders and organizations as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point and the National Football League.

In his session, "Leadership Gold", Dr. Maxwell explained a simple truth: The best leaders are listeners.

3 Delusions

We all suffer from three delusions:

1. We are a good driver
2. We have a sense of humor
3. We're good listeners

The Truth

Dr. Maxwell explains a simple truth: The best leaders are listeners.

Apply This Truth in Business

In business, listening is the single greatest way to keep problems from escalating into major issues.

As a leader, it's imperative to listen to all your stakeholders. Listen to your employees, customers, vendors, partners and investors.

Formula for Success

Dr. Maxwell's formula for success is stated plainly as: Listen, Learn and then Lead.

Is the Mobile Web Dead? Not for Hybrid Web Apps

2008-04-15T19:10:36Z

Most sites that are built exclusively around or are developed solely for mobile applications are probably dead. This may because the cost of mobile usage has been far too high in North America such that most mobile users are limiting severely how and when they access the net to avoid outrageous bills. Only now are annual flat rate fee structures coming into effect in North America.

True Web Apps for Mobility

As long as a site has a normal web presence and is fully accessible that way, and has also taken pains to be sure that mobile users have a friendly and convenient/functional interface, they will do well as costs to access by mobile will drop in the future and more mobile device people will reach them (and vice versa).

This is why I was so excited about Voices.com on mobile – you are taken immediately to the search tool and have immediate access to talent. It works.

Do you access Business Apps from your Mobile Phone?

Salesforce and Google Link CRM Apps to Office Tools

2008-04-14T18:08:56Z

This morning, the Official Salesforce Blog announced that they have expanded their partnership with Google and together have delivered an industry-changing new product called Salesforce for Google Apps.

Techmeme and the New York Times has some great coverage on this developing story.

As heavy Salesforce and Google Apps users, we're pleased with this development and can see how we'll be using this dynamic duo for greater productivity and ultimately our ability to deliver a better service.

Salesforce for Google Apps

It's easy to see how we could run our business in some exciting new ways:

1. Salesforce and Gmail

Salesforce and Gmail - Send Gmail to contacts from inside Salesforce or log emails in Salesforce from Gmail.

Now that's something that Salesforce really needed; the ability to both send an receive messages. Transitioning from Outlook and Apple Mail to Gmail makes sense, considering a lot of us work remotely, in the evenings and on weekends. I've been waiting for a big enough reason to switch to Gmail and it looks like my reason has arrived.

2. Salesforce and Google Talk

Salesforce and Google Talk - Chat with colleagues right from within Salesforce.

Currently we use Skype as our internal instant messaging tool, however tight integration with Salesforce means one less application we need running on our machines.

3. Salesforce and Google Docs

Salesforce and Google Docs - Create and attach Google Docs to records inside Salesforce for real time collaboration.

From business plans, proposals and product development outlines, Google Docs has all but replaced Microsoft Word in our office. And, if we can use Google Docs for the storage, we'll likely see some cost savings by avoiding purchasing more Salesforce storage.

4. Salesforce and Google Calendar

Salesforce and Google Calendar - Synchronize your Salesforce meetings, campaigns, and events with Google Calendar.

Not that we do a terrible amount of scheduling, I can foresee this being a helpful tool. When, we do have events to attend, the entire week is usually pretty busy, so a single integrated view will ensure we're all in the right place and the right time.

5. Salesforce and Google Start Page

Salesforce and Google Start Page - Access your most important business information, including Salesforce dashboards, and search the Web from a single page.

This is smart. As the CEO, having a single view that shows key performance indicators as well as a snapshot of your inbox allows me prioritize my day or drill down on reports should anything jump out at me. Better information means better decisions.

Do You Run Salesforce?

If you're in a business that's running Salesforce, how do you see using these new tools to help you grow you company?

Add your comments below...

Search Engine Marketing in the Google Era

2008-04-02T18:46:45Z

This afternoon, I had the opportunity to share with a group of about 80 regional technology companies on how to better position their websites in Google.

The business seminar was hosted by the TechAlliance, a membership-based organization that exists to represent, support, and accelerate the growth of technology companies to the benefit of the entire regional economy.

During this session, participants discovered what search engines value in a webpage, how to construct a webpage and website in the optimum manner, and how to optimize the content for top ranking in search engine results.

Participants were also shown how to effectively identify and research appropriate keywords and keyword phrases by using online tools.

This session was sponsored by Rodney Lover and the entire Lover's atWork Office Furniture team. Thanks!

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Add Your Comments

If you were in attendance, add your comments and share what you learned during the session.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

David