Everything is Not a Nail: Why You Should NOT Rely on Social Media Alone for Important Customer Messages

I would be the first in any room to profess my love for all things technology including social media. I jump from twitter to Facebook to email the same way people used to check their US mailboxes looking for letters – messages – a letter from a friend, a check or a card. I’ve even started watching shared videos which just a short year ago I swore I would not do. Those darn cute cats.

Like most software products, Facebook and twitter are each optimized to do something well, several things in fact. But many have found social media’s ability to publish information free-of-charge to hundreds of millions of people quite enticing to use for many more things than it was originally intended. Have you ever folded up an important paper to swat a fly or used the handle of a screwdriver to pound a nail because they were handy? If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

Ideally, companies would send critical customer information to customers in the most effective and convenient way for the customer. Right? Why then, do so many companies use twitter and Facebook as their only means to publish critical information when (a) fewer than 1 in 5 US adults is an active twitter user and (b) although the majority of adults have Facebook, fewer than 1 in 5 would ever see the post on their own wall? Users are forced to go hunting for really important information. Customers are, at least, not receiving critical information, and at most, frustrated that you forced them to go hunting for critical information. Would you do that with an invoice? Your customers know the answer to that question.

The meteoric rise in users and media hype around social media gives the sense that companies can use it for any type of communication. Companies and organizations get lured into believing their social media communication is effective because it does feel impactful to engage people online. You talk directly to your customers and they respond. You solve their problems immediately. Wow, that is very powerful, but unfortunately, it also generally includes only a tiny minority of customers, especially when talking about more serious topics like utility power outages, major road construction or approaching weather events. By far, the majority of the top twitter accounts are celebrities publishing to their fan base. Hot consumer brands are next. Utilities are lucky to get 1% of their customer base even following them on twitter or liking them on Facebook. How many of those 1% will catch that important post when it flies by in their stream, if it does.

There is also an illusion that social media is free, but companies spend real money on staff to create, maintain and publish information. Sometimes, these teams can be quite large. Why not leverage the investment in information creation and push the messages to customers over more channels? In emergency alerting circles, it is well-known that you can’t over-communicate. Organizations are paying salaries for people to use screwdrivers.

The fact is – you can easily reach a larger audience with the same information and virtually no additional work. Personalized, opt-in messaging services like Ivytalk allow customers to select the best channel for them as well as the information they are interested in receiving. Targeted group messaging for business enables that important message to be pushed directly and personally to customers’ devices and twitter and Facebook increasing the probability the message is seen.  Result: better informed and more satisfied customers.

Posted in amazon, android, apple, Enterprise Communication, Group Messaging, Hospitality, iOs, Ivytalk®, Mobile, Public Safety, Retail, Technology, Utilities, windows 8, wireless | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

OTT Messaging surpasses SMS-majority is

OTT Messaging surpasses SMS-majority is consumer. http://ow.ly/kG8At Ivytalk provides OTT AND SMS for business. It’s the next big wave.

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Targeting Customers

@Facebook impressive with best targeted consumer database: +likes +tracking cookies +location +friend info = knowing what ad I WANT to see.

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5 Technology Predictions for 2013

Technology is advancing at such a rapid pace it is hard even for technologists to keep up. Millions of new products are being launched each year fueled by software developers and mobile applications. The Wireless Internet is enabling the transformation of every aspect of life. Major ecosystem players are constantly positioning to get on top or stay on top. 2013 is positioned to be a pivotal year.

Here are 5 Technology Predictions for 2013:

1. Apple will lessen its dominance. After leading the way for so many years, the competition has finally caught up to Apple. There will always be a loyal Apple following, but innovation outside Cupertino will attract increasing numbers of loyal new customers.

2. Windows 8 will be embraced by users. Microsoft has been heavily bashed for much of the last decade as they failed to execute new initiatives successfully, however, their long-term vision with Windows 8 and their willingness to evolve in this case will pay off. Windows 8 is designed for a world where tablets have replaced laptops. Only those with an integrated and consistent multi-screen experience will ultimately thrive. 2013 won’t yet show huge numbers, but the sentiment in 2013 will be favorable, paving the way for an explosive 2014.

3. Amazon will have a record year. As Google, Apple, Microsoft and Blackberry have battled over mobile device market share, Amazon has quietly built a mobile empire. Amazon can sell you practically anything you want with 1-click from any mobile device including their own. Excellent execution has built this powerful brand. Consumers feel confident shopping on Amazon.

4. Yahoo! will be transformed through a major partnership, merger or acquisition event. Yahoo!’s assets are not strong and broad enough on a standalone basis, but are extremely valuable, particularly if combined strategically to lead in a key area. Marissa Mayer is smart enough to know this, unlike her predecessors. She also has the benefit of hindsight in this case.

5. Mobile commerce will begin to take off. So many players clamoring for the consumer purchasing transaction will push the systems forward to the point that paying with your phone will become more common in 2013. Everything except the kitchen sink will be put into a digital wallet and someone might try for the kitchen sink, too. This is great for consumers who will get new services and more value through competition. As with Windows 8, 2013 will be the early adopter, emotional bonding period with bigger numbers coming in 2014.

Posted in amazon, apple, iOs, Mobile, mobile commerce, Technology, windows 8 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Wireless Internet and Why It Matters

The world is transforming in a way not seen before in history and it’s tied to being untied. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, wires have enabled factories, automation, networking, and the Internet by delivering power, data and control signals telling machines what to do. We are in the middle of a tectonic shift – everything is going wireless – society is moving to mobile interactions. Wireless networks will deliver the data, control signals and even potentially power for everything.

I know, you are thinking we’ve already climbed this mountain, but we’ve only reached basecamp.

The last four decades has seen technology advances completely change every aspect of society. Personal computers were enabled by semiconductors. The Internet was enabled by networking. Smart devices were enabled by mobile networks. Now, smarter machines are being enabled by The Wireless Internet. This is called the Internet of Things or M2M (machine to machine) communication.

Wireless stats clearly show the transformation since the introduction of the first cellular telephones in the 1980s. In three decades, in the US alone, we’ve gone from 330k users to 330 million users and now have more mobile subscriptions than people. Globally, there are more than 6 billion mobile subscriptions. By the end of 2011, 105 countries had more mobile subscriptions than inhabitants. Although those stats are impressive, M2M will shatter those numbers. In the coming years, billions of people will be interacting with many more billions of Things like cars, smart meters, medical equipment, machinery, and devices in our homes, on our pets and in our lives, and we have only just begun this transformation with many necessary prerequisites still being put in place. M2M global standardization is just beginning. Internet address expansion to accommodate this kind of growth (IPv6) was launched in June 2012. 4G mobile coverage and mobile broadband connections continue to grow worldwide.
Personally, I have been incredibly fortunate to have worked on developing and commercializing new wireless product for my entire professional career spanning more than 25 years. It is my passion. The change wireless has brought to society is truly phenomenal. The world is connected. We as humans are connected. We have opportunities like never before to advance the world through those connections.

M2M connectivity along with smart mobile devices for people enables innovation that will impact every business, organization and person. Solutions to the world’s biggest challenges in areas like energy, agriculture and healthcare will be fueled by wireless connectivity to people and things. Businesses will either advance technologically or be consumed by more technically advanced competitors. Immediate access to the entire world’s population is a powerful vehicle for meteoric revenue and customer growth. We have all seen these changes play out in recent years. As we move forward, leaders, entrepreneurs, executive and elected officials have both the obligation and the opportunity to harness the Wireless Internet to be more efficient, more effective, more successful, and generally make the world a better place for everyone.

About the author:
Mary Jesse, P.E., is a wireless industry expert with more than 25 years of experience developing and operating wireless solutions in roles such as Vice President of Strategic Technology for McCaw Cellular Communications, Vice President of Technology Development for AT&T Wireless and Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of RadioFrame Networks. She is currently CEO of Ivycorp, developers and operators of Ivytalk, the world’s most powerful enterprise messaging solution. Ms. Jesse was instrumental in developing and deploying the first large scale wireless data systems in the U.S. and has led development teams in the architecture, design and launch of numerous systems and products.

Ms. Jesse is a licensed Professional Electrical Engineer, holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in electrical engineering and has authored more than a dozen patents. She frequently speaks on mobile, technology, business and entrepreneurship. In addition to volunteering her time to support STEM education and mentor girls and women in business, she currently serves on the board of the Northwest Entrepreneur Network and on the Executive Advisory Council for the WSU EECS department.

http://www.ivytalk.com | @TheMaryJesse | @Ivytalk | http://www.blog.ivytalk.com

References:

http://www.ctia.org/advocacy/index.cfm/AID/10388

http://www.ctia.org/advocacy/research/index.cfm/AID/10323

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6

http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/material/pdf/2011%20Statistical%20highlights_June_2012.pdf

http://www.fiercewireless.com/europe/story/study-m2m-european-revenues-grow-significantly-applications-widen/2012-03-21#ixzz1rk5dRRuc

Posted in 4G, Enterprise Communication, Giving Back, Group Messaging, Ivytalk®, Leadership, M2M, Mobile, Startup, Technology, wireless | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

5 Key Considerations in Implementing Mobile Commerce Solutions

The world is fundamentally changing. In the last several decades, we’ve seen revolutionary change in the world driven by technology. The Internet (including IP, networking and web technology) connected the smallest village to the executive in the largest high-rise and everything in between. What started as mobile phone technology has turned into the most ubiquitous communication channel the world has ever seen. Now, those two technologies are colliding to produce an even bigger wave of change and it’s called The Wireless Internet. Web 3.0 is the Wireless Internet.

Every industry is headed for transformation and this has spawned billions of dollars of investment to capture a piece of the inevitable economic growth that comes with such transformations. Commerce is no exception, hence “Mobile Commerce.” Everything and everyone will have an IP address and at least one device which can access the Wireless Internet. Everything done in person has shifted online and is now shifting to a wireless device. Consumers will eventually adopt the most convenient and reliable means to make purchases from their devices, but as with credit cards, the space is too large for a single player or single winner. There are several large players placing bets on multiple horses at this point.

So how does Mobile impact Mobile Commerce? There are 5 key factors to remember:

1. All networks are not created equal.
There are many wireless networks and they impact Mobile Commerce. A phone, pad or computer may be made mobile with connections through one of many mobile operator networks or a public or private wireless network. The capacity, bandwidth (speed), technology, security and privacy controls on each of these networks is different. TIP: Know the advantages and limitations of the networks on which your mobile commerce technology works before committing resources to implementation or integration.

2. Where are your customers?
Mobile commerce solution selection starts with the customer. Where will they be at the time you want to enable a purchase? Will they likely be at home on the couch using a pad or walking through a store using a phone? TIP: Select mobile commerce technology based on your customer requirements.

3. Use data to make informed decisions.
Quantitative data is available from a variety of sources which should indicate not only buying patterns (where), but also networks and devices. The customer voice is the greatest indicator of eventual success, both prior and during any adoption of new technologies and offers. TIP: Use existing data, pilot testing and surveys to determine requirements before fully committing or limiting to any mobile commerce implementation.

4. There is not one winning solution.
Mobile commerce is already crowded even though it has not taken off yet. There will be many options for consumers – ISIS (NFC enabled mobile devices), Google wallet, VISA mobile wallet, Mastercard PayPass, PayPal mobile, vendor specific apps like Starbucks, premium SMS which goes on your phone bill, etc. Credit card companies are working with everyone they can to broaden the use of their specific card and backend infrastructure. TIP: Be prepared to handle multiple solutions.

5. Mobile commerce isn’t just about the payment.
Customers are going mobile, but the payment is one of the last steps in customer engagement. Mobile customers need mobile information, mobile customer support, mobile features that allow them to easily search and select what they’re looking for, and convenient mobile payment options. TIP: Adapt all customer facing business interfaces to be mobile friendly.

Posted in Customers, marketing, mobile commerce, mobile customer service, Technology, wireless | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Are you an Emailer or Texter?

Humans are capable of storing an incredible amount of information without even realizing it. Consider all the people you “talk” to. Based on their preferences and behavior, you have mentally stored the best ways to reach your friends, family and even co-workers. When I coached my son’s soccer team, I knew who read their email regularly and who didn’t. A text would work for some, but not all, and some people live on email.

And we have special procedures like the escalating phone call. Someone calls you once, you don’t answer. So he calls again multiple times back-to-back to say, “Hey, this is URGENT!” This is a tried and true spouse-spouse and kid-parent protocol. Our kids’ school has even done this because it works.

Why a procedure for voice? People are increasingly reluctant to use voice. Voice is slower, more intrusive, more committed and generally more personal. We have become addicted to bits of information and impersonal broadcast data snippets as primary means of communicating. We live in a @twitter world where time is accelerated and live voice communication is novel – like hand written letters when phone calls became commonplace or physical greeting cards when ecards and social media took their place. Voice usage is declining while data communication is increasing at an astonishing rate.

We are reaching Overload. There are so many different ways to communicate with someone who even for people closest to you, you may not know them all – email, text/SMS, Facebook, twitter, google+, LinkedIn, iMessage, Skype, etc. And that might be on purpose as people work to manage their lives across multiple communication networks.

Even with all that, the consumer is not as challenged as the business. Increasingly, businesses and organizations struggle with how to best communicate with their stakeholders like customers and employees who are moving targets, literally. The vast majority of communication is going mobile. WEB 3.0 IS THE MOBILE INTERNET. People have so many different ways to be reached, but ideally, they could just tell you – “use this way” for “this purpose.” Better yet, you communicate in the easiest way for you and let the message be received in the easiest way for the recipient. You shouldn’t even have to care how they receive it – just as long as they do.

Up to now, customers are told how to reach businesses for each specific purpose. The inconsistency and inefficiency can be very frustrating. If I want to ask a question about a bill for almost any vendor – I must sit through a lengthy phone call and convince the automated attendant that I don’t want to pay my bill or get my balance. I usually repeat “representative” in an increasingly agitated voice until I am connected. Some software gets it right away, but once in a while, I hear the hang up right after, “I’m sorry you’re having problems, please try again later.”

Why can’t I just send a text with my question or just to get a call back from a live person? Chatting live is good with computers, but mobile versions aren’t up to snuff yet. Email is not handled with the same time response as live chat although technically there is no reason it couldn’t be. Mobile presents more challenges to businesses than just how to monetize advertising. All functions will evolve to become mobile friendly.

Due to Overload, businesses will necessarily switch gears to let customers indicate the best way to engage rather than force them to like you on every new social app to be treated as important. The path of least resistance will prevail in an increasingly complex world. Simplicity will emerge as a coping mechanism in response to the expense of trying to keep up with every possible means of engagement.

This picture illustrates why you might want to take a look at Ivytalk. Although it is not as well-known yet as larger communication or social networks, the utility draws increasing numbers of loyal users. With Ivytalk, a business can send their standard email blast, but people can receive the message in a variety of ways. A customer could text in and let the business know to call them back. Users can directly or indirectly use the service to define how they want their communication and it can be different depending upon the message or sender. Ivytalk is a powerful group messaging service designed to help solve the Overload issue.

Innovation is needed to solve big problems. Effective communication is the backbone of commerce, education, security, healthcare, etc. New technology is needed to accommodate changes in the world and hopefully offer improved quality of life in the process.

Posted in Customers, Email, Enterprise Communication, Group Messaging, Ivytalk®, marketing, mobile commerce, mobile customer service, Public Safety, Technology, texting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Six Reasons Baby Boomers Should Be Working For Your Startup

A few months ago there were a series of articles about how entrepreneurs are over-the-hill by 25 years old. I knew immediately that was not true and articles have since been published showing that statistically, companies started by boomers are more successful.

Here are six reasons why that may be the case:

1. Experience
By definition, boomers have lived and worked longer than their younger peers. Particularly at startups, you will make mistakes. The experienced team members avoid basic, newbie business and technology pitfalls, reaching farther along the path to make new mistakes – the ones you inevitably have to make to be disruptive. If you’re reaching for the moon, you can get there faster with an experienced pilot.

2. Network
We all know that in business, especially with new businesses, it’s about who you know. Tapping your network is critical to early success and valuable customer introductions. Boomers have networks spanning decades, typically much bigger than those of Gen-X or Gen-Y peers and reaching higher into organizations. You cannot build that overnight and indeed, a great network is invaluable.

3. Stability
Boomers who join startups typically know what they are in for. Either they are financially stable enough to weather the storms or they have made calculated risks. You gain a broader foundation and base upon which to draw when you have lived long enough to have earned a few gray hairs.

4. People Skills
Boomers know how to engage in person, at the cafe and in the board room. You couldn’t “virtually” interact when boomers were growing up. Those real live life skills may be going by the wayside for youth today, but when it comes to developing business partnerships, negotiating deals and even hiring employees, there is no replacing face-to-face experience.

5. Crisis Buffer
Startups offer a truly fantastic roller coaster ride for those who chose that path. Sometimes, it gets a little hairy. With age, comes a mellowness that could only have been gained by knowing that however bad something is – it will change. This is what you learn in life – things change, crises pass. In life you learn, to be successful, one must look beyond near term chaos and pain to the real goal with a steady focus on the end game.

6. Efficiency
You may be thinking now that boomers are slow and methodical – which can be the case. How then, can that be better than a caffeinated 20-year-old? Efficiency. Work smarter, not harder. When you do something many times in life, you tend to figure out what you can shortcut and what you can’t. You can get 80% of the benefit with 20% of the effort in almost everything. It’s a universal rule. If you’re old enough to have heard that phrase a million times and have witnessed its raw power – you must be a boomer.

Having said all this, the very best company, large or small, has a diverse team – diverse in age, gender, background, etc. You can take any business to the next level if you can leverage the best everyone has to offer with a diverse group. There is strength in diversity. It is a universal, undeniable truth.

Posted in Customers, Ivytalk®, Leadership | 5 Comments

Personalized Customer Communication

Marketing nirvana is being able to reach each individual in the way they prefer with information they want. In pursuit of this nirvana, the consumer is being chased from all angles. They localize content to where you are. They push information to you based on past behavior – they don’t know if it relates to you this minute, but it’s better than random information.

Brands and advertisers are using every possible tool to diagnose your preferences – except perhaps the most obvious – let you choose.

Why is this?

For one thing, systems are not flexible enough to let you communicate the way you want, when you want, about what you want.

We want to hear from you, so please take this cash register receipt you got while in your car, then later dig it out of the bag, sit down at your computer and provide us with information so we can provide you better service. Never mind that you can’t read the 20 digit code you have to enter because you spilled your coffee. How many times have you given feedback using the cash register receipt? Exactly.

In order for a consumer to let you know their preferences – they must be able to communicate with you. If they cannot do so in a way that is convenient for them, guess what happens? They don’t just offer up that valuable information. You must bribe them or only hear from them when they are really upset with you and are forced to communicate your way – which by the way makes them even more angry. There are now many public and very convenient means for consumers to “talk” to brands – Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc., but similarly convenient private means are extremely limited. Although companies would like to hear privately about a bad customer experience, it gets put on the Facebook page because that is more convenient for the customer than finding the right form on the website or being forced to navigate through a voice system to eventually get connected with a live person (probably not the right one).

Instead of forcing people to go to websites or call you on the phone – let them drop you an email, send you a text or interact with a smart phone app – right then and there – when they want – where they want – in the way they choose. There is only one service on the planet today that enables this integrated public inbound communication and routes all this information automatically to the right place while providing a permanent personal email address, phone number and smart phone app to the consumer to enable personalized direct communication with any brand, group, business or organization and that is Ivytalk. That is a game changer.

Posted in Ads, Customers, Enterprise Communication, Group Messaging, Ivytalk®, marketing, mobile customer service, Technology, texting | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What is EAS and Why Are They Testing It?

Baby boomers all know the deep wailing sound of the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS). “This is only a test” “If this were a real emergency, you’d be given instructions…” The EBS was created in 1963 to warn the country of pending disaster like incoming nuclear weapons. The system worked by notifying radio and TV broadcasters to transmit a set of tones and an audio message. EBS was in use until 1997, when it was replaced by the EAS, Emergency Alerting System. EBS was an analog system and EAS is a more feature rich, efficient digital system. Although you will still hear those wailing alert tones, they are now accompanied by digital messages which can flash across the screen. The difference is like FM radio vs. Pandora. The EBS was never used for a national emergency. EAS has also never been used for a national emergency.

EAS is broadcast on all US FM, AM, TV, Cable and Satellite services. EAS became part of a larger program called IPAWS – Integrated Public Alert and Warning System which involves collecting and distributing info to/from many more sources.

On Nov 9, 2011, there was a national test of the EAS system. This was the first one and as expected much of the system worked as planned, but there were issues that need to be worked out. That’s why you do tests.

My observation is that the system is kind of like using robo-dialing to reach people in an emergency. You may need a voice message if trying to reach everyone like the senior who doesn’t use email or have a cell phone or use Facebook (an increasingly rare person), but many people will get the information only if delivered a different way like email, SMS, etc. I did not see or hear any of the actual broadcast tests myself, but received info about the test from multiple online sources and other sources. That is why there is IPAWS. We all get info from many different sources now so EAS is not enough.

#IPAWS has at its core a message format called CAP – Common Alerting Protocol. #Ivytalk was designed using #CAP as the message structure because of IPAWS. Commercial systems can be an integral part of disseminating information both into and out of national systems. We embraced this vision from day 1.

The really good news in all this is that information travels around the world in real-time today. We are so informed, it would be hard to miss any major event or the billions of tiny ones every day. IPAWS is a US coordinating entity for authorization and distribution of official event info over multiple broadcast channels. In the emergency preparedness world, there is no such thing as too much information dissemination. Controlling that, however, has become a mighty big task. That’s why there is clearly a need for private means to disseminate information over multiple channels efficiently and effectively and one reason Ivytalk is being received by customers with such enthusiasm. Historically, “emergency systems” did one thing and sat idle the rest of the time. Primary communication systems need to serve also as emergency systems so contact info is current and people know how to use them without thinking. When you use Ivytalk for customer support or mobile concierge or to give your employees a heads up on the upcoming insurance enrollment period, you are testing your private “EAS.” That is powerful technology.

Given the population growth and the strain on all resources, we must look to technology for efficiency in all areas. The world’s greatest problems cannot be solved without technical solutions to improve food production, energy utilization and production, clean water availability, biodiversity preservation and communication (which enables accessibility, security and better standards of living). Embrace innovation, but also look at the long-term implication with any technology. EAS may not be perfect, but it is a good example of coordinated efforts to think ahead to solve problems. Preparation is much less expensive the alternative.

Posted in Ivytalk®, Public Safety, Technology, texting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment