Posts Tagged ‘technology’
MDL Technology Examines: How to Avoid CRM Disasters
Friday, April 26th, 2013
As companies become more tech-savvy, it still appears that the failure rate of CRM remains high. According to an article by Inside CRM, it was found that nearly 50-70 percent of CRM projects fail. While part of the high percentage of failures is due to unrealistic expectations, the rest of it is due to not delivering the estimated increases to the bottom line, customer satisfaction and other endpoint metrics.
Here are three of the biggest factors to avoid with CRM:
1. Concentrating on the technology at the expense of the people: CRM is not technology. Instead, it uses technology to support sales and marketing’s efforts to get closer to your customers.
Implementing CRM starts well before you purchase the system or even decide which software to use. It begins with a clear definition of CRM goals, project requirements and success factors. In other words, what are you trying to do, what will you need to do it and how will you know when you’ve succeeded? This also has to include a careful analysis of your sales process, its strengths and weaknesses and where you need to improve.
This definition phase is doubly important because not all CRM packages are created equal. Like companies, they have different strengths and weaknesses and you need to choose one which matches your needs. All of them have the same general functionality but they vary in how well and how completely they do different jobs.
Similarly, you have to consider the nature of your business when choosing a CRM solution. If your business involves long sales cycles of high-value equipment with multiple decision makers, you want to emphasize different things in your sales strategy than if you’re selling lower-cost goods on a fast sales cycle with many repeat customers.
Because CRM makes heavy use of computers, it’s easy to confuse it with technology. In fact, the history of CRM implementation is rife with projects which were a technical success — delivered on time and within budget — but which were practical failures because the project didn’t deliver the bottom-line benefits.
If you equate technology with CRM, you’ll probably end up confusing your employees and annoying your customers.
2. Not having everyone aboard: According to Gartner Group, most CRM failures are the result of user errors rather than technological ones.
The most common of these failures, experts agree, is not having everyone on the same page. A successful CRM effort has support from all staff and widespread agreement on the goals and methods of the CRM project. That includes the sales staff, whom will use the CRM tools, and top management, whom must provide the drive and oversight for the project.
A full CRM implementation requires wide-ranging changes throughout your sales and marketing organization. If the people who have to execute your new CRM strategy don’t understand and agree with what you’re doing, you’ll most likely have a failure.
Likewise, a CRM project needs realistic, enthusiastic support from management at all levels, including a manager or managers who will champion the project and help to keep it on track. This kind of broad-based support is critical and it usually doesn’t happen automatically. It has to be built. To repeat an often-stressed theme, CRM requires selling inside your company.
Stress the benefits that CRM will bring to your staff. The fact that a CRM system will give you greater control over your sales process isn’t nearly as important to your sales reps as the potential to increase sales, and hence profits. On the other hand, it’s likely to be much more important to the managers above you. When you talk about CRM’s benefits, stress the ones that the people you are talking to are likely to be most interested in.
It’s also important to realize that the job of getting and keeping everyone aboard doesn’t end when the CRM project goes live. The sales staff has to be constantly encouraged, reminded and sometimes pushed to use CRM tools. Managers have to be shown through clear metrics how the CRM effort is paying off.
In making CRM work, both in implementation and in ongoing use, feedback is critical. You’re almost certainly going to have to adjust the project as you go along, and to get it right you’re going to have to rely on feedback from all levels. More than most project implementations, CRM is a matter of constantly adjusting to get things “right” under continuously changing conditions.
3. Not putting the customer first: By its nature, CRM is customer-centric. The CRM model tries to increase sales by focusing on and building better relations with the customer.
A successful CRM implementation improves the customer experience. One that fails makes the customer less willing to deal with you. This is an important metric, even if it isn’t always as easy to see.
One place where success with the customers shows up is in the bottom line. An effective CRM implementation makes it easier and more pleasant for customers to buy from you. This shows up not just in increased sales, but in increased sales per customer, increased cross-selling and up-selling and other measures of sales activity. However, this is only a surrogate. You need to listen carefully to your customers to find out what they like and don’t like.
None of these causes for failure is rocket science — or even high school chemistry. They can be easily avoided, as many companies do each year. While that requires some knowledge of the warning signs, mostly it is a matter of attention to detail and understanding where CRM fits into your sales and marketing organization.
What Every CEO Should Know About IT Security: MDL Technology Reviews Lumension eBook
Thursday, March 21st, 2013
By: T.J. Bloom, COO of MDL Technology
A CEO has many other issues on his or her mind, like leading a successful organization, that rank higher on the priority list than IT security. It’s easy to push security to the backburner, but ignoring it completely can create damage and end up costing more in the long run.
In the eBook What Every CEO Should Know about IT Security, Pat Clawson, CEO of Lumension, goes into detail of the risks involved in ignoring security and the steps a CEO should take to insure security.
“You are vulnerable to attack because everyone is vulnerable to attack,” writes Clawson. “What I offer you now is a CEO-to-CEO explanation about why you need to care about IT security and how to use your leadership role to build a culture of security within your organization.”
What Every CEO Should Know about IT Security
“What could be more important to any business than data? Whether it’s customer information or stores of intellectual property, it’s the lifeblood of any organization. Unfortunately though, most CEOs aren’t aware they need to make it a priority.
In fact, according to our 2011 State of the Endpoint Survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute, nearly half of responding technology decision-makers said they couldn’t solve their security problems because it just didn’t interest their CEO enough.”
Read the ebook here.
Kansas City IT Company, MDL Technology, Reviews Cloud Security
Thursday, March 7th, 2013
Posted By: T.J. Bloom, COO of MDL Technology
So you’ve made the move to the cloud and keeping your data safe is priority No. 1. However, there are still steps you need to take to ensure cloud security. CloudTweaks, a cloud computing information company, offers tips about how to keep your cloud data safe.
According to the article, Cloud Computing Security – 10 Tips For Keeping Your Cloud Data Safe, “We are all very happy about the entire cloud data storage concept and feel that it’s a breath of relief from the constant battle against malware, key loggers, PC monitoring software. We tend to forget that there are steps which we need to take to ensure security even after we have shifted all our digital luggage to the cloud.”
Security Cloud Tips -
“1. Password First.
If we are talking about ideal scenarios, then your username and password should be unique for every service or site you have to use credentials for. The reason is simple enough: if one gets compromised, so do the rest of your accounts.
2. Security Question, Check.
Try your best to avoid questions to which answers can be found just by taking one glance online, for instance, on your Facebook profile. Best way to go about this is to choose a question and answer it with another question’s answer. For instance if you choose the question where did you live as a kid, answer with ‘yellow’.
3. Try Out Encryption.
Whenever this is possible, this is a great idea. Encryption software does require some effort on the part of the user but it will also scramble and code your credentials so that no one will be able to procure them easily.
4. Manage Passwords.
By this time you will have a lot of passwords and usernames to be tracking and taking care of. So to manage this get your hands on an app or software that will do this for you. A great option is the LastPass utility.”
Read the article here.
MDL Technology, KC Technology and Managed Service Company, Discusses President Obama’s Executive Order Boosting U.S. Cybersecurity
Friday, February 22nd, 2013
Posted By: T.J. Bloom, COO of MDL Technology
President Obama wants better protection of the nation’s infrastructure.
Richard Adhikari of TechNewsWorld wrote about the President’s executive order bringing the discussion of better U.S. cybersecurity onto the table.
“The order is very process-oriented, and groups are weighing in on whether it will be able to achieve its goal: better protection of the country’s infrastructure,” wrote Adhikari.
As a technology company, MDL Technology wants to advise on the importance of cybersecurity.
“Obama’s Executive Order Renews Cybersecurity Debate”
“Too much regulation, not enough protection, too much private sector involvement: President Obama’s just-released cybersecurity executive order has sparked concern from several advocacy groups, even as controversial legislation designed to protect the nation’s infrastructure made a reappearance Wednesday in Congress.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposed the order. It argued that instituting new regulation is unnecessary.
Meanwhile, the Constitution Project says the order poses “far fewer threats” to Americans’ privacy rights than the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), which was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday after having been withdrawn last year in the face of strenuous opposition.
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is among the organizations that contend Congress should pass a cybersecurity law anyway, because adhering to the executive order might expose companies to lawsuits over civil liberties and privacy.”
Read the article here.
MDL Technology, KC Technology and Managed Service Company, Discusses Marketing and IT In Tech
Friday, February 15th, 2013
Posted by: T.J. Bloom, COO of MDL Technology
How well do executives understand all the capabilities of modern technology? Quentin Hardy of the New York Times tech blog, Bits, reviewed PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of “Digital IQ.”
Their survey found that only about 13% of both I.T. and nontechnical executives had a strong relationship with technology.
“If your company is among these top performers, it is four times more likely to be in the top 25 percent of your industry in profit margins, revenue, and innovation,” wrote Hardy.
As a technology company, MDL Technology looks into the disconnect between executives and technology.
“In Tech, Does I.T. or Marketing Rule?”
“The key technologies in this year’s survey included mobile, social media, big data and cloud computing. The goal, the report said, is not just to employ these emerging technologies to automate or streamline processes, but to use them in innovating faster and better, and to create more valuable products and services.”
Read the full article here.
MDL Technology, KC Technology and Managed Service Company, Reviews 2013 Cloud Computing Predictions
Friday, January 4th, 2013
Posted By: TJ Bloom, COO of MDL Technology
To kick off 2013, MDL Technology reviewed new trends in technology and cloud computing. Joe McKendrick, contributing editor of Forbes, covered analysts’ predictions for the future of cloud computing and the changes we can expect to see from cloud services. “Many cloud projects are driven by the need to mobile access to back-end applications,” says McKendrick.
Read what other predictions about cloud computing Forbes makes in this article.
7 Predictions for Cloud Computing in 2013 That Make Perfect Sense
“Every year at this time, analysts, prognosticators and pundits alike try to size up the year ahead in technology. And — no surprise — cloud computing is this year’s hottest topic. Cloud is already a force to be reckoned with on the business technology scene — IT executives, vendors and analysts alike are trying to keep up to determine what it all really means and where it is taking us.”
MDL Technology, KC Technology and Managed Service Company, Highlights Huffington Post Featuring Kansas City’s Entrepreneurialism
Thursday, December 20th, 2012
Posted By: TJ Bloom, COO of MDL Technology
Kansas City’s entrepreneurial scene has been gaining national attention recently. Besides being recently featured in Forbes as one of the Best Cities for Female Entrepreneurs, Kansas City was also featured in the Huffington Post article, Kansas City Is Building America’s Most Entrepreneurial City.
Jason Grill, a Kansas City native and former member of the Missouri House of Representatives, not only highlights the Manliest Restaurant in America, or better known to us as Oklahoma Joe’s, and Mayor Sly James’ Launch KC partnership, but he praises the entrepreneurial development continuing to unfold in Kansas City.
“Groups such as KCSourceLink, UMKC SBTDC and the Kauffman Foundation are providing unprecedented access, opportunities and resources for entrepreneurs,” said Grill. But this entrepreneurial and technology revolution could not have been done without collaboration from the community. “Community has played a huge role,” said Grill. KC Startup Village, located in range of the Google Fiber services, was developed to create a concentrated community of startups.
“This is a unique and exciting time in Kansas City’s entrepreneurial history,” expressed Grill. “Kansas City the future is bright.”
MDL Technology, KC Technology and Managed Service Company, Highlights CNN’s Feature on Kansas City and Google Fiber
Friday, December 14th, 2012
Posted By: TJ Bloom, COO of MDL Technology
Kansas City’s growing technology scene has attracted the attention of CNN. The first Google Fiber neighborhood, known as Kansas City Startup Village, was featured on a CNN bit called Building Up America.
“Entrepreneurs trading ideas, exploring concepts and much of it revolves around a handful of houses on a few beaten up blocks where some small Internet startups are drawing national attention,” CNN’s Tom Foreman refers to Startup Village.
Startup Village plans to build an entire community of startups. Two members of the community, Leap2 and Local Ruckus, are featured in the story.
“One big reason these companies are clustering here is because Google chose this neighborhood to launch its much anticipated super high speed Internet connection,” said Foreman of the recent installment of Google Fiber in the neighborhood.
Google Fiber’s Internet connection provides Startup Village with 100 times faster Internet service than common providers.
Silicon Prairie News previewed the story in the article “CNN Shines Spotlight on Kansas City Startup Village.”
MDL Technology, KC Technology & Managed Service Company, Showcases Kansas City Entrepreneur and Innovation Novel Day Event
Friday, November 30th, 2012
Posted by: T.J. Bloom, COO of MDL Technology
Kansas City has a niche with technology. Advancements like Google Fiber and many successful startups, KC has become a popular place for a variety of tech-based events.
Yesterday, entrepreneurs, innovators, students and more, attended Novel Day. The event sloganed “think novel, take risks.” Novel Day aimed to provide a platform that facilitates information & innovation overflow.
Attendees heard from KC leaders, startups and businesses. Asim Pasha, CIO of Sporting Innovations, (pictured below) spoke at the event.
Silicon Prairie News previewed Novel Day in the article “Novel Day event Nov. 29 to encourage KC to “think novel, take risks.”
Novel Day, a first-year event designed to spur Kansas City entrepreneurs, innovators and investors to “think novel and take risks” took place Nov. 29 from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at Burns & McDonnell (9400 Ward Parkway).
The schedule for the day featured a variety of programming, highlighted by keynotes from columnist and talk show host Armstrong Williams, author Bill Murphy Jr. and daredevil Nik Wallenda. More than a dozen leaders from the Kansas City business community presented, including Michelle DeSilva of Angel Capital Group, Rachel Hack of Google Fiber and Asim Pasha of Sporting Innovations.
MDL Technology, KC Technology & Managed Service Company, Highlights The Technology Entrepreneur Speakers Program Featuring Sporting Innovations
Thursday, October 25th, 2012
Posted by: T.J. Bloom, COO of MDL Technology
Located in Kansas City, Mo., MDL Technology is dedicated to making computer IT easy for everyone. Sporting Innovations, a Kansas City-based startup, develops and deploys cutting-edge technology to support the sports industry and its fans.
Co-founder and managing partner of Sporting Innovations, Asim Pasha, spoke at the Tech ESP on October 16. Pasha introduced FAN360, a software platform connects fans, teams, partners and leagues within a sports venue. “If you can put all of that together, then you can be successful,” he said. “We are about changing the perception of technology in the sports world.”
Annie Sorensen, writer for Silicon Prairie, highlighted the Kansas City startup. Read the article here.
Modernizing the world of sports is the name of the game for Asim Pasha, co-founder and managing partner of Sporting Innovations. Pasha shared a brief history of the relationship between sports and technology, his mission of bringing it into the modern era with Sporting Innovations and what’s ahead for the industry as he spoke Tuesday evening during the final Technology Entrepreneur Speakers Program (Tech ESP) event of the year at the offices of Polsinelli Shughart in Kansas City, Mo.
The statistics surrounding the global sports industry are startling, Pasha said. There are approximately 12,800 registered professional teams worldwide, 18,900 professional venues and over 1.6 billion loyal and passionate fans who attend at least one event per year. But Pasha said that, by his calculation, more than 97 percent of sports teams know very little about those fans.