Business leaders can’t sit still for long these days. They have to constantly assess the potential benefits of new technologies, sales strategies, marketing tactics, and brand awareness campaigns. Getting comfortable can mean falling behind. That same mindset should also apply to customer service and support. The problem, however, is that executives often look at customer care as their last priority; to many it’s a nice-to-do rather than a must-do. But that can be a costly…  MORE

Retailers have always had to be inventive. From the adoption of neon signs to shopping carts to electronic cash registers, remaining competitive means keeping up with the times. Tastes change, shopping habits shift, and cultural forces dictate new offerings. Stores must continually adapt. But the need for innovation has magnified since the dawn of the World Wide Web and ecommerce. There’s now an exponential amount of competition from both emerging players and online-only entrepreneurs. There…  MORE

We see the claim everywhere these days: Artificial intelligence is taking over. AI will not only change the world, it already has changed the world. Business will never be the same; life will never be the same. So organizations that don’t adopt an AI strategy will soon fall into a deep digital hole. While there’s some hype in that sentiment, there’s also a lot of truth. Yet the AI craze enveloping us can obscure the…  MORE

Leaders across all industries understand the important role that frontline workers play in creating strong brands. Those workers greet customers, conduct transactions, and provide service – acts that inherently affect customer satisfaction and ultimately brand loyalty. But creating happy customers and strong brands isn’t as easy as it was in the past. It’s no longer a matter of simply pointing out where to find an item, ringing up sales on a cash register, and helping…  MORE

Remember the idea of “smart homes?” We surely do. Just a few years ago this concept had its moment in the sun. Devices connected by sensors were increasingly providing more convenience and enjoyment, saving people time by eliminating the mundane tasks of home life. Turn on some music, turn off the lights, change the room temperature – all with a request from your voice, even automatically. Smart technology and smart homes didn’t go away. The…  MORE

As technology consultants, we continually witness how our clients adapt to new tools and solutions. We also observe how they (mainly CIOs and CTOs) have seen their actual roles evolve. These leaders aren’t only making traditional technology decisions about what to purchase and implement. They’re now change agents, collaborating with other executives to ensure cohesive execution of major business initiatives. Without question, today’s technology leaders have a full plate of responsibilities. And this year has…  MORE

For many years, corporate America resisted the call from activists to be more environmentally conscious. They said it would be too expensive. Besides, they felt, the planet’s doing just fine. But time and facts changed the attitudes of executives. They realized that fighting off sustainability was a losing battle. In fact, they recognized that embracing environmental causes could only benefit their organizations: One hand they could improve the health of the planet, and on the…  MORE

Like any industry, the technology field goes through trends. Over the recent past we’ve seen the cloud, digital transformation, smart technology, the metaverse, and artificial intelligence (AI) as flavors the of the month (or year). Software as a service (SaaS) was once the new kid on the block as well. Yet because the cloud and AI seem to get most of the attention these days, some can forget about the importance of SaaS and how…  MORE