Yearly Archives: 2017

Customer Service: Separating Average And Exceptional Businesses

The customer is always right. This slogan (which was originally attributed to Harry Gordon Selfridge, who established Selfridges Department Store in London in 1908) was coined to encourage staff to provide better service to customers. Over the years, different versions have evolved. The French quote: ‘le client n’a jamais tort’ (the client is never wrong). Germans say ‘der Kunde ist König’ (the customer is king) and in Japan, the motto is ’okyakusama wa kamisama desu’ (the customer is a God).

How To Build A High-Performing Team

The performance of any organization, department or project is often symptomatic of the performance of the teams that support them. A great team results in a great outcome and vice-versa. This article covers four critical topics that can make or break a project team. A high-performing team requires strong leadership and support from Senior Management across the company. A study conducted by the University of Ottawa found that 33% of projects fail simply due to a lack of involvement from Senior Management

What It Takes To Effectively Project Manage

When embarking on a new project, people or teams aren’t able to look into or predict the future and, hence, must be willing to accept the likelihood of unplanned events occurring. An acceptance of the things that cannot be controlled is a necessary first step for project managers in order to maintain their sanity. However, being able to ensure that any project is a success, regardless of unanticipated and uncontrollable hiccups or roadblocks, defines a great project manager (PM). This article covers three areas which project managers must master in order to be effective managers at the very least and great managers at best.

How To Win In Marketing Without a Marketer

Claiming that the marketing landscape has changed is not a revelation. And assuming that, for most businesses, marketing is critical to success is a safe bet. Contrary to some beliefs, not everyone is a born marketer; however, many people can be marketers, even without a lot of previous experience. Controversially, the best type of marketer is not the person with the longest work history. Instead, it’s someone who is aware of their knowledge gaps and actively seeks to fill these shortcomings by continuously improving and through having an open mind.

Banish The Business Devils You Know

Every professional has worked or still works, with suppliers who consistently underwhelm in terms of the service they provide. Given that most businesses strive to improve their profitability and productivity levels, it would appear to be a strange contradiction that any professional would tolerate mediocrity. And yet the phrase ‘better the devil you know’ is frequently referred to by even comparably successful business people. This article addresses one of the most common oxymorons that has plagued businesses for far too long.

Standalone Software Complicates Business

Standalone software can cause business processes to be complicated, often resulting in duplication, deterioration of services, and impaired profitability. As a business grows, its systems become more complex as it recruits more people to service more customers and, often, offers more diverse products. Over time, standalone software systems which have been deployed to make business processes more efficient begin to undermine the productivity of the organization. Leaders need to recognize the complexities created by separate or poorly integrated software systems and identify ways of simplifying these issues.

A Guide To Improving Business Efficiency

In an age of disruption, the great challenge for a business is to reinvent itself while maintaining strong momentum. Companies that sit on the laurels of past successes risk losing everything. Bold leaders recognize that a company must focus on improving performance as well as profits if it wants to maintain its competitive edge. The Simplicity Cycle – As a business grows, it becomes increasingly complicated with more customers, more employees, and more systems.

How To Build A Business That Embraces Change

Change is usually as difficult as it is inevitable, so effective leaders need to combine science with intuition to prepare their organization and its people to succeed in an age of disruption. Essential techniques to create a change-embracing culture include identifying “intrapreneurship,” encouraging curiosity and rewarding innovation. Identify “intrapreneurs” – an “intrapreneur” is an employee who behaves like an entrepreneur while working within an organization.

Clearing Up The Cloud For Digital Transformation

Cloud adoption globally is growing rapidly, held back only by a lack of knowledge and security concerns. A 2016 Intel Security survey of 2000 security professionals globally found that more than 90% stated that their organization was using some type of cloud service. “Cloud First for many companies is progressing and remains the objective,” the report noted with the caveat. “It is evident from our survey that the lack of cybersecurity skills is having an impact on cloud adoption for organizations of all sizes.”