Successful Workplace

Today at Google’s Developer Conference (IO) the crowd was treated to the announcement of Google Play, the brand new service that offers a Netflix-style access to music content for as low as $9.99 per month. The announcement rocks the world currently dominated by iTunes, Spotify and Pandora. Google Play offers not just access, but the […]

Everyone enjoys a good movie, play, concert or any public performance and work is simply no different. I recently saw Prince for the second time, knowing that he gives a nonstop, thrilling performance that gets the crowd dancing in their seats. When the curtain comes down, people are left screaming for more and demanding multiple […]

I’ve long maintained that the business world can learn a lot from the arts community.  Here’s another example. Great Big Sea is a band from St. John’s, Newfoundland, that blends traditional Newfoundland folk music with pop/rock.  This year, they’re celebrating their 20th year in the music business.  In that time, they’ve grown from playing the […]

Just over a week ago, the U.S. stock market plunged in early afternoon trading with the S&P 500 losing $121 billion of its value within minutes. This happened after a fake tweet appeared on the Associated Press’s twitter feed describing a terror attack on the White House.  During the momentary plunge, the Dow fell 145 […]

Most people think standard operating procedures are a strait jacket that limits their flexibility. Yet in our increasingly complex world of work, with so many possible decisions and steps, clever use of standards can liberate. They can actually make it easier to tailor customer experiences at low cost. Consider how standards are helping the Cleveland Clinic, rated one […]

This blog post looks at the promise of new entrants into the UK retail banking sector. It also discusses in general where retail banks should focus on in order to stay competitive in an industry that is marked by ever more assertive customers and disruptive technology changes. There is always a sense of expectation when […]

The following is a guest post by Sean O’Shaughnessey. Recently, my daughter was in the market for a dress and her experience with the retail store was so positive, she became a fan. Her particular experience was due to a one-in-a-million, perfect store clerk with a photographic memory. Yet now, technology is capable of consistently reproducing […]

The following is a guest post by David Rosen. This is the beginning of our blog series on loyalty for SMBs. We spend a tremendous amount of time with owners of small to medium sized businesses – restaurants, pharmacies, retailers – discussing how to build loyalty. One of their most basic challenges, hard as it […]

This is a guest post by Ted Rubin. Personalization is the new black. The marketing and selling story of today involves knowing and seeing your customer the moment they arrive on your physical or virtual doorstep, and being able to provide differentiated service based on their preferences, history and loyalty. Knowing who they are, listening […]

Google announced that it added trail maps for 100 more ski resorts today, bringing their total to 225 maps. If you think this is for the convenience of skiers, think again. Few resorts are complex enough to require a map once you’ve skied a few runs. Google knows that map data holds the key to […]

Soon, you won’t need to power off every electronic gadget before takeoff. In fact, if your device has an ‘airplane mode’, the FAA is seriously considering letting you leave it powered up as long as you change modes. After years of flat-out lying to passengers that devices interfere with cockpit communications, there’s light at the […]

This week a US Senator wrote to a tech firm which tracks and monitors consumers and asked them to change their practices. Euclid Analytics uses technology and data to help retailers build a consumer relationship by turning in-store behavior into insights and recommendations for improving marketing, merchandising, and operations. They do this by using the […]

Why the crazy uproar over the end of Google Reader? Anyone who read the Google defense of the decision knows that it wasn’t being used at a level Google wanted and that they want to refocus their efforts elsewhere. Oy vey, what outpouring of grief and angst, proving that Google Reader fans may not be […]

My esteemed colleague here at SuccessfulWorkplace wrote a piece about using frameworks to help build business processes for startups when they begin to scale up operations. In the post Tom states that; To make the successful transition to the next stage of growth, companies need to formalize management, communications and processes. To a certain extent […]

Recently, I’m finding that I’m working with more and more startups. This is exciting – to get an early glimpse at tomorrow’s industries and products. It’s also rewarding in that it shows that today’s startups (as opposed to their extinct Web 1.0 ancestors) are consciously leveraging the proven body of management theory in savvy new ways. I took […]

There is a significant blurring of the line between marketing and customer relationship management.  This blurring has enormous impact on the way we operate our businesses and engage with our customers. We need to stop thinking about functions and start thinking about fans. Traditional silos Traditionally, marketing has been about defining market segments and delivering […]