Xinnovation

If there’s one thing that mankind always appreciates, it’s convenience. Throughout our history some of the greatest and most revolutionary technological breakthroughs are related towards making everyday life easier. The invention of trains, planes and automobiles are all a result of looking for easier ways of travel, the telephone an attempt at improving communications. Henry Ford may not have invented the first car, but his assembly line innovation was a way to make car production far easier, each worker performing a single simple task rather than handbuilding a car themselves.

The internet is the latest and possibly greatest of these inventions of convenience, allowing instantaneous access to information, communication, and entertainment. Because of this people are beginning relationships, watching movies and television, reading and creating in whole new ways, and those who don’t actively try to keep pace are inevitably left behind.

Now that we have gotten used to this kind of access in our daily lives, the question is how do we move forward in creating convenience for customers and clients. The first step is to realize that at the heart of customer relations is communication. The capabilities of the internet and linked devices such as smartphones or tablets have changed the way we think of communication, but we need to take it a step further. More than just being available we need to be informative.

Customers have the capability of finding any information they want instantly, and as such businesses need to have a way to give them that information. Long past are the days where an amateur investor would just trust a company with their money and hope for the best. These days, specifics need to be furnished as people have the time and ability to do their own independent research.

What this means is finding ways to use current technology to provide easy access to varied and disparate information instantaneously, such as through apps or document automation software. It also means that the focus on customer communication should be higher than ever before, as not only do you need to be able to tell them what’s happening with their account, but also the plans for the future and why.

Ultimately, it again comes down to convenience. As it becomes more convenient for customers to answer their own questions it must also become more convenient for them to trust your answers and remain using your services.

Continue Reading

One of the biggest fears about cloud computing, specifically about its use in the business world, is concerns about the security of such a network. People feared that if all of the information was hosted in a single place, and that information was accessible wirelessly, then it would be easier for someone to get a hold of. As cloud computing becomes more and more widespread, however, we’re finding that the security concerns that accompanied the introduction of this new kind of network are becoming less worthwhile.

A study by Microsoft was released yesterday that announced that 35 percent of businesses that have changed their services to cloud have reported a significant and noticeable increase in security. Similarly, 32 percent claimed to spend less time worrying about security issues, and another 32 percent claim to spend less time per week managing security concerns.

Overall, the improvement in security that Cloud Computing brings stems from both the convenience that kind of system provides in terms of managing security systems (such as adding or removing users) as well as the fact that an update to cloud computing is an update from severely obsolete systems. In the pursuit of spending less money, many companies place updating computer systems at the bottom of the list, so when updating to a cloud system, they update to more current and powerful security measures.

If money is still a concern to those businesses, the result of cloud computing is in many cases a savings. While old systems and anti-virus software once needed individual servers for each instance, cloud computing allows that all to be hosted in a single location, reducing the money spent maintaining various servers. Similarly this can affect the needed number of IT professionals, allowing those employees to be moved to needy departments and thus saving the need to hire as many new employees.

Ultimately, the security and tertiary benefits of cloud computing far outweigh any potential downsides, and Microsoft’s study has helped to make that clear.

Continue Reading

We are excited to announce that we are Associate Sponsors of the TSAM North America Conference, located in New York City, on May 16.  We are lucky to have our two founders in attendance, Paul Stansbury (President and CEO) and Eric Peterson (Co-Founder and CIO).  If you’ll be at TSAM North America, please stop by to say hello!  We would love to tell you more about how our solutions can help your business be more productive and efficient.

If you are in the New York City area, and would like to spend some time talking to us on either May 16 or 17, give us a call at 781-222-3300, and we’ll schedule a quick chat with you!

See you in the Big Apple!

Continue Reading

Since their introduction to the phone buying public, smartphones have grabbed hold of the market in a very real way. People see their smartphones as a combination of the promised future of science fiction and the ease and convenience cell phones have always had. Jumping on the wagon, analyst house Nielson, most famous for their television rating analysis, have concluded a study that shows smartphone users make up more than half of the U.S. consumer mobile phone market.

Nielson’s study, which found that smartphone users make up 50.4 percent of the mobile communication landscape, is just another indication that American consumers of all kinds are increasingly becoming used to the constant interactive communication that is provided by these handheld computers.

You can see this growth in other ways too. Websites are adding more and more mobile versions of their options, to appeal to an increasingly mobile usage of the internet. App development is one of the biggest and fastest growing industries, leading to landmark deals such as the purchase of Instagram for $1 billion U.S. Dollars. QR codes are printed on nearly everything from billboards to receipts to add mobile tie-ins to advertisements and products.

As the market for smartphones grow, conversely the market for regular phones shrinks. Besides causing simple flip phones to be obsolete, this also means that solutions and improvements in the world of mobile interactive communication technologies will likely be focused solely on the smartphone, which will eventually lead to a nearly total market takeover.

What this means for everyone besides the everyday consumer, and specifically for various businesses, is that their method of thinking about communication and advertising need to change. Some of the most seen advertisements of the day are no longer commercials on television, but the ad that pops up in the corner of a free app. The world of interactive communications is changing, and those people who recognize the shift are the ones who will be poised to dominate a smartphone filled world.

Continue Reading

The introduction of the tablet computer to popular usage has changed the way many industries go about their business in ways that the developers likely never even thought of. Tablet computing has streamlined and improved the way people from finance to shipping do their work, and perhaps no industry has been more improved than the medical one. Tablet computing in the medical world has helped improved with diagnostics, prescriptions and medical history, as well as greatly cutting down on the use of paper and reducing the misplacing and mix ups of medical charts and information related to patients.

The reason that tablet computing was adopted so quickly within medical professions is an easy one to understand, as doctors and other medical professionals are likely some of the most mobile workers in the professional world. In a hospital, one doctor might circle the building dozens of times a day, seeing a different patient each pass. They depend on the information given to them about medical history and symptoms to diagnose and treat said patients. The ability to gain access to this information at any moment is appealing to medical professionals and as such the mobility of the tablet is a useful tool.

While the usage of tablets isn’t as widespread as it could be, and some of that is likely the lack of support for medical software and possible limitations in hardware, in many cases it greatly improves the working conditions and speed within a medical building. Rather than filling out paper forms to complete medical history, nurses and patients could fill a form on a networked tablet to reduce the time it takes to re-enter that data in the computer system by hand. Similarly, it would allow a physician to instantly access a digital chart belonging to the right patient reducing the need for difficult to track and read charts that need to be constantly changed or updated both by hand and within the system.

The ability of tablet PCs to connect to both the internet and medical databases would allow medical personnel to look up drug interactions, possible allergies and then send a prescription directly to the pharmacy, which could both reduce incorrect prescribing and speed up the filling of said prescriptions.

Ultimately, while the technology has yet to be perfected and the full integration of that technology might be years away, tablet computing is still on track to revolutionize the medical industry, and with the right kinds of medical and document automation softwares available, it will happen sooner rather than later.

Continue Reading

It wasn’t that long ago that the worlds of business and finance ran on the say so of the companies that provided the service. In that time information was more difficult to come by, so customers often simply trusted the companies they put their money into to be upfront and informative. Since the advent of the internet, however, it’s far easier for the customer to gather knowledge on the inner workings of, for example, an investment firm. The ability of the customer to have greater insight into the service they’re paying for has in most cases, worked to create a stronger sense of accountability among those companies who once may have just kept their knowledge to themselves and reported only the bottom line.

Customers have been demanding greater communication and for a company to remain relevant in the modern age then adding processes to increase the effectiveness of that communication. The addition of that accountability that the internet has helped provide means that customers are able to make more informed decisions, and as such a company that doesn’t honor the customers input into the process will likely soon find themselves with fewer clients.

Continuous Contact

The telephone has clearly been a great method of communication, but the addition of the smartphone to daily life means that customer communications have a whole new avenue to follow. Either create an app or utilize an existing app to allow clients the ability to constantly stay in contact with their information. To go back to the investment firm example above, An app that allows the investor to see what is happening with their money at any moment will help improve their confidence in you, allowing them to feel more in control and informed.

Immediate Access

Besides just the ability to check in at any time on their information, the immediacy of the internet has made some people a bit less patient in the wait for information. To that end, customers also don’t want to have to deal with a two day wait while you process their requests. Invest in some document automation software that will allow you to compile information in a fraction of the time and use that to give customers the most relevant and up to date information possible.

Utilize New Technology

Like the example with the smartphone above, taking advantage of the capabilities of newer technologies is key to speeding up and improving customer communications. Internet based video chatting can help put a customer at ease more than a simple phone call would. being able to be contacted through e-mail will allow customers to ask questions the minute it enters their head, even if that is at 3 A.M. on a Sunday. Utilize live video streaming to allow them to sit in on a meeting about their account, to reassure them that you are working toward their interests.

Ultimately it’s important to allow the customer to feel as if communication is expected and welcome, rather than an aspect of the relationship that your company despises. Allowing the customer that sense of satisfaction and control will benefit you both.

Continue Reading

Communication is the basis on which the world as a whole operates. From the beginning of society, the ability to communicate with others was essential to growth both technologically and culturally. There’s a tendency to view the people of the past as less intelligent or backwards, but in truth the only real advantage we in the present retain over them is our access to more widespread communication technology.

The introduction of the telephone to society revolutionized the way people interacted with not only friends and relatives, but also greatly increased the convenience of longer distance communications. While at first telephones were restricted to more heavily populated areas, eventually their use became so prevalent that the Communications act of 1934 was ratified to force phone companies to lay phone lines to less populated areas because access to telephones had become a basic human right.

Interactive communication has since become one of the most focused on and quickly improved areas of technology. Despite thousands of years of history without telecommunications, it took a little over a hundred years from Alexander Graham Bell’s patent to the emergence of the mobile phone in the early 1970’s. From there it’s been an even shorter time to get from large, shoebox sized mobile phones to the pocket computers that are the norm today.

This kind of technology not only continues to be innovated, but the speed in which changes are made is constantly increasing. As we move forward, we can only add to the sum of our knowledge. The advent of the internet has changed the face of communication even more fundamentally. With everything from e-mailing to video chatting, it’s not possible to connect with anyone in the world, from anywhere, almost instantly.

The effect on business that this kind of interactive communication has had is even more astounding, allowing large companies to grow into multi-national powerhouses, while simultaneously allowing small businesses and start-ups to thrive even more. mobile business is now possible, allowing employees and company heads alike to rethink their workplace efficiency strategies. While once upon a time you may have had to wait in an office all day hoping for a single call from a possible client, now that call would have almost no effect on the rest of your day.

The point is that embracing the possibilities of the ever changing technological landscape is an important tactic to remaining relevant in an increasingly digital world. With the right program to automate your systems, you could revolutionize the way your company does business and interacts with customers. Embracing the constantly changing world of interactive communication technology is the best way to become an important member of business you want.

Continue Reading

Tablet computing is becoming more common, and finance is at the front.

The tablet computer is a relatively new tool in the world of business, whose potential is likely not fully explored even now. Still, its introduction has changed the landscape to a degree in various aspects of the business world. Today we take a look at what’s unique about tablets in finance, and how they can be best utilized.

Mobility is tablet computing’s biggest draw, and one of the best arguments in favor of its adoption. While in the past notes at business meetings took place on legal pads, and often got lost in the shuffle, tablets allow attendees to both be involved in the presentation as well as make their own changes that are easily shared and saved. They allow whole presentations and pitches to be made through an adaptable system, rather than a set of pre-created materials. This also allows for more detailed information to be included, cutting down on the costs of additional physical materials.

The biggest positive for many financial institutions is the improved organization and streamlining of their document usage. Instead of having a variety of physical paperwork around for various reasons, cluttering up inboxes and reducing productivity, various apps and programs dedicated to things like web based document management that are available for tablet computing can improve workflow. Some programs, for example, could not only allow multiple people to view the same document without having to create twelve different copies, but the addition of programs like Microsoft Excel would allow information to be updated in real time. Rather than submitting a report about a new client and waiting for the higher ups to update everyone in the company about the change in revenue, a simple update on a shared document would not only do the math for you more quickly, but also give everyone in the company immediate knowledge of the update.

Additionally, tablets can improve relations with customers and client communications. Creating an app that allows for more direct communication can go a long way in swaying potential clients. Utilizing those same kinds of apps, shared and instantly updated financial information could be available to clients on a constant basis, making them more informed about the state of their finances without asking them to become financial professionals themselves.

Overall, new technology always takes a little time to be fully explored. The desktop computer is still king in most business settings, and the laptop isn’t enough of a departure to cause innovation, but the introduction of tablet computing into finance could be a great movement towards a more informed and financially responsible world.

Continue Reading

It could be argued that smartphones have been around since as early as 1992, but they really became a widespread entity close to their current usage with the introduction of the Blackberry. With the Blackberry, suddenly everything changed, as people were able to be in constant interaction with a virtual world. The businesses world as a whole adopted smartphone technology fairly quickly, giving employees company phones and in return asking for increased availability.

Still as the smartphone has grown in popularity both in the personal and professional worlds, potential downsides have been proclaimed. So what is the smartphone really, a help or hindrance to the business world?

The biggest fear about smartphone usage in and for the workplace, at least for the rank and file employees, is the blurring of the lines between work and personal life. While the majority of employees have no problem responding to an email or a brief phone call during non work hours, many feel that accepting a company phone also means accepting the responsibility of being available 24/7. The mobile business capability that smartphones bring, to some, means constant availability.

The real issue in this situation, however, is that of the management style, not smartphone usage. Smartphones are a great workflow solution that improve efficiency at the workplace, but many employees refuse them in order to avoid work taking over their personal time as well. The simple solution to this is to set limits in place, whether on the end of the employee or the management. If you’re an employee, make it clear that personal time is your own, and that while you accept that you may have to respond to emails a bit more frequently, your acceptance of this tool is not an agreement to constant availability. Employers, for their part, should recognize that a burned out employee is useless, and ones that refuse company smartphones are limiting their efficiency. Set the limitations yourself through company policy, only allowing the company to use the phones for contact in case of true emergencies or for a few emails over the weekend.

The other big fear about company smartphones is a fear held by the management, that usage will destroy real communication, replacing personal discussions with email and text messages. Most people have experienced speaking with someone else while they only half pay attention because of what’s happening on the screen of their phone. The fear is that constant connection capabilities will allow employees to check out at any time and destroy their own productivity.

While that may be a problem for some employees, on the whole the easy access to communication and information is what allows for improved workflow solutions and worthwhile mobile business. Disregarding the few who take any distraction too far, studies have shown that short breaks, like the ones smartphones allow, improve performance by keeping the mind fresh. The social networking or entertainment apps smartphones utilize are great ways to quickly take that break because neither is so involved that work will be ignored for it.

More importantly, the capability of smartphones are such that the benefits often outweigh the possible downsides. This technology can allow instant access to figures and strategies for meetings and pitches that would otherwise be never explained. With the right app, all of that information could be moments away and vastly improve your ability to work efficiently.

Often businesses must adapt to stay relevant, disregarding fear of new technology to allow itself to move with the times, and smartphone technology to supplement and encourage mobile business is one of those instances.

Continue Reading

Google has always been most famous for its search engine, a website so widespread that, like Kleenex before it, the name of a single company has come to define that product as a whole. Still aside from turning an obscure mathematical term into a verb that means run an internet search, Google has always been on the forefront of development of interactive communication. It’s gmail is perhaps one of the easiest and most common email servers in use, and Google Maps has helped redefine mapmaking and searching for directions in a mobile age. Even the Android operating system that runs almost half of all smartphones today is created by Google.

In another attempt to drive the market of mobile connection, Google has recently unveiled “Project Glass.” Project Glass is augmented reality to the highest degree. The device, which is a sort of cross between a video game style heads-up display and a modern smartphone, works by displaying information semi-transparently in front of your eyes. If successful, Project Glass would have the capability of replacing nearly every mobile device we use, allowing us to call, video chat, text, search the internet, look up directions, take photos, listen to music and more.

This product continues a trend started with the first modern smartphone and was popularized with the introduction of the blackberry to the business world. That trend, of growing online presence and constant interactive communication, was taken even a step further with the mass consumption of the smartphone, allowing everyone to be constantly connected with each other, email, and personal or social networking websites. While the current market seems to be pointing in the direction of faster technology and increased dependance, Google’s Project Glass is, at least according to some, an attempt to reduce the need for all of that hardware.

The augmented reality glasses may be an attempt to get technology out of your way rather than constantly glancing at a phone or tablet, allowing information to briefly flash into sight and not interrupt your view. While at the moment many people may see its usage as only personal or perhaps even novelty use, new technologies such as the iPad often give that impression. As the development of this technology continues, there are likely to be businesses that adapt and utilize this to their advantage.

While the technical capabilities of this product are still somewhat unknown, the possibilities are more intriguing. The major changes in the business world for the last few years all have to do with cutting edge technology. Those companies that have embraced new forms of communication and workflow are becoming more successful, allowing very young companies like Instagram sell for large amounts.

While rushing into Project Glass without being aware of its capabilities would be a mistake, so would completely ignoring this possibly revolutionary product from what is one of the most successful companies in the world. Interactive communication and online connectivity have changed the world in ways that we may not even comprehend yet, ways that will only be seen in hindsight. But if this product will again revolutionize the way we interact with both the virtual world and the physical one, and especially if it succeeds in further merging the two, Project Glass is worth paying attention to.

Continue Reading