5 things that you can do on your smartphone, that you could only do on your computer 5 years ago

I sat down the other day and thought about the 5 things that I can do on my smartphone that I could only with my computer 5 years ago.  I imagine that some people might have been able to do some of these things 5 or more years ago, but my bet is probably not.

1) Watch Streaming Media.   Netflix, Check. Hulu Plus, Check. Amazon Streaming, Check.  Between 2009 and 2011 all of these services became available on your smartphone.   No more lugging your laptop out when you want to watch something in your downtime.

2) Access CRM SaaS Packages.   No more cut down applications, no more limited integration, no issues with synchronization.   You can gain full access to you CRM package with very, very limited, to no constraints. For me this has made a major difference in my ability to interact effectively with my customer base.

3) Navigation and Mapping.  These applications have really come into their own in the last 5 years.   Google Maps for Mobile came out in November 2008 and was the first really functional smartphone map application.   Since then the competitive environment has lead to innovation and better and better fidelity on the maps. 

4) Translation.   Starting in 2008 these tools started to appear in browsers based on smartphones.  Soon after applications and software started to grow and become more complex eventually allowing text, picture, and voice based translation between dozens of languages.

5) Mobile VoIP.  Since the first integrated VoIP applications with Nokia in 2008, VoIP has exploded.   From Skype to Ring Central, and now the dozens of low cost providers VoIP is now a integrated part of most smart phones providing a easy to use, cheap and reliable voice communication.

Late April Fools post

I know that it is April 3, but I love this post that Google did for Gmail. 

Two more great technology resources for Nonprofits

As a follow up to the last blog post, I have two further great resources for Nonprofit organizations, 

Community Computer Connection

From their website, 

Community Computer Connection exists to provide quality computer equipment to nonprofits and educational institutions for a reasonable cost so that they have the necessary tools to accomplish their own missions. We collect working computer equipment that might otherwise be discarded or recycled and return them to the community. It is our desire to provide needed equipment to any qualified organization that request it. Our mission is to connect schools and non-profit organizations with computer equipment donated by companies and people in the community.

TechSoup

From their website,

TechSoup is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a clear focus: connecting your nonprofit, charity, or public library with technology products, plus the learning resources you need to make informed decisions about technology and operate at your full potential. Our free resources, including articles, blogs, webinars, and forums led by expert hosts, are available to all users. Once registered and qualified with TechSoup, nonprofits and libraries can access donated and discounted products and services, including high-quality refurbished hardware, and software from partners.

I apply a lot of the resources available from both of these providers, they compliment my services, such as,

- Nonprofit Customer Relationship Management software assessment, development, and implementation

- Nonprofit Enterprise Resource Planning software assessment, development, and implementation

- Nonprofit Network installation, updating and integration

- Nonprofit Information Technology and Information Systems assessment, planning and project implementation

- Nonprofit Website development, training, integration, and planning

Check them out and if you have any questions, feel free to contact me

How we help nonprofits

One of the most important things that we value is the benefit that nonprofit organizations provide to our community.  With this in mind we provide a diversity of tools to help nonprofits succeed in their missions,

-          A discount on our hourly service and contract service rates.

-          Provide access to low and no cost software and services available only to nonprofits

-          Design, develop, implement and train individuals and organizations on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) / Operations Management Systems (OMS/ERP).

-          IT support from simple desktop support to local and external network support.

Some examples of nonprofit support that we have provided are,

-          Setting up a nonprofit association and membership website for a 250 member organization.   This system allows a full featured website with private member area, social media integration, and automated membership processing.  This includes payment processing; QuickBooks file output, and training materials with video tutorials. Volunteers now spend only 2 hours a month administering the system, rather than the previous 12 hours.

-          Development of a Salesforce.com system to track organizational Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s), client record tracking with a full history of all client interactions incorporating audit features, and the ability to expand the database capabilities as the organization grows. The system resulted in a reduction of 32 hours of processing on a quarterly basis and allows the organization to meet their grant reporting requirements in a matter of minutes through automated reporting.

-          An IT audit that resulted in the rationalization of a current organizations infrastructure.  This included implementation of a virtual PBX phone system, remote access system, and automated backup.   Software was updated using nonprofit discounted licenses.  This saved the nonprofit in excess of $750 a month.

If you want to find out more about how we help nonprofits in metro Denver, contact up today at 303-997-2719.

CRM today Part 3 of 3 The unrealized benefits of CRM software

As discussed in the previous blog posting there can be significant challenges in utilizing CRM software.  To assess the true value of CRM software you need to examine the benefits as well. 

When looking at CRM software, are you getting the full view of the benefits?  Some of the traditional benefits assigned to CRM software are,

-          Shared Information

-          Improved Customer Service

-          Better marketing

-          Better communications

-          Easier administration

When you look deeper into the benefits of CRM software, it becomes apparent that the benefits vary based on level of implementation, integration and utilization.  More often than not, some of the benefits of CRM systems remain unrealized, for example,

-          Reduction in infrastructure requirements.  Digitize your customer files and documentation, less file cabinets and office space.  If you have integrated communications, file sharing, and information sharing with your CRM system, do you even need a office?

-          Social Media integration.  With systems like Batchbook, Chatter and other CRM social media integration tools, your customer profiling can take on a whole new dimension.   With updates and workflows triggered through social media updates, your ability to tailor your sales and operations process takes on a whole new dimension.

-          Adaptive sales processes.   With data from the CRM software you can establish your most attractive vertical markets.   After these are identified you can quickly tailor a sales process to exploit the market and combine it with semi customized marketing campaigns, and then tailor your CRM system to report the outcome. You might ask “What is the big deal, I do this every year.” With a well implemented CRM system you can shift your marketing efforts and structure in a period of days, not months or years.