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How Data Flow and Statistics Are Growing in Importance Across Public and Private Sectors

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StrategyDriven Organizational Performance Measures Article
The collection of data has never been more important in both the private and public sectors. With the likes of Amazon’s AWS cloud service now offering their Snowmobile data truck that will pull up to your server room, copy your exabytes of data on request, and then drive away to place it in the cloud (saving potentially years of upload time), the size of the data collection effort often relating to customers past and present is immense.

Big Data & It’s Implications

The era of big data is certainly upon us. Collecting the data isn’t the big problem now. For companies and public services like the healthcare sector, sifting through the data and organizing it into useful records that inform at the right time to make better decisions is the real challenge ahead of us. Big data and its data management are becoming a specialist area in its own right now because of the complexities involved.

In the health field, health informatics is a fairly new area that specializes in the collection and management of computer health files. There’s an online master in health informatics degree at the University of Cincinnati where students learn the fine art of data management, protecting systems from a security breach and what to do for disaster management. Their online MSHI program prepares health staff for the patient data challenges ahead from privacy concerns to merging technology and data record access together to let both doctors and nurses have access to patient records when and where they need it.

Web Analytics

The concept of data analytics for anyone who owned a website was something that often passed them by. Some webmasters in the early days didn’t know who was visiting their website, how long they stayed or what pages they viewed. They might have known how many people visited yesterday, but beyond that, the information was far too limited to be really useful.

With the advent of Google Analytics, a free web analytics SaaS from the search giant, the ability to see how many people were visiting, what they did, which pages were the most popular, the average on-page time and host of other pertinent information were available at your fingertips.

Using Data to Get an Edge Over the Competition

Data is becoming a specialist area now. How to collect it, store it and analyze it for potential advantages. Managers can pose the question whether the company has enough stored information to properly determine whether existing customers will approve of a new product launch, a redesign or simply a new flavor or color choice. Data experts can then determine the best way to go about confirming the information that’s being requested using all the available resources available to them with in-house data, along with public information sources like message boards, Facebook groups, Twitter feeds, and more.

It’s fair to say these days that it’s all in the data. For busy or cash-strapped public and private organizations, not having to guess saves money and time while speeding up implementation of ideas to turn them into reality.

Boosting Your Customers Confidence in Your Brand

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Attracting and keeping customers, especially for small businesses is a delicate balance. You need to ensure that they are getting a quality product, but also a good service. If either of these things is not up to standard, then it can cost your business money. Your customers and clients need to feel wanted, appreciated and safe for them to do business with you. If your business is struggling to give your customers confidence, then there are some simple ways you can try to boost it.

Let Them Deal with People

One of the biggest complaints from customers and clients when dealing with customer service is that everything is too automated. If they try to contact your company and are met with an automated email reply or an automated message on your telephone, then they are more likely to walk away. Make sure that your customers can get through to a person as soon as possible without going through too many steps. Also, send them a personalized reply to emails advising that you are dealing with their request. By allowing your customers to deal with real people, you can dramatically raise the confidence and happiness of your customers.

Be Approachable

In the same way as eliminating automated lines, you also need to be approachable to your customers when they need you. You can use social media and emails to let your customers get in touch easily, though it is important to reply to them promptly. It is also important to show how your customers can contact you on your website. If you bury your customer service number at the bottom of the page, then your customers will become frustrated.

Keep Them Informed

There is nothing worse for a customer that not being told when something is wrong. If their order has been delayed or cancelled, you must inform them as soon as possible. If you do not, then they may have wasted time waiting for a delivery that hasn’t arrived. In the same vein, you need to be honest and open about any problems with customers data. If you suffer a data breach, you need to inform them as soon as possible so they can protect their personal information. You should also employ digital forensic services to look into the breach and feedback any loss of data to your customers and the authorities.

Make Payment Easy

You might be surprised that some companies don’t make ordering or paying for their goods especially easy for their customers. They are so concerned about informing them of the goods and services they provide that they don’t make the payment systems obvious. It can frustrate and put your customers off purchasing if you don’t give them a quick and easy way to pay.

Your business relies on its customers, so why not make them feel important by giving them what they need? It will not only boost your customer’s confidence but also boost your sales as a result.

How to win contracts as a start up

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Can you really compete?

The ‘solution’, is in the question, what will win the contract? Considering many new startups set up in business because they believe they have a new, better and more innovative solution – it really is the driving force behind the growth of new start ups.

If you are a new or very small business you have a lot of strengths, which larger players do not have. Often a new business is set up around the development of an innovative product or service, which isn’t currently offered in the marketplace, therefore giving you one USP right from the start.

Turnover does matter, but how much should you worry?

If you have a turnover of £100k and are trying to win a £500k contract, it can and does happen, but often the winning bidder really has to consider their strengths and weaknesses and what is required to win and get over the financial turnover minimum requirements, for example.

An opportunity such as this can make or break a business and if the business fails, then the contract is not being delivered. Therefore, we are to risk and how it can impact the chances of win rates/ winning contracts.

In some situations, and, if your brand ‘feels’ larger, your business stability, size, financials may not be assessed. This is often the case if a small or medium enterprise (SME) is buying the product or service, even if substantial sums are involved. These are often a good route to try and win new business or to grow a new business.

But with an innovative product or solution you can still sell it into large corporations and the public sector. Sometimes this is due to product and the lack of risk involved in the purchase. E.g. a consultancy service.

The expertise will be assessed which is more important than financial stability, for example, of an individual. There may also be significant risk due to a larger organisation buying from a new business or smaller business but another reason for a purchase despite this risk is due to lack of competition or simply the values involved not requiring finances to be assessed.

Innovation and price are imperative

The first piece of software which Thornton & Lowe developed, which was largely for my own in-house staff to use, we thought it was worthwhile putting a little marketing focus behind it. Our first formal sale of the product was to Scottish Southern Electric (SSE PLC), a large corporate organisation.

The product was without references, without many users other than my staff but due to the solution being aligned to their requirements, the price point in the market and I believe we put more time and effort into creating a compelling bid, I was able to start off selling the software with a very large and recognisable client.

There will always will be many ways to grow a new start business, which all need to be weighed up in terms of profit, sustainable growth, deliverability, competition and importantly the client’s requirements.

These can be tried and tested but if there is a good product there will always be a way of selling it even into the most formal of procurement requirements such as those associated with construction tenders.

How to Get Your Dentist Business Online

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Many businesses including ones like dentist practices rely on their customers for return business. They also rely on their families and through word of mouth to attract new customers. However, sometimes those ways alone won’t drive enough patients to your door for you to be a viable practice. If that’s the case, then you will want to start thinking about other ways to attract clients. You may have used traditional methods before such as newspapers and local advertising. Although these are great ways to get more interest, you can also use other methods such as creating a presence online.

First Thing is a Website

Before you think about getting your business online, you will need to set up a website. It will enable you to put all the information people will need and create a good base from where to grow your online profile. You don’t have to spend a lot of money creating a website; there are many online site creators that allow you to design and build your own site for free. It is a good place to start, and you can add as much or as little as you want. It is also easy to use, so you don’t need to worry about not being technically minded. The other thing you will need to do is to create your domain name. You will need it to reflect your business name, and what you do; you can then get your site uploaded onto the internet.

Hosting Your Site

When you have a site and a domain name, you can find a company to host your website online. There are many to choose from, so you need to look at a few and see what they offer. Most will give you an amount of space for your site, plus they will keep it up to date for you. All you will need to do is change or add details as you need to. Although there are free hosting sites out there, you will get more functionality from a paid host.

Create Your Website Content

There are a couple of avenues you can use when it comes to content for your site. Some companies prefer a site that has all their information and prices already on there, they then leave it until something changes. The other method is to have the same information, but also add other parts such as a blog post at regular intervals. Having a blog or something that keeps people returning to your site can create more potential patients. You will have to think about what you want to blog about; it can be anything in the dentist news or special offers and services you may be running. You can also ask some of your patients to write a short testimonial that you can put on the site. New customers like to have reviews and testimonials to read, and it creates more trust for your patients.

Get Social Media Working for You

One of your biggest tools is going to be social media. Almost everyone now has at least one social media account so that you will be placing your business in front of millions of potential customers. Because you are a local business, you will only be interested in those people in your area, although if your business is in a tourist area, you may also get those looking for emergency treatment. By having your business on social media, you are also encouraging people to spread the word. Get your existing customers to like your page and become followers. Then, when you post something on there, they are likely to share it with their friends and family.

Online Marketing

Just like other forms of traditional marketing, online marketing can be tailored to your location and your particular business. There are many ways you can use online marketing including placed advertising on social media, mobile phone advertising and even online streaming services and YouTube. Getting the right balance to attract new patients can take time to get right. Instead of trying this yourself, you can use an online marketing company to do all the work for you. You can learn more about how these companies work by visiting their websites.

Working with Others in the Same Market

Starting a partnership with other companies or businesses that offer complementary services can be a good way to get your business online while saving money. If you have been thinking about using online advertising, then you can share the cost by having both companies on the same ad. There may be some companies that will also want you to advertise their products alongside your company. It could be a brand of toothpaste or toothbrush, that they would like you to help them market.

Email Marketing

Email marketing has been around for some time, and it is still one of the most effective ways to get your message across to your clients. You can start by asking for your existing client’s email addresses as part of the registration form; then you can email them when it is near their time for a check-up or appointment. Along with this email, you can also add special deals or new services you are offering. As you gain more clients, you will get a bigger email list, and you can start adding more products to the email. A good way to generate new email addresses is to have a contact form on your website. It will ask them to enter their email address for you to reply to their query and then you can also send them email marketing to encourage them to come for a check-up.

By embracing the online world and seeing what it can do for your business, you are opening up your dental practice to a huge number of people. Many of them will be local to you and may not even know your practice existed. With so many people looking for services online through their smartphones and tablets, having an online presence has never been more critical.

How to Sharpen Your Digital Marketing in 2017

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Everyone is doing digital marketing as a way to promote their products, services, and brands these days. The measurable nature of digital marketing and the fact that even small businesses can achieve great results with a good campaign make digital marketing very appealing to more and more businesses.

Simply doing just an ordinary internet marketing campaign is no longer enough. To reach the right audience and the ensure maximum return on investment, your campaigns must be sharp and highly targeted. Here are some of the things you can do to sharpen your digital marketing efforts in 2017

Leave It to Experts

There are a lot of tasks to tackle when you’re doing digital marketing, from formulating a suitable campaign for the target audience to actually producing the content and executing the campaign itself. Instead of trying to do everything yourself, it is much better to leave certain parts of these efforts to experts.

There are several reasons why hiring experts to help you with your digital marketing campaign is a great idea. For starters, top services are now more affordable than ever. When you need to produce quality content for content marketing, for instance, turning to service providers such as yourcontentshop.com will actually save you a lot of time and money.

On top of that, the time you save working on details of the campaign can then be used to take care of other, more important tasks. Instead of getting caught in micro-managing the digital marketing, you can allocate more time towards ensuring the campaign’s effectiveness and monitoring its results.

Tell a Story

I can’t stress enough how important it is to tell a story when doing digital marketing. Good stories are what the audience actually follow on the internet. The story of your brand or product doesn’t have to be particularly complicated; it just needs to be compelling and relatable enough for the target audience you’re aiming for.

Instead of telling the audience about product advantages, for instance, you can get better user engagement and responses by telling stories about how the product was developed. More importantly, you can share more information about why the product was created in the first place.

The “why” matters. Your reasons for doing things will be what that set you apart from the competition. In a market as crowded as today, having a compelling “why” will make all the difference.

Maintain Consistency

Digital marketing is never a one-time thing. It is a campaign that needs to run continuously in order to capture the audience’s attention over a longer period of time. This means transitioning from one digital marketing strategy to the next smoothly and maintaining consistency at all times.

In fact, maintaining consistency is perhaps the greatest challenge in internet marketing. Not all businesses can remain consistent with their digital marketing campaigns. Do it right, however, and you will be able to enjoy a perpetual series of impacts that will catapult your brand and the products you offer to the top of the market and the audience’s mind.