Integrating CRM & BI

Gartner expects that CRM software revenues will touch $37 billion this year. Imagine the massive volume of customer information available to businesses worldwide. This gigantic explosion of customer data has the potential to put you firmly in the driver’s seat when it comes to building brand reputation, personalizing your marketing campaigns to the tastes and preferences of your customer, and reducing customer churn.

However this won’t happen on its own. You will need the insight generation prowess of BI to be plugged in to your CRM solution. Together, BI and CRM analytics can support your organization to find correlations, which would allow you to determine patterns and trends in customer data.

How CRM and BI are driving modern marketing?

• Pricing Consideration

Big data helps you to do away with outdated practices. Exploiting the loads of data available from customer interactions enables companies to price a product correctly. BI can help manage dynamic pricing to improve revenue generation, with the use of real-time inventory and supplier data and correlate it with financial forecasts and customer behavior analysis.

• Decision Making

With CRM data, BI can help unlock various trends around marketing. You get to serve your customers based on their personas, buying behavior, and industry influence. This way you can engage better with them and influence their opinions in favor of your brand.

• Effective Customer Care

With the huge volume of data available with your organization, you can personalize your marketing messages and outreach programs for maximum potential of success. With BI, you can craft multi-channel marketing techniques. This in turn, increase customer engagement, prompt upsell/cross-sell, and improves customer retention.

How CRM can use BI

• Better Data = Better BI

Once the CRM application is synced with a BI solution, you can extract gold-level insights to aid your decision making. If the input CRM data is clean and appropriately consolidated, you will be able to generate intelligent and useful data. The reverse is also true. Hence, CRM data that is maintained diligently can lead to better BI and actionable insights. This can be achieved by incorporating rigorous processes to consolidate the multiple databases in the CRM application.

• Evaluate what you need

The next step is to describe where you are, on the CRM-BI planning and deployment metric. Focus on what supports your business and what impacts your customers. You need not be overwhelmed by fancy BI and analytics technologies if they don’t suit your business objectives.

Take for example, predictive analytics. With CRM data you can add a lot of value to behavioral intelligence and come up with personalized marketing tactics to improve cross-sell and upsell of products

• Plan and grow

You CRM and BI system integration needs to be well-thought of in order to work seamlessly and deliver expected outcomes. You may have constraints of budgets or time, but no rushed implementation can yield the results you are expecting. Hence the integration needs to be a well-planned affair.

CRM applications have the power to work with BI and provide you with a 360-degree view of the customer. Only a word of caution – just because you have the resources with a shiny new CRM-BI solution, don’t go to the extreme and target customers repeatedly in a way that will put them off your brand forever.

The Digital HR

SAP ERP is proven to improve the productivity of the business, lower down the cost and helps in making the strategic business decision. Its new version upgrade released in 2016 makes it more powerful and robust than before. By integrating SAP, you can streamline and automate a major portion of the core HR processes. Right from workforce management and payroll processing to recruiting and time and attendance, SAP seeks to bump up employee engagement in your organization.

Features of SAP

SAP ERP is one of the most powerful enterprise planning software available in the market today. Though it has many competitors in the market, still it has managed to retain its most popular and sought- after position. The main reason behind its popularity is its ability to sync together different business operations in an efficient way. Once installed, it can integrate human resource, customer relationship data, finance, business sales and services, procurement and logistics easily.

How does it affect HR process?

“Human Resource isn’t a thing we do. It’s a thing that runs our business.”

Human resource department is the backbone of your organization. This department has to manage different kinds of data like payroll records, personnel files, administration, compliance records, etc. The SAP HCM (Human Capital Management) module helps you to automate the core HR services.

Some of the ways SAP HCM has a lasting impact on your HR function include –

• Consolidate the HR data

SAP helps to consolidate and streamline the core HR and payroll processes with its cloud- based technology. The insightful reports further help to develop and execute strategies that ultimately benefits the business.

Apart from that, streamlining the legal and corporate compliances at the local level helps to provide the best results for the business.

• Find and manage talent

One of the primary functions of HR is to recruit the right candidate for the job. SAP helps to find, source and manage all kinds of external talent, including independent contractors and flexible talent pools. With its cloud based technology, talent optimization has become easier than before.

• Improved productivity and ROI

Now, there is no need to worry about significant HR data as SAP solutions help to keep it at a single place. This in turn, help a business man to focus on its core activities and neglect the other areas to the concerned department.

• Have a clear picture of your workforce

With a single HR system record; a business can have a clear picture of its entire workforce. Based on that he/she can drive workforce planning (“planning how many people together can help to achieve the results?”, “what’s the revenue from a single employee?”, “is ROI on human capital greater than ROI on working capital?”)

• Amazing reporting capabilities

In a traditional HRMS, reporting is based on the manual feeding of information by HR staff. This leads to inaccuracy and errors creeping in. With SAP HCM, the entire process is automated. Also the rich interactive reports that management uses is accurate and up-to-date. Users can also create custom reports easily without the need for deep technical knowledge.

With these benefits, the SAP HCM module comes across as a real value booster for your organization’s HR functions.

Xamarin- The Developer’s Best Buddy

It is highly likely that your user base will be using multiple operating systems to download, view, and use mobile apps. Be it iOS, Android, or Windows, your company needs to create separate apps for each OS type. The immediate disadvantage for your company is apparent – late time to market and prohibitive costs make this a loss-making proposition

This is where cross-platform app development comes in as a savior. Apps from cross-platform development platforms like Xamarin are compatible with mobile, tabs, iPads, iPhones, and Blackberry. Now that’s an amazing USP to pitch to any customer organization, right?

Why Xamarin?

Xamarin is a technologically advanced cross- platform mobile app that offers the user native like experience. It also provides the developers advantages like fast coding, cost-efficiency, and a lot more. No wonder that Xamarin has emerged as a hot platform with 1.4 million developers across 120 countries. It is the favorite for 15,000 companies in diverse fields like hospitality, energy, and media.

Features that make it worthwhile for developers

• With Xamarin apps become easy to update

One of the greatest benefits of Xamarin is its ability to make the required changes and updates in a relatively easier manner. The new features (support for pre-compiled screens, preview support for Universal Windows, Android Material Design) provide the user a truly native experience to the users.

• Xamarin has a huge user base

Xamarin has a huge community base. Community expertise and availability of anytime support lower down the complexities involved in the project and make it successful. Therefore, it is a current preferred app development platform for app developers.

• Provides seamless integration

For third party interface, API is important and Xamarin is capable of binding various API and UI using its different technologies. Moreover, it has a portable class library that enables the developers to share code across the different mobile platforms in a hassle-free manner.

How does it benefit the web developers?

Xamarin makes the task of web development easy and stress- free. Here’s how:-

• It offers the benefit of C#

Managing code for cross- platform apps is not a cakewalk. The task requires domain knowledge and expertise with native mobile app development. Fortunately, Xamarin supports C# language for programming, which itself is a native language for Microsoft operating system. It helps to utilize the advantages of native UI and access to device- specific features. It also enables native performance, thus, driving up the user experience of a mobile app user.

• OS-agnostic app logic

Multiple app logic components like web service calls, input validation, and backend- frontend interaction are coded just once in C#. As much as 2/3^rd of this code can then be used across multiple mobile OS. This helps in providing advantages in terms of shorter development cycle, lesser iterations due to bugs and errors, and faster time to market.

Developers are increasingly relying on Xamarin for their cross- platform mobile app development needs. In an age where Gartner predicts almost 268 billion app downloads in 2017, cross- platform app development through Xamarin is certainly the correct path to take for developers and business owners alike.

The Industrial Internet of Things

With automation storming the gates of  the manufacturing sector,IIOT is set to stake its claim in a much more impactful manner. IIOT is dynamic in the truest essence and is moving forward in a way that none of us imagined it would. Encouraged by Cloud Computing: Analytics, AI and Machine Learning have taken a prominent role in the industries today. It is no longer a doubt that IIOT is in the right gear and is now a proven game changer and not just a theoretical concept.

“What companies are hoping for is that they can get to a higher level where they have an opportunity to rethink their products,” Frank Gillett, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research explained.

We are constantly trying to scale new peaks in technology an din the process we have realized that IIOT will soon be a pivotal technology. Our team has gone the distance and captured the essence of IIOT. Here, we bring to you in a two part blog series, the trends we foresee with inculcation of IIOT.

1. Digital Twins: Much is being discussed about this innovation. It surely is unique in its approach and needs to be explored intensively. Every time there is a new product designed, it takes a lot of time to actually test the product and further fix the issues based on the shortcomings found. However, with this innovation, the wastage of time can be minimized. The innovation allows to create a digital copy which can used for simulation and testing purposes in a virtual world and then further commit to the production accordingly. One of the biggest benefits in using this is the fact that the previous details stored in the system can be used to gauge the performance and ascertain the related shortcomings and expected resources. Also, the data gathered real-time is applied for analytic activities which helps in improvising the overall product life cycle. The digital twin makes closed-loop design a feasible option throughout the life cycle of the product.

2. Edge computing: The growth of edge computing is now enabling devices to think on their own without having to depend on any instructions from an external source. It enables them to independently gather data, sort, filter and most importantly allows them to analyse and interpret the data for further action. The devices are capable enough to perform a particular set of tasks on their own along with communicating with other devices autonomously. The availability of the Edge devices and various networks are slowly bridging the gap and making operational technology easier. The attempt now is to connect these devices to the cloud systems so that businesses can perform better and make production processes smarter. Edge machines will have the intelligence to perform tasks on their own and hence can automate most of the industry processes.

3. AR/VR: As reported by Fast Company, it is the first time that investment in AR and VR companies has topped $1 billion in any year. The piece notes that “almost $800 million of the $1.1 billion investment in AR and VR this year went to one company: Magic Leap, but $300 million has already gone to smaller companies in the AR/VR services, hardware, advertising, distribution, and entertainment markets.” AR/VR is now being used for simulator-based training development that will impart the exact material on plant operations for the fresh employees. Mixed Reality technology such as Microsoft HoloLens are bringing experiences that are as good as real and making a difference that is striking and outstanding. This trend allows organisations to create their own virtual spaces that reflect their workspaces and helps the employees understand what they have to do in real-time. This experience is considered much better for training since the employees get to experience an almost real situation of their everyday work and is easy to develop skills that they lack since they understand the real environment.

4. MQTT:  MQTT is a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) data distribution technology that reduces network bandwidth consumption and is apt for remote sensing and control. The latest version is MQTT Version 3.1.1  which encourages SCADA system to access IIOT data. Since the technology is light-weight,  it is recommended for remote locations. It is a publishled protocol where information is enabled  by Edge devices. Clients are connected to the Broker and the information is passed on accordingly. With the subscription model whoever is connected gets to share the details as and when there is anything new updated on the system.

The future seems interesting!

Stay tuned for this blog where will discuss more trends in Part 2 of the blog.

Tech innovations are revolutionizing human lives in ways more than one. With the advent and emergence of smart technologies, we don’t even need to put too much of physical efforts into doing something. Artificial Intelligence or AI happens to be one of those smart innovations. It’s vision for human beings and a new avenue for technological advancements. Innumerable people across the world are embracing this ubiquitous technology, thus shaping up their dreams in every which way!

It’s here that we come across some of the most crucial data. Stats suggest that by the end of 2020, a whopping 85% or more consumer interactions will take place without human beings. That clearly explains how innovative and disruptive technologies like AI are stepping into the business landscape!

From the healthcare sector and business arena to tech landscape and insurance industries, AI is surely making its presence felt and how! Today, we will take a look at what AI can do for the insurance industry.

Identifying existing issues

Conventional and traditional modes of process handling in the insurance industry have led to severe problems. Insurance belongs to the service sector where customer satisfaction is a prime necessity and not simply a choice. Before you leverage the power of AI, take a look at some of the critical issues plaguing the insurance sector.

• Claims handling
• Fraud detection
• Pricing problems

With AI systems, insurance professionals can deal with these critical problems. On that note, it’s high time to know how AI revolutionizes this particular sector.

1. Claims management

Managing insurance claims is a tedious job. However, AI can make your work easier than ever! With Artificial Intelligence systems, insurers will have the opportunity to deal with bulk data. Here are some of its effects:

• Automated claims handling
• Fast-track claims processing
• Reduced processing time

These benefits will help insurers deliver numerous projects within the shortest time span.

2. Detecting Frauds

While handling claims, insurance officials have to deal with fraudulent cases too. AI systems help you identify specific data patterns, thus finding out fraudulent claims. Since machine learning or ML is a highly significant part of Artificial Intelligence, insurance officials can use it to detect fraudulent issues and identify repair costs.

3. Customer experience and marketing

We all know that insurance services are integral parts of the service sector. Quite naturally, customer experience and consumer interactions are of paramount significance. AI systems and technologies will help you identify specific consumer profiles thus creating customized insurance plans for them.

Insurers can enjoy access to crucial data and information about consumers. Most importantly, they can find out whether a person is receiving appropriate insurance coverage or not.

4. Welcome chat bots

Consumers might have a lot of questions while taking a policy. Virtual assistants can take care of their queries and provide effective answers to each one of them. Some of the insurance companies offer chat bots that display human behavior.

From resolving complaints to analyzing customer behavior, chat bots can perform a multitude of functions.

Parting thoughts

Artificial Intelligence has created new avenues for growth and development in the insurance sector. If you are a seasoned player or a newcomer in this arena, it’s high time to welcome the change!

In a world where consumer-centric approaches and integrated operations is the trend, business organizations have to think out-of-the-box to survive cut-throat competition. With large work volumes and critical data sets, companies need the best resources to deal with critical projects. When it comes to software development, human resources play the pivotal role in the entire process. Outsourcing your projects to offshore developers will be a smart decision.

You need to handle huge work volumes, and none other than the top developers can help you do that. Assigning every project to in-house developers won’t be a smart move, as they have to concentrate on other operations too. If you are planning to work with an efficient offshore development team, here are some practices you should follow!

Statistics speak

Before you start planning the project with offshore developers, take a look at the crucial stats in the market. A whopping 43% of IT companies in the US outsource their projects, and 44% of them chose it for cost reduction. That says a lot about the significance of offshore software development. To be honest, offshore development services are critical to the success of a software company.

Following the best practices

While working with a team of skilled offshore development partners, you must develop crystal clear ideas of the best practices. Start with a targeted identification of critical issues and devise strategies to mitigate them. Here are some of the significant practices that every company should follow:

1.     Identifying critical operational challenges

Working with offshore developers isn’t an easy task. Since the entire development project demands proper communications, linguistic barriers will surely create problems. Without mutual understanding and linguistic intelligibility, it would be tough to explain projects to your offshore partners.

2.     Consolidating outputs

You might outsource software development projects to various developers. Quite naturally, each of them will belong to diverse locations. Consolidating the outputs from multiple sources and locations will be the best thing to do.

3.     Due Diligence

The development process involves reviews of implementations or designs. While working on a software development project, you must pay attention to technical reviews from peers. Conducting targeted assessments at every phase of the project will help you identify operational glitches thus rectifying them at the right time.

4.     Component reusability

While working on a software development project, you will find that some of the components are used quite often. Building a dynamic library of these components will help you assemble new programs within the shortest time span.

5.     Managing ‘Change Control.’

Change Control is an integral and inseparable aspect of agile development. The term refers to the introduction of changes made to a system or product in coordinated and controlled environments. By following this particular practice, you can prevent the introduction of unnecessary processes in the development stage.

6.     Check time zones

Outsourcing your work to offshore development partners will lead to working in different time zones. Although it has numerous benefits, there are disadvantages as well. Before you start working, make sure you have profound ideas of the time zones.

Get, set, go!

With these practices in mind, you can embark on a successful business journey and start working with your offshore software development team.

With multiple benefits ranging from incredible RoI to innovative feature implementation, a strategically designed software can be a substantial revenue driver for organizations. Developing software is important and critical to the success of various operations. However, the entire process demands exceptional skills, in-depth knowledge, and technical expertise. Knowing the effective tips will help you create highly functional, scalable, and feature-rich software programs. Here are the eight keys that will help you develop an exceptional software program.

Identifying the crucial factors

When it boils down to developing a dynamic software program, you should be aware of the significant aspects involved in the purchase process. Right from conceptualizing the project to executing it, you will need to implement targeted and proper strategies. The following tips will surely help you out.

1.     Know the development type

Before developing and creating a software program, you should know which particular type interests you. When it boils down to software development, developers have two options, namely, Systems and Applications development.

While applications like Smartphone apps, ERP software solutions, and high-end video games play the vital role in meeting user needs, systems help in the creation and maintenance of OS. Quite naturally, these differences make it imperative to know the development type.

2.     The programming script

Knowing a programming script is the key to developing high-end software applications. You can have millions of ideas and creative brainstorming sessions. However, that won’t be enough to create a software program. Developers will need to choose the right programming script from the following options:

• C
• C#
• C++
• Java
• PHP
• Python
• Objective-C

The right programming language will help you create a highly functional, scalable, and feature-rich software application.

3.     Gain access to valuable resources

Software development involves numerous processes and aspects. If you wish to know these factors and aspects, it will be imperative to gain access to crucial resources. Some of the popular online resources will share informative tutorials and guides with you, thus helping in the software development process.

4.     Working on pet projects

Before implementing your freshly acquired programming expertise, try to work on a few pet projects. That will help you develop ideas of the nuances involved in the software development project.

5.     Connect with professional developers

You can also connect with a group of professional developers having profound knowledge of software development. They will help you gain targeted insights into the entire process.

6.     Creating prototypes

It is highly imperative to create a prototype while working on a software development project. The prototype keeps on changing, and you can make iterations throughout the SDLC.

7.     Writing design documents

Designing is an integral part of the software development process. While embarking on the project, make sure you create full-fledged and comprehensive design documents. That will keep you informed about the entire process and help you stay in line with the developments.

8.     Rigorous Testing 

After the completion of the development process, you must start testing the final product. It is during this particular phase that you will come across severe operational glitches and get opportunities to correct them.

Start working

These essentials will help you develop and design a highly functional, high-performance, and scalable software program.