According to InformationWeek Analytics mobile apps are becoming an effective tool for information management productivity for companies that are competing in an always on global business market. 700 business technology professional participated in the survey conducted by the firm in conjuction with Rysavy Research.

Here are highlights from the report:

27% of survey respondents report widespread adoption of mobile applications throughout their enterprises, up from 21% in 2009—that’s an annualized increase of 38%.

52% of poll respondents say their companies are currently deploying, or planning to deploy, mobile apps on smartphones, up from

42% in 2009—a 30% annualized increase.
When it comes to mobile platforms, BlackBerry leads the pack with 57%, iPhone has 35%, Google Android 27% and Windows Mobile 22%; Palm Pre and Symbian trail with 6% each.

50% of respondents claim they’re willing to develop their own enterprise mobile applications.

Of respondents who say their companies aren’t deploying mobile apps, 42% cite a lack of business benefit as the biggest reason.
“We probably shouldn’t be surprised by the fast growth of app mobilization—the iPhone and the Android barely factored into the enterprise equation not too long ago, but look at them now,” says Lorna Garey, content director of InformationWeek Analytics.  “Just don’t be fooled into thinking it’s easy to manage the adoption process, given the multitude of platforms, ongoing security and related considerations.  As Peter points out in the impact assessment packaged with his report, the benefits certainly outweigh the risks, but there are inherent challenges.”

“Tablets are already making inroads too,” Garey adds, “so the mobile app landscape will continue to change.”

A new survey by Kelton research found that 1 in 2 IT managers plan on implementing and managing mobile applications using hosted and on location mobility solutions backed by a solid mobile enterprise application platform. Businesses in the IT services sector should consider mobile as a key part of revenue growth for 2011.

Here are some key findings from the survey:

A majority (82%) of IT managers share the belief that it would be beneficial – not detrimental – to host more of their mobile applications in the cloud.

9 in 10 (90 percent) IT managers reported they will implement new mobile applications this year, with almost a quarter (21%) looking to introduce 20 or more applications into their organization. In addition, they anticipate supporting about 8 different mobile platforms or operating systems by the end of 2011.

Despite the enthusiasm and flexibility shared by IT departments, many are currently not being strategic about mobility. Almost half of respondents (46%) who do not have a mobile strategy in place did not expect to hire staff to specifically deal with their enterprise mobility strategy while nearly the same number of respondents (45%) admitted they did not have a plan or timeline in place.

45% percent of respondents predict that implementing or managing the onslaught of mobile enterprise applications tops the priority list in the coming year, even over more common issues such as adhering to IT budgets. Also, 56% of IT managers consider customizing company information for mobile purposes a crucial part of conducting business and not just a “nice to have.” In addition, more than eight in ten (84 percent) of those who feel this way work for companies that are flexible about the use of new mobile applications or devices.

Similarly, IT managers report that possible data security issues with mobile applications cause more problems (65%) than implementation (25%) or employee adoption hurdles (10%).

1 in 2 respondents (50%) say that employee demand is driving the adoption of new mobile applications.

In fact, almost 3 in 4 (73%) say that decision makers are flexible and not rigid about incorporating new mobile applications and mobile devices into their organization, showing that many mid-to-large sized companies are committed to mobilizing the enterprise.
“The proliferation of new devices, coupled with the vast expansion of mobile applications used by consumers has paved the road for mobility solutions to enter the enterprise at the worker, workgroup, and workflow levels. Given all this, we expect 2011 to be the year of the transformation of the enterprise,” said Dan Ortega, senior director product marketing, Sybase. “As evidenced by this survey, IT managers will be faced with greater complexities and requirements across the entire enterprise mobility framework, which is where a leading mobile solutions provider like Sybase can take an entire industry to the next level.”

About the Study

The referenced study was commissioned by Sybase and conducted by Kelton Research.  The study consisted of online surveys of 250 IT Managers in the U.S. and UK at companies with revenues of $100 million or more.

Source: Sybase/Kelton Research

A recent survey by IBM of 30,000 consumers shows that while consumers are optimistic about the future they are going to use technology to determine the best place to shop based on searches and waiting longer for sales. Here’s what the survey found:

70% are positive about their income situation.
However, the shopping attitude is that frugality reigns.  Their top three shopping attitudes are to only buy what they need, search for items on sale and wait longer to purchase.
49% of respondents were “instrumented consumers” – those who use two or more technologies, e.g. a website, mobile device or in-store kiosk to shop — a 36 percent increase since IBM’s last retail study a year ago.

In addition, consumers expect to be serviced and heard more often by retailers. They need to listen, know and empower consumers. The study found the following attitudes regarding technology and social media and it’s relationship to retail:

Listen: From Facebook to Twitter, to blogs, YouTube and reviews, shoppers are leveraging social media more than ever before to discuss retailers, products and brands with friends, family members and strangers. Retailers that listen to and participate in these conversations can obtain added insight into what customers want.
 
Know: While listening is important, a personalized shopping experience is still dominant in the mind of the consumer. By offering promotions on items they regularly buy and remembering things such as preferred payment methods and receipt types, retailers can increase spend and loyalty among shoppers.

Empower: Finally, retailers must empower consumers by making it as easy as possible to shop seamlessly across channels and letting them choose how to interact. Forty percent of the people we surveyed want to check product prices wherever they are and get promotions based on the items they scan, while 50 percent are willing to use a personal mobile device to avoid the checkout lane.

“As we’re finally starting to come out of a very painful recession, we’re seeing consumers who are finally optimistic about the future. This new attitude, however, doesn’t mean they’re rushing to stores and spending like the pre-recession heyday,” said Jill Puleri, IBM Global Industry Retail Executive, IBM Global Business Services. “Retailers need to personalize the shopping experience for consumers, using to technology to better understand and serve their consumer, if they want to win in this new environment.”

Thinking of starting a new career or are looking for a job change? Then an updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) that adheres to the latest trends is essential. The CV in simple words can be defined as a summary of academic, work history, interest, and other achievements of the applicant. It is usually the first contact between the job applicant and a prospective employer. Therefore, a lot of importance is stressed on the content of the CV as well as the correct format, as well as the targeting and presentation so that it attracts the attention of the employer immediately.

Obtaining the professional services of a CV writer or using expertly written CV templates hold the key to delivering impact as they will have the knowledge and experience required to create an impressive CV. Mike Kelley at First Impressions (www.cv-service.org) has unrivalled experience (since 1989) and offers expert CV writing services online and offline. Mike has been providing professional CV writing services of highest standards and offers individually tailored CV writing services that are focused on the job hunters’ skills and achievements targeted to any given job or job area..In addition, the website also offers CV templates, by job category/profession that can be used by all in order to get an idea about what a perfect CV should look like.

Read full news story here: http://www.cv-blog.org/highest-standards-of-cv-services-available-from-www-cv-service-org/

Nexteppe a social media firm recently shared some sound advise for implementation of social media programs for auto dealerships. The points below while specifically intended for automotive dealerships and garnering a new audience can be applied in a general sense to any organization seeking to gain an edge using a social media platform. Facebook now has more than 500 million users and growing, companies can no longer ignore this social media giant and must implement a program correctly on this leading platform for a majority of global online users.

Here are the tips as outlined by Director of Nexteppe, Tim Bonventre:

Social media is not just a place to post advertisements, inventory and current specials but must include creative and useful content relevant to the people in the dealership’s social community.

For this reason Mr. Bonventre advises dealers to take the following immediate steps to implement an effective automotive social media marketing campaign and prevent negative repercussions from current social network activity:

Step 1: Institute a Social Networking Policy for Employees

Policies should address whether or not dealers want their employees to list themselves as working for the dealership on social networking sites and which sites are permitted, if any at all.

Keep in mind activity by dealership employees who publicly list their employer in their profile can be attributed to the dealership itself.

Permitted use should be included in this policy; this determine how and when employees are permitted to interact with social media sites, and also address what information may be publicly discussed or should never appear such as confidential customer information.

The policy should also require staff members to always obtain written consent before publishing pictures including those of customers.
Step 2: Establishing Who Will Control Social Media for the Dealership

Social media sites must be monitored seven days a week as reputation-damaging comments and sales requests should never go unnoticed.  

Select the right person(s) for the social media job. It’s a tremendous task to actively contribute to social networking sites on behalf of the dealership and to monitor all the downstream activity resulting from posts to those websites.

The designated person or persons should be trusted and have the authority and confidence of the dealer principal to publicly speak on behalf of the dealer.

Assign multiple people within the dealership to this task. No one person can effectively do this alone.

It’s essential the dealership decide who will be in charge and who will take over should the initially appointed person leave the company. Consider the character of the employee selected for this position as this is often more important than technological know-how.

I’m over all of it, there’s nothing new 
I have a tablet, netbook, smartphone
I don’t need to facebook, tweet, checkin, earn points, browse the web 24 x 7
I don’t need a 3d tv, 3d camera
A Superphone
I don’t need wifi connected washer/dryer/microwave/fridge/SD Card
 it’s just massive insanity

How about you?

It is a well said maxim that you never get another chance to make a really good first impression. There is no denying the fact that the way one impresses the other must be unique and irresistible. When searching for a job a very impressive and catchy CV is required, one that it is written to get that perfect job. The CV must be attractive, so that it immediately catches the attention of the employer. It is the bridge between the applicant and the employer so it must be strong and it is made strongest with the help of a CV template. The problems lies with most of the applicants is that they are not aware of the vitality of an effective CV, the right approach to write it effectively and seriously presenting all the good in oneself in just one go.

When someone is out in the job market it is not the features only (skills) that are considered it is the benefit (achievements) that are of importance. The person who applies for a certain job may prove an asset to the company but it has no value until and unless he presents it in an impressive way and that is the exact job of a CV template. The CV should highlight achievements as well as the skills that make the job candidate fit a certain job.

The best layout should also be given an equal importance. A good layout presents all the facts about the personality, educational as well as other qualifications and information the company seeks in a very coherent professional manner and with a great skill that it attracts immediate attention of the employer. CV templates are actually the means of communication between the employer and the applicant as it contains all the important information of the projects handled by the applicant his experience in various fields related to his job and otherwise and other skills that make him more competent.

While drafting a CV one must be prepared to answer “who will be benefit my work and how?” As the CV is going to leave the first and an everlasting impact on the mind of the employer the utmost care must be taken in this regard. It is advisable that the job applicant goes for a professional help in this matter to ensure the best first impressive and make him or her a worthy job candidate.

Source: http://www.cv-blog.org/cv-templates-to-make-a-really-good-first-impression/

 Skills with a high demand in the IT job sector:

Project Management: especially large projects with short time frame for delivery
Security: focus on mandated compliance issues
Network Administration: wireless and cloud administration
Virtualization (Cloud): new applications and management of the IT infrastructure
Business and Operational Analysis: focus on business change
Productivity Improvement Analysis: metrics and operational analysis
Web 2: interactive applications that add value
Database Management: applications that leverage enterprise assets
System Administration: Windows and UNIX management
Desktop Support: standardization and change management

The 2011 Salary Survey released by Janco Associates and eJobDescription.com shows hiring is picking up for the IT job market, salaries have stopped a downward trend and select positions have shown an increase in compensation. The CEO of Janco, Victor Janulaitis stated, “Our conclusion from analysis of the data and interviews of CIOs is that for IT job seekers the recession has bottomed out and that hiring will increase in 2011.” Mr. Janulaitis also said, “There still are a number of companies who are more cautious and concerned that the recovery will not be strong enough to support increased IT spending.” He added, “Cost reduction is still the rule of the day; however Janco has seen an increase in the number of part-timers and contractors who are focused on particular critical projects. This is a leading indicator that IT hiring and salaries will go up in 2011.”

Twelve month comparisons show that mean compensation (which includes bonuses) for all IT executive positions in large enterprises surveyed is $140,960 (an increase from $140,267 in 2010) and $123,378 (a slight increase from $123,301 in 2010) in mid-sized enterprises. Overall compensation for all IT Professionals has increased from $77,604 to $77,873; however the study also shows that there was a 5% decrease in the number of employees receiving personal performance bonuses while there was 5% increase in those receiving enterprise based performance bonuses.  Mr. Janulaitis said, “This shift in bonuses reflects managements’ desires for revenue improvements and push to motivate employees to improve the company’s bottom line over and above everything else.”

Janco has captured IT compensation data since 1996 and publishes its IT Salary Survey semi-annually.  The IT Salary Survey is based on Janco’s IT professionals’ compensation database.

HDI, a global association for IT service and techincal support released a study that gives an overall look at the state of the IT support industry which shows how support centers are handling the need to do more with less in today’s economy. “The HDI Practices & Salary Report not only provides a look at the industry as a whole, across areas such as cost per incident, salaries by level, outsourcing, tool utilization, training, social media, and performance metrics, it also allows benchmarking opportunities for all support centers, with an even closer look at the data based on your industry, type of support you provide, size, or country,” said Jenny Rains, HDI’s research analyst. “Each year, we update the survey and the report to meet the needs of the community while keeping the integrity of the data for trending purposes.”

Survey data were collected online from April through July 2010; respondents included managers, directors, and other similar positions from the United States, Canada, Australia, India, and other countries worldwide.  It represents current practices from support centers of all sizes and from organizations that range from on-site only to international, spread across more than thirty vertical industries. The report’s six sections—Incident Management, Support Tools, Process, Procedures, and Strategies, Performance Metrics, Support Staff, and Salary—are packed with tables and charts about the current practices on the most relevant topics in the IT service and support industry.

Report highlights include:

As support centers are continually asked to do more with less, the number of incidents continues to increase for most (67%) organizations.
Twenty percent of support centers are utilizing chat as a support channel and 5 percent are now receiving tickets through social media.

E-mail management tool use went up 5 percent, and configuration management tools are being used by 8 percent more support centers than in 2009.

The primary tool implementation initiative is incident management software (14%), followed by knowledge management software (10%), and self-help tools (9%).

Results indicate that over 80 percent of support centers are maintaining at least single service level agreements, with a rise in the percent of those maintaining multiple service level agreements.

Hardware support and repair is still the most outsourced support function, though down slightly from 2009. The top reasons support centers are not outsourcing more are due to concerns about control of service, service quality, and customer acceptance, then cost.
Telephone performance, as measured by average speed to answer, abandonment rate, and first call resolution, has seen improvement across the industry.

91% of survey respondents believe an effective support organization must have a customer satisfaction tool; however, 16 percent of support centers do not measure customer satisfaction.

On-the-job training (88%) is the most utilized method for training new hires to the frontline. This is followed by mentoring/coaching (78%) and call monitoring (57%), which are, in turn, followed by the more structured types of training, such as computer-based training, formal classroom training, online training, webinars, and virtual classroom training, formats that might require more resources. The primary training concern for new hires to the frontline is customer service skills.

Training is considered by most respondents to be the most influential factor with regard to customer satisfaction (90%), performance metrics (85%), and successful product implementation (81%).

25% of support centers are paying certified employees more than those who are not certified, a 3 percent increase from 2009.

The percent of support centers expecting layoffs, hiring freezes, and salary freezes is down. Over 34 percent are actually anticipating an increase in hiring in their support organizations.

About HDI

HDI is a global IT service and technical support membership association and the industry’s premier certification and training body. Guided by an international panel of industry experts and practitioners, HDI is the leading resource for IT service and technical support emerging trends and best practices. HDI provides members with a vast repository of resources, networking opportunities, and the largest industry event, the HDI Annual Conference & Expo. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, HDI offers training in multiple languages and countries.

A recent study by MarketTools, Inc. finds 94% of companies are not using social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter to gather customer feedback despite the fact that consumers are increasingly engaging to discuss products using the platforms to discuss their experiences with products. The most common ways for companies to gather feedback continue to be email/online surveys (51%), formal phone surveys (28%), and informal phone calls (28%).

“Despite the fact that social media channels represent a rich, continuous stream of customer feedback, few organizations are equipped to take advantage of this channel,” said Justin Schuster, vice president of enterprise products for MarketTools, Inc. “Although traditional methods of gathering customer feedback including online surveys and phone surveys are core to most voice of the customer initiatives, organizations that use enterprise feedback management solutions to incorporate feedback gathered through social media channels are able to uncover richer insights to help them improve customer satisfaction.”

A report from Forrester fround that 16% of customers have made public negative customer service experiences through channels such as Facebook status updates and blog posts. “Companies need to know what their customers are saying about them online, and they need to use this unsolicited feedback to not only address the concerns of the individual customer, but to uncover insights to help improve business processes that lead to higher overall customer satisfaction,” added Schuster.

Additionally, there is a gap between the way companies think and the way they react in relation to customer satisfaction. 92% of respondents believed satisifed customers are very important or extremely important to their company’s profit margins, 42% solicit customer feedback on a continuous basis and only 22% solicit feedback once a year or not at all.

Here are some additional highlights from the survey:

39% of executives surveyed said that their companies increased focus on customer satisfaction in 2010 versus 2009, with 21 percent stating that they invested more in customer satisfaction-related products and services in 2010 versus 2009

Despite the importance given to customer satisfaction, 14 percent of executives surveyed said their companies don’t solicit customer feedback at all

46% of the executives surveyed rate their company’s performance on customer satisfaction in the top 10 percent when compared to their peer companies, and 93 percent rate themselves in the top 50 percent of peer companies

Still, more than half of all respondents (56 percent) said their companies do not have, or are not sure if their companies have, a formal voice of the customer (VOC) program

Nearly one out of every four (24%) executives said that they seldom or never use customer feedback to change a business process
About the Study

MarketTools conducted the study using MarketTools CustomerSat and MarketTools ZoomPanel to survey executives at companies with annual revenue greater than $100 million. (73 percent of respondents are at companies with annual revenue of $1 billion or more.) Completed surveys numbered 810. 
Source: MarketTools, Inc.