The fourth revolution in manufacturing is here, and it’s not only reshaping the way things are made but also evolving the customer experience. Dubbed Industry 4.0, this fourth major upheaval in modern manufacturing, follows the lean revolution of the 1970s, the outsourcing phenomenon of the 1990s, and the automation that took off in the 2000s. Today’s digitizing of manufacturing will take what was started in the third industrial...  Continue Reading..

Dede Haas, channel sales strategist and coach, and Peter Simoons, executive coach and alliance mentor, have known each other for quite some time. Both were members of the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals and have talked many times about the differences between strategic alliances and channel sales. Dede and Peter recently took time to talk to The Business Solutions Network about strategic alliances and more in this exclusive...  Continue Reading..

Without empowering your employees with the knowledge for success, your strategy for implementation of a digital workplace is destined for failure. Here are five steps to creating productivity by empowering your employees for success. Installing the newest technology and enhancing systems is key to developing the finest of digital workplaces; however, it is only as good as the employees that are utilizing this new technology. For any company to...  Continue Reading..

With the year 2020 upon us and many service business leaders finalizing strategic plans and operating budgets, take a step back and take a quick inventory of initiatives. The 50/50 rule applies to today’s field service business plans. The 50/50 rule asserts that 50 percent of the initiatives should be for technology and 50 percent of the initiatives should be targeted at human performance.  Continue Reading..

Automation continues to proliferate throughout society with the rapid development of robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. Various studies cite the potential for these technologies to eliminate millions of jobs over the next few decades, displacing workers in many industries and market segments such as manufacturing, retail, transportation, and many others.   Continue Reading..

Most service technicians have at least a fair understanding of who their customers are, and what kinds of relationships the business has with them. However, even the “good” technicians are often deficient in their full understanding of exactly how to manage those relationships.  Continue Reading..

The concept of a 360-degree view of a customer has become less of a hot topic and more of a given when businesses think about customer service. That level of visibility is table stakes, and it is expected that an organization can integrate buyer behavior data with sales and marketing activities. But much of this insight comes from customer feedback surveys or through web traffic and social media activity.  Continue Reading..

When you think of IT distributors, I wouldn’t be surprised if the label conjures up images of supply chain management and logistics, pick-pack-and-ship inventory management leviathans. I know, because I’ve been there.  Continue Reading..

Your app isn’t a project: It’s a product. No matter where it’s distributed or what platform it’s available on, your users seek out and pay for your product to help them carry out a specific task. When developing an app, you may, understandably, be tempted to focus solely on meeting your customer’s needs. But in the grand scope of the software development process, this approach can lead to feature creep and a...  Continue Reading..