CRM Daily

Apple Lags in Climate-Conscious Computing

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:41:26 -0500

The nonprofit Climate Counts organization, funded by organic yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm, has released its second annual scorecard rating companies' efforts to combat climate change. While the organization reports solid gains across industries, one technology company stands out as a green laggard -- Apple Inc.

Climate Counts rates companies on a scale of 0 to 100, using 22 criteria to determine if companies have measured their climate footprint, reduced their impact, supported policy change, and clearly disclosed their climate-related actions.

In the electronics field, IBM ranked highest with a score of 77 and Apple ranked lowest at 11. Apple, the scorecard found, posted no information on its efforts to measure its impact on global warming and has not supported climate-change legislation, though the company has made a few comments on its efforts to address global warming and has engaged the issue to some extent with employees and other companies.

Even so, Apple's score this year was nine points higher than last year. The organization called Apple "A choice to avoid for the climate-conscious consumer. This company is not yet taking meaningful action on climate change."

Credibility Issues for Jobs, Gore

While Apple has not been hurt by criticism of its environmental practices, the issue is likely to cause the company -- and its most famous board member -- significant pain, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst with the Enderle Group. "With [former Vice President] Al Gore on the board, this becomes a significant embarrassment, making him look disingenuous," Enderle said. "Increasingly I expect folks to point that out, which will hurt Gore's own [environmental] efforts."

The situation also "erodes the Apple brand as people focus on this topic -- and this topic is a popular one this year," Enderle said. "It does seem inconsistent with [CEO] Steve Jobs' Buddhist beliefs and makes him look hypocritical, which...

Microsoft Announces Customer Service, Government-Style

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:24:29 -0500

MIAMI, May 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Governments at all levels are increasingly asked to respond to demands for improved service and efficiency. Microsoft Corp. and its partners are meeting this challenge through the availability of an applications platform, the Citizen Service Platform (CSP), which will make it easier for governments to interact with citizens, streamline processes and, as a result, save time and taxpayer dollars.

Together with its partners, Microsoft's CSP offerings will help governments of all sizes more responsively deliver services to citizens via the Internet. Today's announcement was made at the Public Technology Institute 2008 Technology Leadership Conference and Expo being held this week in Miami.

The CSP application framework, announced originally by Microsoft in January 2008, is now available to customers along with free templates to help customers implement technological solutions to some of the most common issues governments face.

"Government agencies are looking for simpler processes, yet enhanced interactions, for the way they serve their constituents," said Gail Thomas-Flynn, general manager of State and Local Government for Microsoft. "The common framework offered through the Citizen Services Platform enables efficient collaboration and productivity to provide better service, reduce costs and improve management insight."

Free Templates Allow Partners and Customers to Customize In-House

The CSP is an extensible package that enables repeatable implementation of local and regional government solutions. It leverages existing investments and easily scales as new business requirements arise. Built with Microsoft infrastructure components, it uses open standards and includes a set of common transactions so developers can build solutions that enable delivery of critical services to citizens, businesses and civil servants.

CSP availability includes templates available for existing customers to download at no cost, bolstering their ability to do more with existing technology investments. The eight new templates that focus on common government challenges are...

Fly Friendlier Skies with Help from EDS and Microsoft

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:25:12 -0500

PLANO, Texas, May 7, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- EDS today announced the signing of a comprehensive agreement with Microsoft around EDS airline reservations, flight operations and service-oriented architecture products. With the announcement, EDS will use selected Microsoft tools, software and resources in the modernization and operations of its airline service oriented architecture (SOA) products. Microsoft will provide architecture specialists, advanced 24-hour support, a new model for software licensing, additional investment into the products and access to new customer channel management tools to form a truly unique go-to-market relationship. The agreement is for a duration of eight years.

"We have spent considerable time analyzing technology tools and capabilities and reached the conclusion that EDS Agility Alliance partner Microsoft offers us the best path forward for modernizing and enhancing our airline reservations, flight operations and service oriented architecture products," said Jim Dullum, EDS vice president and leader Global Transportation Industry. "This relationship will be unparalleled in providing the strongest combination of technology, industry expertise, products and architectural innovation to the airline industry."

Joint sales and marketing activities will begin immediately and the first technology components will go live this summer. The EDS products using Microsoft's technology will include reservations, flight planning, flight operations and the airline SOA.

"The travel and hospitality industry is important to Microsoft. It is an ideal environment for .NET, SQL and distributed workflow services, and we found the EDS vision, investment and product direction to be a leading industry proposition," said Geoff Cairns, Microsoft's Managing Director for Hospitality worldwide. "This agreement is a strong validation of the capabilities of Windows & SQL Server and the broader product portfolio's ability to scale and deliver Enterprise SOA solutions."

As a member of the EDS Agility Alliance, Microsoft provides the standard platform for EDS' desktop and server operating systems, and integrated development environments. EDS...

Facebook Strikes Deal To Beat Bad Guys, Keep Kids Safe

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:43:35 -0500

Facebook announced Thursday an agreement with 49 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia to implement new steps against sexual predators. Only the Texas attorney general refused to sign the agreement.

As huge communities of primarily young people and details about millions of kids, social-networking Web sites have also attracted pedophiles and bullies.

'Keeping Kids Safe Online'

Under the agreement, Facebook will improve the technology it uses to filter out what it considers inappropriate behavior and add procedures to make it harder for adults to befriend minors. The site also agreed to continue developing age-verification technology and to keep track of bullying or inappropriate content.

Chris Kelley, Facebook's chief privacy officer, told news media that his company is committed to "keeping kids safe online" and many of the procedures already in place will be enhanced. The site, which claims more than 70 million active members, offers membership to anyone over 13 with an e-mail address. More than half of the users are outside the U.S., and the new procedures will apply to international users as well.

In January, there was a similar agreement with MySpace, which says it has deleted nearly 30,000 convicted sex offenders from the site.

In addition to not agreeing to the Facebook deal, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott also skipped the MySpace agreement in January. At the time, he told news media that social-networking sites "do not adequately protect young users" until "an age verification system is effectively developed and implemented." MySpace representatives have said more research and development is needed.

The New York Deal

Last October, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo agreed to a settlement with Facebook after undercover child-safety tests showed gaps in the site's security for younger users. State investigators posed as teenagers and, within a short time, were the recipients of unwanted sexual advances.

Investigators...

SMBs Remain Bullish Despite Weak Economy

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:21:39 -0500

Small businesses are confident that bleak economic conditions will pass without their being adversely affected by the economic downturn, according to a new study of 250 small-business owners. Or, at the very least, they're keeping a stiff upper lip about the downturn and the prospects for a speedy recovery.

A survey from Opinion Research Corporation, a market-research firm, found that there was a general feeling among small businesses that the economy is in rough shape, but there was near-unanimous agreement that future prospects were bright.

Wayne Russum, senior vice president at Opinion Research, said that nearly two-thirds of the small businesses interviewed felt that current economic conditions were having a negative effect on their businesses. "The current economic crisis is not just hitting big business," he said. "It is having a strong negative impact on the entrepreneurs whose unique contributions have a significant impact on our overall economic success."

This Too Shall Pass

Even though six in 10 businesses felt that the nation's current economic woes were negatively impacting their business, respondents were certain that bad times would pass quickly, with 88 percent saying they felt their businesses would do well in the future. And, as Russum pointed out, if almost 60 percent are seeing problems arising from the weak economy, more than a third of respondents are not.

Small professional-services companies that include IT-based businesses were "the most optimistic group" about the future of their businesses, Russum told us, noting that some 40 percent of this group saw the economic downturn "as having no impact on their specific business." Russum saw a "bright spot" among the small businesses surveyed, noting that restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores seemed to be doing remarkably well.

He added that other sectors were taking a more serious beating. "The findings emphasize that the current economic...

EU Says Consumers Are Cheated by Travel, Airline Sites

Fri, 09 May 2008 07:16:53 -0500

A third of people who shop for flights on airline and other travel Web sites in the EU are being cheated by misleading ads and price schemes, the European Commission said Thursday, threatening legal action to stop such practices.

The European Union's consumer protection chief gave airlines and tour operators one year to fall in line with consumer rules or face court action and possible fines.

"It is unacceptable that one in three consumers going to book a plane ticket online is being ripped off or misled or confused," said Meglena Kuneva, the EU's consumer protection commissioner.

"My message to industry is clear: act now or we will act," she said.

Preliminary findings of an EU investigation indicate the main problems on the sites are misleading pricing and vague conditions and contract terms. Airlines and other travel companies often add airport taxes, handling fees, baggage and seating charges and a variety of other costs on top of the prices that first appear on Web sites.

"The price first advertised on a Web site should be the final price," said the European Commission, the EU's executive office.

Kuneva said such problems existed "in all sectors" of the airline industry, including both discount and full-fare carriers.

The EU is hoping to raise the awareness of bargain hunters so they will not be fooled by hidden charges or unclear small print.

Kuneva said legal restrictions in most EU nations prevented her from "naming and shaming" the airlines and tour operators suspected of breaking EU laws.

Norwegian and Swedish consumer rights authorities, however, listed many of the companies involved on their Web sites. They included Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair, Austrian Airlines and Blue1, a Finnish airline fully owned by Scandinavian airline operator SAS AB.

An initial review in September found that more than 50 percent of sites checked were misleading consumers on tickets advertised...

Apple's Technical Support Is the Best, Survey Finds

Tue, 06 May 2008 13:45:01 -0500

Calling computer tech support is generally not a happy way to spend an afternoon. Except, apparently, when calling Apple.

Consumer Reports' annual reliability survey put Apple's tech support head and shoulders above the rest of the consumer PC industry. Apple solved desktop woes 81 percent of the time and laptop problems 83 percent of the time.

"Apple is again at the top of the heap with tech support," said Donna Tapellini, an associate editor at the magazine. The survey, conducted from September 2006 to January 2008, represents more than 10,000 desktops and laptops.

Retail Strategy Pays Off

Those numbers are massively better than Apple's PC competitors. Dell was a distant number two for desktop problems with 56 percent satisfaction, followed closely by Gateway at 54 percent, and HP and its Compaq brand at 47 percent.

On the laptop side, the PC makers did better, with Lenovo following Apple with 66 percent satisfaction, followed by Dell at 60 percent, Toshiba at 55 percent, Gateway at 54 percent, Sony at 51 percent and HP at 48 percent.

Apple retail strategy appears to be a key factor in its customer satisfaction success. Apple's "Genius Bar," where employees provide walk-in support, resulted in satisfied customers 90 percent of the time, the survey found. Unlike many other companies' policies, where consumers can't even talk to tech support if they are out of warranty or they don't have an extended support plan, any Apple customer can bring a machine into the store and get a free diagnosis. Customers must, of course, pay for repairs if they haven't purchased the AppleCare extended warranty.

AppleCare Stands Out, Too

And unlike most other extended warranty plans, AppleCare is worth it, Consumer Reports said, especially since Apple only offers a 90-day warranty on new purchases. The fact that Apple computers are more expensive also factors into that decision....

Mobile Advertising: Still Waiting for a Medium

Tue, 06 May 2008 07:24:00 -0500

Seen that great new ad on your mobile phone? No? Neither have we.

Maybe, if you are the texting type, you have responded to a promotion that asked you to send an SMS in order to enter a contest or receive information about a product.

Despite several years of escalating hype about the prospects for mobile advertising, the business remains in its infancy. Analysts say current spending totals around $1 billion annually, or around two-tenths of 1 percent of global outlays on advertising.

And it's debatable whether the activity that accounts for the bulk of that spending, text message campaigns, even qualifies as mobile advertising. That is because these campaigns typically employ advertising in other media, like billboards or newspapers, to encourage consumers to respond, rather than beaming ads directly to their phones.

Now that mobile television and other video services are being rolled out widely, advocates of mobile advertising are renewing their pitch -- that cell phones could be a highly effective medium, allowing marketers to reach consumers anytime, anywhere, on a device they love. Analysts, meanwhile, have been busy updating forecasts for the growth of mobile advertising.

EMarketer says overall mobile ad spending will rise to more than $19 billion by 2012. The Mobile Marketing Association, a trade group, says it should account for about 5 percent of ad spending worldwide by 2013. Given that the global ad market totals about $500 billion, that means about $25 billion would be allocated to cell phones.

Other forecasters are skeptical that mobile advertising will grow this quickly. Juniper Research said last month that spending would rise to $7.6 billion in 2013 from $1.3 billion this year.

"A certain number of people have been, shall we say, overly sanguine about the prospects for mobile advertising," said Windsor Holden, principal analyst at Juniper Research. Still, he added...

Your Employees Are Dying To Be Heard

Tue, 06 May 2008 07:18:34 -0500

According to Opinion Research (IUSA) in Princeton, N.J., a firm that has conducted research for about 60 years, what annoys employees more than anything else is poor communication. And unhappy employees can do more damage to your business than you might imagine. Opinion Research practice director Terry Reilly says that beyond delivering shoddy customer service, disgruntled employees are less likely to recommend your company as a great place to work, which will hurt recruitment efforts. Reilly says communication can be the Achilles' heel of your organization or it can be the centerpiece. Here's what Reilly recommends to improve communication between management and employees.

Solicit opinions. One out of three U.S employees does not believe his or her opinions are taken into account, according to surveys by Opinion Research. Reilly says employees who feel they are fed information instead of being allowed to participate in the organization's activities report higher levels of disengagement.

In my own interviews with inspiring leaders, it has been clear the old command and control style of communication is over. Today's employees, especially younger workers, want to know their opinions are encouraged, valued, and respected.

Communicate change. In a November, 2007, survey, Opinion Research found employees are annoyed by managers who fail to discuss company news. In these uncertain economic times, change is constant. Reilly says if you know a change is coming, communicate the reason behind the change. Better yet, ask employees for their views on how best to implement needed changes. This creates a positive feeling in the workplace, even if the changes are not welcomed by all. The reverse is also true. Failing to communicate upcoming changes results in a negative perception, creates disengagement, and makes those changes tougher to embrace when they're implemented.

This reminds me of a conversation I had with Ritz-Carlton President Simon Cooper. Before...

Why Generalized Sales-Training Programs Just Don't Work

Fri, 09 May 2008 13:26:13 -0500

In my opinion, hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide are wasted every year on irrelevant, unnecessary or inappropriate sales-skills development, and there are four obvious reasons why.

To begin with, the typical one-day seminar may supply a short-term motivational buzz and provide the delegate with a number of thought-provoking ideas. However, in reality, once these people are back on the "front line," the day-to-day pressures of hitting quota, etc., take over again and the reactive mindset returns. It is rather like the Chinese meal effect: When you leave the restaurant you feel full, but by the time you arrive home, you want to eat again.

Secondly, most -- not all, but a very high percentage of courses available today -- deliver what I term "generalized" skills development.

For example, someone operating within the aerospace sector negotiating multimillion-dollar contracts can find himself sitting next to a young salesperson who markets insurance policies and is based in a call center. In the next seat is another person who is developing a successful career in manufacturing selling hydraulic components. You get the point.

To achieve sustained success in all of these disparate industries requires specific skill sets, and the generalized workshops simply cannot deliver them.

Thirdly, I would estimate that at least 80 percent of training organizations today make the assumption that all delegates are at the same level in terms of experience and expertise. This is, of course, totally unrealistic.

While it is not possible to equate age and experience with success, the reality is that although some professional salespeople do have 10 years' experience, most have one year's experience 10 times!

The very best salespeople �- the ones who consistently exceed expectations -- have usually received ongoing skills development from the emerging stage all the way through advanced, right up to the consultative level, if appropriate. The...