Affichage des articles dont le libellé est United States. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est United States. Afficher tous les articles

dimanche 11 novembre 2012

People Cooperate Better When They’re Close – And Not Just Spatially

A lire sur:  http://www.atelier.net/en/trends/articles/people-cooperate-better-when-they-re-close-and-not-just-spatially?utm_source=emv&utm_medium=mail&utm_campaign=alerte_us

By L'Atelier - Paris November 09, 2012 collaboration
Working in the same environment as other colleagues and seeing each other every day fosters cooperation, research shows. But if you’re to work together really effectively – not just when spatially close but also when you’re separated by distance – the quality of the relationship is crucial.
It might seem obvious that proximity – having employees work together in the same place –promotes collaboration. It is, after all, the idea behind the ‘open plan’ office layout. Recently, however, an empirical study from the University of Michigan in the United States - A Tale of Two Buildings: Socio-Spatial Significance in Innovation – set out to test the truth of this assertion. The two-year study was carried out among 172 faculty members and research institute staff. Sure enough, the findings showed that researchers working in the same building were 33% more likely to collaborate well together than those working in separate buildings, and 57% more likely to work well together when they were on the same floor. So obviously, at a time when moves to increase mobility and home-working are beginning to redefine the work space and alter our ways of working together, it would be useful to know whether reducing the amount of daily contact between colleagues will adversely affect their basic ability to exchange ideas and co-create. However, Bertrand Duperrin, Social Business Consulting Director at enterprise 2.0 consultancy NextModernity, thinks this is unlikely, given the new communication technologies. “These technologies are a tremendous lever which can help develop an environment that fosters upstream collaboration,” he argues.

Focusing on the human side

Nevertheless, while technology helps to free you from space-time constraints, it won’t eliminate the human dimension, warns Duperrin, insisting that “it’s definitely a mistake to try to separate technology from the human aspect and the cultural dimension.” He means of course that even though technology helps people to keep in touch and collaborate remotely, it would be unwise to completely cut the physical link between them. Technology cannot entirely replace ‘people contact’. Trust is another important factor. So if people are going to work effectively together via a range of diverse channels, they really need to establish a human relationship in advance, and that’s true whether they’re going to be sharing an office or working remotely, stresses Bertrand Duperrin. It helps to know the people you work with and understand their needs. And here we see the limits of technology. “Technology alone cannot foster the human dimension or help people get to know each other,” he points out.

Collaboration means more than just tools

Many firms nowadays are creating in-company communities, with the aim of encouraging their employees to work together more closely, but that won’t work unless the employees really get the point, underlines the NextModernity expert. If, on the other hand, a solid core of human relationships already exists, technology can help to take this further, social networks being one of the tools that can bring benefits here with their dual dimensions: collaboration and networking. Social media enable people to get together according to their interests, and to create relationships quite apart from any specific project they’re working on. “Using the networks provides a means of getting to know people through their profiles, through the contributions that they’ve posted on the site over time. Then, when people find themselves working together, they’re more likely to collaborate smoothly as they will already have established some kind of relationship,” argues Bertrand Duperrin.
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dimanche 9 septembre 2012

American mothers are smartphone addicts and power users!

A lire sur:  http://www.atelier.net/node/410152

Par Ivory King 07 septembre 2012 mom on a couch with her connected devices
Moms with mobile devices are a highly optimized population in the digital economy. These valuable mobile consumers are “addicted” to their devices – they spend over 6 hours a day on their smartphone.
The mobile Web and social media are proving to be a valuable resource for mothers - moms in the United States are increasingly turning to this quick and convenient way to access information and their social resources. In turn, they are establishing themselves as a valuable part of the mobile economy, as mobile ad network Mojiva determined in their “Moms on Mobile” report. Brands and marketers would do well to strategize for connected mothers - this population represents $2.4 trillion in 2011 buying power. Because they are often active on social media (over half access social networks through their mobile device) they are likely to support or promote favorite brands or products - 35 percent follow a company or brand and 81 percent are a fan of a brand.
Moms like smartphones best than any other media
Smartphone-wielding mothers are active and engaged participants in mobile usage – they spend an average of 6.1 hours on their device per day. These moms know they are power users – 51 percent describe themselves as “addicted” to their smartphone. Usage patterns show an optimal marketing environment – smartphones receive more attention than other media (above computer, TV, newspapers, etc.) and nearly half have taken action after seeing a mobile ad. According to the report, the best way to engage moms is to create ways to make their lives “more efficient and productive.” Because of their high social media usage, “[they] should also strive to create products they believe a mom will share with other moms in her peer groups and circles.”
And are engaged tablet users for shopping
While these moms love their smartphones, they often have other connected devices. One third have some sort of secondary mobile device – the top three devices being the iPad (9.8 percent), Kindle (9.5 percent) and iPod Touch (5.7 percent). High engagement remains consistent among this group, and they are valuable electronics consumers as well. Among 1,500 tablet-owning mothers, 97 percent have used that device to make a purchase, and 47 percent plan on replacing their current iPad with the newest model as soon as possible. Connected moms are hence very valuable targets for brands as well as connected device manufacturers.
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dimanche 1 avril 2012

US Day-to-Day Banking Shifts Online


A lire sur: http://www.atelier.net/node/404134

Par L'Atelier - Paris 29 mars 2012
online banking
In the United States, customers are shifting fast to using online banking services. This doesn’t necessarily spell the end of the branch network, but the banking population is showing a preference for using different channels depending on the type of transaction they want to make.
A study carried out by Novantas – ‘advisors to the financial services industry’ – shows that in the U.S. customers are deserting bank branches more and more, preferring to use remote channels. For example, when transferring funds, 15% of all customers surveyed in 2011 stated that they preferred to go into their branches, compared with 45% in 2006. This doesn’t mean, however, that there’s no reason for the branch to exist - it is still regarded as an important channel for high-value transactions. This view seems to have the backing of the 66% of respondents who say that it is important to have a physical bank branch nearby, while 47% still see it as vital for a bank’s credentials to maintain a physical footprint. But this trend is very much secondary to the increasing customer preference for self-service channels, as expressed by 53% of respondents.

Variations in behaviour

However, not all customer behaviour is identical when it comes to online banking services. The customer base appears to consist of three segments. First, the ‘Branch-Centric Traditionalist’, who prefers to carry out his/her transactions at the branch and visits it three or four times a month. These customers account for 25 to 40% of the banking population. Some 86% of this segment say that having a branch nearby is an important criterion in their choice of bank. Then there’s the ‘Ultra-Connected’ client who goes to the branch as often as the traditionalist, but, by contrast, also uses the various remote channels for those same banking operations. Thirdly, the ‘Virtually Domiciled’ customer, who only uses the branch for major interactions with the bank and on a day-to-day basis prefers to use remote channels. This last segment accounts for up to 35% of the banking population, and 86% of these customers say their choice of bank is motivated by the user-friendliness of the bank’s online services.

Adaptation needed

The banking sector therefore needs to adapt if it wants to meet the needs of these different customer segments. First of all banks need to analyse their client portfolio so as to understand what customers are doing and where they are doing it. Second, they should rethink their current distribution network and reduce any unnecessary costs. Third, they ought to be investing in technology and making efficient self-service tools available to their customers in order to facilitate the natural transition to online. Finally, they should identify their different customer groups and take a more segmented sales approach based on the various different channels, both physical and virtual.
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jeudi 19 janvier 2012

Tablets to be largely adopted by small businesses over the next years

Par Sarah Guez 16 janvier 2012  
 
tablet
Since the launch of the iPad, the tablet market is flourishing, and has entered the corporate world as a valuable mobile device for the enterprise. Several studies predict a large adoption amongst small businesses.

As of today, the use of tablets in small and medium businesses (SMBs) is rather weak. According to AMI-Partners survey, only 3% of SMBs are using tablets today. The firm predicts that the adoption rate should reach around 30% or 35% by 2015. According to The NPD Group, 73% of SMBs plan to purchase tablets over the next year. However, the amount allocated to the acquisition of these devices largely depends on the size of the company. Indeed, companies between 500 and 1000 employees are expected to spend over 39 000 dollars on tablets, as opposed to 2000 dollars for companies under 50 employees.
Relevance varies between different industries and positions
These devices should be distributed to executives and mobile salespeople.  The adoption rate also varies within different industries, as hospitality, media, or healthcare show an early adoption, especially in the United States and in Western Europe, where 70% of the tablets market share is held. According to Michael McDonald, AMI senior associate, this tool « is a complementary device » in the workplace and will not replace the more traditional desktops and laptops.
Just like consumers, companies prefer the iPad
Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD stated “The iPad, just as it is in the consumer market, is synonymous for 'Tablet' in the business market, leaving Apple poised to take advantage of the increased spending intentions of these SMBs ».  However, AMI predicts a significant drop in the tablet price - up to 50%,- by 2013. Thanks to the commercial success of the iPad, a lot of manufacturers now offer tablets running under the Android OS, which should indeed have an effect in lowering down the current prices.  This could help the adoption in emerging markets, as these devices particularly match cloud services, also being largely adopted lately by small businesses around the world.

http://www.atelier.net/node/400538
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