September Wrap Up: Google, Productivity & Digital Fatigue
Don’t waste time sifting through the internet to find interesting industry news. We’ve curated a list of 10 informative reads for our September wrap up, all in one place.
1. As Google Fights Fake News, Voices on the Margins Raise Alarm
Google’s search results are a mystery in many ways to even those whose careers are built around them. This gives the tech giant a lot of responsibility. In a different way, Facebook shares a similar responsibility. Daisuke Wakabayashi and The New York Times take a brave look at itself and at tech giants, as they explore the issue of fake news cycle and the challenge facing those who can control what readers see and do not see.
2. The History of Sears Predicts Nearly Everything Amazon Is Doing
Once upon a time, Sears was an innovative mail-order retailer that grew to become the largest of its kind. This article by the Atlantic’s Derek Thompson claims that to understand Amazon — its evolution, its strategy, and perhaps its future — we need look no further than Sears. Sears’ journey from reigning in the mail-order arena to conquering physical retail may shed light on Amazon’s strategic move toward store fronts.
3. Do Tech Companies Really Need All That User Data?
It is considered common knowledge that sites like Facebook and Google are built on the premise that in exchange for a quality service, users offer data. This begs the question: Does the de-identification of users affect search results? Walter Frick details research conducted by data scientists in this Harvard Business Review article to answer this question. The answer might surprise you.
4. The Key to High-impact Change According to 3 Industry Superstars
Any business that has ever undergone a change initiative — spoiler alert, all businesses have — knows first hand the inherent challenges. From streamlining leadership, dealing with employee resistance to change and navigating onboarding blues, change in the workplace is never simple. What better way to sharpen your change skills than learn from the industry leaders who are doing it, and doing it well. This article summarizes actionable tips from change professionals at Adobe, Leadspace and WalkMe.
5. Google, propaganda, and the new New Man
Have you ever stopped to wonder who molds the characters on your favorite TV shows? Even if you have, you probably never guess that Google is “lending a hand” on the silver screen. According to Andrew Orlowski, this is just another way the tech giant is systematically influencing public perception. This hard hitting article by The Register is worth a read, even if you don’t agree to its bottom line.
6. Engagement Costs Aren’t Being Tamed: What Customer Service Should Do
Are your customer service agents drowning in tickets? Hiring more staff is not the answer, writes Kate Leggett. It is simply not sustainable. Instead, the Forrester article details valuable recommendations for leveraging self-service and automation.
7. People Analytics Grows Up: Healthy New Focus On Productivity
Physical movement, time spent at desk, and emails sent daily are just some of the data points that HR departments are collecting on employees. Josh Bersin from Deloitte writes about the maturity of People Analytics — how the exploding market of organizational network analysis (ONA) tools is creating a more authentic understanding of employee productivity. How does this affect HR? “People analytics is no longer just a ‘fun and exciting project.’ It’s now business-critical, mandatory and must be supported well.”
8. The Economics of Customer Insights
Data collection is by no means limited to employees. However, the rat race of attracting new customers often overshadows the importance of tending to existing customers. Noah Elkin of Gartner reviews how collecting analytics on consumer behavior and nurturing existing customers can lead to positive ROI.
9. A Futurist Perspective … Digital Fatigue, And Why You Shouldn’t
Some would say that the word digital is overused, while some deem it passé. That is a mistake, insists Noah Elkin of Gartner. He has a message for both of the above groups: “In shaping the future, don’t get hung up on words like digital, or artificial intelligence, or ecosystem, or even the word technology. It will limit your creativity.”
10. Sales Enablement Platforms Expand the SalesTech Stack
The sales enablement market has existed for some time. It is comprised of 100+ sales enablement vendors and generated over $400 million in software sales in 2016. But now the market is changing. Gartner’s Tad Travis examines the future of sales enablement platforms and how they can boost your business.