Code Blue for homeless in Saratoga Springs
Liz Hitt, executive director of the Homeless and Travelers Aid Society (HATAS), administers the Albany program and helped provide a template for the Saratoga Springs Code Blue. She said dozens of persons in the two cities were prepared to sacrifice …
Read more on Albany Times Union (blog)
Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) May 13, 2013
Phone Halo’s newest creation, Button TrackR, is a coin-sized device that eliminates the common frustrations involved with losing or misplacing important items.
Button TrackR is only about the size of a few stacked quarters, it can be placed on or stuck to virtually anything users would like to keep track of – whether it’s a disappearing TV remote, keys, or a lost wallet. It is combined with a free, easy-to-use iPhone app, Item TrackR (http://appstore.com/itemtrackr), to create a time saving tool that aims to eliminate unnecessary stress in people’s every day lives.
How It Works:
Button TrackR is a coin-sized device that can be attached to or stuck to anything you want to keep track of. The device communicates to the user’s iPhone or Android, and if the user is about to leave an item behind, the Phone and Button TrackR device will audibly notify the user. At the same time, the app remembers the time and location the user separated from their item and shows the item’s location on a GPS map. The app can then guide the user to within five feet of this exact location using GPS and a short distance Hot & Cold finding system within the app. Users can also locate their lost items by causing the Button TrackR device to ring. The system is completely bidirectional which means if the user can’t find their phone (and the phone is on silent), the user can press a Button on the TrackR device and cause the phone to ring.
Button TrackR has a new feature called Crowd Sourced Tracking. If you lose an item, the Button TrackR will begin to broadcast a encrpyted unique ID that can be detected by the phone’s of other Button TrackR users. When another Button TrackR user walks within range of the lost item, a message is sent to the Phone Halo Cloud server which will then send a notification to the user with the updated GPS location of their lost item. This revolutionary technology allows users to track their lost items without the need for expensive GPS tracking devices and instead, using the power of crowd collaboration.
“We’ve been working on item finding and tracking devices for over 3 years. We’ve always wanted to create a solution that can help users find items after they’ve become lost. With Crowd Sourced Tracking, that is now a reality” says Chris Herbert, Co-Founder of Phone Halo. The Button TrackR has been aggressively priced at a single device for $ 25. Early customers can purchase a 10 pack for just $ 95, $ 9.50 a device, for a limited time.
Please visit http://www.igg.me/at/ButtonTrackR for more information about the Button TrackR campaign.
The Button TrackR utilizes the latest technology called Bluetooth Smart or “Bluetooth Low Energy.” Unlike older Bluetooth devices, Bluetooth Smart uses a common coin cell battery that can last for 1 year. At launch, the Button TrackR will be compatible with the iPhone 4S/5, iPad 3/4, iPad Mini, New iPod Touch, Samsung Galaxy S3/S4, and Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
North Lake Tahoe and Truckee community announcements
Community partnerships and cross promotions with a focus on local artisans and retailers as well as social marketing, book clubs and newsletters are on the agenda. Volunteers will be needed, … 16, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Uncorked, downtown Truckee underneath …
Read more on Tahoe Daily Tribune
Finnebrogue venison to create 65 jobs in Downpatrick
An artisan food producer in the North that supplies venison to one of the UK's restaurants with three Michelin stars plans to create 65 jobs in Downpatrick as part of a £3 million expansion. Finnebrogue, which specialises in Oisin venison – venison …
Read more on Irish Times (blog)
'San Francisco Chef's Table' Cookbook Brings Restaurant Favorites to the Home …
For Jung, a former food editor for the San Jose Mercury News and a blogger at Food Gal, it's a celebration of the diversity in cuisine, technique and ingredients that make the Bay Area home to some of the best restaurants in the world. … Jung cites …
Read more on SFStation.com
Zenyatta Ventures Announces Filing of Technical Report
This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements", which often, but not always, can be identified by the use of words such as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". … Forward …
Read more on SYS-CON Media (press release)
U.S. to Give Egypt .5B in Aid
If records are left with the carriers, the government may yet seek to extend the length of time those records are retained, either by means of voluntary agreements with phone companies or a new legislative mandate—a proposal privacy advocates have …
Read more on Daily Beast
Gallup and Operation HOPE Partnership Issues Findings for 2013 Gallup-HOPE …
The findings show that almost half of all racial and ethnic minority students say they plan to start their own business, while older students were found less likely than younger ones to have entrepreneurial intentions. (Read the full study here …
Read more on SYS-CON Media (press release)
Customers might not be the only thing that makes a business go, but it is a key factor. Remember that companies get their profits and revenues from customer dollars, therefore without customers to buy your products or services, your business would most likely fail. Especially with todays market where competitions fiercer than ever, gaining customers is very important for a company to grow and prosper. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) refers to all the efforts a company makes to make sure that it develops and maintains a strong relationship with its customers. Helping companies achieve this are CRM software solutions.
A common mistake is for people to think that CRM stands for just the strategy or the technology. This is not accurate, as CRM is more than just the software that is used for it. It is also a strategy which can be implemented to bring together the key components of a business, such as the administration, product design, and development teams, to form a single cohesive force that ensures maximum customer satisfaction and loyalty.
A key to managing and retaining your customers and ensuring customer satisfaction is to have a dedicated customer service desk or help desk. The help desk provides solutions and advice to customers who face problems with your products. The 24×7 customer service number that you call to raise your concern and the customer service mail id where you mail to raise your tickets are parts of customer service desk. Most of the major IT businesses have dedicated help desks in place.
Help desk Software is a big help in managing customer service. It helps your reps track the customer requests through unique codes called tickets. A ticked issued will contain all details of the customer request such as location, problem faced etc. Once the customers problem has been resolved, the ticket is closed and the details stored in the database for any future reference.
Customer service desks are just a component of CRM, and do not comprise the whole. Other parts can include market studies, sales data, analysis of customer behavior, and information about complaints. All of these can help CRM come together.
In order for CRM to be effective, it is important that everyone in the company believes the idea of a customer-oriented business. Additionally, the company should refurbish itself and come up with processes and practices that are compatible with the current CRM strategy in place. Finally, the company should also have the proper technology to ensure that the CRM is carried out successfully.
The technology and software implemented, such as the CRM help desk software, should not be difficult for users to handle. It should be user friendly as well as effective. Any difficulty for end users (sales people, customer service reps etc) could be the death of your CRM initiative. An example is the Monster.com debacle where Monster.com had implemented a CRM solution only to lose millions of dollars due to problems the users faced with the technology.
Doing the proper research and developing some form of strategy based on the types of customers that the business wants to keep, having everyone in the company agreeing and implementing it, and wisely using the technological component can make CRM effective. Any missing piece of the puzzle will result in a disaster, just like a business that is missing a crucial part of it operations.
By now, you’re probably thinking of ways to improve your business process. Try getting customer relationship management to work for you and help your company achieve higher customer satisfaction rates.
I need your help planning my roadtrip through Portgual and Spain (this is a crowdsourced trip)
Image by Zach Klein
This summer I’m going to visit Portugal and Spain. I’m traveling with my girlfriend and two buddies. We have no specific plans but have following conditions:
+ We have 10 days
+ We’re flying in and out of Lisbon.
+ We’re renting a car and consider this a ‘road trip’
+ We’re willing to camp some nights
+ We expect this to be a gastronomic experience more than anything else
This maps show a basic circuit I’m planning, however we’re quite flexible. If you have any experience with this area, please place notes on the map indicating the location of your suggested stops.
Thanks ahead for your help with this crowd-sourced vacation project.
Google building road to smart homes with Nest acquisition
The Nest Labs smoke and carbon monoxide alarm is shown at the company's offices in Palo Alto, Calif. Google said Monday it will pay $ 3.2 billion to buy Nest Labs, which develops high-tech versions of devices, such as thermostats and smoke detectors.
Read more on Las Vegas Review-Journal
American River Bankshares Announces a 10% Stock Repurchase Program for …
The Company previously authorized a stock repurchase program in December 2012 with a repurchase target of 10%, which followed a 6% repurchase program that took place in 2011. … Factors that might cause such a difference include, among other matters …
Read more on SYS-CON Media (press release)
Here's the latest on Kenwood Collection from Phillips Edison
This was CREW's biggest turnout for a January event, according to Cindy Taylor, president of CREW Cincinnati and marketing/business development professional with Cardno ATC. Kenwood Collection, which landed its anchor retail tenant in Saks Fifth Avenue …
Read more on Cincinnati Business Courier
Super Bowl 2014: New York parties, New Jersey game
“We've had to go bigger and better than we've done in the past,” said Lauren Robinson, event marketing manager for ESPN, which expects 2,500 guests at Manhattan's Pier 36 on Jan. 31. Especially … In the past, he helped plan Maxim and Playboy's …
Read more on The Star-Ledger – NJ.com
The LINQ Welcomes Iconic Lifestyle Boutique Kitson as New Tenant
The largest store in Kitson's current expansion plan, the 12,000 square-foot, two-level location will feature the top brands in each of the store's categories: men's, women's and kids' clothing, accessories, gifts, apothecary, books and novelties. In …
Read more on Hospitality-Industry.com (press release)
Impassioned plea made for new jail facilities
A short video graphically showed the state of things from the records being house in a double-wide trailer with workers dodging a leaky roof to an office 7 x 9 shared by three workers at the juvenile center. The jail … Space is limited in the …
Read more on Broken Arrow Ledger
NRL Team Recognized with Best Paper Award at 2013 IEEE Conference
The authors are Anthony Hutcheson, Bernard Phlips, Eric Wulf, Lee Mitchell, Neil Johnson, from NRL's Space Science Division, High Energy Space Environment Branch, and Byron Leas, SRA International, Inc. Their paper, "Maritime Detection of …
Read more on U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (press release)
FORT WORTH, Texas (PRWEB) May 9, 2007
“Today’s teenagers are exposed to a multitude of competing messages about money,” said David White, president of First Command Bank, an affiliate of First Command Financial Services. “The challenge facing parents is how to break through the noise to communicate lessons of responsible financial behavior. How do we teach our children about the difference between ‘needs’ and ‘wants,’ the value of earning extra money through household or neighborhood chores and the importance of putting savings first? The First Account is a great way to start.”
The First Account is ideal for introducing basic financial management skills, yet full-featured enough to carry the account holder through to college and into the workplace. It establishes a banking relationship between the child and a real-world financial institution, and it provides financial tools, including check-writing privileges, a debit card and online banking.
Parents can use the First Account to teach everyday financial management. They can use the First Account to:
— Promote sound financial behaviors by depositing a child’s allowance on the same schedule as the parent’s paycheck, thereby encouraging prudent budgeting and spending until the next “payday.”
— Deposit money earned from part-time jobs as well as birthday or holiday gift money.
— Encourage monitoring of accounts through free online banking services.
“Most important, the First Account is a joint account between you and your child,” White said. “So you’re always in control.”
First Command Financial Services and its affiliates, including First Command Bank and First Command Financial Planning, assist American families in their efforts to build wealth, reduce debt and pursue their lifetime financial goals and dreams–focusing on consumer behavior as the first and most powerful determinant of results. Through personalized financial plans that emphasize investments, insurance and full-service banking, First Command Financial Advisors have established lasting relationships with hundreds of thousands of client families since 1958.
For more information about First Command, visit http://www.firstcommand.com.
First Command Financial Services, Inc. is the parent company of First Command Financial Planning, Inc. (Member SIPC) and First Command Bank (Member FDIC). Insurance products and services are offered by First Command Financial Services, Inc. Financial planning services and securities products are offered by First Command Financial Planning, Inc. Banking products and services are offered by First Command Bank. Securities products are not FDIC insured, have no bank guarantee and may lose value. In certain states, First Command Financial Services, Inc. is a separately registered domestic corporation and does business in California as “First Command Insurance Services.”