Articles - Page 83

Agentic AI Is Coming. Is Your DXP Ready?

dsfaltudo

<a href="http://www.ibm.com/us-en/">IBM</a> announced the expansion of their product portfolio today, bringing in new “cognitive technologies” to bolster their <a href="http://www-03.ibm.com/software/products/en/category/real-time-personalization">Real-Time Personalization</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.ibm.com/commerce/us-en/campaigns/commerce-insights/">Commerce Insights</a> solutions.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ibm.jpg" alt="IBM" />
The plan is to empower marketers and e-commerce professionals to learn, predict and guide customer engagement throughout custom brand journeys.
<h2>IBM: Impressive Returns</h2>
According to a recent report from Nucleus Research, IBM delivers a $15.82 return on investment (ROI) for every dollar spent on its marketing, sales, merchandising and analytics products. Those offerings are used today by the likes of ING Direct and The Home Shopping Network.
With these announcements, IBM is merging cognitive technologies into existing tools that practitioners already work with to deliver complete end-to-end customer experiences.
“Every customer is unique and has little tolerance for businesses that fail to recognize their specific interests, wants and needs,” said Harriet Green, General Manager, Watson IoT, Commerce and Education, IBM. “Today we continue to invest in building our portfolio which includes new cognitive solutions that will completely transform how companies serve each customer. Businesses will be able to quickly understand, reason and learn from every customer interaction – and put that knowledge to use to uncover new opportunities from insights.”
<h2>IBM Real-Time Personalization</h2>
With IBM Real-Time Personalization, marketers can deliver the right message and offer to customers every time.
Part of the IBM Marketing Cloud, Real-Time Personalization understands that a person’s preferences change over time and addresses this through its Cognitive Rule Adviser, which learns, advises and suggests the offer and message should be shared with each visitor. It then discovers which segments are responding best to each variation (broken down by factors such as age, geography, etc..) and through self-learning algorithms and analytics fine-tunes the experiences over time.
For example, a sporting goods retailer identifies a customer whose site profile indicates they are interested in taking up cycling. Recognizing she’s a novice, the site responds with deals on bikes and everything she needs to get started, all presented with visual images that help her make the right purchase. Through its cognitive technologies, the site later learns that her needs have shifted based on activity focused on nutrition for long-distance rides, automatically adapts and shares content on local races and nutrition recommendations and offers on foods items in the store.
<h2>IBM Commerce Insights</h2>
IBM also announced new cognitive technologies in <a href="https://www.ibm.com/marketplace/cloud/online-merchandising/us/en-us">Commerce Insights</a>, which provides merchandizers with a real-time view of their business, specifically focused on how products and categories are performing.
Now, with new cognitive-powered category sequencing capabilities, the site automatically places products on a web page based current demand and inventory and adapts the sequencing as sales and inventory levels change.
Commerce Insights is also infusing cognitive into its anomaly detection capabilities so teams are automatically alerted to significant spikes and dips in sales and presented contributing factors such as inventory, promotional event, channel activities and soon input from social sentiment and competitive pricing.
For example, a retailer receives two messages from the solution’s Notification Center. First, the team is alerted that inventory on the new 4K TVs are running low.
Through its cognitive category sequencing capabilities, the site automatically re-order products on the page so the items with low inventory levels are dropped down until new shipments are received. A second alert identifies a top video game consoles that’s not selling as projected and automatically discovers that the issue is caused by a shift in competitor pricing.
With this insight, it recommends the retailer lower their offering price and shows what the resulting margin will be so they are prepared for a sudden surge in sales.
To find out more, visit the <a href="http://www.ibm.com/us-en/">IBM website</a>.

IBM Unveils Additions to Real-Time Personalization & Commerce Insights

mike-johnston

<a href="https://automattic.com/">Automattic</a>, the parent company of WordPress, has announced that .blog domains will be available for everybody sometime during 2016.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pr_sharable.jpg" alt="pr_sharable" />
According to <a href="https://en.blog.wordpress.com/2016/05/12/coming-soon-new-blog-domains-for-websites/">Automattic's announcement</a>, they have recently secured the rights to oversee and operate the sale and registration of .blog domains, a new and never-before available top-level domain.
<h2>.blog For All</h2>
Webmasters will be able to purchase .blog domains at <a href="https://wordpress.com/">WordPress.com</a> as well as through Automattic's partner domain name registrars (somehow <a href="/123-reg-deletes-customer-websites/">I doubt that 123-reg will be on the list</a>).
This means that .blog isn't dependent on WordPress. Even if you're running a Joomla website, a .blog domain could soon be yours to use as you wish, just like a .com.
Automattic themselves made a bolder comparison to .com domains, stating that the .blog domain extension will give people an alternative:
<blockquote>
For years, .com was the dominant choice for website names, but it’s become increasingly difficult to find a name. With a top-level domain like .blog, you can get a name that truly matches your identity. Plus, you’ll get all the same benefits with Google search results.
</blockquote>
<h2>What Does This Mean for Blogging?</h2>
There's no doubting the influence that Automattic has on the blogosphere. It has become a cliche statistic, but through WordPress, Automattic powers almost a quarter of the Internet's websites (the CMS' of which we have knowledge of).
But will this change the face of blogging? Probably not.
Will we see people using .blogs for anything other than small and personal websites? Will it rival .com domains and become as widely used? I don't even think Automattic believes that.
But still, it's exciting, tempting – and about damn time, too.
After all, with tacky domain extensions like .guru and .cash flying around, I'm surprised it's taken until 2016 to see .blog make an entrance.
Will you be picking up a .blog domain? Let me know in the comments section below.

Automattic Set to Launch .Blog Domains: A New Blogging Horizon?

Your work space has a bigger impact on your productivity than you might imagine.
 
A cluttered, disorganized office slows you down and makes you less productive, while an organized, streamlined office can help you to become a better and more efficient employee. Feel like you don’t have any time to organize your office? Think again.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/organized-office.jpg" alt="messy office" /> 
Following these six basic principles will help you to become and stay more organized, saving you time that would otherwise be wasted sorting through the clutter around your desk.
<h2>1. Only Touch Documents Once</h2>
According to professional organizer Ellen Delap, executives spend 6 weeks of every year just looking for documents. Imagine how much of that time could be saved if you only touched each document once. No more rifling through papers again and again. No more searching for the same file multiple times.
Instead, when you receive a file, digitize it immediately. Put it into an electronic document management system where the document becomes a searchable PDF file. And if you receive the files electronically in the first place, immediately enter it into your DMS—you don’t even need to touch the physical file once. After the files are in the DMS, they become easier and faster to find, saving you time that would otherwise be spent elbow-deep in a filing cabinet drawer.
As an added bonus, you’ll clear out those piles of paper that are always surrounding you on your desk. A less cluttered workspace will give you a greater sense of control over your environment and help you to become more effective as you work.
<h2>2. Establish Functional Work Zones</h2>
Each section of your office should have a dedicated purpose. Some of these zones will be obvious; where your computer is located is where you do all of your computer-related work. Other zones will have to be established. First, establish a zone for any non-computer work. This may include things like sorting through mail or reviewing other physical files (before you digitize them, of course). 
You can establish this zone in a separate area of your office, or on the same desk where you do your computer work. Just make sure that you have a clear, designated space for this type of work, and don’t allow clutter or other items take over that space.
You will also want to establish zones for activities like filing and digitizing files. Make sure you have everything you need in these areas in order to complete this task. Have the scanner near the filing cabinets, and a shredder nearby. This allows you to quickly grab a file, scan it into your system, and shred it without having to walk across the office to do it.
Create a designated zone for every task you complete on a regular basis, and ensure you always have the tools you need close at hand for that zone’s work. This will make sure you don’t have to hunt for things and can remain completely effective with every minute you spend in the office.
<h2>3. Don’t Let Paper Touch Your Desk</h2>
Paper is one of the biggest clutter-causers in any office, so if you want to ensure that your space stays organized, it’s best to never let paper even touch your desk. Of course, there will be times when papers are brought to you or documents need to be reviewed. Don’t let people just toss the documents into a messy pile on your desk.
Instead, put some kind of paper receptacle on your desk or on your door. When people bring you documents, just point to the paper tray on your desk. Though it would be best to keep things in electronic format, using a tray at least keeps items organized and reminds you that those documents still need your attention.
Better yet, if you have your own office, hang a paper receptacle on the door for people to drop in contracts, mail, and other files. This makes it so that you’re not interrupted every time someone needs to hand a document to you, allowing you to stay on task at all times.
<h2>4. Organize Your Office Supplies</h2>
We’ve already talked about having the right supplies in the right work zones, but you should take that idea one step further and ensure that every office supply you use is properly organized. First and foremost, this means not keeping all of your supplies out on your desk. Sure, you may have spent a little extra to have that super cute matching stapler and hole puncher, but you shouldn’t keep them out on display. This just adds to the clutter on your desk.
Keep your office supplies in an organized, easy-to-reach space like a desk drawer. Use organizing trays to keep small items like paperclips organized. Office supplies that are frequently used together should be close to each other—notepads should be near the pens, extra staples should be near the stapler, and so on.
Use a separate drawer or storage space for your personal items, like your wallet, sunglasses, and phone. This will keep your personal items from getting in the way when you need supplies. Plus, you won’t have to dig through all of your drawers at the end of the day, wondering where you left your keys.
<h2>5. Get a Bigger Trashcan</h2>
This might sound a little strange, but it can be surprisingly effective. When you get documents that you don’t need, you may be tempted to through it in an “I’ll deal with this later” pile. Dealing with paper is one of the most time-consuming tasks in an office, and therefore, it is the one that people put off the most. But most papers can either be discarded, or digitized and then discarded.
A larger trashcan has more of a physical presence, so you will be more aware of it and think of it more often, and will therefore be more likely to use it. Rather than piling up those papers to “deal with later,” you can quickly toss whatever needs to be tossed. In fact, make it a bigger recycle bin instead of a bigger trashcan; you can save the environment while saving your desk space.
<h2>6. The Five-Minute Rule</h2>
Don’t think that organizing your office is a one-time task. It is something that takes regular effort—but luckily, it doesn’t take much. Dedicate at least 5 minutes of your day to keeping your office organized. This is best done at the end of the day, when you can clear your desk and get yourself reorganized for the next day. Don’t skip this important task. Putting it off will result in things piling up, and if you’re not careful, you’ll once again be left with a disorganized space.
Put in just a few minutes every day, and your desk can stay neat and organized, and you’ll be more efficient as a result. 
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
Though initially organizing your office will take a bit of time and effort, you will get that time back ten times over by improving your productivity and eliminating a lot of wasted time. As we mentioned many times in this article, paper is one of the biggest time wasters in your office, and puts a huge damper on your ability to be efficient. So if you are dealing with large amounts of paper, make it your priority to deal with that problem first.
<a href="http://www.efilecabinet.com/">eFileCabinet</a> offers an easy way to digitize those papers so that you only have to touch them once, and they stay off of your desk for good. Look into this document management solution so you can be on your way to a more organized office.
Sources: <a href="http://www.inc.com/neil-patel/how-to-organize-your-office-for-maximum-productivity.html">Inc</a>, <a href="http://www.cio.com/article/2404456/time-management-productivity/how-to-organize-your-office-and-boost-your-productivity.html">Cio</a>, <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/21-tips-to-organize-your-office-and-get-more-done.html">LifeHack</a>

The 6 Basic Principles of an Organized Office

I'm a huge fan of simplicity and elegance and I was very excited when I first saw a new Linux distribution called <a href="https://budgie-remix.org/">Budgie Remix</a> hit the news. For those who are unaware, Budgie Remix is a distribution featuring the beautiful Budgie Desktop.
Here's a screenshot of my desktop as I write this:
<img alt="Screenshot from 2016-04-26 16-31-25" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot-from-2016-04-26-16-31-25.png" />
Yes, I'm a bit of a gamer and Budgie Remix does a great job of getting out of the way and looking good doing it. For those who are curious, the bottom panel is <a href="https://launchpad.net/plank">Plank</a> which is installed as part of the desktop. Some may not be fans but I think the overall look is pretty sweet and I've found myself preferring it over Gnome and Unity.
Based on Ubuntu 16.04, Budgie Remix is aiming to be an official Ubuntu flavor, specifically, Ubuntu Budgie and needs your help to get there. If you are a fan of the Budgie Desktop, don't hesitate to head on over to their <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/BudgieRemix/">subreddit</a> or <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/106822666079268690759">Google Plus community</a> and get involved with testing, development, etc.
Obviously, the advantage to being based off of Ubuntu is the amazing amount of software and support from various vendors. Furthermore, most game makers tend to favor Ubuntu as a testing ground for their latest releases and as much as I love Archlinux as well, Ubuntu is just a more commonly supported distro.
For those who are interested in learning more about Budgie Remix or grabbing a copy to play with, head on over to <a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/budgie-remix/files/">Sourceforge</a> and start downloading your today. I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments below as well.

First Look at Budgie Remix

<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/episerver_partner_portal_2-01.png" alt="Episerver_partner_portal_2-01" />
According to <a href="http://www.channelpartnersonline.com/">channelpartersonline.com</a>, 80% of partner portals don’t live up to channel partners’ expectations, as employees don’t regard them as effective everyday tools to sell their vendors’ products.
Usually, partner portals fail because they:
<ul>
<li>Are not user-friendly, i.e. navigation or search is so complicated that a vendor management might seek help from support to find the needed page.</li>
<li>Don’t engage partners through communication and help, e.g. do not encourage them to ask questions on business-related issues or share insights on the community board.</li>
<li>Don’t offer useful tools that can help salespeople to support sales, e.g. generate a customized proposal or calculate ROI.</li>
</ul>
In my <a href="https://www.scnsoft.com/blog/how-to-engage-channel-partners-with-a-portal">recent blog post</a>, I outlined several tips on how to reverse these flaws and start engaging partners for better sales.
Now, let’s get to the technical aspect of creating an actionable partner portal, which first of all boils down to choosing a capable CMS.
Serving established enterprises that seek to increase sales through partnerships, we at <a href="https://www.scnsoft.com/">ScienceSoft</a> prefer the commercial <a href="https://www.scnsoft.com/episerver">Episerver</a> platform, and here’s why.
<h2>Engage Multiple Employees in One Company</h2>
To encourage the existing partners to sell more through your partner portal, you should engage not only their vendor managers but also other employees who can influence an end customer’s purchase decision, i.e. sales reps, marketing specialists and tech people.
Episerver allows adding to a company account multiple employees as users with predefined roles, including an administrator who will be able to manage members (create, edit or delete).
<h2>Tailor Content to Every Employee</h2>
With Episerver, you can personalize virtually any type of content – from on-page information such as a text, image or block to a set of pages or sections to be shown to a visitor depending on their role.
This way, you will make sure that a sales rep and a tech specialist will find their shortest ways to the required information without wading through tons of generic content.
<h2>Improve Your Portal on the Go</h2>
Episerver offers an open and layered architecture so that you won’t need to go through a full-blown portal redesign while changing or expanding your information structure, be it introducing a community board or building advanced search-based navigation.
<h2>Offer Handy Interactive Tools</h2>
Working with multiple partner portals, employees will naturally stick to the most convenient ones. The Episerver CMS will help you to stand out from your competitors by implementing useful tools such as:
<ul>
<li>Marketing material customizer to change logos, prices and contacts</li>
<li>Configurators and calculators for products with options</li>
<li>Reports on sales, and others</li>
</ul>
<h2>Winding It Up</h2>
A convenient partner portal that serves relevant content to all of your partners’ employees engaged in sales becomes an everyday helper and eventually boosts sales.
The question is, can your CMS ensure the necessary level of personalization and usability? If you are only thinking about creating a partner portal or willing to redesign the existing solution, we recommend to consider Episerver as a proven option.

A Look at Episerver as a Partner Portal Platform

LightCMS just made code insertion far simpler across its platform, and vastly improved its handling of RSS feeds.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sf59439logo-1-2-220x220.jpg" alt="NETSUITE LIGHTCMS LOGO" />Although LightCMS has always been a website builder on paper, it is indeed quite a technical platform, for those who want it to be. It has all the hallmarks of a simple website builder, along with some advanced features that make it ideal for its target market; professional web designers.<h2>Better Connected With Code</h2>This update brings users closer to the code of their LightCMS website.You can now insert code, like Google Tag Manager codes, immediately after the opening tag and to immediately before the closing tag, simply by visiting the Website Settings Advanced tab.To override code on specific pages, you now just have to visit the Page Settings Advanced tab.Moreover, LightCMS' inline page bar now includes a new Edit Template Code button that lets you quickly open the code editor wherever you are.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pagebar.png" alt="PageBar" /><h2>RSS Revamped</h2>New RSS options and feed validations also come as part of this update.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/lightcms-rss-350x167.png" alt="lightcms-rss" />Now, you have far more options to help validate feeds for services such as iTunes. For example:<ul><li>Language, the default is English, but you can choose from many others.</li><li>Category which lets you specify a category for the feed.</li><li>Explicit notification regarding the feed:<ul><li>Yes-explicit</li><li>No-not explicit</li><li>Clean-a cleaned up version of explicit material</li></ul></li></ul>You can also now include the featured image in the RSS feed, and you can set default RSS Cover Art, so you can specify an image to use as cover art on services such as iTunes.I've always been a fan of the way LightCMS churns out genuinely useful updates on a regular basis. For most website builders, these updates would likely go over the heads of their core user-base, but I think these improvements are exactly the kind of thing LightCMS users are looking for.

LightCMS Makes Code Insertion Easier, Revamps RSS

Semrush - Be an SEO hero

Be an SEO hero with Semrush

#ffffff

<a href="https://www.sugarcrm.com">SugarCRM</a> has just released version 7.7, which brings about enhanced search functionality, improved tagging, and a whole lot more.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sugarcrm-logo-220x220.jpeg" alt="sugarcrm logo" />
In August 2015, Gartner named SugarCRM as a “niche player” in its <a href="http://www.cmswire.com/customer-experience/gartner-names-crm-lead-management-leaders/">Magic Quadrant for CRM Lead Management</a>. Primarily, it's aimed towards medium-sized to enterprise-scale businesses.
Recently, SugarCRM published a rather insightful article on how to <a href="https://blog.sugarcrm.com/2016/05/04/extending-marketing-automation-with-crm/">extent marketing automation with a CRM</a>, which I think is well worth a read.
<h2>Search &amp; Tagging Improvements</h2>
SugarCRM have made use of Elastic Search to give their global search user interface a functionality boost. For example, tags can now be searched and results can be filtered more finely.
As for tagging, SugarCRM has made improvements that will impact both end users and administrators:
<ul>
<li>End Users: Sidecar modules contain a Tags field where users can create and share tags which can be used to identify records in filters, dashlets, and reports.</li>
<li>Administrators: Users with administrator or developer access can utilize the Tags module to manage the system-wide tag repository.</li>
</ul>
What's more is, SugarCRM 7.7 includes enhancements to lead conversions, quote and forecast information and improved support for <a href="http://support.sugarcrm.com/Documentation/Sugar_Developer/Sugar_Developer_Guide_6.7/Module_Framework/Sugar_Logic/index.html" target="_blank">Sugar Logic</a>.
The update itself was pretty comprehensive, with a wide range of additions dotted all over the platform. You can <a href="https://community.sugarcrm.com/community/releases/blog/2016/04/15/version-77-released#Global_Search">read all about them on the SugarCRM blog</a>.
And as per usual, you can explore more through the <a href="/sugarcrm/">SugarCRM hub on our CRM Directory</a>.

SugarCRM 7.7 Improves Global Search & Tagging

Enonic XP Review

<a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marketo.com%2F&amp;esheet=50894625&amp;newsitemid=20140625006457&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Marketo&amp;index=2&amp;md5=a1b3eed4ef364000f06d7a3f9f625a23">Marketo</a>, the world renowned engagement marketing software vendor, has partnered with <a href="http://www.vibes.com/">Vibes</a>, a mobile marketing solution.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/marketo-vibes.png" alt="marketo vibes" />
The partnership will enable marketers to seamlessly integrate text messaging (SMS/MMS) and mobile wallet marketing (Apple Wallet &amp; Android Pay) into their Marketo campaigns.
<h2>Tapping into Mobile Moments</h2>
According to recent Forrester Research, there are over <a href="http://www.vibes.com/resources/mobileautomation/">30 billion mobile moments</a> each day in the United States alone. 
To tap into those moments in a profitable way, Marketers need automated solutions that deliver both speed and personalization in order to meet consumer demands in real time. That's what this partnership is all about.
Mike Stocker, Marketo's Senior Director of Product Solutions &amp; Innovation, agrees:
<blockquote>
“Marketo clients are hungry to amplify their mobile marketing in order to build stronger relationships with their customers.
By integrating Marketo’s best-in-class marketing automation platform with Vibes’ best-in-class mobile marketing, we’ve created a solution that empowers marketers to reach consumers on their device of choice with both speed and personalization.”
</blockquote>
With this integration, marketers can work with existing marketing channels to make the following happen:
<ul>
<li>Incorporate <a href="http://www.vibes.com/technology/text-messaging/">text messaging</a> (SMS/MMS) into Marketo-driven marketing campaigns.</li>
<li>Add <a href="http://www.vibes.com/technology/mobile-wallet/">mobile wallet</a> content to their email marketing campaigns to enable customers to instantly save offers and loyalty cards to Apple Wallet or Android Pay.</li>
<li>Utilize mobile wallet as the post-click destination for digital advertising campaigns in Marketo, powered by Vibes’ <a href="http://www.vibes.com/technology/mobile-wallet-advertising/">WalletAds</a> solution. </li>
</ul>
Additionally, thanks to the power of marketing automation technology from both parties, marketers can also now offer consumers the ability to determine how they would like to receive personalized messages. 
If a consumer prefers receiving sale notifications via text, marketers can send these messages via mobile, instead of relying on email.
Vibes' Co-founder and CEO, Jack Philbin, also chimed in about the importance of this new alliance.
<blockquote>
“In many ways, communication on mobile devices is all about speed, convenience and ease of use, so it’s only natural that mobile is coming to marketing automation.
The most effective marketing is tailored to meet the needs of the end recipient, and more and more frequently we’re seeing that consumers prefer mobile. Combining the power of mobile with the automation technology of Marketo will unlock a solution that benefits both consumers and marketers alike.”
</blockquote>
<h2>Marketo &amp; Vibes: Marketing Mates</h2>
To help kick-start this partnership, Vibes will be on-site at <a href="https://events.marketo.com/summit/2016/">Marketo’s Marketing Nation® Summit</a> in Las Vegas between the 9th and 12th of May 2016. The event is expected to draw around 6,000 marketers from around the globe. 
This isn't the first time these two marketing heavyweights have teamed up. Vibes was already part of Marketo’s LaunchPoint ecosystem, and I'd be interested to see if they have any plans to team up again soon on a new project. 
Time will tell, but until then, you can check out
And as always, you can explore more through our <a href="/marketo/">Marketo Hub on our Marketing Directory</a>.

Marketo & Vibes Team Up to Power Mobile Marketing Automation Solution

Those hunting for a better way to manage their office’s paperwork are often told that DMS is the way to go, but many of those people are unsure exactly what DMS is and how it can help them. In the article below, we’ll outline exactly what DMS is, the basic features and functions you should search for, the benefits of using it, and more.
<h2>So What Is It Exactly?</h2>
DMS can stand for “document management software” or “document management system.” These two phrases are used interchangeably to refer to any computer-based system that helps to reduce a business’s dependency on paper by transitioning documents to an electronic format. DMS is capable of not just storing electronic documents, but tracking and managing the changes made to the documents and helping to improve processing speeds and productivity over paper-based processes.
<h2>DMS vs Cloud Storage</h2>
Those who aren’t familiar with DMS often believe it is simply another form of cloud-based document storage. This simply is not true. Comparing DMS to cloud storage is like comparing a personal assistant to a filing cabinet. Sure, both of them can keep your documents organized, but just as a filing cabinet can’t answer phones, cloud storage can’t truly manage your documents.
In cloud storage, documents are stagnant. They simply sit in an electronic older in much the same way they would sit in a physical folder in a filing cabinet. But DMS actually helps you process those documents, guiding you through every step of the file’s lifecycle. From initial document creation to edits and new versions to collection of final signatures, DMS helps to automate various steps of a document’s lifecycle, whereas cloud storage merely allows you to continue with manual processes in an electronic format.
Below is a list of features and functions that set DMS apart from cloud storage.
<h2>Features and Functions</h2>
Most DMS solutions come with similar features and functions that are designed to help simplify document workflow and offer added security to protect the documents that are being stored in the software. Here are just a few of the features and functions that you should be looking for in DMS:
<ul>
<li>Encryption of data in transit and at rest</li>
<li>Role-based user permissions</li>
<li>Audit trails showing who accessed a document, when it was accessed, and what changes were made</li>
<li>Unique user logins</li>
<li>Automated workflow to move documents on to next stages in lifecycle</li>
<li>Securedocument sharing portal</li>
<li>File versioning, with option to revert to an old version of a file</li>
<li>Action-based file retention policies</li>
<li>Profiles and templates to maintain file structure</li>
<li>Integration with popular 3rd-party software (Microsoft Office, Salesforce, etc.)</li>
<li>Full text search</li>
<li>OCR and/or Zonal OCR</li>
<li>eSignature integration</li>
<li>Regulatory compliance with entities like HIPAA, SEC, and FINRA</li>
</ul>
While not all document management solutions will have these features, it is wise to find as many of these features as you can in the software that you choose. This will enable you to sift through the dozens of options that are out there so that you can find a system that will make your document management as simple and secure as possible.
<h2 class="western">Benefits</h2>
Now that you have a basic idea of what DMS is and the features that it has, you’re probably wondering exactly what it can do for you. The potential benefits of using this type of software are boundless, but here are just a few for you to keep in mind:
Increased productivity – Spend less time dealing with documents so you can focus on more important matters, like actually running your business.
Better security – The security features mentioned above will help to protect all of the data in your documents; it’s a lot safer than a drawer in your office.
Decreased costs – You’d be surprised just how much money you spend on paper, ink, toner, and postage; DMS greatly reduces your reliance on these supplies.
More space – By digitizing all the files in your office, you can get rid of the filing cabinets used to store your documents and use that space for more productive endeavors.
Stop losing documents – You won’t have to worry about who last had a customer’s file and where the copy of their contract went; it will always be available to you in your DMS.
Better accessibility – You’ll be able to access files from any computer or mobile device, so you can be productive from anywhere, and you’ll never have to go back to the office to find a file.
Easier disaster recovery – How would your company recover if a fire struck your office? With DMS, you don’t have to worry about losing your files to a disaster, and you can get back to business more quickly if such a situation ever does occur.
Simpler regulatory compliance – You don’t have to stress about a compliance audit; as long as you’re using the right DMS (and doing it in the correct way), audits will be easy.
Happier customers – Today’s customers like to get results quickly. Features like eSignatures and electronic file sharing let you get things to your customers faster, so they’re happier with your service and more likely to give you repeat business.
Our users all experience incredible benefits that are unique to their business and their industry, but the impact DMS has on businesses is always a positive one. Ultimately, when it comes to defining what DMS is, the best answer is that it is a tool that makes it possible for businesses to grow and improve their bottom line by helping them to properly manage their documents.
To learn more about what a DMS is and what it can do for your business, contact an <a href="http://www.efilecabinet.com">eFileCabinet</a> business efficiency expert.
Sources:
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Document_management_system">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Document_management_system</a>
<a href="http://www.efilecabinet.com/what-is-dms/">http://www.efilecabinet.com/what-is-dms/</a>
<a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8026-choosing-a-document-management-system.html">http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/8026-choosing-a-document-management-system.html</a>
<a href="http://www.aiim.org/What-is-Document-Management">http://www.aiim.org/What-is-Document-Management</a>
<a href="http://www.efilecabinet.com/5-unexpected-benefits-for-document-management-software/">http://www.efilecabinet.com/5-unexpected-benefits-for-document-management-software/</a>

What is DMS?

Most of your sales team will never like your CRM. Fact. Regardless of how shiny or new it is, your CRM will still create extra work for your team that doesn’t involve selling, and that’s a massive faux pas when it comes to keeping a sales person happy. 
I should know, I used to be one of them.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/youdontneedacrm.png" alt="YouDontNeedACRM" />
There’s nothing worse than finding yourself smothered under a ton of admin work on a Friday afternoon when you’re 2 sales away from hitting your target, and when your CRM process is standing between you and your $1k commission for the month – it doesn’t exactly instil feelings of goodwill.
However, since I’ve ‘switched sides’, I’ve seen just how important it is to have a quality CRM in place that’s both implemented and used correctly. When you duck out of sales for a while, you start to look at the long-term objectives of your business rather than your immediate goal of ‘hitting this week's target’.
Having experienced using a CRM system from both angles, I’m always on the look-out for a new tool that will cut down on admin for sales teams whilst also providing marketing teams with the customer information they need to do their jobs efficiently and effectively. After all, part of the marketing team's job is to generate inbound leads for sales. So it's a win-win when both parties are happy.
My internal CRM ‘sat nav’ recently brought me to the site for <a href="http://www.youdontneedacrm.com">You Don’t Need a CRM</a>. The company say that this system is designed for small businesses of up to 200 employees who want a ‘more proactive sales approach to turning leads into deals’.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2016-04-11-at-20_54_22.png" alt="Screen Shot 2016-04-11 at 20.54.22" />
To say I was intrigued is an understatement, so I decided to check it out. Read on for my review of the new ‘anti-CRM’ to see what this system is all about.
<h2>Getting Started</h2>
Getting set up with You Don’t Need A CRM is a fairly simple process and you have two options if you wish to participate in the free 15-day trial. 
To sign up, users can share the site on social media, provide more details via email (if you don’t use social media), or enter credit card details for billing for after the 15-day period. I liked seeing this focus on lead generation from the get-go, as it showed that these guys don’t just talk the talk.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2016-04-11-at-18_30_47.png" alt="Screen Shot 2016-04-11 at 18.30.47" /> When you log-in, you’ll be greeted with an activity page that’s all about leads – no CRM extras included. There are regular webinars available if you need a hand with anything and the online tour is really useful also.
<h3>Managing Your Leads</h3>
To create a new lead, you can insert details manually, add a contact list, or scan in details via a website, business card, or email. 
To test it out, I added details for a very important prospective customer.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2016-04-11-at-18_34_40.png" alt="Screen Shot 2016-04-11 at 18.34.40" />
The default lead stages are ‘Incoming’, ‘In-touch’, and ‘Closing’, and lead details are inserted in a textbox that’s extremely easy to use. It’s a far cry from having to fill in 20+ contact details in a standard CRM, that’s for sure. You can also tag your leads for sorting purposes which is pretty handy.
The ‘upload via business card’ feature is great and will especially appeal to sales reps who are out on the road. Users can simply send a scan of the business card to the supplied email and it will be added as a new lead.
To upload via excel or CSV, simply go to ‘Prospecting File’ on the dashboard, click on the ‘+’ sign, and you’ll be presented with this page where you can add a title, description, and tags for your new prospects list.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2016-04-11-at-19_47_47.png" alt="Screen Shot 2016-04-11 at 19.47.47" />
<h3>The To-Do List</h3>
You Don’t Need A CRM have streamlined the whole sales management process into a basic ‘To-do list’. Each lead goes into the ‘To-do’ list automatically and remains there until you add a reminder for your next action; once you’ve added a reminder, it moves into ‘Standby’. 
From here, it can be moved into the next stages and there are default buckets that allow you to organize everything easily. 
For example, the ‘Alive’ bucket includes all leads listed under ‘Standby’ and ‘To-do’.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2016-04-11-at-19_57_46.png" alt="Screen Shot 2016-04-11 at 19.57.46" />
<h3>Email Management</h3>
As I mentioned above, you can upload leads via email by scanning a business card; but it’s also possible to use email to keep track of conversations with those leads. 
When you sign up, you’ll be given two custom email address – one for lead creation and one for lead tracking. To track your conversations via email, simply bcc the custom email address that’s provided.
<h3>Reporting Functionality</h3>
This isn’t great. Whilst the basic nature of everything else on this system seems to be a plus, the lack of in-depth reporting functionality will be a stumbling block for most businesses.
There are 3 main reports; ‘History’, ‘Won’, and ‘Future’ – and that’s it. There’s no other customization available and you can’t create your own reports. Whilst this may not be an issue for very small businesses, most companies will be used to a far more extensive reporting function.
<h3>Pricing</h3>
Pricing is really affordable at $19 per month for 1 user and an extra $7 per month for every other user. It’s definitely a solid option for the small business owner.
<h2>So, Do You Need A CRM?</h2>
In short, yes. Even if you don’t need an extensive CRM right now, you will need one eventually. However, You Don’t Need A CRM is a great stepping stone before moving on to a larger CRM, and it will appeal to small businesses with an immediate focus on lead generation and management.
This is a ‘love it or hate it’ kind of tool that will really suit the business owner who craves a little more simplicity in their CRM. It definitely won’t be a good fit for anyone looking for an extensive reporting tool, though.
In the long-term, I can see You Don’t Need A CRM taking off as a lead management tool to use alongside a more full-featured CRM. It would definitely compliment any of the top dog CRM systems really well.
Have you tried out You Don’t Need A CRM? Leave a comment below to let us know what you think!

Hands-on With "You Don't Need A CRM"

grainne-logue

Storing documents in a physical filing cabinet is like attempting to index and file away the very air we breathe—what we attempt to track will likely be rendered unfindable.
If that seems like a stretch, it isn’t: The average employee spends 30-40% of his or her time looking for information locked in email and filing cabinets (1). Sometimes this information is found, and sometimes it isn’t. But these are only a few of the reasons companies in accounting, construction, insurance, healthcare, and manufacturing are <a href="http://www.paperlessoffice.com/why-go-paperless/">going paperless</a> through document management software (DMS) at unprecedented rates.
Although DMS marketers have become experts at describing the tangible benefits of the software’s features—features that enable third-party, industry-specific software integration, overthrow operating costs, reduce lengthy document turnaround times, de-clutter offices, and resolve broken project workflows, many of the software’s intangible benefits remain unexplained. Unlike the tangible benefits of DMS, the following intangible benefits aren’t adequately measured by the balance sheet’s bottom line, but they may become the reason DMS saves <a href="http://www.hr.com/en/magazines/all_articles/10-ways-how-dms-saves-workforce-discovering-how-dm_im4q15kg.html">the world’s paper-dependent workforce</a>.
<h3>5. Freedom</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/freedom-image.jpg" alt="Freedom Image" />
Those who attended the eFileCabinet Edge User Conference in 2015 noted that use of document management software had one particularly salient yet intangible benefit, and that benefit was freedom. In a very real and impactful sense, relying on paper to complete the business process through actions like faxing, storing, and sifting through information can be likened to manual labor. Although manual labor and white collar office environments are perceived to be at opposites of the workplace continuum, paper is what blurs the line between the conveniences of the corporate world and the physical exertion of blue collar, manual-labor intensive environments. However, we are only as free at work as the processes we use to conduct business allow us to be, and reliance on paper impinges this freedom, whereas document management software can enable it.
<h3>4. Time</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/time-image.jpg" alt="Time Image" />
Of all the intangible benefits of document management mentioned in this article, time provides the most resources. And procrastination is not the thief of time as Edward Young put it—broken focus is. Although the number of interruptions a worker faces each day hinges upon the industry he or she works in and where he or she sits in the office, the breaks in concentration caused by relying on paper impose many setbacks: the time spent walking to the fax machine and printer, the time spent searching for lost documents, the time that can’t be recaptured.
What’s more, these breaks in concentration are frequently viewed as insurmountable issues that are ‘just part of work,’ but you needn’t so readily succumb to these interruptions with the right technology. Even with today’s emphasis on productivity, cutthroat competition, and innovation, workplace interruptions are as commonplace as they are hindrances to the advancement of the economy as a whole. In a world flooded by noise, employees are increasingly deprived of the concentration they need to succeed in the workplace, earn raises, win promotions, and make a positive difference.
Not only can document management software eliminate these interruptions through software integration (such as integration to digital signature solutions, which eliminate the need to print anything, and web sharing portal integration, which eliminates the need for the fax machine) the elimination of these interruptions gives workers the ability to work more productively and with the unfaltering concentration that’s <a href="http://www.efilecabinet.com/how-software-brings-the-psychological-benefits-of-flow-to-employees/">conducive to employees’ wellness</a>. Compound these factors with the myriad distractions we face outside the office (advertisements, personal phone calls, bills, and telemarketers calling at dinner) the interruptions in life, at their most difficult, can begin to feel as if they’re distracting you from the very purpose you were born to fulfill inside the office and out.
<h3>3. Convenience</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/convenience-image.jpg" alt="Convenience Image" />
Although convenience has saturated the consumer-tech market, many remain unaware that enterprise software has reached a parallel level of convenience. However, DMS is positioned to reshape this understanding of convenience in the enterprise, and for myriad reasons:
Accessing any file from any place there is an internet connection is increasingly important in a number of occupations (and especially important for traveling salesman, real estate agents, and constructions workers). DMS facilitates this accessibility and convenience through its mobile, online, and mac-compatible offerings, all of which offer improved customer/client service and the ability to work responsively.
<h3>2. Peace of Mind</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/peace-of-mind-image.jpg" alt="Peace of Mind Image" />
The demand for peace of mind is on the rise as security breaches, information leaks, and other information catastrophes made plenty of headlines in 2015. However, most of these breaches were the result of poor internal information management, and there’s plenty organizations can do to prevent these breaches.
Although the insurance industry has already (and deservingly) made a lot of money from ensuring peace of mind, members of the insurance profession are discovering, through document management software, how they can ensure the same peace of mind in their offices that they do for their customers; all through DMS.
Some of the peace of mind facilitators in DMS are its secure web sharing portals designed to prevent data breaches, sophisticated data backup, secure servers, 256-AES bank-grade encryption, and data storage with multiple artificial and physical points of presence, to name just a few. As far as internal information breaches are concerned, the role-based user permissions of document management software keep employees from accessing certain information at the account administrator’s discretion.
<h3>1. Professional Growth</h3>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/professional-growth-image.jpg" alt="Professional Growth Image" />
A crucial part of professional growth involves encouragement and positive feedback. When documents are lost, misplaced, and unutilized, it becomes difficult to praise the good work of the person who created it. Just as many works of art have been lost throughout history, many works of art are lost in the muck of paper dependent processes—and we cannot praise a person for his or her work if we know not where it is placed. The metadata of document management software makes information far more retrievable and securely stored, too.
Additionally, improved workflow is both a feature and byproduct of document management software. As a byproduct, workflow ensures quick and accurate task completion; as a feature, it ensures good work can be traced to the right employees, and, therefore, that praise and blame are delegated fairly.
<pre>Sources1. http://www.thepaperlessproject.com/facts-about-paper-the-impact-of-consumption/</pre>

The Intangible Benefits of Document Management Software

Attracting visitors to your website is half the battle. The real value lies in converting those visitors after they walk through your digital door.
<a href="https://www.truconversion.com">TruConversion</a> is a freshly launched conversion optimization and analytics platform, and it just opened its doors to the public; with a 30-day free trial.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/aaeaaqaaaaaaaai4aaaajduymmy2mty0lty3owutndlkzc05ndaylwzlyzlkzjm0mzdjnq-1.png" alt="AAEAAQAAAAAAAAI4AAAAJDUyMmY2MTY0LTY3OWUtNDlkZC05NDAyLWZlYzlkZjM0MzdjNQ (1)" />
With TruConversion, you can monitor heatmaps, visitor session recordings, conversion funnels, form analytics, and much more.
So, I thought I'd take it for a quick test drive.
<h2>An Overview of TruConversion</h2>
After you sign up for your free account, TruConversion prompts you to insert a script into the header of your website. Just like Google Analytics.
Once you insert that script, you can start putting TruConversion to work.
That involves setting up heatmaps, recordings, form analytics, and more. That can all be done from TruConversion's dashboard.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-6.png" alt="sshot-6" />
The dashboard itself is clean and simple, although I think the sidebar could use a slight re-design to help bring all the icons into the same window. Currently, you have to scroll down to see the bottom two.
<h4>Heatmaps</h4>
I opted for a heatmap campaign, and I was glad to see the help windows were popping up to direct me around the admin panel.
I was able to name my campaign, and then select the number of pageviews I wanted to capture. You can capture up to 20,000, depending on the plan you're paying for. You can also schedule an email notification upon completion.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-7.png" alt="sshot-7" />
You can specify the pages that you want to include and exclude from the heatmap campaign, and you can also choose to exclude certain page elements, like a pre-existing popup.
All in all, there's a healthy balance of complexity and simplicity here. I was able to set up a heat map very quickly, but advanced options were there for me if I needed them.
<h4>MicroSurveys</h4>
I also tried out the MicroSurveys feature, which allows you to display a short and sweet question box on any page of your website.
After naming my survey and selecting where I'd like it to appear on my website, I was able to configure how and when visitors would see the question box.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-8.png" alt="sshot-8" />
I could choose from; show once per visitor, stop showing after response received, and continue showing even after response received.
I then selected he devices I wanted my MicroSurvey to display on. Desktop, Mobile, and Tablet were the options. I could select one, two, or all three at once.
Furthermore, I could select the percentage of visitors I wanted to see my survey, as well as more detailed conditions. For example, I could make it so that only visitors coming directly from Facebook would see the survey.
As for the survey itself, I was able to customize the design in a way which I found quite pleasing.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-9.png" alt="sshot-9" />
TruConversion loaded my website up for me, and then allowed me to customize the colors and position of the question box, in order to optimize the design. Very handy indeed.
And of course, I was able to customize the question itself, as well as the pre-set answers.
Once again, I found that TruConversion struck a nice balance between fine detail and ease of use.
<h2>Important Integrations</h2>
TruConversion also integrates with a range of tools that are likely already a part of your business.
Such tools include; Salesforce, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Optimizely, Marketo, KISSMetrics, and numerous others.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sshot-10.png" alt="sshot-10" />
Essentially, this allows users to automatically add emails collected through TruConversion to the platforms above.
Overall, TruConversion seems to be a promising platform, with quite a few genuinely useful features. I'll be keeping tabs on its progress.
To find out more about TruConversion, <a href="https://www.truconversion.com">check out their website</a>.
Also, you can explore more through the <a href="/truconversion/">TruConversion Hub on our Analytics Directory</a>.

Hands-on With TruConversion: Conversion Optimization & Analytics United

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