marketing technology – New Digital Noise https://newdigitalnoise.com Wed, 14 Aug 2024 11:28:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://newdigitalnoise.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/cropped-web-Favicon-32x32.jpg marketing technology – New Digital Noise https://newdigitalnoise.com 32 32 Explore the Importance of UX/UI Design in Customer Interaction https://newdigitalnoise.com/explore-the-importance-of-ux-ui-design-in-customer-interaction/ https://newdigitalnoise.com/explore-the-importance-of-ux-ui-design-in-customer-interaction/#respond Thu, 27 Feb 2020 13:55:43 +0000 https://newdigitalnoise.ndnsocial.com.hk/?p=4236 The post Explore the Importance of UX/UI Design in Customer Interaction appeared first on New Digital Noise.

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UI/UX plays a significant role in any brand’s success. It can help you reach new heights but only if you deliver a good service. This article takes you through the latest UI/UX trends and its benefits to help you understand it better.

What is the difference between UX and UI design

Both mobiles and desktops have a majority of digital users onboard and both the platforms have their own significance. For instance, desktops serve the purpose of quick access to web pages and mobile phones are ideal for creating engagement. Aesthetic graphics and engaging content must be on point while designing a digital presence but another important thing that most of the designers overlook is good user experience and interface. But what exactly is UI and UX?

What is UX?

UX is the abbreviated form of User Experience and it is based on the idea of creating a system that provides the users with the best experience. It aims at turning your customers into loyal customers by offering a positive experience to them. UX is accountable for a user’s journey through the mobile app or website which eventually becomes the deciding factor for the success of the business.

What is UI?

UI is an abbreviation used for User Interface and it’s the way using which users can interact with any mobile application. User interface design for mobile applications focuses on delivering easy, enjoyable and effective interactions between users and the application. In IT, User Interface refers to any device that allows the users to interact with monitors, screens or mobile devices. The primary goal which UI aims for is to provide the best interaction possible.

What are benefits of UX/UI

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  1. Encourages the use of interaction: Creating content is not a hard task. But creating content that people would like to interact with, is the real challenge. Be it in the form of text, images, advertisements, or call to action, everything must lure the user. There are several techniques to encourage user interaction such as producing the content that appeals to the targeted audience. It can also be about personalised features based on consumer behaviour or things they like. People prefer a software that has consistency in design, is predictable, and comfortable to use.

 

  1. Generates loyalty: A good user experience can create customer loyalty for your brand. An application or website that offers easy functionality and backed by great service will make your users use it again and again. The designer can create a Customer Journey i.e. CJM Map to achieve it. It will help the designer to map the entire journey of the user through the website or the mobile application. This journey must be thoroughly tested to make sure that a user’s interaction with the product is as smooth and easy as possible. It’s more like putting the design team in the shoes of the user and thinking from their perspective.

 

  1. Generates recommendations: An interactive user experience design is the key to encouraging word of mouth recommendations i.e. it should be good to an extent that the users can’t stop talking about it. A well-designed site or application with the ease of use, offering great features and usefulness will encourage people to tell others about the service. A part of user experience is meant to make sharing easy and a free recommendation from a user itself is way more impactful than a paid advertisement.

 

  1. Reduces development costs: A stellar user experience helps you keep a project within budget by lowering development costs along with extensive user research, prototyping, and usability testing. By doing this, you can ensure that development time is targeted on the areas of functionality that matter. This focused approach helps you create better initial design specs, reduces the risk of feature creep, and provides more relevant content. It greatly erases the need for last-minute redesigns and enhancements.

 

  1. Reduces internal costs: User experience is an end-user focused approach that concentrates on the design and development, keeping in mind what users want and not what developers think they want. It not only saves money on development costs but it also helps businesses to wisely use their internal resources. For instance, the design will help you identify the products liked or wanted by people. This would help the sales and marketing department to put their efforts on profitable products instead of putting it on the less profitable ones. Moreover, it reduces the need for manual intervention and hence reduces the support costs eventually.

 

What are latest UX/UI trends

 

  1. Animation: It makes web pages or mobile applications more appealing to users as it connects with the customers more than any other design. This tool is getting popular amongst the designers as it allows them to create a positive impact on the users. Earlier, we used to have flat logos, icons, buttons, etc. but now they are getting replaced with animated buttons, icons, and even logos.

 

  1. Digital illustrations for the web: Custom digital illustrations are trending in the field of UI and UX. These digital illustrations are generally used on web interfaces and add colours, designs while making the information more evident and interesting. They are widely used by blogs and service websites to beautify their website and present sober information in a modern and fancy way.

 

  1. 3D designs: It helps you create more impactful design and it’s already being used in many games and movies with high functionality. A combination of animation and 3D is going to be the next trend in UI and UX.

 

  1. Split Screen: The idea of using two screens simultaneously appeals to a lot of users. It not only looks cool but also allows you to gather more information at the same time.
  2. Voice UI: Voice assistants like Google Home and Alexa have taken over the entire digital world of virtual assistants. People use these services widely to get most of their work done irrespective of its origin i.e. small or big. Performing tasks using your voice is a lot more convenient than operating a device with buttons and making it do the same.

 

NDN Group build a chatbot with personality for hotel group

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At NDN Group, we help our clients map out UX/UI to understand their customers, define customer experience journeys and innovate with a strong focus on customers’ needs and awe-inspiring insights about them. From user personas and customer journeys to content strategy, wireframe to website and app design, we help our business clients tell their stories and engage with customers for scaling businesses.

NDN Group’s digital consultancy, New Digital Noise, has been helping a global hotel group to develop an AI-powered chatbot with persona and personality traits, thereby creating immersive and fascinating experiences to its customers. The bot can help guests make suite booking and restaurant reservations as well answer questions on thrilling entertainment and hotel facilities.

To create persona and personality for the bot, our team has gathered insights to understand more about the hotel group from its brand persona, daily operations, gaming and entertainment facilities, world-class dining experience and luxurious and bespoke services offered to customers.

Creating a chatbot conversation flow and putting to the test

Our UX/UI team has arranged empathy sessions for the hotel to learn their customers genuine needs. With our five-stage process – Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test, we empathise with the targeted customers through researches, interviews and sharing. We understand customers’ emotional needs, discover human touchpoints and garner insights on the needs of customers in different segments. Our team has created solid solutions to address users’ needs and built a prototype chatbot for testing/validation to excel to entire UX process.

Also, we have embraced six core human needs – Certainly, Variety, Significance, Love, Growth and Contribution – in the process. Then we have clearly defined the background, personalities, tone of voice and manner of the bot.

In the development of the chatbot script, we imagine how the AI-powered chatbot talks to customers based on its persona.  Based on conversational diagram, we have imagined the bot talking to customers in real time when writing scripts. We listened to characters or people who are similar to the bot persona. We try to avoid dead ends and leaving the user hanging. It mimics what we would hear from a concierge in the luxurious hotel. Finally, we have developed a prototype for the chatbot and fine-tuned scripts. We have interacted with the bot to excel its dialogue flow and make it immersive to customers, ensuring that the bot is helpful and meet customers’ needs and expectations.

Conclusion

Our User Experience/User Interface design services are thoughtfulengagingusercentricWe work with our clients to define their business goalsand every industry is different. The trends of UX and UI have changed a lot and it will continue to do so. But one thing which doesn’t change with time is the quality of UX and UI. To derive better results and satisfy your customers, it is important to offer them an outstanding UX/UI services. Drop us a line at info@ndngroup.com to learn more about how our UX/UI services fit your business needs.

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Explore the Benefits of Blockchain Applications for Your Business https://newdigitalnoise.com/explore-the-benefits-of-blockchain-applications-for-your-business/ https://newdigitalnoise.com/explore-the-benefits-of-blockchain-applications-for-your-business/#respond Mon, 20 Jan 2020 11:58:39 +0000 https://newdigitalnoise.ndnsocial.com.hk/?p=4197 The post Explore the Benefits of Blockchain Applications for Your Business appeared first on New Digital Noise.

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Blockchain technology has completed its transition from geek tech to adoption. Blockchain applications in business are transforming the way data is transmitted, accessed and used. In this article, we delve into blockchain applications that help transform enterprises in a wide variety of industries. Enterprises are investing in blockchain technology to make all transactions more authentic, transparent, and trustworthy. 

The reason why business executives are excited about the blockchain is for its following three distinctive features:

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·       Decentralization: None of the data in the blockchain is owned by one centralized entity. All the nodes in the blockchain’s network hold the data.

·       Immutability: After data has been entered in the blockchain, it cannot be tampered with. This happens because of cryptographic hash functions.

·       Transparency: All the nodes of the network can see all the data that has been entered into the blockchain.

Specific Types of Blockchain Applications in Businesses

The blockchain gives users the ability to create value and authenticates digital information. Here are some specific types of blockchain applications that are developed for and how that might change your business.

1)Asset Management

The security and resiliency of the transactional data are imperative in asset management. Blockchain technology allows businesses to create a system consisting of the technology and processes of third-party providers and internal systems, thereby revolving around a single source of truth for the asset management activities. As transactions performed on a blockchain are immutable, it creates an accurate, unchangeable record for asset managers to use and verify the transactions. Asset management organizations and financial institutions use these records to analyze their performance and risks as part of their planning cycles. Asset managers can share sensitive data such as asset history, with relevant providers and partners in a secure way.

The blockchain ledger also reduces error by encrypting the records and simplifies the process as well as cancel the need for intermediaries. Blockchain technology simplifies all processes and actions in managing assets, namely portfolio management, trading and transaction of cryptocurrencies.

2) Insurance claims processing

Claims processing can be a frustrating procedure and insurance processors wade through fragmented data sources. The blockchain provides a system for risk-free management and transparency. Through its use of public ledger, blockchain can potentially eliminate suspicious transactions by logging each transaction. Through its decentralized digital repository, it can verify the authenticity of customers, policies and transactions by providing historical records.

Blockchain can also handle the increase in third-party transactions and claims made through personal devices. Blockchain helps slash costs through automated verification of claims data from third parties. Insurance companies can swiftly check past claims transactions registered on blockchain. This has helped fostered higher degrees of trust and loyalty between insurers and customers.

3) Cross-border payments

The global payments sector is error-prone and time-consuming. It takes several days if not longer for money to cross the world. Cross-border payments supported by blockchain provide significant advantages to businesses and consumers. Blockchain-based payments are cost-effective, almost immediate, secure and transparent. Blockchain payments are completed in close to real time – in seconds rather than days. Instead of paying transfer fees to multiple parties, companies using blockchain only need to pay a single nominal fee or nothing at all. Cost savings will be substantial for organizations that make frequent international transactions.

Blockchain also eliminates the risk of discrepancies in record keeping. As a decentralized ledger, it holds an irreversible record of every transaction and distributes it for all authorized users to see. The ledger is maintained and updated communally by a group of connected computers, and all parties have an identical copy of the ledger. All transaction records are secured by cryptography, tied to previous transactions and distributed among participants in a ledger.

4) Smart contracts

Blockchain technology can power smart contracts to fulfill transactions. It is wise to perform due diligence on any company your company is considering doing business with.  A smart contract is an automated, self-fulfilling contract between two parties. Payment is not released from one party to the other until both parties have fulfilled their terms of the contract. Once this is done, payment is released automatically.

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Smart contracts get rid of third parties overseeing the creation and completion of contracts. Parties can use pre-drafted contracts that can be modified and shared in one ledger.

5) Supply chain management

Blockchain technology also benefits supply chain management by providing a way to trace goods while being cost-effective. Enterprises can verify with certainty where items and goods are, thereby eliminating guesswork and inefficiencies.

Blockchain technology have an impact on the supply chain process. It has recorded the quantity and transfer of products as they change hands between supply chain nodes. It has helped track change orders, buy orders, shipment notifications, trade documents and receipts from the blockchain ledger. The blockchain also allows sharing information about processing or manufacturing process, delivery, assembly and maintenance of products with vendors and suppliers transparently.

6) Digital Identity

The traditional identity systems of today are fragmented, insecure, and exclusive. Blockchain enables more secure management and storage of digital identities by providing unified and tamper-proof infrastructure with key benefits to enterprises, users, and Internet of Things (IoT) management systems

The importance of digital identity is prominent than ever for some reasons. Without a proper ID, getting access to education, banking, or health is difficult for users. There is still no global cooperation with IDs, so digital identity can enable a digital-based identification. Blockchain technology can help in tracking and managing digital identities. It eliminates the need for physical identification and replaces it with digital IDs. It offers solutions for many digital identity issues where identity can be uniquely authenticated in an immutable, irrefutable, and secure manner.

7) Blockchain’s Internet of Things applications (IoT)

Gartner predicts that 20.4 billion IoT-connected devices will be active by the end of 2020, with some estimates showing the IoT market will reach US$3 trillion annually by 2026. Blockchain-enabled IoT devices would operate faster and more securely for businesses. As the blockchain is decentralized, it can do what IoT exactly requires. Using blockchain in IoT can help businesses track billions of connected devices in the network.

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Integrating the blockchain in IoT devices can also reduce the costs of installing and managing servers for an IoT network. Blockchain uses cryptographic algorithms which ensures the confidentiality and security of the data on the IoT network.

Meanwhile, smart IoT-enabled devices play a crucial role in our day-to-day lives. IoT blockchain enables the home security system to be managed remotely from the smartphone. The traditional centralized approach to exchange information generated by IoT devices lacks the security standards and ownership of information. Blockchain could elevate the smart home to the next level by solving security issues and removing centralized infrastructure. Sensitive user data such as biometrics, voice recognition, and facial recognition are stored on the blockchain for improved security. Once the data is saved on the blockchain, it cannot be modified, and access is only provided to the right person.

Blockchain technology becomes tidal wave of innovation

With deep expertise across various industries, NDN Group has leveraged the Proof-of-Capacity algorithm to build a decentralized open source platform – a scalable, environmentally friendly and adaptable blockchain solution. Practical blockchain applications are becoming more mainstream. As blockchain adoption spreads, it can become a driving force for solving business problems and transforming how we live and work every day.

Explore the blockchain world with us. Drop us a line at info@ndngroup.com to learn more about how our blockchain solutions fit your business needs.

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Best Practices For Landing Page Optimization https://newdigitalnoise.com/best-practices-for-landing-page-optimization/ https://newdigitalnoise.com/best-practices-for-landing-page-optimization/#respond Tue, 14 Jan 2020 18:01:10 +0000 https://newdigitalnoise.ndnsocial.com.hk/?p=4160 The post Best Practices For Landing Page Optimization appeared first on New Digital Noise.

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Landing page optimization (LPO) is the process of improving elements on a website to increase conversions. Check out the tips below to achieve LPO which can help you acquire more potential customers, lower your customer acquisition costs and significantly improve your business results.

 

1. Create a fast and mobile-friendly site

Users love fast sites. A long loading time leads to a high bounce rate and abandonment. Also, 53% of visits are abandoned if a mobile site takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Make sure the users can access your page within a few seconds to generate a better conversion rate. 

 

2. Optimize for SEO

To increase the chance for people to find your website via organic search, you should create valued content, incorporate industry-related keywords into your landing pages’ headlines, body text and more. By adopting effective search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, your website can rank higher on Google.

 

3. Keep it simple

The simple and clean design looks trustworthy and professional. Try to remove unnecessary visuals, navigation elements, and functionalities of the website. The key is to make it as easy as possible for the users to find a solution to their problem. In this way, you can highlight your brand image, products or services, and offers, leading to more conversions as a result.

 

4. CTAs is the key

Calls to actions (CTAs) is one of the most important elements of a landing page. A call-to-action button should be clear, concise and obvious. Its purpose is to get users to take action – provide their personal information, make an inquiry or become a member. In the end, your goal is to generate sales or capture leads. Urging users to take action is always your priority.

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Digital Transformation Step By Step Manual https://newdigitalnoise.com/digital-transformation-step-by-step-manual/ https://newdigitalnoise.com/digital-transformation-step-by-step-manual/#respond Tue, 14 Jan 2020 18:00:13 +0000 https://newdigitalnoise.ndnsocial.com.hk/?p=4158 The post Digital Transformation Step By Step Manual appeared first on New Digital Noise.

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Have you been doing it wrong? Achieving True Digital Transformation in 2020

Digital innovation is an irreversible trend intrinsically tied to business survival. It is, however, easier said than done when it comes to larger enterprises with traditional business mindsets and a complex organizational structure. The clock is ticking; the question is: how to get started? 

Tailored to enterprises starving for change, this digital transformation playbook covers fundamental concepts, values and goals of digital transformation, prior to unfolding a detailed step-by-step action plan.  We also shed light on anticipated challenges and a market overview for 2020 to complete a comprehensive strategy.

1. Introduction: Change for survival

If you ask why an enterprise decides to invest in digital transformation, it is most likely about survival. Some call digital transformation a revolution, one that has been spanning across the globe, impacting businesses big and small in every industry. According to Global Digital IQ Survey 2018 by PwC, 64% of top financial performers say their business faces a serious threat from disruption. Moreover, over half of the tech leaders (54%) believe that their company will fail within four years if they aren’t successful in their digital transformation efforts, as shown in the Wednesday report from Couchbase.

Today, businesses in any industry are at risk. Tomorrow, an industry giant could be taken over by a disruptive innovator. Looking back, the economic landscape has never stopped changing; but “digital” has accelerated the pace tremendously while pushing businesses to compete in a global market space. The only way for them to keep their competitive edge is to act now: to constantly challenge the status quo, improve and transform.

Let’s admit the truth. Digital transformation is costly and complicated. While uncountable businesses announced victory in achieving exponential growth in profitability and efficiency by leading the change years ago, many remain wavering and unsure about transformation. Here’s the good news: sound leadership will turn the investments into competitive advantages, and save your business from going all-in blindly to technology. The key roles of leadership will be discussed throughout the step-by-step guide to help businesses in need to develop a sound digital transformation strategy.

People over digital

If you don’t know where to start, always remember the core objective of digital transformation is to serve people, i.e. to elevate customer experience and empower employees to work more efficiently. Whether the transformation will go well depends on people too – leadership with clear visions and business strategies, whereas technologies are just your tools to fulfill the objectives.

Think of it as a fitness training program. Profitability and efficiency (your transformation motives) can be enhanced through training up employees with customer-centric mindsets and digital skill sets (mindsets and muscles), getting rid of unnecessary processes (body fat) with the help of innovations and technologies (diet and workout plans). Instead of following whatever resources available online, what you really need is a transformation guide tailored to your own needs.

We are about to take you through a holistic transformation from the fundamental concepts to an actionable roadmap, from the latest digital trends to top tips for avoiding potholes and achieving success.

2. The fundamentals

What is Digital Transformation?

Digital transformation is a holistic business initiative. If you look it up in Gartner IT Glossary, the definition also includes a similar term: “digitization”. Digitization is the process of changing from analog to digital form, also known as digital enablement, without any different-in-kind changes to the process itself.

Another commonly confused word is “digitalization”, the use of digital technologies to change a business model and provide new revenue and value-producing opportunities; it is the process of moving to a digital business. Digitization and digitalization are operational necessities, but they do not represent a full view of digital transformation.

Digital Transformation, as defined by Gartner, refers to

“ anything from IT modernization, to digital optimization, to the invention of new digital business models.”

As the name hints, digital and IT technology play a big part in the transformation. It often includes a range of digitalization projects, the process of employing digital technologies and information to transform business operations and processes, and ultimately the business models. Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), big data, blockchain and cloud computing are among the most common technologies used in digital transformations.

Pillars of Digital Transformation

The term “digital” leads to common misconceptions of IT being the focus of change. There are “forward-thinking” and “passionate” businesses out there that welcome any forms of latest digital technologies with open arms and ends up with a large sum of investment going nowhere. Emerging technology, like any other forms of investment, is risky, especially when evolving at an incredible speed.

Rather than adopting whatever technologies are trending, digital transformation is more about shifting thinking, changing products and processes to accommodate the digital environment. A real transformation requires a profound shift from product-focus to customer experience excellence, from functionality upgrades of products and services to operational efficiency.

Yes, it is easier said than done. The next question is where and how to start? Goal-setting is always the first and foremost. Begin with reimagining business goals and encouraging radical alterations to work cultures, norms and values, while technologies and innovations serve as enablers for this holistic change. Look into the step-by-step guide for more actionable tips and pitfalls to avoid.

3. Actual values of Digital Transformation

Elevate Customer Experience

Customer experience (CX) is never the cherry on top but the cake itself, in case you are not fully aware. According to Gartner IT Glossary, CX stands for the customer’s perceptions and related feelings caused by the one-off and cumulative effect of interactions with a supplier’s employees, systems, channels or products. From a report issued by Mckinsey & Company, customer-experience leaders gain rapid insights to build customer loyalty, improve employee satisfaction, and adds up to revenue gains of 5 to 10 percent and cost reduction by 15 to 25 percent within two or three years. The customer-centric redesign process creates exponential values to the business in numerous aspects.

 

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Moreover, with rising consumer demand and competitive pressures, whether your enterprise can deliver a positive CX is the key to survival, as it essentially defines your business’s relationship with customers, and hence the long-term sales and revenue. According to a study by IBM, 68 percent of 12,800 C-levels surveyed across 20 industries said that they expect organizations to emphasize CX over their own products in the future.

What comes as a surprise is that while 80% of the enterprises interviewed by Bain and Company believe they deliver “super experiences”, only 8% of their customers agree. This has revealed a significant gap between how well enterprises think they are performing and the cold reality. With customer-centricity being a dominant trend across the globe, there is an urgent need for businesses to re-examine customer experience and take it as a priority.

Maximize operational efficiency

Operational processes occur at all organization levels. Process automation is another common goal in digital transformation to enhance efficiency and productivity in the workplace, with specific goals varying from one industry to another. Common processes range from quality assurance, delivery, employee analytics, help desk support, auditing, cost estimation to marketing research, etc.

Automation boasts a faster, cheaper and easier way to perform repetitive, manual processes, with advantages such as
-Increasing output
-Reducing labour costs
-Improving workflow
-Standardizing product/service quality
-Minimizing errors

These benefits eventually lead to better customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction. Research suggests that as many as 45% of the activities individuals are paid to perform can be automated by adapting currently demonstrated technologies. Furthermore, automation will offer significant competitive advantages typically between 3 and 10 times the cost.

Is the investment worth the risk?

As the general rule goes, great rewards come from taking risks. Digital transformation involves complex changes in business strategies and operational structure. It is a long-term, large-scale investment with high-level risk coming with it, especially for companies lacking common knowledge on the impact of the transformation on the business. Digital training is crucial for all employees, especially the C-suite and senior management.

McKinsey suggests that the success rate of digital transformation initiatives is less than 30%. Said another way, more than 70% of these initiatives fail. So the question here is how can your company make sure it is getting a positive return on investment from the money and resources dedicated to the project? That’s where leadership and the concept of digital ROI come in.

Companies moving forward on a digital transformation are well advised to take on an enterprise-wide view during the planning and prioritizing process if they hope to fully align investments to their overall digital strategy. It is an integrated approach that requires top-down goal setting and regular measuring of performances and returns. A set of key performance indicators (KPIs) metrics are necessary to keep track on the impact of digital initiatives more accurately and make adjustments to execution or even incremental goals when necessary. A suggested framework for digital KPIs metrics will be discussed further in another section.

4. Defining success in digital competency

Customer Experience Excellence

Customer-centricity focuses on the core issue “What do my customers really want ?” Across every industry, customers are demanding flexible, pleasing user experience (UX), as well as easy and transparent access to information of all kinds. An all-encompassing customer experience begins with understanding of your customers, mapping out customer journey for a personalized experience at multiple touchpoints. Think about your target audience. How can your business cater to their specific needs at the right time, with the right way? The “Five Ws” and the “how” are the simple but extremely useful guiding questions to get to know your customers.

Smart technology investment will offer great help in this aspect. Data analytics provide useful insights for customer preferences, how your products are actually performing, and whether they’re meeting customer expectations. Many enterprises today prefer to leverage AI and machine-learning alongside data to maximize customer experience, as pointed out by Forbes. The next section will feature more examples regarding tech application in the workplace. You may also refer to the market data section for the latest tech trends.

The Disney’s signature “MagicBand” is an example of incredible UX and personalization. MagicBand is an all-in-one smart device giving access to admission and shuttle tickets, hotel keys, fast pass, etc. It also supports e-payments at shops and restaurants in the theme park. Plus, customers can customize their magicband online to fulfill their needs. While customers are happy with the seamless experience, Disney will receive a tremendous amount of customer data in return. For example, when you arrive and leave; where and what you spend, eat and how much. With these data, Disney then uses machine learning algorithms to predict customer activities and manage demands, which offers useful insights for resource allocation such as employees.

From operational efficiency to employee enablement

Process digitalization reap benefits not only for the cost reduction, but to empower employees and increase productivity. The time spent in tasks used to be done manually can now be spent on digital training to fill the knowledge gap. Operational efficiency also means a workplace environment that fosters collaboration and connection between employees, divisions and different levels in the organization. Eventually a business should aim to promote a new work culture of idea sharing and innovation, encouraging senior management as well as employees in the executive level to continuously challenge and change the way we work for better workflow and output.

Empowerment has to be done with control and digital technology plays an important role. With data analytics, operational performance is more transparent for review and optimization, which help businesses ensure that the transformation in business units are actually helping the company achieve a centralized set of strategic goals.

5. Step-by-Step Guide

Congratulations on going through half of the transformation journey! By now you are keenly aware of the underlying motives and values of digital transformation, which set you up for a perfect start to change. From zero to one, here is everything you need to know about planning your next steps and taking actions.

Leadership: the success factor

Leadership is what turns digital investment into digital advantages — improved profitability and efficiency. As Digital transformation is a business-wide project, it has to be top-down led - by C-levels who oversees strategic plans and possesses comprehensive knowledge about the strengths and weaknesses of the business. Engagement of the C-suite is particularly crucial in the initial goal-setting stage, creating inspiring vision to lay down a solid foundation for the transformation to move forward and evolve.

The principles

To kick off, let’s be crystal clear about the core principles. First, instead of multiple individual projects, our framework of transformation is a long-term, staged approach with a series of incremental goals paving the way to achieving one or more enterprise-wide strategic objectives.

Second, while most digital transformations are found to have undergone similar transformation stages regardless of industries and contexts, every solution should be unique, hinging on individual objectives, pain points, markets, customer priorities, needs of stakeholders and so on.

 

DT four steps

 

Unfold the transformation in four steps:

Step one: Define transformation objectives

Frame the challenges facing the organization and determine the business-wide strategic objectives, followed by a mix of incremental goals with clearly-defined outcome. Set your goals following the S.M.A.R.T principle – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely, with reference to external industry benchmarks. In the next section, we’ll give you examples of typical goals in various focus areas and possible metrics to keep track of your transformation progress.

Tips to success

-The C-levels should consider business-wide priorities while determining strategic goals and an all-encompassing transformation roadmap.

-Senior management in various divisions should get involved in setting of incremental goals to ensure division compatibility and alignment with the core business objectives. These initial meetings are brilliant opportunities to kickstart further cross-functional collaborations during the transformation processes.

-Replacing all old goals with new ones that turn things upside down is not a must. Each business has its own DNA of success, which might remain a competitive edge in today’s market. Consider merging the old and the new goals, values and cultures if it is for the best.

Step two: Acquire the right technology enablers

From vision to action — introduce the right technologies to begin with. Among a myriad of technologies available, data analysis is one of the most common enablers with a widespread applications relating to better customer experience, operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.

Data itself is not valuable until it has been processed into meaningful insights. Make data actionable. Let it talk. While humans can handle small amounts of data, overwhelming amount of data up to thousands, millions or more is where AI and ML come into play – to make sense of data by extracting meaning and patterns from an enormous amount of data in no time.

The insights will be useful in decision-making, including strategic planning, organizational structure, customer experience, operational efficiency, employee enablement and your next step in the transformation. A combination of technologies compatible with your business nature and goals can create exponential growth to your business.

Tips to success

-Process automation is often a good area to start off for quicker, clearer results, which provides incentive for further investment in other aspects in digital transformation. Moreover, manpower freed up can focus on vital manual operations to enhance productivity, while sparing time for digital training to fill in the knowledge gap.

-Governance mechanism is key: coordinate projects and build coherent structures and processes for management. Ensure a balanced portfolio of digital investments and avoid duplication.

Step three: Equip your team from mindset to skill sets

Mobilize your team to execute the initial plan and involve them in solution creation. Once the basic digital investments are in place to get started, share your vision to the whole team. Explain the rationale of initiating digital transformation. From management, front-line executives to close partners, they should work towards the same business-wide goals in order to succeed. In this stage, make sure they are on the same page with the top-level on:

-Urgency of digital transformation
-Purposes, principles, impacts and foreseeable advantages
-Business goals and incremental goals
-Customer-centric mindset
-Understanding of the strong tie between business and technology

Equip the team with the fundamental mindsets and digital skills through digital transformation training, with hands-on workshops and discussions led by professionals in customer experience and digital landscape.

Meanwhile, new digital teams can be formed by enmeshing existing and new talents in design thinking and innovations such as AI and data analytics. Outsourcing is a possible option besides nurturing in-house staff.

Step four: Empower and sustain

With the knowledge gap closing in gradually, the top-level can now involve employees in solution creation. After all, the top-level does not know everything in the operational level and it is completely alright. Encourage staff in each organizational level and division to share their challenges. Invite them to brainstorm solutions together and even initiate new transformation projects. Begin by promoting new cultures in the company to facilitate idea sharing, such as:

-Open and flexible
-Innovative
-Collaborative
-Change-ready
-Real-time
-Customer-centric

Now it comes to the most crucial task to sustain the transformation: measure and monitor. As digital transformation is scaling up with multiple projects taking place across organizational levels and divisions, control is what determines ongoing growth: increase in profitability and efficiency. Measure results periodically to check on progresses. We celebrate achievements to boost staff support; meanwhile, we prioritize investments and projects to based on their performances and make necessary changes.

Tips to success

-Provide incentives to gain employee support. A robust reward system gives staff a sense of purpose and motivation to align and support change. Alongside cash-rewards, consider non-financial rewards such as flexible workdays, additional leave, education, professional development or digital training.

-Utilize technology to encourage cultural and behavioral shift. For example, introduce digital platforms to break geographical and time constraints, engage and connect employees, facilitate idea sharing and transparent performance management.

-Be decisive in letting go unprofitable projects. While there are investments meant to reap long-term results over immediate gains, some projects are hurting the business. The top-level and middle-management are responsible for overseeing the overall performances and terminating loss in a timely manner.

6.Digital Transformation Metrics

For every change we make in life, we naturally aim for rewards to keep us going. Gym lovers always look for inches of body fat loss and muscle gain to prove to themselves the hard work pays off. The same rule applies in a massive-scale project like digital transformation, despite the need for a broader set of metrics to keep track of various aspects of the project.

Traditional business metrics or key performance indicators (KPI) are mainly categorized by functions. Without a uniform objective, divisional goals are often found to be conflicting with each other. For example, back-office division values efficiency and cost reduction while front-office is devoted to providing the best customer service. It is literally impossible to pursue optimized individual outcomes for both sides.

In digital transformation, boundaries between divisions are slowly dissolving, so does the metrics. On the other hand, there will be increasing cross-functional collaborations heading towards the same business objectives, which can be divided into four key areas: customer service, employee enablement, operational efficiency and innovations. This is where you start designing S.M.A.R.T goals and corresponding metrics for each category, with consideration to factors like
-Speed to transform
-Number of errors and the fixing cost
-Quality
-Productivity
-Ease of completing task

Tips to success

-Again, there is no such thing as a set of universal metrics that applies to all. As Gartner suggests, the value of a metric lies in its ability to influence business decision making.

-Refer external industry benchmarks as reference (cost saving, revenues, improved performance of agents, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, new ways of working, new capabilities)

-Regular progress examination and improvement are essential; even the targeted goal should be regularly revisited and revised if necessary. The goals should be able to address a specific, defined audience and can be understood by a non-IT audience.

7.Expected challenges

Culture

Digital transformation, like any other transformation projects, is a challenge to the physical and mental. Infrastructures and systems are the hardware that drives transformation, while cultures and mindsets impact employee’s morale and the way they work. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) suggested that for companies that neglected culture in digital transformation, only 17% managed to improve performance. On the other hand, 90% companies emphasizing culture management achieved breakthroughs and excellent financial performance; what’s more, 80% sustained the results.

A cultural change starts from the top. Leaders must communicate clearly about what needs to be changed. Encourage employees to engage with customers and partners and promote delegation over control. Promote an innovative culture that is agile, bold and collaborative. Foster cross-divisional collaboration instead of individual work. Again, the transformation is not IT-focused but a business-wide project. Mobilize and unite the whole team to participate and move forward.

*Merging old and new

*Employee resistance one of the biggest hurdles

Costs and resources

Budget is a practical constraint, but not a justifiable reason to walk away. Expect investment in digital transformation to be long-term, complex and expensive. Temporary profit drop within a short time frame is common. Same as fitness, persistence is key. Remain motivated by setting short-term goals for 6-12 months. Hit the small targets, measure regularly with tailored metrics to ensure the transformation is on progress and heading towards the right direction.

Maintainance

Digital service failure is a huge turnoff to customers and it hurts brand reputation, indirectly affecting sales and revenue. On-going maintenance is key. Further development of applications and services to seek upgrades and improve capabilities.

Sound project management and control are crucial. Set clear goals and organized schedule for each project. Before initiating a new project, always ask “why” to give a sense of purpose to the team. Do not invest in fancy, popular digital tools for the sake of becoming digital. Do not start many projects at the same time or it may risk going out of control. Be patient, one thing at a time. Focus on quality, not quantity.

8.Market Overview

Year of action
This is the time for transformation to go “pragmatic”. A pragmatic approach will allow companies to take action, address fundamental challenges and embark on large-scale digital transformation. This section is an overview of major global and Asian trends and staggering progress on innovations, with a particular focus on China and Asia.

Innovations in action

If you are a complete beginner in Artificial Intelligence (AI), we recommend reading “AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley and the New World Order” written by Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, Chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures. Another easy option is to go to our AI 101 Guide to get a grip of the fundamentals and real-life AI applications.

In simple terms, AI is all about building machines that are capable of thinking and performing tasks like humans. Lee classifies AI into 4 categories based on functions:

-Internet AI
E.g. Youtube’s recommendation engines

-Perception AI
E.g. iflytek’s voice recognition and speech synthesis

-Business AI
E.g. IBM Waston’s big data consulting service

-Autonomous AI
E.g. Tesla’s self-driving vehicles

 

 

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Theoretically, AI can be applied to all industries and every aspect of life with boundless purposes and possibilities, e.g. AI-enabled chatbots for marketing, improving disease diagnosis for healthcare, predicting customer needs and preferences for customer service, automation in production processes for manufacturing, etc.

AI and data analytics often goes hand in hand. Working similarly as the human brain, the learning ability of AI is built on massive amounts of data taken in daily, which will then be processed, analysed and stored in memory. Next, the algorithms within will search for patterns and trends for further processing, which will help future decision-making. In this aspect, machines are often found to be better performers than the humans.

Build a data foundation with AI as priority

Forrester predicts that 2019 is the year robotic process automation powered by artificial intelligence will flourish. In Asia, many countries have included AI adoption in their national plan to enhance domestic and regional competitiveness, from China to Japan, Singapore to India, according to MIT Technology Review. Both public and private sectors are expected to participate.

A study by DIA shows has shown an increase in AI adoption rates across Southeast Asia from 8% in 2017 to 14% in 2018, while most companies were still getting the data basics in place. The report stresses the importance of building a strong data foundation, on which other technologies can be further built on in the next stages of transformation.

Competition between East and West

The three big tech giants in China, including Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent (BAT) are widely believed to have the money and resources to compete with the dominating tech companies for global AI talent. Take salary of a Machine Learning Engineer as an example, according to CB Insights, Baidu USA is offering from $130K to $175K while Google pays around 110K. Furthermore, many of BAT’s AI products — like smart speakers, AI in retail, and autonomous vehicles — are similar to what Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft (GAFAM) have been working on.

Although Google had dedicated AI-related research work and had made a few AI-focused startup acquisitions even before it started discussing the tech in earnings calls, Baidu’s head start on earnings calls is indicative of its eagerness to rebrand itself as an AI company, and not just an internet service provider. China’s AI investments in the US accounting for 44 % outweighs GAFAM’s negligible 1% private market footprint in China.

Concerns over data privacy and ethical AI

Concerns have been raised over data privacy, with increasing number of regional compliances dedicated to addressing the issue. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was launched in May 2018, and equivalents in other countries include California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the US and the Privacy Amendment in Australia. There have been calls to regulate other innovations such as blockchain and the usage of IoT, especially among Western Countries.

Ethical AI is another controversial buzz phrase, expressing worries regarding unemployment due to AI and racial bias emerging in facial recognition. In fact, whether or not customers feel secure with the use of technologies affects customer experience. Enterprises should take care of sensitive issues like data protection and AI standards.

9.Conclusion

Whatever transformation you are going through, always seek the true motivations before you start. Work out and get lean to gain confidence. Go digital to gain loyal customers, empowered employees, innovation-driven cultures, efficient operations and cost reduction. The list goes on and on. With clear goals and expected outcomes, find the right enabling technologies. Always keep in mind: transformation covers all aspects of the business, and people is prioritized over technologies.

Leadership is key. Share your vision with your employees to inspire each other. Set clear, purposeful goals and keep them in the loop. Be bold to try, be keen to monitor, be brave to break unhealthy habits and terminate unprofitable investments.

The way to sustain? Build new habits and cultures. Allow the transformation to evolve from top-down to bottom-up, with employees taking initiatives to innovate and change for the better. What’s next? Act now, before it is too late. Challenge your business, before your competitor does that for you.

At NDN Group we provide training and solutions to help companies to embrace the digital world. Speak with our team to learn how we can help, info@ndngroup.com.  

 

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Five SEO Strategies For Your Business https://newdigitalnoise.com/five-seo-strategies-for-your-business/ https://newdigitalnoise.com/five-seo-strategies-for-your-business/#respond Mon, 06 Jan 2020 12:09:01 +0000 https://newdigitalnoise.ndnsocial.com.hk/?p=4143 The post Five SEO Strategies For Your Business appeared first on New Digital Noise.

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It can be easy to get caught up in the latest SEO trends– mobile first, optimizing for featured snippets and using structured data. This article has some of the most important SEO basics that your business can apply to help your site rank higher in Google search results.

1.Research keywords for your SEO strategies

Make a listing of relevant topics based on your business

Consider the topics you need to rank for in phrases of ordinary buckets based on your business. Think about 5-10 subject matter buckets you have observed are critical in your business. Put yourself within the shoes of your customer personas and what types of subjects your target audience want to know in organic search. You might have trendy topics namely “inbound marketing”, “email advertising and marketing”, “lead generation”, “SEO”, “social media advertising and marketing” and “marketing automation”.

Fill in those topic buckets with keywords

Now it is time to identify some keywords that fall into the one’s buckets. These are keyword phrases you think are essential to rank for in the SERPs because your targeted customers are probably carrying out searches for the specific phrases.

Check for head terms and long-tail keywords

It is critical to check which you have a mix of head terms and long-tail keywords. Head terms are keywords phrases that are shorter and generic while long-tail keywords are longer keyword phrases usually containing three or more words. Your business has to come up with a SEO keyword strategy that is balanced with long-term goals and short-time period wins.

Check how your competitors rank for SEO keywords

Understanding what keywords your competitors are trying to rank for is a great way to help you give your list of keywords another evaluation. If your competitors are ranking for certain keywords that are on your listing, it clearly makes feel to work on enhancing your ranking for those keywords. Do include those SEO keywords your competitors don’t appear to care about with SEO analysis tools namely Ahrefs.

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Then you can use the Google AdWords Keyword Planner to cut down your keyword list. It is time to narrow down your lists.

 

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In Keyword Planner, you can get search volume and traffic estimates for SEO keywords you are considering. Google Trends allow you to determine which keywords and phrases are trending upward, and are thus worth more of your focus. Be sure to re-evaluate your SEO keywords regularly.

2.    Create skyscraper content

Skyscraper content includes finding high performing content in your niche and developing something higher, and then promoting it. You have to create quality content and develop content marketing strategies to boost organic traffic and outpace your competitors. You can discover your competitor’s most popular contents with Ahrefs, SEMrush and Buzzsumo tools.

SEMrush’s Content Analyzer is a good option that includes a content audit feature, which tells you when content was most recently updated and the number of shares a given piece of content received across social media. SEMrush also let you spot your competitor’s top content and display the keywords and phrases they rank for.

 

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At NDN Group, we are SEO strategic partner of travelwebsite.com, an up-and-coming travel company based in Hong Kong. With the informative nature of the webpage, the improvement of content would naturally become our top priority.

With regular reviews and analyses on the website’s SEO performance, our specialists provide suggestions on trending and seasonal content that motivates potential clients to read on and stay, which is considered as a positive user experience. Our digital team gives insights on figures and finds any obstacles to achieving an optimized user experience.

3.    Take advantage of high-performing posts

You recognize that internal linking is a superb SEO practice. Most users don’t click past the first page. That means your pages with much less authority will be disregarded and could receive only lucky click. You can remedy this pretty fast. If you have got pages with high authority showing up at the first page of the search outcomes, take benefit of this and hyperlink to lower rating posts from these high-performing posts. This method can lead to extra clicks and higher rankings.

4.    Optimize your landing pages

One key element Google uses to gauge the quality of a post is its bounce rate – how quickly people leave your website after clicking on it in the search results. If people search Google and click on your website, then discover it is not relevant to them and then leave. Google takes notice and if this happens more, Google will drop your ranking for that search term.

Every page on your internet site ought to have a goal based on where your targeted customers are on the customers’ journey. Trying to sell to someone searching for information will simply annoy them and cause them to bounce. That is why you need to understand your users where they are coming from and what are their needs at that stage.

5.    Increase popularity by encouraging repeat visitors

Marketing is a long-term proposition aimed at pleasing customer need. Satisfying customer desire will inspire repeat visitors and repeat visitors will boost web traffic. By offering relevant, interactive content this is demanded via customers, your business website becomes more popular and ranking will grow over time. When using nontechnical techniques, sound marketing principles will ultimately lead to increased web rankings.

Conclusion

The SEO is tough and there are very few winners and a pile of losers. Your business needs to start making SEO a priority. Our SEO strategies will help your company boost website traffic and conversion rate, drive revenue and sales growth, thereby outpacing your competitors and upscaling business. Contact us at info@ndngroup.com.hk for a SEO consultation today.

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NDN Group and Shopline Partnership https://newdigitalnoise.com/ndn-group-and-shopline-partnership/ https://newdigitalnoise.com/ndn-group-and-shopline-partnership/#respond Wed, 18 Dec 2019 16:43:04 +0000 https://newdigitalnoise.ndnsocial.com.hk/?p=4108 The post NDN Group and Shopline Partnership appeared first on New Digital Noise.

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NDN Group Partners with Shopline to Offer One-Stop E-Commerce Solution

Nowadays anyone can start an e-commerce, but which platform should you use this is the question. At NDN Group we are here to help, combining our knowledge in digital solutions and our latest partnership with Shopline, a leading holistic e-commerce platform which makes running e-commerce easy to manage and scale.

Shopline was founded in 2013 in Hong Kong. In a short period of time, they have expanded their operations to Mainland China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Currently, employing over 200 people in the region and has over 100,000 merchants. In 2017, they became a Google Partner, the first e-commerce platform from Greater China. Their merchants are from multiple sectors such as apparel, automobiles, electronics, fast-moving consumer goods, food & beverage and more. Agatha, Fujitsu, Shu Uemura are some of their showcases. Their easy-to-use platform provides website design, stock management, analytics, customer service, and delivery.

Before you decide to sell online, you should know what is the objective; which audience you are targeting namely local, regional or global; and what is your budget? These will determine how complex your e-business will be and the kind of support you will need. You will need a solution that is compatible with your goals to avoid disappointment.

If you use a one-stop e-commerce platform, designing the website will be the first task for set up. Don’t worry if you are not familiar with design or programming. Shopline has 22 existing templates you can choose from. If you are feeling adventurous, you can also design your own. Simply drag and drop the functions you want and it will be ready. Their websites are mobile responsive so it will adapt to desktop, mobile, and tablet without any issues.

When the store design is ready, you will need to integrate your products to the inventory system. Shopline provides real-time inventory status. You will know what exactly is in stock and what needs to be replenished. Making it easy for you to respond to competitors and plan your promotion.

Knowing how your products are sold is important. Then you can decide your sales strategies such as what kind of offers to provide and which product to push. You can make all these decisions from Shopline’s powerful analytical tool. Say if you want to retarget customers who only purchased once, you can identify them, send an exclusive offer that’s valid for 48 hours to drive sales. The platform makes it simple for you to identify your target segment and customize promotions.

Above all, payment is crucial in any business. The platform makes receiving payments and making a refund seamless by supporting most of the payment gateways including major credit cards, Alipay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Stripe, bank transfer, PayMe and Faster Payment System (FPS).

Our partner understands customers have a busy lifestyle. They can receive goods at the comfort of their home or if they wish to pick up their order, they can go to specific locations such as 7/11, SF Express centers or smart lockers.

In today’s market, the capability to provide instant customer services can make or break your business. Shopline realizes this and therefore it has provided 24/7 customer service support through AI chatbot. Above all, customers can also get assistance through Facebook Messenger, email and SMS for a hassle-free user experience.

In terms of merchant support, Shopline provides many seminars and tutorials to help brands to improve their business. Say you have an ambitious goal to go global, visit their website and look for guides on how can a brand reach a wider audience in foreign markets and start selling internationally? If you want something more on digital marketing, there are guides on SEO and social media selling too. The tutorial covers endless topics on e-commerce.

Different from other marketplaces, Shopline has a simple subscription plan. If you sell over a specific volume, you will be charged a percentage of each transaction. If you don’t have time to go through the entire set up process by yourself, we are here to help. Through NDN Group and Shopline’s alliance, you will get all the advice and agility you need to win in the fast-paced digital world. Email our team info@ndngroup.com to find out more about the service and kickstart your e-commerce now.

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NDN Group and Mobinology Partnership https://newdigitalnoise.com/ndn-group-and-mobinology-partnership/ https://newdigitalnoise.com/ndn-group-and-mobinology-partnership/#respond Mon, 16 Dec 2019 16:16:55 +0000 https://newdigitalnoise.ndnsocial.com.hk/?p=4036 The post NDN Group and Mobinology Partnership appeared first on New Digital Noise.

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NDN Group and Mobinology Forge Global Partnership to Deliver Enterprise-Grade AI-Powered Chatbot Solution 

Fostering synergy to empower enterprises to drive business growth and innovation at scale  

Leading digital corporation NDN Group and Mobinology, world-class business software developer, today announced a global partnership to deliver enterprise-grade chatbot solution to empower enterprises to accelerate business growth.

Powered by leading artificial intelligence and cloud computing technologies, the industry-leading and end-to-end chatbot solution enables global and regional enterprises with secure, scalable and agile operations, combined with machine learning and data analytics capabilities. The all-in-one chatbot solution defines new pathways for enterprises to deliver seamless and personalized customer experience. Enterprises harness the capability, value and benefits of the chatbot to reach out to hundreds of millions of customers globally.

“Having forged new partnership with NDN Group, our exemplary chatbot solution truly benefits clients looking to go the next level in digital transformation. We are elevating bot technology and innovation as machine learning and artificial intelligence move from novelty to necessity. We are dedicated to pushing the frontier of chatbot innovation, enabling our enterprise-strength solution to offer great value to end-users and bring the customer satisfaction to the ultimate level,” said Kenneth Chung, Head of Sales & Co-Founder of Mobinology.

“We are deeply excited to partner with Mobinology to offer bespoke chatbot solutions to meet enterprises’ unique business purposes, operational requirements and the bot performs multiple roles across diverse industries. We strive to apply next-generation technologies in a smart and innovative way to enable enterprises achieve their business goals and bring manlike conversational experience, alongside excellent scaling and integration abilities.” said NDN Group Chairman Andy Ann.

With the landmark partnership NDN Group leverages its expertise on curating captivating UI/UX design, outstanding conversational flow, distinctive brands’ tones and manners and sound strategy to interact with customers, whereas Mobinology epitomizes its technological innovation on machine learning, Natural Language Processing, data analytics and integration into enterprises’ communication platforms in the front-end and back-end.

The exemplary virtual assistant has enabled business save cost, accelerate response times and enhance customer loyalty – that all are staple of lead generation and enhance transactions and tap into exponential business growth. The AI-powered chatbot streamlines and automates customer services and offer human-like encouragement to accelerate interaction with customers.

NDN Group and Mobinology’s intelligent Enterprise Chatbot Solution offers various distinctive functionalities and capabilities at scale. Immersive Dialogue Flow is charted out to create high-impact customer experience with distinctive Tone of Voice and Manner to reflect enterprises’ branding for fostering maximum customer engagement and loyalty. Enterprises can also leverage Customer Analytics and Insights by conducting in-depth analysis on the conversational journey and understanding end-user behaviour based on data collected. With advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) supported at the backend, this enables the bot to recognize all forms of language namely Cantonese for businesses to extend global outreach. Above all, closing the last mile with the Call-to-Action feature empowers the bot to use real-time information for accelerating revenue opportunities automatically after conversation with customers.

With all these next-generation features and technologies, enterprises rapidly reinvent, deploy and extend their strategies and applications to create unparalleled competitive edges. The chatbots are customized in industries, namely insurance, banking, automotive, gas and electricity, consume products, retail, property, hotel, aviation, capital markets and many others, irrespective of sizes and regulatory requirements among other things.

About Mobinology

Found in Hong Kong SAR and being as one of the advanced business software solution providers, we are specialized in providing innovative solutions for data-driven marketing and customer engagement. Powered by world-class Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cloud Computing technologies, our leading AI platform (ELAIN®) and subject matter experts empower customers with advanced technologies to rapidly reinvent, deploy and scale their smart applications to create unprecedented competitive advantages to meet their strategic business needs.

With an established presence in delivering AI applications to enterprises in the area, Mobinology brings a high level of expertise in building and deploying conversational and cognitive applications.

About NDN Group

NDN Group is a major digital conglomerate and investment group focused on building, acquiring, and growing companies in the digital space. Our businesses are involved in a wide range of industries across multiple markets, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, big data analytics, digital media, mobile solutions, social media, e-commerce, e-sports, content development & distribution. Additionally, we also specialize in delivering digital transformation training for major international corporations in order to support the increasing demand for digital experts.

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What is WeChat Marketing? https://newdigitalnoise.com/what-is-wechat-marketing/ https://newdigitalnoise.com/what-is-wechat-marketing/#respond Thu, 12 Dec 2019 11:45:26 +0000 https://newdigitalnoise.ndnsocial.com.hk/?p=4022 The post What is WeChat Marketing? appeared first on New Digital Noise.

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Is your business looking to drive direct customer engagement with Chinese audiences? Whether you want to enter the China market or reach out to Chinese consumers, one of the most effective WeChat marketing strategy is to adopt the region’s most popular multi-purpose app: WeChat. You will learn more about how WeChat’s features can help enterprises market businesses in this article.

WeChat enables companies and individuals to create “WeChat Official Accounts” to promote their company and brand. Anybody can follow them and will then receive push notifications from them. When accessing one of these accounts, business usually click a bottom-menu linking to a HTML5 (H5) website which might sell products or services.

WeChat marketing leverage on the powerfulness of gaining followers to company account, luring them actively engaged with it and eventually converting them to customers to purchase items.

Here are few reasons why businesses should consider using WeChat marketing and WeChat Pay.

Reach out to active users

With more than 1 billion monthly active users, businesses cannot ignore the massive reach of this platform. Being enormously popular in China, WeChat has also penetrated the US, UK and other markets and is growing at rapid pace.

Build up lifestyle platform

Calling WeChat China’s WhatsApp or Facebook would be inaccurate. WeChat is more than that and it is a unique lifestyle platform that has several apps rolled into one.

From shopping online and paying bills to playing games and making video calls, WeChat happens to be the go-to app for almost everything. Aside from favorite social media network Sina Weibo, WeChat allows marketers to gain insights from valuable consumer data, understand which life stage consumers are at, and target them with personalized communication.

Distinctive features

WeChat is innovating and presenting exciting new features to connect brands and customers. One such feature is the Shake function, which lets offline businesses interact with mobile users who are nearby.

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Users have to physically shake their phone when they see the screen. The app connects them with other people who shook their phone at the same moment. Marketers can also make use of such a feature on WeChat. WeChat offers other interactive features such as the use of QR codes and mini-programs.

Set up business profile on WeChat

Businesses can set up subscription accounts, service accounts and enterprise accounts on WeChat. Subscription accounts permit a business to send only one broadcast message a day.

Service accounts allows delivery of four messages per month and offer a wide range of services such as WeChat Stores, WeChat Pay, instant customer service, and GPS among others.

Business can open the WeChat Official Accounts Platform page and register to set up a profile.

 

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Choose the appropriate account type for business and you will be prompted to enter details about your company such as country, business name, email address, account administrator and others. Under Official Account Info, select an account name and write a short introduction for your business.

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Finally, business is required to submit a list of supporting documents such as a business license, signed and stamped official application letter, national ID copies and more for verification.

WeChat is an integral part of customer service strategy

When customers have questions or complaints for businesses, they are no longer likely to call or write an email. Instead, they expect prompt response and prefer social media channels over traditional ones. Businesses are expected to be where their customers are and with WeChat being an all-in-one platform, it can also be an integral part of your customer service strategy.

 

HTML5 campaigns to increase customer engagement

With custom HTML5 (H5) campaigns, brands can host unique experiences from their Official WeChat Accounts. Depending on your WeChat marketing objectives, you could create a survey or quiz to customer leads, or an interactive experience that unlocks promo codes of special information.

NDN Group has helped KURZ Group, a worldwide leader in hot stamping technologies from Germany, to launch a CNY engagement campaign via H5 pages – the most prevalent WeChat interactive platform for campaigns dedicated to branding, events or specific products

KURZ Group is not new to the Chinese Market nor WeChat; it owns an official page and an e-store on the social media platform to drive online sales. Our partner had their eyes on a seasonal campaign, with clear objectives on increasing exposure and engagement with fans during CNY.

A mobile shaking trigger was incorporated to add flavors to the game, meaning that a mobile shake was needed to open the red packet and receive the gift. To enter the giveaway, users were also required to fill in basic contact information for us, providing access to meaningful user data for sales leads.

Meanwhile, NDN Group has also introduced WeChat Pay for global bungee jump business AJ Hackett’s online ticket reservations to streamline sales transactions for mainland tourists.

 

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WeChat Pay handles multiple payment methods including Quick Pay, QR code, In-App Web-Based or Native In-App payments. WeChat Pay supports cross-border settlements in all major foreign currencies and is available in over 20 countries. It allows foreign businesses to engage with customers in- and outside of China via their all-in-one services, reaching out to mass audiences.

Leverage WeChat Mini Programs

NDN Group takes pride in enhanced features ranging from e-commerce, games and news within the social networking app. NDN has expanded payment gateways for AJ Hackett with all-in-one platform

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The WeChat Mini Programs can serve various purposes including e-commerce, utility, mini-games and news. More advanced features are available such as geolocation, task management, coupon redemption and others.

Banner Ad Campaigns

WeChat offers banner ads appear at the bottom of articles published by other WeChat official accounts. You can target users by gender, age, and location, and specify the types of accounts where the banner ads are displayed.

Business can prompt audiences to follow its WeChat account, buy a product, visit landing pages, download an app, or claim a coupon code.

Pricing is based on either CPC (cost per click), which starts at a minimum bidding price of 0.5 RMB for each click, or CPM, where fees vary depending on the geographic audience.

Standard banner ads consist of the brand logo, official account name, and call to action.

 

Business partner with influencers or KOLs

Businesses need to find the right influencers for their brand — someone who has a similar target audience and is willing to talk about your business. The cost to set up the partnership depends on the popularity of the KOLs.

KOLs are the equivalent of social media influencers. KOL banners require you to work with another official WeChat business account. Both you and the other WeChat official account owner have to come to a deal on the cost per view and the number of times the ad will be shown.

WeChat is a promising marketing tool for business and has great potential to deliver branded content and engage with Chinese consumers. With its growing penetration rate, it works for many international brands and businesses outside of China looking to reach out to consumers in the mainland .

We believe that these are some WeChat marketing approaches to help you get started to support your marketing plan in China and improve your chances of success. If you would like to learn more about WeChat marketing, do contact us at info@ndngroup.com today for a consultation.

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Top 10 Campaigns of 2019 https://newdigitalnoise.com/top-10-campaigns-of-2019/ https://newdigitalnoise.com/top-10-campaigns-of-2019/#respond Sat, 07 Dec 2019 23:06:53 +0000 https://newdigitalnoise.ndnsocial.com.hk/?p=3985 The post Top 10 Campaigns of 2019 appeared first on New Digital Noise.

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1. AJ Hackett Macau Tower

Following our brand-building effort on WeChat and Weibo previously, we’ve helped the bungee and adventure sports operator to launch an account on popular live-streaming app TikTok, achieving up to 1.9 million exposures. Besides ad promotions, we’ve been managing the daily postings of the TikTok account, including video editing and KOL collaborations.

We also helped AJ Hackett launch a mini-program, a sub-application on WeChat to drive a higher conversion rate. Users can now purchase tickets using WeChat Pay on mobile, play games and learn more about bungee jumping within WeChat without having to be directed elsewhere.

2. Cigna

The insurance brand redefined its lead generation strategy by using Facebook ads to direct traffic to both its official site and the Cigna Smart Health lifestyle blog. Another approach involved using Facebook retargeting to display ads to consumers who have previously visited Cigna’s websites. The team also tapped into Facebook’s lookalike audience function to reach new audience using existing audience data.

Besides social media, our omnichannel marketing approach for Cigna includes the monthly e-newsletters to distribute content from the Smart Health blog.

3. uSMART Securities

In September, online securities brokerage uSMART banks on a holistic online strategy for its full-scale brand launch campaign targeting young adults. Facebook blog posts are used to educate its audience about investment, its brand and product offering. Facebook retargeting has also been implemented at later stages to boost conversion for website visitors.

For search, we’ve been improving uSMART’s SEO organic ranking on search engine results. A/B testing is also carried out for SEM in tandem to optimize ad results.

4. SQM

Real estate agents SQM Global Properties targeted prospective property buyers who are looking for information on digital channels as opposed to traditional print ads and trade shows. The online strategy encompassed SEO, media placement and geo-targeting. SQM also utilized social media and messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp for Business functions to engage with buyers.

5. Meraas

Targeting Chinese audience, we helped Dubai-based conglomerate Meraas launch a series of splash ads across 60 online platforms including Tik Tok, Baidu, WPS and SelfieCity for a giveaway contest, promoting UAE as a travel destination and a great place to live and work. The campaign has garnered fantastic results, generating over 10 million impressions and 2 million click-through rates.

6. KATE

Going beyond social media content creation, the Japanese makeup brand rolled out a geo-targeting campaign to promote a special event in March. Location-based ads are more personalized, relevant and thereby leading to a higher conversion rate.

Moreover, we collaborated with one of the most popular online magazines for young women in Hong Kong for a product launch campaign with a professional model shoot.

7. KURZ

German hot stamping technology brand KURZ launched a Chinese New Year red packet giveaway campaign on WeChat that incorporated the hong bao (red packet) and shaking trigger functions of the platform. We developed a festive-themed H5 page for Kurz using interactive graphics and videos for users to share on WeChat moments. The H5 feature allows data tracking and includes several performance indicators such as views and frequency of interactions.

8. McCafé

McCafé launched a geo-targeting campaign across key business districts in Hong Kong to push ads to mobile users, closing the gap between online and offline channels. The consumer data collected provides insights on shopping behavior and the best time to push the ads.

The second phase of the campaign involved Facebook push notifications on sales to the IDs captured from geo-targeting. A/B testing was conducted to boost click-through rates and ROI through better user experience (UX).

9. Galaxy Macau

We’ve worked with the world-class casino resort in developing a powerful loyalty app with superior UX, serving a range of target groups across all stages in the customer journey. Since 2017, our UX team has been coordinating the project from initial user research, design, prototyping, app launch to ongoing maintenance and feature updates until today. The next phase of the project will kick start in early 2020.

10. Pilot

Pilot intends to create some brand differentiation for itself to foster top of the mind awareness. We carried out a series of rebranding exercise for Pilot’s product lines across its owned media through Facebook. The campaign generated significant brand mentions and share of voice across earned media to help Pilot build its digital presence.

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What is a Chatbot and How to Use It for Business https://newdigitalnoise.com/what-is-a-chatbot-and-how-to-use-it-for-business/ https://newdigitalnoise.com/what-is-a-chatbot-and-how-to-use-it-for-business/#respond Tue, 03 Dec 2019 20:10:39 +0000 https://newdigitalnoise.ndnsocial.com.hk/?p=3961 The post What is a Chatbot and How to Use It for Business appeared first on New Digital Noise.

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What is a chatbot and how to use it for business?

The development of artificial intelligence is now in full swing and chatbots are only a splash on a huge wave of progress. Nowadays, the number of people using messaging apps namely WhatsApp and Slack Skype is soaring, Facebook Messenger alone has more than 1.2 billion users per month.

What is a chatbot?

A chatbot is a computer program that allows humans to interact with technology using a variety of input methods such as voice, text, gesture and touch, 24/7 365.

For several years chatbots were typically used in customer service environments but are now being used in a variety of other roles within enterprises to improve customer experience and business efficiencies.

Known by a variety of different names such as a conversational AI bot, AI assistant, intelligent virtual assistant, virtual customer assistant, digital assistant, conversational agent, virtual agent, conversational interface and more, chatbots are growing in popularity.

But just as chatbots have a variety of different names, they also have varying degrees of intelligence.

A basic chatbot might be little more than a front-end solution for answering standard FAQs.

Chatbots built using some of the bot frameworks currently available may offer slightly more advanced features like slot filling or other simple transactional capability, such as taking pizza orders.

But, it’s only advanced conversational AI chatbots that have the intelligence and capability to deliver the sophisticated chatbot experience most enterprises are looking to deploy.

Online chatbots save time and efforts by automating customer support. Gartner forecasts that over 85% of customer interactions will be handled without a human by 2020. With the spread of messengers, virtual assistants that imitate human conversations for solving various tasks are becoming sought-after. Chinese WeChat bots can set medical appointments, call a taxi, send money to friends, check in for a flight and many other.

However, the opportunities provided by chatbot systems go far beyond giving responses to customers’ inquiries. They are used for other business tasks, like collecting data about users, conducting in-depth analytics and insights on customer behaviour and accelerating revenue opportunities.

Why are Chatbots so Popular?

Smartphones, wearables and the Internet of things (IoT) have changed the technology landscape in recent years. As digital artefacts got smaller, the computing power inside has become greater.

But mobile apps and data-heavy activities don’t go hand in hand. Wading through complicated menus isn’t the fast and seamless user experience businesses need to deliver today.

In addition, consumers are no longer content to be restricted by the communication methods chosen by an organization. They want to interface with technology across a wide number of channels.

Chatbots offer a way to solve these issues by allowing customers to simply ask for whatever they need, across multiple channels, wherever they are, night or day.

The development of artificial intelligence is now in full swing and chatbots are only a splash on a huge wave of progress. Nowadays, the number of people using messaging apps namely WhatsApp and Slack Skype is soaring, Facebook Messenger alone has more than 1.2 billion users per month.

How do Chatbots Work?

On a simple level, a human interacts with a chatbot.

If voice is used, the chatbot first turns the voice data input into text (using Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology). Text only chatbots such as text-based messaging services skip this step.

The chatbot then analyses the text input, considers the best response and delivers that back to the user. The chatbot’s reply output may be delivered in any number of ways such as written text, voice via Text to Speech (TTS) tools, or perhaps by completing a task.

It’s worth noting that, understanding humans isn’t easy for a machine. The subtle and nuanced way humans communicate is a very complex task to recreate artificially, which is why chatbots use several natural language principles:

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Natural Language Processing is used to split the user input into sentences and words. It also standardizes the text through a series of techniques, for example, converting it all to lowercase or correcting spelling mistakes before determining if the word is an adjective or verb – it’s at this stage where other factors such as sentiment are also considered.

Natural Language Understanding (NLU)

Natural Language Understanding helps the chatbot understand what the user said using both general and domain specific language objects such as lexicons, synonyms and themes. These are then used in conjunction with algorithms or rules to construct dialogue flows that tell the chatbot how to respond.

Natural Language Generation (NLG)

Delivering a meaningful, personalized experience beyond pre-scripted responses requires natural language generation. This enables the chatbot to interrogate data repositories, including integrated back-end systems and third-party databases, and to use that information in creating a response.

What are chatbots delivering?

A chatbot is basically a computer program that can interact with humans over the internet. Their simulation of human language and behavior provides several benefits that can be used in business.

Provide Greater Customer Experience

The main benefit of using chatbots in business is that they give greater customer satisfaction. Customers who pull up website can ask questions and get answers right away. If they have product questions they may get the answers they need to complete sales. This can further increase business profits.

Chatbotv1

Frustrated customers who don’t get quick answers may leave website and never return. Chatbots can eliminate that scenario and help you keep your customers.

Increase Customer Base

There is another benefit of using chatbots in business. They may help enterprises reach more people which can increase your customer base.

Since chatbots can be used in many applications, enterprises can take advantage of that to help businesses grow. Chatbots can answer multiple questions at the same time as well.

Streamline Procedures and Automation

Other benefits of using chatbots in business are that they help businesses streamline procedures and automation. When used on website they can provide fast, automated answers to most questions. Their use prevents customers from waiting a day or longer to receive responses as they would have in the past. This enables business to serve greater numbers of people while saving costs.

NDN Group and Mobinology’s chatbot service and solution

NDN Group and Mobinology, world-class business software developer, has forged global partnership to deliver enterprise-grade chatbot solution to empower enterprises to accelerate business growth. Powered by leading artificial intelligence and cloud computing technologies, the industry-leading and end-to-end chatbot solution enables global and regional enterprises with secure, scalable and agile operations, combined with machine learning and data analytics capabilities. The all-in-one chatbot solution defines new pathways for enterprises to deliver seamless and personalized customer experience.

NDN Group and Mobinology’s intelligent chatbot offers distinctive capabilities at scale. We design immersive dialogue flow to chart out extraordinary dialogue and conversational flow to create high-impact and personalised customer experience. We also curate tone of voice and manner to reflect enterprises’ branding for creating maximum customer engagement and loyalty, and bot personality and persona to interact with users and immerse them in conversational journey.

The self-intelligent bot learns from the inputs it experiences and garners deep understanding on the intent behind customer requests as well as provide smart answers. Also, the bot augments the importance of Big Data through their automated data collection that enables enterprises to conduct in-depth analysis on the conversational journey and understand end-user behaviour. The Natural Language Processing (NLP) powers all forms of language recognition including Cantonese and switch languages to enable enterprises extend global reach.

The bot uses their wealth of knowledge to provide comprehensive answers to queries. It is also specially designed to parse documents, crawl website content and convert into rule-defined structure data. It is empowered to use real-time information for accelerating revenue opportunities automatically after conversation with customers.

Types of chatbots

Depending on how the specific bots were programmed, we can divide them into two large groups: working according to pre-prepared commands – simple chatbot and AI-powered chatbot.

 

Chatbotsv2

Simple chatbots work based on pre-written keywords that they understand. Each of these commands must be written by the developer separately using regular expressions or other forms of string analysis.

Smart chatbots rely on artificial intelligence when they communicate with users. Instead of pre-prepared answers, the robot responds with adequate suggestions on the topic. In addition, all the words said by the customers are recorded for later processing.

Many business owners are beginning to understand what benefits chatbots can bring to them. This technology is still in an early stage, its capabilities continue increasing and the best chatbots have yet to be created. Invest in building a chatbot for your business and be at the forefront of innovation.

Enquires on NDN Group and Mobinology’s chatbot solution:

NDN Group email: info@ndngroup.com 

Mobinology email: info@mobinology.com 

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