Monat: Januar 2017

How streaming video unites direct-sales teams

There’s been a lot of buzz around streaming video&8217;s potential to transform the way that corporate organizations — especially those with teams scattered around the world — communicate, collaborate and sell.
But what about companies with a direct-sales model? Is there a role for streaming video to play in helping groups of independent sales representatives improve their game and feel like they are all part of one team?
Jennifer Thompson, an independent distributor for SeneGence International, can attest that there is. Since becoming the leader of an international team of 400 independent distributors for the cosmetics and skincare company several months ago, Thompson has been using live streaming video to conduct biweekly training sessions. 
“We discuss product knowledge and share marketing, advertising and social media tips,” she says. “It&8217;s an effective platform for sharing best practices and creating an experience that feels like everyone is working in a real company setting.&8221;
A marketing and communications veteran, Thompson says she immediately recognized the value of using video to virtually and cost-effectively bring together direct-sales team members located across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. She uses live video to train and onboard new employees in a way that makes everyone feel involved in the organization. 
Virtual training and collaboration
Thompson develops all the training materials she uses, with the exception of product-related information provided by SeneGence. She also frequently conducts spur-of-the-moment training sessions on specific topics for her team, who communicate almost exclusively through a closed group on Facebook.
“I monitor the discussions in our group in real time. If I see an issue that&8217;s generating a lot of questions from, or conversation within, our group, I will offer to do a 15-minute live training on the spot to talk through it,&8221; she says. “I also receive direct messages from reps asking me to conduct quick training sessions on specific topics.&8221;
Thompson adds that this direct access to leadership for team members is a major benefit of using live video. Though there was a learning curve when she first introduced the idea of live video training, her sessions are now well-attended, and team members actually request these sessions.
Seamlessly bringing new employees on board
Thompson says that streaming video has quickly become her go-to tool for onboarding new SeneGence distributors as well. Video helps the new members feel more connected to the rest of the team and more comfortable asking questions, a substantial improvement from Thompson&8217;s own onboarding experience, which took place via text messages.
Live video “has really been a game changer for many of the women on my team,” she says. “They are more comfortable sharing information, initiating discussions and collaborating. That&8217;s been an incredible takeaway for me as their team leader, and it&8217;s an incentive for me to keep expanding our group&8217;s use of video.&8221;
Learn more about using video for direct-sales training at IBM Cloud Video.
But what about companies with a direct-sales model? Is there a role for streaming video to play in helping groups of independent sales representatives improve their game and feel like they are all part of one team?
Jennifer Thompson, an independent distributor for SeneGence International, can attest that there is. Since becoming the leader of an international team of 400 independent distributors for the cosmetics and skincare company several months ago, Thompson has been using live streaming video to conduct biweekly training sessions. 
“We discuss product knowledge and share marketing, advertising and social media tips,&8221; she says. “It&8217;s an effective platform for sharing best practices and creating an experience that feels like everyone is working in a real company setting.&8221;
A marketing and communications veteran, Thompson says she immediately recognized the value of using video to virtually and cost-effectively bring together direct-sales team members located across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. She uses live video to train and onboard new employees in a way that makes everyone feel involved in the organization. 
Virtual training and collaboration
Thompson develops all the training materials she uses, with the exception of product-related information provided by SeneGence. She also frequently conducts spur-of-the-moment training sessions on specific topics for her team, who communicate almost exclusively through a closed group on Facebook.
“I monitor the discussions in our group in real time. If I see an issue that&8217;s generating a lot of questions from, or conversation within, our group, I will offer to do a 15-minute live training on the spot to talk through it,&8221; she says. “I also receive direct messages from reps asking me to conduct quick training sessions on specific topics.&8221;
Thompson adds that this direct access to leadership for team members is a major benefit of using live video. Though there was a learning curve when she first introduced the idea of live video training, her sessions are now well-attended, and team members actually request these sessions.
Seamlessly bringing new employees on board
Thompson says that streaming video has quickly become her go-to tool for onboarding new SeneGence distributors as well. Video helps the new members feel more connected to the rest of the team and more comfortable asking questions, a substantial improvement from Thompson&8217;s own onboarding experience, which took place via text messages.
Live video &8220;has really been a game changer for many of the women on my team,” she says. “They are more comfortable sharing information, initiating discussions and collaborating. That&8217;s been an incredible takeaway for me as their team leader, and it&8217;s an incentive for me to keep expanding our group&8217;s use of video.&8221;
Learn more about using video for direct-sales training at IBM Cloud Video.
The post How streaming video unites direct-sales teams appeared first on #Cloud computing news.
Quelle: Thoughts on Cloud

5 must-see WebSphere sessions at IBM InterConnect 2017

WebSphere users, gather round. By now you surely have heard that IBM InterConnect 2017 will be jam-packed with thousands of exciting sessions, labs, roundtables, meetings and events. As you make your plans, check out my cheat sheet of the top five must-see WebSphere sessions.
1. Session #4938: The total economic impact of migrating from open source application servers to IBM WebSphere Liberty
There are many advantages to open source application servers, which is why they are so popular with businesses. But there may also be some hidden costs associated with running your applications on open source. Don’t you want to know what they are?
In this session, Forrester Consulting will take you through the results of a recent Total Economic Impact (TEI) study analyzing the potential return on investment enterprises may experience by migrating from open source Java EE application servers to WebSphere Liberty. Highlights include:

An increase return on investment (ROI) by 122 percent.
Save $350,000 dollars annually within three years by running applications on fewer servers.
Save 3,600 hours of administration time annually.
Increase application development productivity by 12 percent.

2. Session #3217: Installing and deploying WebSphere at scale in the real world: an expert panel
Ever wonder how you would install and deploy WebSphere at large scale in enterprise environments? If so, join us to learn from real-world experts about deploying WebSphere at scale in the enterprise. You’ll also learn about topics such as creating master images for massive deployments, swinging profiles and automation technologies like Chef.
3. Session #2541: WebSphere Application Server V9 update: on-premises and in the cloud
Cloud economics are changing how businesses create, host and manage their applications. But organizations still need to integrate and manage those applications alongside existing software. This is true regardless of whether hosting is on private or public cloud environments. WebSphere and WebSphere Liberty have evolved with cloud economics to provide DevOps capabilities for continuous delivery of cloud-native applications that adopt microservices principles. This comes in addition to the traditional support of large-scale and highly-available enterprise applications. Come to this session to learn from our experts about the latest updates to WebSphere.
4. Session #1652: Understanding competitive TCO for  WebSphere Application Server deployments on-premises and in the cloud
You make a lot of runtime decisions for your Java applications. You can choose to run them across any combination of private, public or hybrid cloud environments. Do you run them in a virtual machine or in Docker? Do you use platform as a service (PaaS) on the IBM Cloud or a third-party cloud? How do you decide? Come to this session to learn about the tools that can help, such as our WebSphere total cost of ownership calculator.
5. Session #1833: A panel of WAS Liberty users answer your questions
Do you have a question about WebSphere Liberty? Here’s the place to ask it. In this panel discussion, customers from different industries will talk about their journeys to a modern and flexible application infrastructure using the WebSphere Liberty runtime on a variety of cloud and hybrid platforms.
These are just a few highlights of the many exciting sessions at the conference. You can’t afford to miss this world-class opportunity to train, network and learn about the future of cloud and cognitive computing. If you’re still not signed up for InterConnect 2017, be sure to register today.
The post 5 must-see WebSphere sessions at IBM InterConnect 2017 appeared first on #Cloud computing news.
Quelle: Thoughts on Cloud