The 7 Best Tech Companies to Work For in 2014 And Why

Early this year, Lisa Bernier, a freelance writer who has written for a number of respected publications, compiled a list of The 7 Best Tech Companies to Work for in a Mashable article that was shared over eleven thousand times.

We want to take a look into what make these companies amazing places to work for and what other companies (maybe even yours) can learn from their employee engagement policies.

So, who made the list?
1.Elite SEM - Search engine marketing
2.Interactive Intelligence - Global provider of call center technologies and software solutions
3.Twitter - An introduction is probably not necessary for this online social networking and microblogging giant
4.360i - Digital agency specializing in search engine marketing, social media, mobile marketing, and web design and development
5.Text100 - Digital marketing agency that creates communications campaigns
6.Crowdtap - Social Influence Marketing platform
7.Google - One of most admired companies in the entire world

Unless you're in the market for a new tech job and searching for places to submit a resume, the more important takeaway here is to learn something about what it takes to create a great company.

What makes these companies great places to work?

These companies all do a remarkable job of showing their employees how much they are appreciated. By creating an environment that fosters the advancement of their employee's careers, leading companies yield an engaged, loyal, and productive workforce. This has worked so well for Elite SEM that they have had no turnover since their inception in 2004.

The ability to maintain an engaged workforce through employees who genuinely feel appreciated and inspired can result in higher profit margins for companies. This is due to the strong relationship that exists between the financial performance of a company and employee engagement. Higher levels of commitment from employees who feel like their work is valued tends to increase office efficiency. In addition, it creates a culture of hardworking employees who feel connected to one another.

Engaged employees have 18% higher productivity and 60% higher quality work than under-engaged employees (Insync Survey).

While excellent salaries and benefits, effective leadership, and an emphasis on work-life balance are major factors making these companies pleasant to work for, unconventional, but highly effective, incentives are also utilized heavily by these innovative companies.

Elite SEM takes its staff on an annual "Fun Week" - during which employees are treated to a seven-day vacation with recreational activities. This use of incentive travel creates memorable experiences as a reward to valued employees and is proven to be more effective at motivating employees, increasing sales and strengthening employee loyalty than cash rewards. The emotional and psychological importance employees place on non-cash rewards can be far greater and remembered much longer than cash bonuses. Merchandise awards can produce a similar effect when the budget for travel is not present.

Other notable ways these companies create happy employees include: book clubs, telecommuting options, profit sharing, flexibility in schedules, and impromptu days off when necessary. Google has become very well known for having amazing on-site facilities including sports complexes, 24/7 gyms, free food, and free laundry/dry cleaning services. Possibly the most fascinating benefit that Google extends relates to the death of employees. If an employee passes away during their employment, the company will pay 50% of the salary of that employee to their spouse or domestic partner for a full decade!

Employees that feel valued and appreciated exert greater effort, stay with companies longer and are strong brand advocates. The businesses on this list understand and leverage this power to their advantage.

JNR Incorporated Engaging employees, increasing channel sales, and building customer loyalty through strategic incentives including incentive travel, meetings, events, conferences, prepaid incentive and reward cards, promotional products, and merchandise in conjunction with marketing, communications, and advertising. http://www.jnrcorp.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8313813

IT Services Required for a Typical Call Centre

As the name itself suggests, the IT / ITES domain provides services that are either directly related to information technology or information technology enabled services. So, the basic foundation of this industry will always lie on how strong the IT infrastructure of any service provider is. Note that we're talking of industries like Contact centers BPO, KPO, HRP, RPO, Web Designing and Development etc. In this article I will discuss with you, some of the basic technologies required in the case of voice - based BPOs.

Predictive Dialer Technology

In the predictive dialer technology, there is a telephone control system that calls a list of phone numbers in sequence automatically. It screens out no answers, answering machines, busy signals as well as disconnected numbers. They predict when a human caller can handle the next call. The moment the call is handled, an agent gets to speak to the human.

They are a commonly used technology in collections, surveys, lead generation, telemarketing, appointment fixing and follow ups. Basically this is a typical outbound scenario. The technology claims that it increases the productivity of associates.

This technology is also capable of finding the number of available associates, lines, AHTs, and other factors that help in adjusting the volume of dialed numbers accordingly. A high level of mathematical efficiency is thus delivered to be used in the outsourced support centre. It however, shouldn't be confused with automatic dialer.

Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) and Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR)

The CTI is a computer software which takes the incoming calls and routes them to the appropriate handler who is trained or skilled to handle the query. It is very closely related to the IVR because in an IVR, the keys pressed by a caller indicate the choice they've made and the person or department relevant to that choice. As you already know, the IVR is a technology that guides a person to select the right options when they dial a helpline number by suing their phone keypad.

Skill Based Call Routing and Speech Recognition

In this regard, Skill based call routing also might be relevant. In this technology, the skills of various executives are given a certain priority order and then the calls are auto routed to the agent who has a higher skillset about the kind of a call that lands at the IVR.

Similarly, speech recognition is another technology often used in the IT / ITES domain. It is about allowing the caller to respond through their voice on the IVR. This is especially beneficial for people who might be differently abled but are capable of using speech. They will be given choices in the form of menus from which they may select an option. Often these options are single phrases, words or numbers.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Typically CRM stands for the total set of interactions that happen between a company and its customers. This includes the internet transactions, personal visits, telephone contacts, emails, web chats, letters and much more.

This technology stores, manages, analyzes the customer data, customer interaction, feedback and then personalizes it as per the customer preference and company policy.

Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing (BI & DW)

DW and BI are concepts and technologies that allow the transaction and customer data to be stored, consolidated, harvested and analyzed for business intelligence. It is closely related to the CRM technology and thus emails and phone contacts etc. can be made at the right time for the right reasons and to the right people.

In short, a lot of IT / ITES providers use this technology to ensure that their clients get full outsourcing leverage. Gurgaon IT Hub is also such an IT service provider in Gurgaon, India.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8306922

Top IT Trends for 2014

Each year we compose our Top IT Trends and reflect on how markedly our world changes through technology. From digital watches to putting a man on the moon, technology has changed the way we think of time and space. Often, the advances are at breathtaking speed but sometimes it takes years for a technological breakthrough to make its way into our lives. This year we are focusing on trends that will have a significant impact on how we see and interact with the world through technology.

Everything Cloud - We have been predicting a revolution in Cloud technology for years and this year is no different. From Infrastructure, Software, Platform, Hardware and Everything as a Service (IaaS, SaaS, PaaS, HaaS and EaaS) there will be major investment in and growing migration for Cloud solutions. Private and Hybrid Cloud solutions will dominate the landscape for new and upgraded installations. Even when on-premise solutions are required many will find ways to use the economy and scalability of Cloud based services to create unique hybrids. More and more businesses will move their email and office applications to the Cloud. Products like Microsoft Office 365 and Google Apps will battle fiercely for market share.

Personal Electronic Device Security - IT professionals are obsessed with security and data backups. We see so many cases of cyber hacking that result in lost time and data that having a good backup is often the only way that we can combat these threats. Putting aside the threats from foreign governments and corporate espionage, the biggest menace to our personal data has been pesky hackers that want to steal our time and money. That changed this year as story after story of NSA spying unfolded. From intercepting of our personal data to tracking our movements through cellphones, people have been questioning whether anything we do is really private. To combat surveillance, we will see the development of more devices to block cellphone tracking and spirited discussions on the unintended consequence of losing the ability to find someone in an emergency using cell towers. Additionally, new encryption devices and techniques will offer ways to protect our personal data from any prying eyes.

USB Power for Laptops and more - One plug to power them all! If you liked it when cellphones were able to be charged using a standard USB cable and a AC wall adapter, you are going to love the new USB Power Delivery standard that will allow most any device to power up/charge up with USB. USB stands for universal serial bus and was developed to connect computer peripherals. With the advance of technology and reduction of power requirements, USB evolved into a multi-purpose cable with power. USB PD will deliver up to 100W from a standard plug to power all your compatible devices. Power receptacles with built-in USB charging ports will be commonplace until wireless power becomes commercially available.

Windows 8.2 Brings Back the Start Menu - This may not seem like a significant event, but we believe that adding back the Start Menu will make Windows 8 much more attractive to those upgrading from Windows XP. Although change is inevitable, it is sometimes is hard for the end-user and one very hard change was losing the Start Menu. If fact, many users have opted for Windows 7 which has a Start Menu over Windows 8. Power to the People prevailed in restoring the Start Menu. So if you are looking at a Windows XP upgrade, take a look at Windows 8. Learn your Windows Personality before you upgrade.

3D Printers - This is the next big thing for personal technology and will change our lives in ways that today seem unimaginable. 3D printers have been around since 1984 but mainly used for prototyping since they were so expensive. With the price dropping substantially, 3D printers will pay for themselves by providing household items, toys, clothing, shoes and all types of replacement parts. On demand manufacturing will revolutionize every industry from energy to transportation to health care. Already GE is using 3D printing for turbine parts and scientists have developed a 3D printer for stem cells. From horse shoes that will be made of lighter materials with a perfect fit to water filtration that makes salt water drinkable, the possibilities are endless. Here are some amazing examples.

Disclaimer: Like horoscopes, our predictions for the Top IT Trends of 2014 are general in nature and intended for fun and entertainment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Being an Effective Scrum Master

A Scrum master plays a crucial role in the implementation of Scrum on software development projects.

A Scrum master is like a leg in the tripod of the Scrum team, with the other two being the product owner and the development team. The relationship of the product owner with the business representative is balanced out by the Scrum master's relationship with the development team. His role is to support the team in becoming self-organized, to remove any obstacles the team might be facing and to ensure that the Scrum methodology is being followed. However, unlike the product owner, he not play a management or supervisory role for the team.

The first step to being an effective Scrum master is to understand the principles of Scrum extremely well. As a part of this, he should be well aware of what Scrum can and cannot achieve. He must ensure that daily Scrum meetings are held and other important processes of Scrum are followed and that the team does not veer off course. It is important that a Scrum master knows how to use different tools and techniques such as tracking and value of metrics, and should have knowledge of software development process and other agile methodologies. What is even more important to become an effective Scrum master is to hone soft skills such as leadership and determination.

Adopting Scrum, especially when the team is not exposed to Scrum, can be challenging, and the change can sometimes be met with resistance. He will have to work with a lot of perseverance to overcome this and help create an atmosphere in which team members will stand behind Scrum.

He can assists the team by addressing any issues or removing any hurdles that may stand in the team's way. Possible issues could range from personality conflict to product ownership. He should facilitate the team, allowing it to self-organize and to determine the best way to deliver high value without compromising the ever-important Scrum methodology.

An effective Scrum master will strive to establish an amicable relationship between the product owner and team members. A product owner might at times be controlling and demanding. It is the Scrum master's responsibility to be the pacifier and help the team maintain its morale and communicate effectively with the product owner to resolve any issues.

An important aspect of agile is that it places "individuals and interactions over processes and tools." An effective Scrum Master acts as a servant-leader. When managing the team, he does not direct the team but leads by example and also serves it by removing any impediments and allowing it to decide the best way to grow and perform. Being a servant-leader also means that he re-communicates the project vision to ensure the team is heading in the right direction. As a leader, it is also his responsibility to encourage the team by offerings rewards to keep the team motivated to continuously improve.

SCRUMstudy is a certification body for Scrum and Agile, with certifications such as Scrum Master Certified, Agile Expert Certified, and Scrum Product Owner Certified.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8299571

GPS Cell Phone Tracking: What Does It Mean For You?

There's no denying that cell phone technology has improved each of our lives in meaningful ways. Our phones keep us in touch with friends, plugs us into world news, and even shows us where to go when we're lost. It's the last of these - GPS cell phone tracking - that proves the most ethically problematic, and gives smartphone users the most pause. GPS is a nearly indispensable technology, but it also calls into question whether our data is truly our own.

Let's try to clear up some of the common misconceptions, and we'll take a look at what remains and whether or not it constitutes a threat to individual privacy and liberty.

To begin with, GPS cell phone tracking is, generally speaking, a technology that the user must opt to use. The other side of that coin is that they are fully capable of opting out by choosing a phone without GPS. Certain phones even allow the user to select which apps and services have access to the GPS, thereby limiting the tracking that occurs.

Aside from providing driving directions, though, what reason would your phone have to track your location? To begin with, ads will sometimes use GPS in order to provide geographically relevant ads. This is a common occurrence, whether you're surfing the web on your phone or your desktop computer. Google, which makes most of its money by providing ads, uses this targeting advertising technique frequently.

Your phone may also use GPS to tag any photographs you take with location data, providing one more way that you can sort those photos later on when you're making your digital photo albums. Again, though, chances are good that this is a service that you can opt out of through your phone's settings menu.

If you keep up with news from the tech world, you were probably aware in recent months of a number of controversies involving GPS cell phone tracking. Certain pointed questions were raised by those in the media about what, exactly, the world's tech companies were doing with our personal GPS data.

The concern was arguably a reasonable one. It's been a rule of thumb for quite some time that if you can't figure out what a company is selling, it's probably us. That's how Google and Facebook have made their billions: by selling our personal information - which we freely provided them with - to those who would pay for it, all in the name of selling more relevant ads.

The question of location data became a tinder box when people started figuring out that our digital lives are not wholly our own. Images sprang into peoples' heads of g-men in dark rooms tracking our every movement, whether we're driving to work, visiting family, or just going for a Sunday drive.

A common argument is that "those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear." That completely side-steps the issue, however. What we need to take away from this great debate is that we need to demand greater transparency from the companies to whom we've vouchsafed our data.

At the end of the day, however, it's easy to see that GPS tracking is a hugely useful and paradigm-shifting tool for all involved. It just comes down to how we use it.

Get your GPS Solutions that are affordable and simple. It is now easier than ever to use GPS tracking for your small business or for your teenagers. Find out more about GPS cell phone tracking

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8298230

iPhone App Development Trends for Business

Mobile apps have simplified life and the way business, shopping, travel, communication or networking is done. Over the years there has been a continuous rise in the number of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

This has been responsible for developers carrying out innovative approaches to mobile app development. Apple Inc. now has almost 850,000 apps for its iPhones and 350,000 apps for its iPads in its App Store. Some of the development trends for iPhone mobile apps are mentioned below.

Moving to Cloud

iPhone apps are moving to cloud computing now which simply means that the app is run somewhere on the Internet other than the businesses' own servers. There are numerous advantages of doing so. Primarily the cloud model increases the lifetime of the mobile app. Deploying iPhone apps to the cloud lets the developer focus on higher-value activities. It also cuts costs in many ways.

Clean Interface

A clean and simple interface in iPhone mobile app design has been popular throughout 2013. The trend has been to strip out unnecessary functionalities and keeping it simple. More and more mobile apps have showed how trends of keeping interfaces simplified rather than being more stylized or having more color.

Hardware Look

Many of the iPhone apps have started to have an interface resembling familiar hardware. They come with shiny exteriors and familiar interfaces that users can instantly connect with. Also, many elements of mobile apps are gradually breaking out of the conventional iPhone UI to take advantage of the device's unique ability to respond to finger gestures.

Creative Interaction

The possibilities for creative interaction in iPhone apps are huge. Using gestures for sharing photos, contacts and bookmarks is an example. Using interesting illustrations in place of the standard buttons is another example. Unusual interfaces and beautiful icons are other examples.

Geo-Targeted Advertising

This has been the new trend in development for the year 2013. Geo-targeted advertising in iPhone apps is being used strategically to target users by their specific geographic location. It is predicted to be picking steam in the coming years. Using this, geographically optimized ad campaigns can be used to target users.

Good Images

There has been more emphasis on clear images and complementary content for iPhone app development in 2013. Using streamlined grid layouts that focus on single images, avoiding unnecessary animations and avoiding stuffing the screen with pixels are the major trends for mobile apps. Developers are taking up new challenges and playing with different app ideas to make apps innovative.

The author is a member of the Icreon Tech marketing team.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8298065

Engage and Connect With Your Customer Using the Digital Signage

Touch screen is the ideal PC interface that is fast replacing the mouse and keyboard. It's the most preferred form of advertising, replacing the traditional print media. They are easy to install and operate, even for a person with limited computer skills. Touch screen digital signage can be directly displayed using a monitor (LCD/LED/Plasma) by simply mounting them on a wall or a ceiling indoors. In public places, it is mounted in a kiosk for outdoor advertising or information dissemination.

Kiosk, Your Touch Screen Guide

The compact, colorful and attractive terminals found in public places that provide data at the touch of a finger are called Touch Screen Kiosks. These can integrate different types of technology, the most common being the digital signage. Touch Screen Kiosks are used in public places like shopping centers, airports, bus and railway terminals, health care facility, restaurants, museums, fitness centers, spas, retail units, education, art galleries and many more. They are the most ubiquitous information dispensing devices. Shopping centers, airport or rail terminals and huge retail centers are the most confusing places to find one's way around. The kiosk also acts as way-finding system, mounted with a site plan and navigation system, it gives a virtual tour around the site, showing the customer their current location and guiding them to their destination. Kiosks aim at helping people find what they are looking for, quickly and simply all by themselves, a digital DIY device.

Your Menu Card Goes Digital

Digital menu boards are the best kind of digital advertising. It effectively engages the attention of your customers, reducing the perception of waiting time. It helps in instantly customizing menus by automated content to display the multiple day-parting of menus. Real time content and dynamic messaging helps improve sales and increases customer satisfaction. Customers are informed about the nutritional content and are able to make an informed choice about what they eat. Menus can be changed and displayed with updated prices without any extra printing charges. Most fast food and self service restaurants are upgrading to a hassle free, digital menu board to offer an enhanced customer experience.

Plan Your Multimedia Content

The presentation content is designed after taking into account the place of installation, the interests of the user, theme and mood of the content and level of participation or interaction. The multimedia content integrates different media forms like rich text, animated graphics, photographs, videos, maps, menus and diagrams with background music and colorful layouts. This multimedia content is then uploaded and displayed in a media player/ digital engine (generally a computer or monitor).

Digital signage, kiosk has revolutionized communication, by offering a dynamic and engaging digital experience.

Luke Harper is a freelance writer, editor and content marketer. AOPEN is a major electronics manufacturer for home and business applications.

Its main products range from Touch Screen Kiosk to Digital Menu Boards for Restaurants and other enterprises.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8280853