From Email Marketing To Amscreens' Face Detectors: How Can Retailers Use Unified Communications To Drive Sales This Winter?

With the advances in technology that have taken place in recent times, businesses need to adapt in order to meet consumer demands and increase the customer experience - especially so in the retail business where competition is fierce. By making use of unified communications, retailers can take advantage of lots of ways to enhance the consumer experience whilst stream lining their operations and reducing costs. Read on to find out how this is possible.
What is unified communications?
Unified communications is the bringing together of an organisation's networking and communications resources, to create a single infrastructure. This could include phone, voicemail, email, instant messaging, server-based applications and video conferencing.
The consequence of unified communications is that users across different sites will become part of one single network, no matter where they are based. In a retail environment, this could help to enhance the consumer experience, speed processes up, increase sales, enhance brand credentials, make cost savings and personalise the shopping experience.
In theory, it sounds like the perfect solution to stay one step ahead of the competition. But, in reality, research suggests that over 60% of retailers lack understanding of what unified communications is all about. However, many businesses plan to put some form of unified communications in place over the next two to three years in an effort to take advantage of this technology.
Instant communications
Unified communications can be used in retail for instant, real-time messaging with its customers. So, if someone orders something online, they will get an instant email message to confirm the order or give further details about other products of interest. As mobile shopping gains momentum, unified communications will enable the process to move smoothly with text messages to confirm orders, etc.
Being able to communicate with customers in an instant can also help to clarify information and sort out any problems or issues, in as swift a manner as possible.
Unified communications can be used to route calls automatically to different stores or outlets. All messages should be easily accessible from a single point, regardless of the type, such as voice message, social media or chat, etc.
This improved technology will enable conferencing and collaboration between different retail sites and mobile workers. With unified communications, rich presence management means you can see the status of others on-screen, for example, so you'd instantly know if they were in a meeting or available.
Personalised service
Retailers can use unified communications to give customers multiple options to decide where and how to buy items, as well as giving them a personalised service. So, if one person wants to place an order via their mobile phone or request information from your social media accounts, unified communications allows the organisation to do this.
The technology is increasingly being used in an intuitive manner, so that it can recognise a customer's buying history and information that will help to enhance the personal shopping experience. For instance, retail giant Tesco are rolling out face detectors to screen advertising. Other stores may consider giving a customer information about a product via their phone as they walk past it. Mobile phones could be used to show consumers an interactive map of the retail store to guide them around it, or different departments, for instance.
Unified communications can also be used to instantly check stock, speed up problem solving, communicate effectively with staff on the road or other members of staff who are working remotely.
This post was written by business writer Crispin Jones for Maintel – experts in business continuity and contact centre services.

6 Tips On Creating An Effective Website For Your Business

Whether you're starting a business or branching out from a blog, creating your own website can be an intimidating task. How do you design it to perfection? What's more important, text or images? How can you be sure you've crafted something worthwhile when you're all done?

If you're building a website and looking for guidance, here are six tips from the pros.

1: Choose The Right Domain

Domain names are like handshakes: They send an immediate first impression that will lay the groundwork for everything that comes later. If you want to send a strong, confident message right off the bat, you'll need a solid domain name that conveys your image and intent. register here  for more information on choosing the right domain.

2: Offer A Modern Layout

Quality web design can make all the difference in how your site is perceived. No one will take you seriously if you're using Comic Sans over pixelated animations from the '90s! Hire a professional designer to give your website a sleek, professional and thoroughly 21st century look.

3: Organize Your Content

How are your readers going to navigate your site? Are there menus, categories and drop-down lists? Try to give everything its own place. Not only will this encourage usability, but it will also make it easier for search engines algorithms to sort your content.

4: Simplify Your Readability

Avoid posting large blocks of text that require academic stamina to finish. Break it all up with paragraphs, headings, subheadings, bullet points, numbered lists, et cetera. Try to remember that the average Internet user browses a page for less than five seconds, so you need to catch their attention immediately.

5: Add Images

Again, design is very important for the successful website. Create visual interest by complementing your text with photos, artwork and infographics relevant to the content at hand. You don't want to overdo it, especially with moving GIFs that can prove distracting in large quantities, but adding a few images never hurts.

6: Double Check Accessibility

Not everyone browses the web from a laptop. In fact, millions of users have turned to smartphones and tablets as the only way they read, shop and engage online. See the problem? If your site refuses to load on iPhones or Galaxy Notes, you're missing out on millions of potential visitors. Before you go live, make sure your webpages can be accessed across all platforms.

SteelSeries offers wireless game controller for iOS 7

SteelSeries introduces the first wireless gamepad for games especially for iOS 7. Up to four players can compete simultaneously on an iPhone or iPad. Who wants to play on his current iPad or iPhone with gamepad control, may yet resort to “pinch " Solutions Logitech or Moga .

Now SteelSeries has the first wireless gamepad Stratus presents at CES 2014 , which corresponds to the set by Apple's standards on games controller.

This means that for the Stratus an iPhone 5 , iPhone 5S, 5C iPhone or Fifth Generation iPod Touch is required. All games that support has been available since iOS Games 7 interface are compatible without further adjustments to the controllers.

Currently, among others, GTA San Andreas, Bastion and Call of Duty: Strike Team compatible with the standard. According to SteelSeries; Players can also dilly-dallying on HD TVs via Apple TV with Airplay. Stratus offers the classic controller design with a D- pad D-pad, a 4 -button layout, two analog mini- joysticks and four shoulder buttons.

In addition, it has an on and off switch and a pairing button for quick and easy Bluetooth connection to the iOS device. According to the manufacturer with a full load the battery lasts more than ten hours and has an average total charging time of two hours via the included USB cable.

For multiplayer matches up to four controllers with a single iOS device that can be connected, and in the middle of the controller is to display the red LED indicators to indicate the number of active players. The gamepad is now available on pre-order from the manufacturer for around 100 Euros.

Dropbox 2.6 available now!

Dropbox synchronization service and online storage file has been updated now. Version 2.6 is finalized and offered for download to all users; which contains several new features. The first is a faster way to temporarily turn off synchronization for example if phone is used it is useful if the internet connection is used. Until then, you had to click the icon on the menu bar, then click the wheel icon, and then click one of the items on the menu that is displayed.

Now just open the interface and move the cursor to the bottom left and you may immediately suspend synchronization. The service also seeks to simplify the software installation. When you download Dropbox, it does not recover everything, but only a small utility that weighs a few hundred KB, and that will take care of the installation. Once launched, it downloads and starts to install the rest of the things. For the first time user, the few steps to complete the installation were also reviewed.

 Newest reported by the service, the Selective synchronization is reactive now at last. Recall that Dropbox does not necessarily synchronize all that is present on the servers with your Mac or PC, which is essential for not fulfilling the SSD sometimes cramped. Until then, the choice of folders to sync was very slow, both to display the list of items available to implement change.

With this version, there is always a little bit of waiting to complete the operation, but progress is undeniable. Dropbox 2.6 requires OS X 10.6. This new version will be automatically updating itself in the coming days. In the meantime, you can test it by downloading it on the forums of service.

Everyday Objects that Wouldn’t Exist Without Plastic Welding

Welding is a technique that has been used for thousands of years to bond metals together. From the ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians to Henry Ford and the rise of automobiles, welding has helped to shape the world’s history. But with more and more manufacturing processes relying on thermoplastics instead of heavy metals, new machinery has had to adapt for plastic welding.
What is plastic welding? Similar to traditional welding, plastic welding is the process by which two plastic workpieces are joined by creating a molecular bond. There are a number of methods that are utilized for welding plastics, including spin welding, ultrasonic welding, hot plate welding, and laser welding. Each of these methods use their own equipment, but they all rely on the same basic processes of applying pressure, heating, and cooling. Pressure holds the workpieces in place and compresses them to allow for quicker bonding. It is necessary to heat plastics to the point where a nearly melted layer forms across the adjoining surfaces. This allows the molecules from each workpiece to diffuse and bond with each other, creating a chemical bond. Finally, during the cooling phase, the newly formed bond solidifies into one piece for a finished weld. The strength of the weld depends on a number of factors, including the types of plastics, joint design, the amount of heat and pressure applied, and the rate of cooling.
What are some objects that wouldn’t exist without plastic welding? The list includes everything from kitchen utensils and medical supplies to automobile parts and military equipment. Smart key fobs for newer cars use a transponder chip to start the engine. This chip is bonded to the plastic top of the key using ultrasonic welding. Because ultrasonic welds can create airtight seals without producing contaminants, they are extremely popular in building sterile medical equipment. IV filters and tubes, breathing aides, dialysis tubes, catheters, and even hospital gowns and masks are all constructed using ultrasonic welding. Juice boxes, milk containers, and a lot of food packaging are also hermetically sealed with ultrasonic welds to produce a stronger closure than glue could provide. This helps to prevent air contamination and keep food fresh.
In fact, the computer or tablet you’re holding right now likely underwent plastic welding at some point in its manufacturing. Apple has changed the design of some of its devices to allow for stronger bonding between internal plastic components and the exterior metallic shell. These designs include surface irregularities that better allow for the flow of melted plastics, which can then be joined using ultrasonic welders. The goal is for these stronger bonds to improve the durability of technological devices.
Whether you’re looking to begin plastic welding for home improvement projects or you need to repair broken plastics, learning plastic welding techniques can have long-term benefits. If you are a welding beginner who wants to improve your skills before investing in higher-priced equipment, consider pre-owned ultrasonic welders or used ultrasonic welders. This equipment will allow you to get comfortable with the process as you hone your skills and move on to bigger and better projects.