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Service Update 0.18 for Microsoft Dynamics 365 9.0

July 18, 2020 Microsoft Dynamics CRM

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Increase your proficiency with the Dynamics 365 applications that you already use and learn more about the apps that interest you. Up your game with a learning path tailored to today’s Dynamics 365 masterminds and designed to prepare you for industry-recognized Microsoft certifications.

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Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement in the Field

Amazon launches monitoring service AWS IoT SiteWise in general availability

July 9, 2020 Big Data

Amazon today announced that AWS IoT SiteWise, its managed monitoring service for industrial customers, is generally available two years after its unveiling at AWS re:Invent 2018. SiteWise is live for Amazon Web Services (AWS) customers as of this week in the US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), Europe (Frankfurt), and Europe (Ireland) regions, with additional server regions to follow in the coming months.

Manufacturers, energy utilities, and food processors often struggle to collect, process, and analyze data from their hundreds to thousands of internet of things (IoT) sensors. Extracting data across different locations is time-consuming and expensive, because this data is typically stored in local, specialized servers that lack a common data format. Even with a data-collection pipeline in place, information like equipment type, facility location, and relationships with other equipment must be annotated manually; customers have to write custom apps to calculate and compare performance metrics across facilities to derive insights.

SiteWise automates data ingestion from the plant floor, structuring and labeling the data and generating real-time metrics to inform managerial decisions. In SiteWise, customers begin by modeling their industrial equipment, processes, and facilities by adding context to the collected data. They then define common industrial performance metrics (e.g., overall equipment effectiveness and uptime) using SiteWise’s built-in library of mathematical functions. Once a customer’s environment is modeled and their data processed in AWS, the service automatically computes the metrics at an interval defined by the customer. Uploaded data and computed metrics are sent to a fully managed time-series database designed to store and retrieve time-stamped data with low latency.

From within the SiteWise console, customers can create custom web apps without coding to visualize KPIs across end-user devices. And in addition to using software running on an edge device, SiteWise provides interfaces for collecting data from modern industrial apps through MQ Telemetry Transport (MQTT) messages or its APIs.

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Amazon says that customers like Volkswagen Group are using SiteWise to ingest manufacturing shop floor data into the cloud, model and organize those different machine assets within its plants, and visualize operational data from its cylinder production line in a web application. Another customer — Bayer — deployed SiteWise across nine corn production plants in North America, collecting data from the plant floor and then measuring and analyzing the overall equipment effectiveness of its machinery to identify production inefficiencies. The company claims that SiteWise enables it to onboard a crop site in less than a few hours versus a few weeks.

Amazon maintains pole position in the IoT segment, which is anticipated to be worth $ 212 billion by the end of 2019. According to a survey conducted by the Eclipse Foundation in 2018, AWS was by far the most popular cloud platform for IoT developers, growing in popularity by 21% from 2017 to a 51.8% share, compared with Azure’s 31.21% share (up from 17% in 2017). Amazon CTO Werner Vogels told VentureBeat in a recent interview that AWS customers deploy upwards of hundreds of thousands of sensors.

According to a recent survey published by Tech Pro Research, over 80% of industrial manufacturing companies are using or planning to use IoT devices.

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Big Data – VentureBeat

Service Update 0.16 for Microsoft Dynamics 365 9.0

July 9, 2020 Microsoft Dynamics CRM

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Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement in the Field

Service Update 0.17 for Microsoft Dynamics 365 9.0

July 7, 2020 Microsoft Dynamics CRM

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Amazon launches AI-powered code review service CodeGuru in general availability

June 30, 2020 Big Data

Amazon today announced the general availability of CodeGuru, an AI-powered developer tool that provides recommendations for improving code quality. It was first revealed during the company’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) re:Invent 2019 conference in Las Vegas, and starting today, it’s available with usage-based pricing.

Software teams perform code reviews to check the logic, syntax, and style before new code is added to an existing application codebase — it’s an industry-standard practice. But it’s often challenging finding enough developers to perform reviews and monitor the apps post-deployment. Plus, there’s no guarantee those developers won’t miss problems, resulting in bugs and performance issues.

CodeGuru ostensibly solves this with a component that integrates with existing integrated development environments (IDEs) and taps AI algorithms trained on over 10,000 of the most popular open source projects to evaluate code as it’s being written. Where there’s an issue, CodeGuru proffers a human-readable comment that explains what the issue is and suggests potential remediations. The tool also finds the most inefficient and unproductive lines of code by creating a profile that takes into account things like latency and processor utilization.

It’s a two-part system. CodeGuru Reviewer — which uses a combination of rule mining and supervised machine learning models — detects deviation from best practices for using AWS APIs and SDKs, flagging common issues that can lead to production issues such as detection of missing pagination, error handling with batch operations, and the use of classes that are not thread-safe. Developers commit their code as usual to the repository of their choice (e.g. GitHub, GitHub Enterprise, Bitbucket Cloud, and AWS CodeCommit) and add Reviewer as one of the code reviewers. Reviewer then analyzes existing code bases in the repository, identifies bugs and issues, and creates a baseline for successive code reviews by opening a pull request. The service also provides a dashboard that lists information for all code reviews, which reflects feedback solicited from developers.

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CodeGuru Profiler delivers specific recommendations on issues like extravagant recreation of objects, expensive deserialization, usage of inefficient libraries, and excessive logging. Users install an agent in their app that observes the app run time and profiles the app to detect code quality issues (along with details on latency and CPU usage). Profiler then uses machine learning to automatically identify code and anomalous behaviors that are most impacting latency and CPU usage. The information is brought together in a profile that shows the areas of code that are most inefficient. This profile includes recommendations on how developers can fix issues to improve performance and also estimates the cost of continuing to run inefficient code.

Amazon says that CodeGuru — which encodes AWS’ best practices — has been used internally to optimize 80,000 applications, leading to tens of millions of dollars in savings. In fact, Amazon claims that some teams were able to reduce processor utilization by 325% and lower costs by 39% in just a year.

CodeGuru is available now in US East (N. Virginia), US East (Ohio), US West (Oregon), EU (Ireland), EU (London), EU (Frankfurt), EU (Stockholm), Asia Pacific (Singapore), Asia Pacific (Sydney), and Asia Pacific (Tokyo) with availability expanding to additional regions in the coming months. Early adopters include Atlassian, cloud tech consultancy EagleDream Technologies, enterprise software developer DevFactory, condominium review website operator Renga, and scheduling program startup YouCanBook.me.

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Using a Public Web Service to Consume SQL Server Build Numbers

June 18, 2020 BI News and Info

During my time as a professional DBA, I have been responsible for quite a few SQL Server instances, all with their own set of characteristics, including different versions and patching levels, the topic of this article.

One of the primary duties that DBAs have is making sure that the SQL Server instances are patched and up to date, as Microsoft makes available all the corresponding Service Packs and/or Cumulative Updates. This responsibility, of course, applies for the on-premises deployments of SQL Server. Microsoft manages most database services for you in Azure, however, you will still be responsible for keeping Azure Virtual Machines up to date.

With this said, how can you make sure that your set of SQL Server instances are patched up to the latest available release by Microsoft? One obvious way is to manually check the current releases of SQL Server and compare that list against what you currently have, making a note of the current status of your environment and pointing out any differences. However, doing this can consume a lot of time, especially if you have quite a handful of instances to check.

I found that I wanted to know if my instances were up to date, but, eventually, I didn’t have enough time on my hands to be constantly checking for the available updates. I previously created and tried a solution that consumed and parsed a website to gather the information about the SQL Server build numbers. However, I decided to put that solution to rest because I realized that I don’t want to depend on the availability of an external site to keep things working fine for me.

After failing at many attempts to find a solution to automate this effort, I decided to build a public service that can surely help any SQL Server DBA fulfil this important duty.

Choosing the technology to build the public service

After several hours of thinking, I chose Azure (a solid decision by the way) by combining two of their “serverless” offerings, to help me reduce the overall costs. This article in no way is a deep dive into the technologies picked, so with that out of the way, let me explain why I picked Azure Serverless Functions and Azure SQL Database Serverless.

One of my first options was to spin a Virtual Machine, install a web server, a database, point a custom domain to the public IP assigned to the Virtual machine, and develop the service. However, by going this route, even if there’s no activity going on in the server, you still have to pay a minimum amount for the storage and virtual network assigned to your Virtual Machine.

With the serverless options, you can get a cost-effective and very convenient solution simply by paying for it when your stuff is really used.

Azure SQL Database Serverless

Nowadays, there’s an offering from Microsoft, for your Database-as-a-Service solution, called serverless. A convenient feature from this option is that, if your database hasn’t been used for a continuous amount of time (1hr is the minimum you can pick, up to 7 days), then it will auto-pause itself and, you guessed it, you will only be charged for the storage assigned to your database. Under normal conditions, Microsoft charges for the storage and compute resources used by your Azure SQL Database.

There is one important detail that should be kept in mind, and it is the fact that if your database is in a paused state, and a request tries to hit the database, then it will require some time (usually it’s several seconds) for it to “wake up” and serve the request. Therefore, there might be times where it seems that your service is slow, but it is very likely that it is just the database “waking up”. You can find more information here.

Azure Serverless Functions

Azure functions are an excellent option for quickly developing microservices, without worrying about the underlying infrastructure that powers them to run; hence the addition of the term serverless. It doesn’t mean that it doesn’t require a server to run behind the scenes. There are different service plans and configurations for your functions, but the convenient part for me is that there are free grants covered by month, and so far, I haven’t spent a single dime in Azure functions.

You can find more information here.

Details and usage of the public service

Before detailing the structure and usage of the service, I would like to express one important fact, and it is that, as of the time of this writing, the usage of this public service is entirely free for the end-user. I am personally financing the resources described in Azure (even if it’s a tiny bit currently) and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future unless something prevents me from doing so.

To consume the service, you have to issue an HTTP request, either through a web browser or programmatically through a script, in order to get the json response with the data. As of this writing, there is no restriction upon who can consume this service; however, this can eventually change if any maliciousness is detected, such as trying to bring the service down.

NOTE: You have to be 100% sure that the machine from where you trigger the request has internet access. It might be an obvious thing, but I have seen cases where the service seems to be failing, and it is just that extremely simple detail.

Here is the structure of the URL:

http://www.sqlserverbuilds.info/api/builds/{version:regex(2019|2017|2016|2014|2012|2008R2|2008|all)}/{kind:regex(first|latest|all)}

As you can see, there are two sections of the URL within curly brackets {}. The first will tell the service about the information that the user is actually targeting:

{ version:regex(2019 | 2017 | 2016 | 2014 | 2012 | 2008R2 | 2008 | all) }

In here you specify, as a parameter, the particular SQL Server version for which you wish to know the released/available build numbers. If you specify all, then all the build numbers I have collected in the database are going to be returned. I have only populated the database with build numbers starting from SQL Server 2008. I know that there are many systems out there still running SQL Server 2005 and below, but I just thought that SQL Server 2008 would be a good starting point; perhaps in a future revision/release of this project, I might add even older versions.

The next part looks like this:

{ kind:regex(first | latest | all) }

In here you specify, as a parameter, how granular you want the information to be returned by the service.

First: tells the service to return only the very first build number for the specified SQL Server version.

Latest: tells the service to return only the latest build number for the specified SQL Server version.

All: tells the service to return all the build numbers found for the specified SQL Server version.

Output Examples:

Here are some examples of the call to the service and the results. Note, as I stated earlier, if you experience either a blank json object as a response or general slowness overall, it means that the database was in a paused state and it is “waking up”.

Retrieving the first build number for SQL Server 2019.

URL: http://www.sqlserverbuilds.info/api/builds/2019/first

Result: [{ “sp” : “RTM”, “build_number” : “15.0.2000.5”, “release_date” : “2019-11-04″ }]

Retrieving the latest build number for SQL Server 2019.

URL: http://www.sqlserverbuilds.info/api/builds/2019/latest

Result: [{ “sp” : “RTM”,“cu” : “CU4″, “build_number” : “15.0.4033.1”, “release_date” : “2020-03-31″ }]

Retrieving all the build numbers for SQL Server 2019.

URL: http://www.sqlserverbuilds.info/api/builds/2019/all

Result: [

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “cu” : “CU4″, “build_number” : “15.0.4033.1”, “release_date” : “2020-03-31″ },

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “cu” : “CU3″, “build_number” : “15.0.4023.6”, “release_date” : “2020-03-12″ },

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “cu”:“CU2″, “build_number” : “15.0.4013.40”, “release_date” : “2020-02-13″ },

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “cu” : “CU1″, “build_number” : “15.0.4003.23”, “release_date” : “2020-01-07″ },

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “extra” : “GDR”, “build_number” : “15.0.2070.41”, “release_date” : “2019-11-04″ },

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “build_number” : “15.0.2000.5”, “release_date” : “2019-11-04″ }

]

Retrieving the first build number of all the SQL Server versions stored in the database.

URL: http://www.sqlserverbuilds.info/api/builds/all/first

Result: [

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “build_number” : “15.0.2000.5”, “release_date” : “2019-11-04″ },

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “build_number” : “14.0.1000.169”, “release_date” : “2017-10-02″ },

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “build_number” : “13.0.1601.5”, “release_date” : “2016-06-01″ },

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “build_number” : “12.0.2000.8”, “release_date” : “2014-04-01″ },

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “build_number” : “11.0.2100.60”, “release_date” : “2012-03-06″ },

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “build_number” : “10.50.1600.1”, “release_date” : “2010-04-21″ },

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “build_number” : “10.0.1600.22”, “release_date” : “2008-08-07″ }

]

Retrieving the latest build number of all the SQL Server versions stored in the database.

URL: http://www.sqlserverbuilds.info/api/builds/all/first

Result: [

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “cu” : “CU4″, “build_number” : “15.0.4033.1”, “release_date” : “2020-03-31″ },

{ “sp” : “RTM”, “cu” : “CU20″, “build_number” : “14.0.3294.2”, “release_date” : “2020-04-07″ },

{ “sp” : “SP2″, “cu” : “CU12″, “build_number” : “13.0.5698.0”, “release_date” : “2020-02-25″ },

{ “sp” : “SP3″, “cu” : “CU4″, “extra” : “CVE”, “build_number” : “12.0.6372.1”, “release_date” : “2020-02-11″ },

{ “sp” : “SP4″, “extra” : “CVE”, “build_number” : “11.0.7493.4”, “release_date” : “2020-02-11″ },

{ “sp” : “SP3″, “extra” : “GDR”, “build_number” : “10.50.6560.0”, “release_date” : “2018-01-06″ },

{ “sp” : “SP4″, “extra” : “GDR”, “build_number” : “10.0.6556.0”, “release_date” : “2018-01-06″ }

]

Structure of the JSON response

Once you get back the JSON response, you’ll need to interpret the information:

[

{

“sp” : “RTM”,

“cu” : “CU4″,

“build_number” : “15.0.4033.1”,

“release_date” : “2020-03-31″

}

]

sp: The Service Pack level of the build number

From SQL Server 2017 and up, this will always have “RTM” as Microsoft shifted to Cumulative only releases.

cu: The Cumulative Update level of the build number.

When this field doesn’t come in a particular response, it means that the build number is in its base RTM/SP level without its first Cumulative Update.

build_number: The actual build number of the specific release.

release_date: The date when Microsoft release the specific build number to the public.

Sometimes, there are rare cases where Microsoft pulls a particular build number from public availability (due to bugs, errors reported). When I find cases like these, I usually pull them from the database as well.

extra: When this field appears in a particular response object, it means that the build number is a special case release, either a General Distribution Release, a Hotfix, or an On-Demand update.

Bonus script to interact with the public service

Since the spirit of this public service is to allow the fellow DBAs to programmatically consume the service, let me leave you a PowerShell script that you can use as a “stepping stone” for you own particular use case.

Something that has been very helpful to me (and it might be to you as well) is the use of this service to store the build numbers information in a central repository that I can keep up-to-date and use it to determine if my list of instances are up-to-date. Of course, you would have to craft that solution and apply some sort of automation to it.

Code

$ response = Invoke-WebRequest -URI http://www.sqlserverbuilds.info/api/builds/2019/first -UseBasicParsing

$ json = ConvertFrom-Json $ ([String]::new($ response.Content))

#This means that an option that targets multiple build numbers was sent

if($ json.length -gt 1){

foreach($ item in $ json){

$ item

}

else{

$ json

}

Output Examples

Fetching one build number for a particular SQL Server version.

Using a Public Web Service to Consume SQL Server Build Numbers

Fetching all the build numbers from a particular SQL Server version.

Using a Public Web Service to Consume SQL Server Build Numbers

Fetching all the build numbers stored in the database.

Using a Public Web Service to Consume SQL Server Build Numbers

Conclusion

I really hope that this personal initiative can be valuable to any SQL Server DBA out there facing the same situation that I once faced. Keep in mind that there is a chance that you might find errors while attempting to consume the service, and it wouldn’t be that surprising as the version I’m presenting within this article is v1.0.

I personally will be updating the database with every new release that Microsoft makes public, and any ideas, comments, suggestions, complaints will always be welcome in favor of improving this service in any possible way, so feel free to drop a comment and I will try my best to address it.

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The WFH Model Is Changing Customer Service for Good

June 15, 2020 CRM News and Info

As the dust settled on what most have deemed the “new normal” of working from home, many industries — including customer service — rapidly shifted operations to be remote work-friendly.

At the same time, call volumes increased exponentially: During the last few months, airlines saw a 199 percent increase in customer inquiries, while grocers saw a 39 percent increase.

While the continuity of access to customer service is vital in normal circumstances, the sharp increase in customer demands during the pandemic has made it even more critical.

By overcoming reservations surrounding the idea of working from home in the customer service industry, many companies found real, upfront benefits from utilizing remote teams, including flexible business operations, lower absenteeism and increased productivity.

The implications of the shift to remote customer service teams aren’t limited to short-term benefits of business continuity and keeping representatives safe from COVID-19. There are long-term considerations for the customer service industry as well.

Call centers have been forced into overdrive to change business processes and policies on working from home — such as providing representatives with equipment they can use at home and scheduling staff in a way that ensures customers have access to service 24/7 — while keeping in mind the unique challenges of balancing work life with home life.

Despite the challenges, remote working has accelerated the pace of customer service transformation to digital, expanding opportunities for staff to work from the comfort of their living room (or kitchen!) — and it will occupy a permanent place in the call centers of the future.

Unique Benefits of Remote Working for Customer Service

Before the onset of COVID-19, many call centers around the world operated in an in-person environment because of the normal expectations within the customer service industry. However, with the push to remote working, companies have had to rethink their policies and turn call center support from an in-person job to one that can be done in a safe, home environment.

Many businesses generally have been successful in making this transition, but customer service representatives are in a unique position because of the need for specialized tools to pull up customer information, keep customer satisfaction high, and handle inquiries from a number of channels: telephone, digital and social media.

As it turns out, there are several benefits to having remote customer service teams:

1. Time Savings and Productivity Gains

Companies and staff alike are saving money and time. Employees are saving money on commuting costs, and remote customer service teams can handle 13 percent more requests each day, according to
a study by Quarterly Journal of Economics.

2. Business Flexibility

The key benefits that make remote working for customer service worthwhile also go well beyond return on investment and meeting key performance indicators.

With remote teams, a business can become more flexible. Representatives working for customer service outsourcers can shift schedules to assist clients depending on volume spikes and where there’s a need. For example, there could be a greater need for representatives to be at the ready on Monday mornings, or Wednesday during lunch may be when call volumes hit a high for the day.

Whether working for an outsourcer or providing in-house customer service, working from home allows representatives to be “on call” in the comfort of their home vs. “always on” at the office, which allows for a better work-life balance too.

3. More Recruiting Options

Business flexibility is coupled with more recruiting options and an expanded talent pool to handle scale. Many job seekers are looking for flexible work as an incentive, with more than 40 percent of millennials saying that the
flexibility to work from anywhere is a priority when evaluating job opportunities.

Many companies, such as Amazon and American Express, boast a significant number of remote work opportunities. By taking location out of the equation, a remote customer service model makes it easier to scale teams, attract high-quality applicants, and increase the likelihood of new hire retention.

4. Improve Employee Retention

When companies see increased retention rates, it usually means they’re reducing absenteeism and increasing staff happiness — and remote work figures largely in these successes.

The
retention rate for remote representatives is 80 percent, versus 24 percent for those who work on site, partly because remote representatives are empowered to have control over their own schedules and create schedules unique to their availability.

5. Potential to Improve Customer Loyalty

More importantly, when representatives are satisfied with their job, it increases the likelihood they will provide excellent customer service.

At the end of the day, the goal for customer service is to ensure customers are satisfied with their experience, which leads to better loyalty. From a business perspective, when staff are engaged and happy with their work, they tend to be more productive, which can help them manage the increased call volumes happening across customer service departments right now.

Once businesses are able to reopen their offices, it might be wise to keep at least some customer service staff remote, as those representatives can fill in the gaps for on-site call centers to ensure there’s no disruption of service.

How Remote Work Forces Customer Service to Change

What will be seen over the next few months — and years — is that representatives will be more technologically savvy, especially as customer demand for 24/7 service grow.

Customers want to talk to a representative on multiple channels, whether it’s through chat on a website, direct message on social media, or through traditional phone calls. So, with the push to remote work allowing for greater usage of technology, teams will be that much more ready — and sufficiently knowledgeable — to use the technology at their fingertips.

Remote work has accelerated technology adoption of tools that allow staff to do their jobs seamlessly and effectively, all while giving a boost to employee morale.

Many companies are now aware that work productivity tools like those from Zoom and Slack bridge the distance between remote staff, and strengthen the relationship between staff and managers — which is a key component of engagement and improved productivity.

As for the technologies that support representatives in their roles, automation tools and dashboards are and will continue to be a necessity for keeping pace with customer demands and helping staff work efficiently. For example, automated chatbots can help customers get answers to simple questions while representatives focus on servicing customers who have more complex issues.

Looking ahead to how remote work will impact the future of customer service, companies can help ensure operations are seamless while addressing considerations such as how to train employees virtually and ensure the flow of information is secure.

There are numerous benefits to switching to remote customer service operations now and keeping these policies alive after COVID-19. Failure to take this transition seriously not only will cause business disruptions, but also will cause companies to be left behind the rest of the industry while changes are happening quickly — and for the better.

Fara%20Haron The WFH Model Is Changing Customer Service for Good
Fara Haron is the CEO North America, Ireland and Southeast Asia & EVP Global Clients at
Majorel. She leads a rapidly growing team of customer service professionals helping companies with their global customer service strategy, and providing topnotch customer engagement to some of the world’s largest and most respected brands.

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der Drumpfbunker – Secret Service was worried about the Red Army at the River Spree

June 2, 2020 Humor

Poor baby. Fortunately he has no dog on which to test cyanide capsules.

x

The guy whose entire presidency is predicated on being a tough guy has been sitting in a bunker all night, in case you were wondering the extent to which Donald Trump is a small, scared man.https://t.co/t9YhHWUl4C

— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) June 1, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secret Service agents rushed President Donald Trump to a White House bunker on Friday night as hundreds of protesters gathered outside the executive mansion, some of them throwing rocks and tugging at police barricades.

Trump spent nearly an hour in the bunker, which was designed for use in emergencies like terrorist attacks, according to a Republican close to the White House who was not authorized to publicly discuss private matters and spoke on condition of anonymity. The account was confirmed by an administration official who also on condition of anonymity.

The abrupt decision by the agents underscored the rattled mood inside the White House, where the chants from protesters in Lafayette Park could be heard all weekend and Secret Service agents and law enforcement officers struggled to contain the crowds.

[…]

As cities burned night after night and images of violence dominated television coverage, Trump’s advisers discussed the prospect of an Oval Office address in an attempt to ease tensions. The notion was quickly scrapped for lack of policy proposals and the president’s own seeming disinterest in delivering a message of unity.

apnews.com/…

x

Trump and advisers calculated that he shouldnÃ¢ÂÂt speak to the nation because he had nothing to say, no tangible policy or action to announce, nor did he feel an urgent motivation to try to bring people together. So he let his tweets speak for themselves. https://t.co/JjcIC8oxiD

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) May 31, 2020

x

According to #GeorgeFloydÃ¢ÂÂs brother he couldnÃ¢ÂÂt even listen to one man on a phone call without talking over him.

— marieka heinlen (@mariekaheinlen) June 1, 2020

Most ppl can gaze upward w/ their eyes while moving their head back to see upward. Trump canÃ¢ÂÂt do either w/ his FTD. ItÃ¢ÂÂs almost like the need to look up initiated an involuntary jerk backwards. He then seemed disoriented like he jumped off a swing. He should be wearing a helmet. https://t.co/AFK78ezcY6

— Tom Joseph (@TomJChicago) May 30, 2020

Ã¢ÂÂBut on this violent, tragic weekend for America, there was no narcissistic photo op that could obscure the reality that he is a deeply unpopular, deeply insecure politician, who is struggling, as never before, to lead his divided countryÃ¢ÂÂ by Ã¢ÂÂ¦@sbg1Ã¢ÂÂ© https://t.co/gDtogTIRTv

Ã¢ÂÂ Tom McIlroy (@TomMcIlroy) June 1, 2020

Public health experts are worried that the mass protests in the U.S. could lead to a surge of new coronavirus cases. Police using tear gas and pepper spray causes people to tear up and cough, which could increase the risk of transmission.https://t.co/vgcZ1cQ6ys

— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 31, 2020

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How to Adapt Your Customer Service When Crisis Strikes

May 8, 2020 CRM News and Info

Customer service doesn’t have to suffer while your company goes through a difficult transition. In fact, 78 percent of consumers said they
stopped doing business with a company because of poor customer service. Now is the time to show your most valuable buyers how you’ll keep them informed, updated and respected throughout this crisis.

While your business may be facing a switch to remote work or a drawdown in services, you can maintain top-quality customer service by adapting your practices to the moment. Here are a few key tips to get you started.

Keep the Team Up-to-Date

In a rapidly evolving situation like the current pandemic, you don’t have the time to send out a new missive to employees nearly every day. At the same time, your staff needs to be updated and on board with any new developments within your company.

Having a central document available company-wide decreases the amount of time spent on making announcements while keeping everyone updated simultaneously. This document should be accessible online and updated regularly with any new changes. Think of it as your company’s internal crisis management manifesto — something you can point to when questions or concerns arise.

Don’t think of this “source of truth” document as the be-all and end-all for your crisis communication. It’s more like an internal resource you can point to and continuously update. Make sure it’s circulated via email and internal communications tools, and pin it on Slack so people know where to find it.

When major updates occur, send a company wide email that both alerts employees to the new information and creates an avenue for any concerned party to discuss their thoughts with you or another manager.

If employees offer suggestions, use that as an opportunity both to revise your internal communications and implement their ideas simultaneously, doubling your efforts at keeping the team connected, particularly when you shift to telecommuting.

Double-Down on Customer Relations

It takes just one instance of poor customer service to lose a customer: Thirty-three percent of consumers have reported
dropping a business after having an unpleasant experience with customer support. You simply can’t afford to lose any customers in a period of crisis. They’re the ones who will carry you through these difficult times.

External communications like email updates can assure customers that you’re doing your best to operate as usual. When the customer needs to get in touch with you, however, are you sure you’re up to the task? Times of crisis can bring in a larger volume of phone calls and support tickets due to consumer uncertainty and large-scale changes in the way we work, live and shop. You may not expect a surge, but you need to be prepared.

Investing in customer support staff may sound counterintuitive if you’re trying to scale back operations. However, it’s one of the surest ways to keep customers satisfied and on board for the long term. Next to email, phone calls remain
the most popular channel for customer service complaints and queries. Having more staff on hand to address issues is a surefire way to retain and perhaps even grow your customer base.

There may be an opportunity for your company to engage in some customer service retraining as well. Start by assessing your knowledge base as it was last year compared to now. Is any information lacking?

Aside from queries about any new features and services you may have rolled out, keep in mind the kinds of questions your customers may be asking in response to the pandemic. A new FAQ may be a solid starting point as you work to revamp your approach to allaying customer concerns.

Reassess Social Media

It’s estimated that 90 percent of companies currently
use social media strategies for marketing, recruiting and communications. Yet a cursory glance at local businesses, and even your competitors, shows there’s still a great deal of work to be done.

Far too many businesses run social media accounts that are updated infrequently and are entirely promotional, mismanaged or just plain ineffective. By simply having a Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook account, some managers and executives think they’re already in front of all potential customers. Without proper social media management, this simply cannot be the case.

You don’t need an entire department running your social media. While a well-managed account benefits from experience, there are plenty of popular business accounts run by small or one-person teams. If you or one of your employees experience a reduction in workload, now might be the time to put some of your working hours toward amping up your social media strategy.

Social media has a number of noted benefits. Any leads you generate from social media are particularly lucrative because they can be run at little cost. You also have the chance to expand your reach and engage in conversations relevant to your industry, establishing yourself as a thought leader within a given vertical.

Yet there’s another strong advantage any company would be unwise to overlook at the moment. Tweets, Facebook posts, LinkedIn blogs, and even YouTube videos can be produced swiftly, allowing you to respond to events almost instantaneously.

While announcements should be vetted by the proper internal staff, the chance to get your message out quickly on a major platform establishes your reputation as a company that defaults toward action.

You don’t want to leave your customers, clients and partners questioning how you’re handling this crisis. By taking a new look at your social media accounts, with an eye toward how they can help amplify and create your message, you gain a powerful tool for your crisis communications strategy.

Reach Out to New and Old Acquaintances

Thus far, 2020 has been defined by layoffs, furloughs and slowdowns for nearly every business. More than any time in recent history, workers at all levels are experiencing a new availability of free time that is foreign to those of us accustomed to a 9-to-5 grind.

Even those of us fortunate enough to continue working throughout this pandemic are reevaluating which of our tasks and duties are most important. You may find you now need insights and ideas that weren’t even under consideration as recently as last year. The fact that these shifts are happening in the midst of a recession does not make change any easier.

This is the moment to reconnect with business acquaintances you’ve lost touch with over the past months or years. There’s a great deal of potential in reaching out. You may find a great prospect willing to freelance or even work as part of a skill exchange.

If your internal team doesn’t have the time or skills to boost your social media presence as suggested above, then finding someone outside of the company could be worth your while.

These messages don’t have to be explicitly about business. Just touching base to let someone know you’re available to talk (or listen) is enough to keep your business on their radar. It goes without saying that more changes are certainly on the horizon, most of which we can’t predict as fully as we’d like. Keeping close contact with others creates a wider network to share potentially game-changing information.

We’re long past the days of the rolodex, so try reaching out via LinkedIn to start creating a new network of allies. Don’t overlook the phone call as well. If you have someone’s number, a quick call to check up can be worth more than dozens of emails. It’s all about knowing your contact and making an effort to stay connected in a time of social distancing.

Prepare, Don’t Panic

Companies across the globe are searching for answers. Some are looking to the 2008 recession as a historical example, while others are going as far back as the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic for guidance. The moment we’re living in is largely without precedent.

You can view this moment as an opportunity to grow, particularly if you expect your competitors to recede. Alternatively, this may be a moment for reflection within your company — a chance to focus on values and return to your mission statement to reassess your 2020 plan. In either case, taking action now is the proper step. You don’t want to get swept away in the currents of change.

Steady leadership and firm guidance will act as a balm to your employees’ nerves. Your customers will appreciate being kept in the loop regarding any changes, and they may take a renewed interest in your business in response to dynamic new practices. Just ensure that your communication strategy keeps every interested party in the loop. A lack of information will cause concerns.

With the right plans in mind, tailored to your industry, you can weather the storm and find opportunities to create new partnerships and drive sales. You may find your marketing strategy evolves alongside this shift, but that’s OK too — just make sure everyone is kept apprised of every major change.

By adapting to change, your customer service department will do more than stay the course. It will thrive in response to your guidance.

Eric%20Schurke How to Adapt Your Customer Service When Crisis Strikes
Eric Schurke is VP Operations at
VoiceNation.