SigmaWay Blog

If you are a call center provider, then you must know that performance is an important parameter. Every day, large volume of management information is produced from different call center systems where each center is given a business target to achieve. This target is then fragmented into smaller ones to team levels where individuals have to work in order to meet it. Apart from this, you have to take into account different generic measures like volume of total calls answered, percentage of calls abandoned, and average call duration, turnover and percentage of absenteeism of your staff, etc. Together, this will tell you how efficiently your call center is operating.

To make your task easy, there are different performance management solutions that you can put to use to know various aspects – out of which you can make out areas of improvements. But for this, you have to know how to use your performance management solution. Read more at: http://www.callcentrehelper.com/trade-secrets-getting-the-best-from-your-performance-management-solution-60462.htm to know the secrets and increase your profit.

A recent research by Deloitte Consulting revealed that a strong majority of respondents are rethinking their approach towards performance management. From this research, Deloitte also found that organizations need to shift from annual performance evolution towards continuous improvement of performance. 

To read more, visit the following link: http://www.hrreporter.com/blog/Compensation-Rewards/archive/2014/04/15/fresh-thinking-needed-to-fix-performance-management

Every day enterprises are overflowing with abundance of disorganized data i.e. transactional data, market research, and social media. It is quite difficult for companies to track down these unstructured data.  Blueocean Market Intelligence, a global analytics and insights provide, helps companies to realize a 360-degree view of their customers through data integration and a multi-disciplinary approach. They have predictive capabilities, where they extrapolate historical data to identify future behavior.

To read more, visit the following link: http://www.siliconindia.com/magazine_articles/Blueocean_Market_Intelligence_Transforming_Data_Analytics_and_Research_with_a_360_Approach-LGWX73078464.html

Klipfolio, a provider of cloud-based business intelligence dashboard, announced a new partnership with Marketing Intelligence Consultant, TDHI.  In this partnership, Klipfolio data visualization platform will combine TDHI's marketing analytics and will streamline the delivery of marketing intelligence to European CMOs.

To read more, visit the following link: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1889960

Analytics makes it easy for you to track how many conversions you are getting from your social profiles by using Google Analytics. Once you have installed Google Analytics, you need to collect data, but if you are like most of your clients who have built a large audience, you will have data points on your reports that are actionable and very insightful. Google has a great support center that answers most questions that are related to trouble shooting analytics and it is a great learning resource.

 To know more read the article by Sergio Aicardi, CEO of Miami SEO Company, from http://socialmediatoday.com/sergio-aicardi/2358246/tracking-social-media-success-google-analytics

Search Engine Optimization is an effective tool in internet marketing which helps to understand how search engines take user queries in the form of keywords and turn them into search engine result pages. The algorithms in the search engines are geared more towards understanding and appreciating the importance of social signals.  Shares, likes, posts, comments and followers will expand your business not only in the branding aspect of your business, but search engines as well.

To gather more insights visit the article by Joe Chierotti, lead strategist and VP of Search Engine Optimization in InternetReputation.com, follow http://socialmediatoday.com/joe-chierotti/2367216/advanced-seo-techniques-importance-social-media 

Google had maintained a complete secrecy about the algorithm it uses to generate site links. Google includes pages in the sitelinks that don't appear to be the healthiest pages in traffic acquisition, engagement, or any other supporting data point. Why is Google selecting these pages? Below are three possible explanations:

• Something for Everyone.
• Search Trends.
• Testing.

Examining web analytics data on site content and to try and "save users’ time" are something organizations do on a daily basis. There is a common assumption that Google has a clever way of determining the popularity of site pages without knowing the website analytics.The method that Google utilizes to determine sitelinks is still somewhat of a mystery. But data shows that Google is anticipating the popularity and health of pages within a site and in many cases including one sitelink that is not typically very popular on the site.

Mark Ryan, Lead Analyst, Extractable writes on this aspect in detail. To read, visit the following link:

http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2342233/comparing-google-sitelinks-with-google-analytics-data

According to a report by www.theinformation.com, Google plans to offer a premium Android experience with high end Android Silver line of products. The US market is the initial target. The number of non Google apps installation will be restricted in this product category. Android Silver products will also get prompt software updates and will have top-end features like advanced voice recognition and water resistance.Unlike Google Play Edition and Nexus products, Android Silver devices will be heavily promoted by the internet search giant. Unlike Google Play Edition devices, Android Silver devices are expected to carry Google's brand, not the manufacturers. The report also says that Google has already roped in LG and Motorola to produce the first Android Silver devices.This is not the first time that rumours about Google killing the Nexus line have surfaced in the news. It is needed to be seen that whether Google will annihilate their Nexus products to avoid any kind of cannibalization effect to its soon to be launched silver range or they will opt for a mutual existence strategy.

To read more, visit

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Google-to-replace-Nexus-line-with-Android-Silver-Report/articleshow/34419033.cms

Delivering efficient data modelling & analytics solutions depends a lot on having manpower with relevant skills. Training an existing workforce is a necessity today in the field of big data as data scientists are an elusive catch and there certainly aren’t enough of them to go around just yet. With competitors catching up in this regard and university campuses are yet to address the huge demand of data scientists, organizations got no option other than training the manpower resources they already have! Bill Laberis, Social Media Manager, Custom Solutions Group at IDG said “Think of Big Data like a tsunami. Most of it is still out sea, a veritable wall of data born in large measure from the social media boom. As it approaches land and the shallows, suddenly it looms. Then crashes to shore. On top of your business”.

To read more on this aspect, visit the following link:

http://www.big-dataforum.com/197/training-big-data-talent-necessity-not-option

Economic uncertainty makes dynamic resource model of the cloud a tempting option for start-ups. With the elasticity of cloud computing, no capital goes unused and organizations don't have to guess how much capacity they require. AWS is attractive to small businesses because it is inexpensive to deploy and allows companies to pay only for the resources they use. Amazon Chief Technology Officer Werner Vogels said that “Cost of failure in the cloud world is close to zero". Application and deployment speed, in addition to ease of use, are key benefits of the cloud for enterprises. For large organizations, hardware savings also can be significant.Redistributing capacity to use capital in the most efficient way is another main reason to implement AWS.

To read more, visit

http://searchaws.techtarget.com/news/2240182220/Startups-omit-in-house-IT-with-Amazon-Web-Services

The industry-wide cloud services pricing curve have inclined downwards with respect to time. Courtesy to the big players like Amazon, Google & Microsoft, price cut is a routine phenomenon in this industry. Amazon Web Services is well known for its belief in the phrase “change is the only constant”. AWS has made frequent changes to its cloud service in recent years, from price cuts to tighter integration with private data centres, to accommodate the enterprise market and branch out beyond its original clientele of developers and start-ups. They had reduced their price 42 times over the past 8 years! At the same time, with huge amount of data available today, a lot of hidden, unearthed insights can be found for each and every industry. AWS Kinesis is an amazing platform to perform various operations on big data. There are also other third party tools to help you explore your data. Matt Wood, General Manager for data science, Amazon Web Services, said “One of the biggest trends is the augmentation -- not the replacement, but the augmentation -- of traditional business intelligence reporting with more real-time services. … Being able to use the two together is very empowering”.

In a recent conversation, Matt Wood, General Manager, AWS, spoke about cloud pricing, big data trends etc. To read, visit the following link:

http://searchaws.techtarget.com/news/2240217081/AWS-chief-data-scientist-talks-cloud-pricing-big-data-trends

To attain success in a project we must follow few simple steps (which are also termed as basic steps). Keeping things simple, accepting changes, dividing the work into small steps and being time specific are few of them. To know about 6S for success, please visit Cécile Bérubé’s article link at: To know more kindly refer to the below mentioned link:http://www.pmhut.com/6s-for-success

Previously, I wrote that before stepping into Big Data, you should set up your question first. Now, it’s time for you to get accustomed to it. Every one of us knows that Big Data is changing the world of business. It has reshaped the ways companies normally look for gaining customer insights and is also helping entrepreneurs. But, still there is an important question that needs to be answered. Let’s talk about it.

One of the main advantages of implementing Big Data is that it helps you to take smarter decisions about your product as you get to know lots of customer data. You have to remember that using Big Data should not be expensive.  So the mantra will be - minimum expenditure, maximum benefit. You may be thinking ‘how can it be done? It’s an impossible task!’ But the good news is that it can be done and yes, in a cheaper way. Interested to know? Know the inexpensive ways on how to manage huge data sets and get the maximum out of it here: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233280 .

We all know that Big Data and Analytics help businesses a lot. Now let's take a shift. Big Data and Analytics also help in retaining nurses. Sounds interesting, right?

 Based in Dallas, Texas, Tenet Healthcare used Predictive Analytics to increase nurse retention rate. You know very well how much it costs to recruit new employees. Few years ago, American Organization of Nurse Executives estimated that in conservative approach, direct recruitment fees cost $10,000 to replace a nurse; and if you take indirect costs into account, the actual cost will mount to $42,000. This cost escalates to $64,000 for hiring specialty nurse. Now, just imagine, if your organization wrongly recruits a person, or if your employees leave your organization too early, how much more will it cost you, given that you give expensive training to them. In fact, Tenet observed that many high quality nurses were leaving them due to which they incurred considerable cost and also it caused inconvenience to patients and other staff members.

To mitigate this problem, they used Predictive Talent Analytics and Big Data. Tenet took an assessment test for their nurses creating behavioral DNA or a thumbprint which the software then matched with individuals’ performance data. From this, Tenet got an insight of a list of characters which are common to best performing nurses within each specialized category. So, you may be thinking what are the benefits they reaped from it? Read them at http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/analytics/nurse-retention-rate-improvement-secret-analytics/d/d-id/1234912  to know.

In recent times, if you have surfed internet, then you have probably come across cloud computing. Due to its benefits like mobility, cost advantage, etc. companies are switching rapidly to cloud environment from existing on premise platforms. With Big Data in forefront, the usage of cloud computing has spurted.

To win the heart of prospective customers, cloud based IT service providers have started to offer cloud services and at present, a stiff competition is going on between them. Surrounded by this fierce competition, you may become confused about choosing the right type of cloud service provider for your organization, since it comes at a cost. Whether you are a technology chief, a business owner or alike, while selecting your cloud service provider, you should ensure that its potential benefits are in tune with your business objectives. For that, it is a must that you should ask some critical questions about the architecture and management of the service being considered.

So, what are the areas that you should consider while framing up the questions before you actually avail the services from a cloud service provider? Read them at http://www.zdnet.com/key-questions-when-selecting-a-cloud-based-provider-7000027391/ to know.

ADP, a global provider of human capital management (HCM) solutions, had announced a new enhancement to its "ADP Workforce Now" for midsized employers. This ADP Workforce Now platform will help midsized companies to improve their business performance and gain a competitive edge by creating a pay-for-performance, simplifying regulatory compliance and leveraging analytics to inform business decisions.

Read more at: http://www.sys-con.com/node/3066746

To complete a project successfully, a project leader must have the details and nitty-gritty’s of the project i.e. the constraints, requirements and demands clear in his or her mind. Documentation is very important for any project and so is the ability to utilize most of the team members for successful completion of the project within the stipulated time. To know more about the basics of project management, kindly refer to the below mentioned link:

http://www.pmhut.com/10-basics-of-project-management

SyncHR, an innovator for cloud-based human resource, payroll and benefit management software, announced an upgraded version of their software- release 5.2. The latest release have an improved reporting and analytics platform. The company also launched a new corporate website to showcase their unique single database and single application technology.

To read more, visit the following link: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/human-capital-management-firm-synchr-announces-new-software-release-and-launch-of-new-website-256601391.html

There is a huge demand for production ready MongoLab plans on Microsoft Azure. The MongoLab and Microsoft are excited about their latest high-memory MongoDB database plans with virtual machine options that can immediately supply up to 56GB of RAM per node. These will be available in all eight Microsoft Azure data centres worldwide, which will be able to fulfil the massive need.The cloud-served MongoDB instances come from MongoLab, a fully managed database service provider that works with major cloud platforms such as those provided by Amazon and Google. Along with the new memory capacity, the service also provides management tools for backups, performance monitoring of key metrics, analysis to speed up queries and index recommendations. Support is also provided via e-mail or an around-the-clock emergency hotline, depending on the plan.

To read more, visit the following link:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windowsazure/archive/2014/04/22/announcing-new-mongodb-instances-on-microsoft-azure.aspx

With the introduction of Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform 4.0, Red Hat has moved one step forward in OpenStack cloud system. This platform can be used in both public and private cloud. Some new features are also added in this version. To know more on the key features of this platform, go through the article written by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, writer about technology and the business of technology.

http://www.zdnet.com/red-hat-enterprise-linux-openstack-platform-4-0-is-here-7000024518/