Category: Technology

Technology

ICICI Prudential Life Launches AI-powered voice chatbot on Google Assistant

Sep 2, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Artificial Intelligence (AI), #ICICI Prudential Life, #ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, #ICICI Prudential Life LiGo, #Managing Director & CEO, #May I talk to ICICI Prudential Life LiGo"., #Mr. N S Kannan

Septemeber, 2020:ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has introduced its customer service chatbot ‘LiGo’ on ‘Google Assistant’.This would enable the Company’s policyholders to have their queries addressed by simple voice commands such as “Ok Google, I want to speak to ICICI Prudential Life LiGo” or “May I talk to ICICI Prudential Life LiGo”.

Expanding its innovation quotient by leveraging digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) the Company has added another layer of convenience for its customers. Extending LiGo functionalities to Google Assistant is part of the Company’s strategy to be present on platforms preferred by customers and to offer them an immersive experience

Customers can instantly access information on their policies by activating ‘Google Assistant’ on their Android smartphones and speaking out their policy number or registered phone number. It is as simple as asking Google for directions or traffic.

In this ever-evolving digital world where speed, efficiency and convenience are continually being enhanced, there has been rapid adoption of AI-powered voice assistants by individuals owing to personalized, and immediate experiences being provided. Available in Indian English’ and with support for nine Indian languages, Google Assistant enables people to have a conversation with Google, and get things done in their world in a natural and personalized way.

Mr. N S Kannan, Managing Director & CEO, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance said,”At ICICI Prudential Life, all our innovations hinge around customer-centricity. Sometime back we embarked on our hyper-personalization journey built on the pillars of 3 Vs – Video, Voice and Vernacular. Catering to the evolving needs of our customers, we have enabled our customer service voice bot LiGo on ‘Google Assistant’, making it accessible on all platforms and devices it is available on. Accessing policy information based on voice commands provides unmatched convenience and instant gratification. With the addition of this digital enabler, there will be a transformation in the way customers interact with the Company. We will continue to innovate to further empower our customers”

By leveraging new-age technologies the Company has introduced a bouquet of digital enablers to address every requirement of a customer during the policy lifecycle –from on-boarding to servicing the needs of the customers. For instance, customers can use the Company’s digital enablers to transact online and each of the digital enablers, i.e. WhatsApp, the Company website, mobile app and Chatbot LiGo are almost equivalent to a virtual branch. On Chatbot LiGo about 3.5 lakh voice chats per month are conducted. Customers can leverage any of these digital enablers to perform an assortment of transactions.

Technology

‘Code For India’ Developers Launch ’60 Seconds?’: A micro-video app to capitalize on the current demand of content creators

Sep 1, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #‘60 Seconds? App’–a micro-video platform, #Co-founder and President of ‘60 Seconds? App, #Hack Global, #Kiruba Shankar, #Think Local

1st September 2020: With a mission to provide an opportunity for talented creators to turn their passion into profit, ‘60 Seconds? App’–a micro-video platform has announced its launch in India. 60 Seconds? is an infotainment app that allows users to record, discover, and share one minute, short-format videos that are binge-worthy.

The app has been developed in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Atmanirbhar focus by a team of talented developers from Code For India. It is an India-US tech organization with the mission to “Think Local, Hack Global” for building tech platforms on a large scale. Code For India is one of the fastest-growing tech communities in the World

Speaking about the launch, Kiruba Shankar, Co-founder and President of ‘60 Seconds? App’ said, “Video-based content is becoming the most preferred viewing format in India, and with the imminent arrival of 5G and massive bandwidth, 60Seconds App is well-placed to cater to this boom. We see an increasing trend among people who prefer recommended content over searching for content on their own. So, we have come up with an artificial intelligence-powered personalization mechanism that shows high-interest videos that are engaging for the viewers.”

He further iterated that “Our prime focus would be to have strict content moderation rules in place that ensure that the quality of the content is always high, and any inappropriate and unpleasant videos are quickly weeded out.”

As part of the launch, the team has launched a talent hunt that seeks to identify India’s most talented short video creators. A series of talent hunts in five categories have been launched: Dance, Singing, Comedy, Fashion and Business. Creators who garner the maximum points get to win Rs.1 lakh every month. More info at http://www.Got60Seconds.com/talenthunt

For the developers of 60Secs? ensuring data privacy has been the priority with all the data stored on servers in India and the US with the highest security standards. The app also allows creators to enjoy full ownership and control of their videos, which they can download, anytime they want. The AI-powered app is integrated with technology that is built and tested by various partners for enterprise-grade security.

60 Seconds? is a brand for social-benefit and not just a for-profit company. The co-founders’ vision is to create an impact on the environment, and they have pledged to plant one tree for every video that receives 100 likes.

Going forward, 60 Seconds? envisages to emerge as a creator-centric app, and has plans to provide a line of interesting features such as in-app editing, music soundtrack, filters, and special effects, in addition to the implementation of monetization tools that offer in-app currency for creators to earn.

Technology

Engineered for Versatility – Synology(R) Introduces the DiskStation 20+ Series in India

Sep 1, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #DiskStation 20+ Series, #Synology

Taipei, Taiwan—September 1st
Synology Inc. today launched a new generation of two and four-bay Plus Series NAS, designed as a centralized data management solution for both home and business environments.

“Plus series is one of our most popular and versatile product lines,” said Hewitt Lee, Director of Synology Product Management Group.”The series offers an ideal mix of processing power and advanced capabilities such as containers and virtualization support, in compact and quiet desktop form factors. It is also the starting point for our advanced data protection solutions, enabling small businesses to cost-effectively deploy solutions that can protect their entire IT infrastructure.”

Turbocharged experience
Up to 133% faster in website responsiveness and over 15% improvement in compute-tasks, the new Plus series enables you to get things done faster and more efficiently1. Two M.2 NVMe slots2 enable accelerated I/O performance, especially in multi-user environments.

Data protection for everything

Synology storage solutions are not only designed to fulfill data management requirements, but centralize backups for Microsoft Windows PCs and Servers, VMware vSphere® and Microsoft Hyper-V VMs, and Microsoft 365 and G Suite accounts using our Active Backup suite.

Build your own private cloud
Access your data without boundaries, but only if you allow it. Granular access rights and customizable password and expiration policies for file sharing puts you in control of your data. Easily synchronize with remote sites for distributed work and set up data encryption for your most sensitive files.

Available today

All four devices are available for purchase today from Synology resellers and partners.

 


 

 

DS920+

 

DS720+

 

DS420+

 

DS220+

 
 


Internal Bay/ Max3

 

4 / 9

 

2 / 7

 

4

 

2

 
 


CPU

 

Intel Celeron J4125

4-core 2.0 GHz burst 2.7 GHz

 

Intel Celeron J4025

2-core 2.0 GHz burst 2.9 GHz

 
 


Memory

 

DDR4 4 GB

 

DDR4 2 GB

 
 


Expandable up to

 

8 GB (4+4 GB)

 

6 GB (2+4 GB)

 
 


External Port

 

2 x USB 3.0, 1 x eSATA

 

2 x USB 3.0

 
 


Ethernet

 

2 x 1GbE

 
 


Built-in M.2 SSD slot

 

2 slots for 2280 NVMe SSD

 

–

 
 


Surveillance

 

2 free, up to 40

 

2 free, up to 25

 
 


Warranty

 

Up to 5 years4

 

2-year

 
 
 
  1. Performance figures are based on the average percentage improvement of DS920+ relative to its predecessor, as tested at Synology labs. Responsiveness improvement measured by Web PHP response efficiency and compute performance improvement measured using file indexing in Synology Drive and photo indexing in Synology Moments. Performance gains may vary depending on the environment, type of usage, and configuration.
  2. Two M.2 NVMe 2280 cache slots are available on DS920+, DS720+, and DS420+.
  3. The capacity of DS920+ and DS720+ can be expanded using a Synology DX517 Expansion Unit, purchased separately.
  4. A 5-year warranty is available as an optional bundle with EW201, a 2-year Extended Warranty service add-on.
Technology

Mitsubishi Electric CNC Launches New Solutions for a Self-Reliant India.

Sep 1, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #CNC Systems, #General Manager, #Mitsubishi Electric Computerized Numerical Controllers (CNCs), #Mitsubishi Electric India Pvt. Ltd., #Mr. Masaya Takeda

New Delhi, 1st September ’20 – Mitsubishi Electric Computerized Numerical Controllers (CNCs) aims to be the best partner for customers targeting global and future-oriented development. With the advanced professional packages for varied market segments, Mitsubishi Electric CNC team is ready to serve the M80 Series with new cutting-edge solutions. The distinctive performance of the world’s fastest CNC series features like Super Smooth Surface (SSS) control-4th Generation. The new M80 Series CNC from Mitsubishi Electric ensures you achieve faster, smoother operation and better finish. Thus, enabling higher productivity and profitability for your operation.

In 2013, Mitsubishi Electric India started its CNC manufacturing facility to maintain responsive and quicker product deliveries through robust production in India. Going forward, in 2016 to strengthen the service, sales and manufacturing, CNC technical centre was established at Peenya, Bengaluru. To support the Indian machine tool market, Mitsubishi Electric India has encouraged innovation and enhanced skill development activities to support the ‘Make in India initiative’. Mitsubishi Electric CNCs are the future of Indian manufacturing which uses precisely programmed commands aimed at accuracy and productivity. This CNC technical centre at Bengaluru is enabling the expansion of manufacturing capacity and reduced delivery time.

The new solutions introduced in the M80 series includes:

(a) Mass Production for Electronic Segment

High-Speed Professional Package (M80 HS-Pro): India is the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world. Thus, it targets the mass production-electronic segment. Its specifications are OMR-DD2 (Optimum Machine Response-Direct Drive) High-Speed High Accuracy Tapping function, Interactive Cycle Insertion, Low Inertia, Through Coolant, High-Speed Spindle Motors, Overlap function for cycle time reduction, etc.

Key feature benefits include Preventive maintenance function, Smart Servo Tuning, Smart Rigid Tapping & Troubleshooting, Smart Thermal Compensation function and Multi-Tool Management function. It helps the ineffective management of the machine.

b) Part Production for Medical Segment

Medical Professional Package (M80 Med-Pro): With the increasing need for precision machining services in the medical industry due to an increase in the ageing population. Thus, it targets medical instrument manufacturers. Its specifications are Super Smooth surface-4th Generation, Higher Block processing of up to 67.5KB/Min, Easy tolerance control function, Easy Machine cut condition selection, Tolerance control function, Spline Interpolation, etc.

Key feature benefits include Smart Cycles for probe interface and Tool Management Functions.It helps in enhancing the precision and quality.

(c) Die Mold (High Precision Manufacturing)for General Mold Segment

Die Mold Professional Package (M80 Die-Pro): With the growth of the Die & Mold market has marked stupendous growth in recent years. Thus, it targets General Die mold manufacturers. M80 Die-Pro package will make remarkable benefits to all the users. To avoid data corruption, Mitsubishi Electric CNC has also introduced SD card under Single Level Cell (SLC)technology. This package specification includes Super Smooth surface-4th Generation, Higher Block processing of up to 135KB/Min, Easy Machine cut condition selection, Tolerance control function, Spline Interpolation, etc.

Key feature benefits include smart Thermal compensation, Easy Machine condition selection, Real-time Tuning-Gain & Time constants and Spindle adoptive control. It helps to make effective control at all levels.

(d) Multi-Axis Mass Production for High-end Turn Segment

Multi-Axis Professional Package (M80 Multi-Pro): Multi-axis CNC systems can deliver close tolerance components and offer greater flexibility and cutting-edge machining technology. Thereby, it provides the best solution through single setup machining with a significant reduction in overall machining time. Also, combining increased part accuracy and optimized production of complex parts. Its specification includes Multiple Spindle Synchronization control, Direct robot Control function, Interactive cycle insertion function, Multi Axis-Multi Path System machining, Thread Re-cutting function, etc.

Key featurebenefitsincludeGantry Path Screen, Smart Gantry axis teaching screens and Chuck & Tailstock barrier defining screens. It helps to monitor the machine efficiently.

Addressing the revised solutions for various market segments, Mr. Masaya Takeda, General Manager, CNC Systems, Mitsubishi Electric India Pvt. Ltd. stated,“Mitsubishi Electric CNC is joining the journey with the ambitious customers in all the business segments, and be part takers in fulfilling their dreams. Thus, we have successfully reinvented the advance solutions for M80 Series product. Our Computerized Numerical Controllers (CNCs) are ready to support the future of the Indian Machine tool market. Mitsubishi Electric CNC is helping the Indian manufacturing industry with the solutions that cover targeted segments for India’s growth, this step is an initiative to support the Government’s ‘Make in India’ movement among manufacturers all over the country ensuring that AtmaNirbhar Bharat is High Quality as well.”

For Detailed Information Visit : https://mitsubishielectric.in/fa/fa-cnc-packages.htm

Technology

Indian social apps that adhere to data security

Sep 1, 2020 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #chingari, #data security, #Mx Takatakm, #startup

Unlike topics that come and go, data privacy remains an ever-important issue for social media users. The Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps in late June, citing national security and data privacy concerns. The ban also includes the popular short video making app Tik Tok with 610 million lifetime downloads as of April. The Tiktok community thrived in the recent times of lockdown but supported the move and reiterated the worth of personal information. The void created by Tiktok was received favourably by Indian based start-ups like Chingari, Aii Social, Bolo Indya, etc to not only create a TikTok like the platform but also promise stronger privacy and reliability.

Here is the list of few such apps which emphasize not only on content creation but also data privacy

  • Aii Social 

Aii social is a first of its kind social media founded by Ankit Chaudhari which allows users to convert data, social engagement, and brand interactions into rewards & payment. Along with content creation and engagement with friends and family, Aii social emphasises on users’ safety and data privacy. The app is a KYC enabled platform in the social space addressing the issue of social bullying & trolling at the same time. The hybrid platform rewards users for their social interactions and data, tackling hidden user data monetisation as it occurs on other social media platforms where users have never been rewarded for their data. While the app is released for individual users, Aiisma is also running a beta program for business, brand, and influencer partners. The first platform to charge only for the real business to consumer interactions, Aii.Social already has over 50 brands working with it. By 2021, the platform aims to reach 5million+ users and plans to expand geographically to the Middle East with social commerce and games made available on the app.

  • Chingari 

Chingari, the Odisha based start-up founded by Biswatama Nayak is a desi alternative to Tiktok. The Chingari app is available in all major languages prevalent in India such as English, Hindiingari , Bangla, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu The short video app is not only restricted to user generated contents, rather users can also play quizzes and get informed from reliable sources.Chingari pays its content creator on the basis of how viral the video becomes. For every video that users upload, they get points per view which can be redeemed for money. The company has claimed that the app has been developed with a key focus on privacy, implementing the highest standards in terms of privacy and transparency. Chingari app has been made available across all app stores such as Google Play Store and iOS App Store. The app has seen around 2.5 lakhs download in July.

  • Bolo Indya 

Bolo Indya is an infotainment app developed by SynergyByte Media Pvt Ltd based in gurgaon. The app allows users to create and consume short videos of maximum duration 2 minutes across interest areas ranging from Lifestyle, Cooking, Entertainment, Talent, Technology, Storytelling, Motivation, Finance, Relationships to Sports and many more. With over 12 diverse language bases, the app is a perfect fit for its regional target audience. The app also pays royalty to its users if they create video. The app also stays committed to Indian government’s guidelines on UGC platforms, Data security, and promotes Indian ethos, values, culture, and heritage in the content that stays on the platform. According to the company, Bolo Indya currently enjoys 40 lakh monthly active users across play store and OEM Appstore with 15 lakh videos being created daily since jun 2020.

  • Mx Takatak 

Mx Takatak which belongs to India’s famous video sharing platform MX Player has emerged as the apt choice for content creators. MX Takatak community hosts the largest number of digital influencers, over 1 million. Every content creator on the platform gets access to mobile-first content creation tools – From an extensive background music library, advanced beautifications tools, new innovative filters, voice-over recording, and much more. We take the security of your data very seriously. MX TakaTak is very concerned about safeguarding the confidentiality of your information. We do not collect Personal Information, and we employ administrative, physical, and electronic measures designed to protect your Non-Personal Information from unauthorized access and use.

Technology

Kestone’s Virtual Events Platform 2.0 Takes The Experiential Game a Notch Higher

Sep 1, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #BSE: CLEDUCATE), #Career Launcher (NSE, #Kestone, #Piyush Gupta, #President, #Version 2.0 of Kestone Virtual Events platform

New Delhi, 1st September 2020: Kestone, among India’s leading integrated marketing services company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Career Launcher (NSE, BSE: CLEDUCATE), today introduced an advanced version of their Virtual Events platform which promises to take the user experience multiple notches up. Version 2.0 of Kestone Virtual Events platform comes with a host of advancements including an overhauled User Interface (UI), support for multiple languages and advanced audience engagement and gamification features.

Speaking about the enhancements, Piyush Gupta, President, Kestone said, “Providing an immersive user experience has been one of the key pillars of Kestone Virtual Events platform, besides its ability to drive user engagements and compute deep data analytics. While a lot of us are conversant with conventional web conferencing solutions such as webinars, we need to be cognizant of the fact that there any many users who are experiencing virtual events for the first time. It is like graduating from wearing 3D glasses to using AR/VR solutions. Any good technology solution must handhold such graduations carefully keeping the end user in mind. Our UI enhancements try to aim just that by making the platform intuitive and extremely user friendly even for the first-time users.”

With second version of its Virtual Events platform, Kestone also introduces support for multiple languages. This means that now beyond English, the platform can also be offered in regional and foreign languages. Commenting on the upgrade, Piyush said, “Both content delivery pattern of brands and content consumption behaviour of consumers have seen tectonic shifts in recent times. Nowadays, just having a device-agnostic design isn’t enough for a digital product and one needs to look deeper into demographical attributes as well. Therefore, for our Virtual Events platform to be a truly global product, providing support for content delivery in the language-of-choice was both aspirational and inevitable for us.”

Kestone believes that these product upgrades will make its platform accessible to larger markets transcending geographical and demographical boundaries. Now the platform comes loaded with a host of features including 3D environments, LIVE video streaming, audience engagement interventions with polls & quizzes and real-time reporting while being compliant with international norms for data privacy and data security. Within 90 days of its’ initial launch, successful virtual conferences have already been hosted on the previous version of the platform for Google, Redington, in partnership with Dell Technologies, Strategink, in partnership with IBM and, CNBC-TV18, engaging 40,000+ CXO level visitors, 75,000 students, with 60,000+ social media interactions and 50,000+ exhibitor booth & product demo zone visits.

Talking further about the platform, Piyush said, “COVID-19 is a black swan moment for the events industry during which we saw up close, how, many businesses for whom events have been the lifeline, have suffered. With this product we aspire to set benchmarks for delivering exceptional customer experiences in the virtual world which are as good as physical events. That is where we have ploughed all our learnings from over two decades of event management experience into building this platform. The response to the initial version of the platform has been encouraging both in India and in the global markets of Canada, Dubai, Singapore and US.”

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Technology

5 Technologies Easing Down Human Efforts

Aug 22, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #CIPLA Plast Shoe Sanitizing Door Mat, #Cleaning and sanitizing, #iRobot Roomba i7 Plus, #MicroGO’s GoFresh™- Fruits and Vegetable Disinfectant, #Netgear Orbi RBS 20 AC2200 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Coverage Orbi Whole Home Satellite, #Technology

The ongoing pandemic has successfully brought out the mysophobia in all of us. Cleaning and sanitizing have become the most significant task of the day and the absence of the house help has only made managing tasks more difficult. And, on top of that, there is WFH. Juggling work and simultaneously completing household chores is a major inconvenience. Fortunately, the advent of technology has brought to us some gadgets that can finish your household chores for you in the blink of an eye.

Milagrow RoboNano – The Personal Companion:
Perfect for offering companionship, RoboNano is a personal assistant robot equipped with Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service for smart homes. This intelligent, cloud-enabled robot features voice assistance, smart home control and remote surveillance capabilities, delivering centralized management and security to households around the world. RoboNano stands tall at 85 cm and comes with over 50 sensors to avoid objects in its way, recognize voices and know when someone enters the room. Additionally, the humanoid can order pizza, request a car, track fitness stats, control the TV and play music from today’s leading streaming providers. It pairs with smart home devices from the world’s most popular connected home brands, enabling families to control lights, thermostats and home appliances. RoboNano also allows families to live-stream video and control it from anywhere in the world. When the family is away, the robot can monitor the house using object detection sensors and sounds an alarm if an intruder is discovered.

iRobot Roomba i7 Plus:
Are you working from home? Is work from home eating up all your time for household chores? iRobot has an amazing solution for all your woos! Roomba i7 Plus, the smart robo-vaccum cleaner from iRobot is your one-stop solution for all your cleaning problems. It not only cleans up after you, but after itself as well- automatically empties the bin into a disposable bag that holds 30 bins of dirt, dust, and hair, so you don’t have to think about vacuuming for weeks at a time. This high performance; Wi-Fi® connected robotic device seamlessly navigates throughout your house, including hard-to-reach, under-couch, and below-bed areas and helps you keep up with the everyday mess. And the best part? You can easily control it from any remote location through your iRobot Home App.

MicroGO’s GoFresh™- Fruits and Vegetable Disinfectant:
Isn’t it so tiresome and irritating when you have to clean all your fruits and vegetables by hand? But what is the other alternative then? Thanks to GoFresh™ by MicroGO The vegetable and fruit disinfectant based on patented Tubulet™ technology, cleans the vegetables and fruits using Chlorine Dioxide and is approved by FDA.

Netgear Orbi RBS 20 AC2200 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Coverage Orbi Whole Home Satellite:
It’s almost close to six months that we are all working from home and honestly, it is here to stay. But are you tired of sitting in one place and working? The Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi system will now make it easier for you. No matter in which corner of the house are you in, you will get uninterrupted internet connectivity thus increasing your productivity. Also, don’t worry for the décor of your room, the system is sleek and has a modern design for convenient placement at home.

CIPLA Plast Shoe Sanitizing Door Mat:
We often forget to give attention to our shoes which we wear outside of the house and they are one of the primary sources through which germs enter our house. Our best friend, the ever-changing technology has found out a solution to this problem as well. With CIPLA Plast’s Shoe Sanitizing Doormat, germs are completely forbidden in your house. This shoetizer Shoetizer is easy to use. All you have to do is simply step on the wet side and then dry side to remove any excess solution.

Technology

Qlik Named by Gartner as a Challenger in the 2020 Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools

Aug 21, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #“Qlik’s data integration platform, #AWS, #Data Integration Tools, #Gartner, #Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, #Qlik

Qlik® announced today that Qlik was named as a Challenger by Gartner, Inc. in the 2020 Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools.* This designation marks the fifth consecutive year that Qlik has been recognized in the quadrant. A complimentary copy of the full report is available for download at this link.

“Qlik’s data integration platform can help any enterprise improve their data-to-insights capabilities, which has been proven to increase overall data usage and value to the organization,” said James Fisher, Chief Product Officer at Qlik. “Our modern data integration platform automates the flow of real-time and continuous data that powers modern analytics, cloud migration, data lake management, and data integration strategies.”

Qlik’s data integration platform, when combined with the company’s analytics platform and its data literacy as a service offering, delivers the industry’s only end-to-end approach to Active Intelligence. Unlike traditional approaches, Active Intelligence realizes the potential in data pipelines by bringing together data at rest with data in motion for continuous intelligence derived from real-time, up-to-date information, and is specifically designed to take or trigger immediate actions. This approach closes the gaps from relevant to actionable data (Qlik Data Integration), actionable data to actionable insights (Qlik Analytics) and from investment to value (Data Literacy as a Service).

Qlik partners with global cloud and platform providers such as AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, as well as organizations like Snowflake, Databricks and Confluent in delivering data warehouse automation, data lake automation and Kafka/streaming integration, with the continued expansion with global systems integrators like Accenture and Cognizant.

*Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools, Ehtisham Zaidi, Eric Thoo, Nick Heudecker, Sharat Menon, Robert Thanaraj, 18 August, 2020.

Gartner

Disclaimer

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Technology

Panasonic India Introduces Lumix Home Office Solutions to Redefine Your Workspace

Aug 21, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Business Chief, #Home Office Solutions, #Imaging Business Group, #Mr. Manish Sharma, #Mr. Sandeep Sehgal, #Panasonic India & SAARC, #Panasonic India and South Asia, #powered by Lumix, #President & CEO, #Virtual interaction

New Delhi, 21st August 2020: Virtual interaction has become the new norm, be it at work or otherwise. Empowering businesses and leaders to adapt to the new ways of working and communicating, Panasonic India brings its Home Office Solutions, powered by Lumix to enable a more life-like interface. Compatible with Lumix G9 and G95 camera range, the Home Office Solution extends the highest standard of live streaming and 4K video quality that supports leaders to effortlessly connect and communicate with clients and employees for a more personalized and interactive experience.

Talking about his experience with the new solution, Mr. Manish Sharma, President & CEO, Panasonic India and South Asia said, “The current times have transformed the way we live, work and do business. And no doubt that technology has powered efficient communication between all of us. However, with long virtual meetings on the rise, there is a need for more sustainable ways to fulfil professional commitments without compromising on one’s health and body posture. Being a user of this solution at home and office, it has truly made my internal and external interactions a lot more engaging, life-like, and connected.”

Easy to connect, the solution further assists to minimize time lags when interacting with multiple people at once and allows free movement during long hour meetings with its wide-angle view, both at home and office spaces. It also lets users record live streaming sessions for later use.

Elaborating on the solution, Mr. Sandeep Sehgal, Business Chief, Imaging Business Group, Panasonic India & SAARC, said, “Our focus has always been to anticipate industry needs and introduce solutions that are a blend of quality and value. Through this Home Office Solution, we wanted to bring the power of video in everyday collaboration by offering not only a high-video quality camera by Lumix but a complete solution that helps business leaders to enhance their communication – be it for business discussions, group webinars, employee town halls, addressing live events, etc. Being a plug and stream model, the solution can be easily installed at home or office spaces.”

The compact Home Office set-up includes; Lumix G9/G95, a tripod, USB power adapter, and HDMI connector and starts at INR 99,990 with Lumix G-95. The solution is available across all Lumix 4K centres and on panasoniclumix.in/G9.

Technology

Global Study Finds Organizational CX Maturity is Rising but Gap Between Leaders and Laggards is Widening as AI Race Accelerates

Aug 21, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Artificial Intelligence (AI), #CX Maturity, #Forrester Consulting, #LogMeIn (Nasdaq: LOGM)

LogMeIn (Nasdaq: LOGM) today announced the results of a new commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting designed to help customer experience (CX) decision makers evaluate their current state, identify gaps and define a strategy for optimization. The study, Short-Term Wins and Continuous Optimization: The Roadmap To Customer Engagement Success, surveyed 463 global CX decision makers and found that the customer engagement maturity (CEM) gap continues to widen as more channels emerge and that organizations must look to establish a foothold with artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate their CX maturity in turn.

“Customer expectations continue to evolve, and so too must customer engagement practices to meet key CX and business goals. As companies improve technology and strategy, they must shift priorities to best serve and retain customers, as well as grow revenues,” according to the study. The study, which identifies four maturity groups – Experimenters (least mature), Evolutionists, Enthusiasts and Experts (most mature) – showed the decision makers made significant year-over-year improvements at their firms in both their customer engagement metrics and their mobile strategies. That said, most respondents at all maturity levels are either not using AI at all or are in the nascent stages of AI development putting all companies on roughly even footing. That means for Experimenters to Experts alike, getting a few pilot programs running to build the business case for investment and showcase the value of customer engagement will be a critical next step to keep pace in the AI race.

Focusing on Execution

The Forrester CEM model establishes five pillars of engagement for investigation and analysis: process, organization, strategy, technology and AI. Experimenters have made impressive headway catching up to their more mature peers in strategy over the past year. Now, firms need to turn their attention to the actual execution – process and organizational set up. In fact, for all but “Experts”, organization and process scores lag behind strategy and technology, meaning that businesses have a plan in place and, in many cases, the tools to activate upon it, but not the internal systems to do so. Being execution focused is a clear next step to improve customer engagement maturity.

Making Foundational Self-Service Improvement a Top Priority

Improving self-service capabilities is a top technology priority for respondents across all maturity levels. According to the study, 68 percent of respondents have self-service options based on text analysis and capable of agent escalation, with year-over-year growth in this area mainly driven by lower-maturity companies Driving industry-wide maturity requires overcoming the mindset that “self-service” automatically means only using chatbots. In reality, improving self-service can start as simply by going beyond FAQs with foundational knowledgebases for both agents and customers. These types of initiatives enable customers to solve their own problems and will form the foundation for later self-service AI implementations.

Adopting a Continual Optimization Mindset

Modernizing — or transforming — customer engagement is a slow and steady journey that must be approached in a methodical manner that is dependent on organizational needs. Those Experimenters that are early in their CX journey, for example, see technology and process improvements as top priorities. Meanwhile, Evolutionists and Enthusiasts that are further along are focused on strategy and technology, and the most advanced, Experts, concentrate their efforts on technology and organization. Incremental benefits are realized at each of these steps which fuels ongoing initiatives, and a methodical approach of consistent optimization and growth propels organizations along their CEM journey from Experimenter to Expert.

“In a changing landscape of customer expectations and preferences, companies must be agile when it comes to their customer engagement strategy. However, what and how to evolve can be a roadblock that leaves companies stuck and customers disappointed,” said Ryan Lester, Senior Director of Customer Experience Technologies at LogMeIn. “This study in combination with our Customer Engagement Maturity Assessment Tool helps businesses understand where they stack up when it comes to CX and helps identify where they can improve.”

Additional Resources:

Full Study: Short-Term Wins and Continuous Optimization: The Roadmap To Customer Engagement Success

Blog: How to Evolve Your Customer Engagement Practices to Improve CX, Agent Satisfaction, and Revenue

Webinar: Customer Engagement for a New Digital-First World: Improving CX, Agent Satisfaction, and Revenue in a New Normal, Thursday, August 27, 2020 at 1:00 PM EST