Month: June 2020

CRU first to market with innovative Google Home & Alexa Campaign launch. #CRU #AI #Energy

Recent events have driven unprecedented levels of creativity and agility within the marketing sector, with brand communications teams and agency creatives pivoting rapidly to deliver transformational digital campaigns to address an entirely new set of consumer needs.

As such, CRU (The Commission for Regulation of Utilities) has launched the first ever Google Home and Alexa centred AI campaign in Ireland, aligned to the roll out of its ‘Switch On to Savings, Rights and Safety’ communications campaign.

This unique digital activation involves the development of an app which effectively ‘trains’ smart home devices, namely Google Home and Alexa, to deliver specific responses to any consumer questions on the theme of savings, switching energy suppliers, energy safety and rights, whilst also driving awareness of the role of CRU, its services and guiding consumers to CRU branded information portals such as the CRU website and social media channels.

This ‘smart home conversation skill’ activation is the first of its kind to be developed and rolled out in Ireland by any organisation and was developed by the CRU in close collaboration with PR agency AMPLIFY@Drury Porter Novelli and Granite Digital.

The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities ‘Switch On’ campaign calls on the public to switch on to their rights, safety and savings as an energy consumer, and is fronted by long standing Campaign Ambassador Maia Dunphy. As part of a broader communications campaign, Maia will work closely with several high-profile Irish influencers to engage in an online challenge to see how much money they can save, by following the simple steps suggested by CRU. Over the coming weeks the influencer collaboration campaign will see participants using their smart home devices to put the CRU app to the test, when comparing costs from different Irish energy providers. The influencer campaign will roll out across Instagram, but will be amplified across all channels.

The way people are connecting with businesses through technology is constantly evolving. Surveys from 2019, found that  15% of Irish households now have smart speakers, while over 50% of Irish people are expected to own a smart speaker by 2023.  In further research, ComScore forecasts that over half of all search will be via voice by 2020, showing that voice is poised to become the next big channel for marketers.

With the disruptive effects of the pandemic currently dominating our daily lives CRU was forced to pivot its ‘Switch On’ campaign online. CRU Head of Communications and Public Affairs, Karl Richardson said “The current COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to stop in their tracks, quickly re-strategise, and change the ways in which they operate. Given how consumer behaviours to switching suppliers have been impacted due to Coivd, we are delighted to be the first to introduce this innovative AI technology and reach Irish consumers in a way that compliments their busy on and offline lifestyles and provide them with the information they need to switch on to savings, their right and safety.”

As Ireland’s independent energy and water regulator, the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) is central in protecting Irish consumers’ energy savings, rights and safety, and wanted to scale the advice previously provided by its consultants.

Launching this latest digital activation, Nicky Crichton, Brand Communications Lead at AMPLIFY@DruryPN said “Like many brand communications agencies, we’re pushing boundaries and pivoting fast to ensure effective, impactful, digitally led solutions for our clients, and the campaign for CRU is one that we’re particularly excited about given that its first to market, and perfectly timed given the ever increasing use of in-home AI technology”

Ivan Adriel, Creative Strategy Director of Granite added “AI assistants are rapidly taking over consumers’ homes, soon to become the primary channel through which people get information, goods, and services. We were delighted to co-create this solution for CRU, anticipating the future and exploring a striking new opportunity for connection between brand & consumers.”

Switch On To CRU is now available on all Google Home and Amazon Alexa devices in Ireland. To start a conversation simply use the prompts below:

Google: Hey Google, start Switch with CRU

Or

Amazon: Alexa, start Switch on CRU.

To find out more about CRU visit www.cru.ie

workair expands remote-working services to support businesses hit by Covid-19. #workair #cloud

Leading Irish cloud-communications company workair has expanded its suite of remote-working services to enable Irish businesses to continue to work in a distributed way and survive the Covid-19 crisis.

The company’s move to grow its offering comes as details of the new Programme for Government’s measures for remote working emerge.

workair is providing a new unified communications platform which supports remote, mobile, and home-based workers to collaborate and connect with customers at any time and on any device.  It follows workair’s recent support for leading health insights company LetsGetChecked, which enabled the latter to continue its development of critical new Covid-19 testing services that confirm patient results within 48 hours.  LetsGetChecked has just raised $71m in funding as the start-up sees huge demand for its at-home health testing kits.

In parallel with its partnership with LetsGetChecked, workair has been ramping up its services to meet surging demand for distributed and remote working solutions since the Covid-19 outbreak.  It has enabled other companies challenged by the recent national lockdown restrictions, such as travel agency Hannon Travel, law firm Whitney Moore, HR software company Intelligo, and Eden Recruitment, to continue servicing customers in an innovative, efficient and cost-effective manner.

 

Stephen Mackarel, Managing Director of workair Ireland, said: “With countries, economies and the whole business world grappling with the unprecedented challenges of Covid-19,  companies need remote solutions to help sustain their businesses, reduce costs and drive efficiencies in what is the toughest of times. Already focused on cloud-based solutions for every type of business, we have been ramping up our fully-functional remote-operation services since the outbreak, and now our unified platform will further enable our clients’ staff to continue to be productive and customer-focused remotely in this incredibly challenging environment. Companies of all sizes in Ireland are dealing with massive financial, operational and CRM challenges and business managers are having to work out totally new ways of leading.  Our single, unified technology solutions will drive efficiencies, keep costs down, provide performance metrics and ultimately support enterprise recovery in the new Covid-19 business world.”

LetsGetChecked is a leading health insights company that allows customers direct access to a wide range of testing options and clinical services from home.  The company recently announced it is to offer innovative new testing services to those working within the healthcare system and to at-risk groups as part of the fight against Covid-19.

Since partnering with LetsGetChecked 12 months ago, workair has been helping the company to provide 8×8’s unified communications solution across its worldwide base.  The Covid-19 pandemic necessitated LetsGetChecked to make a more rapid deployment to enable remote-working solutions for its staff following the closure of its Dublin and New York offices.  Within 10 days, workair helped LetsGetChecked to re-activate its call centre operations, enabling its customer-support staff in Ireland and New York to operate remotely and continue critical work enabling testing services for the Covid-19 disease.

Mark Donaghy, Product Manager at LetsGetChecked, said: “It’s been great to be a part of such a tangible example of businesses pulling together like this. LetsGetChecked has seen a huge increase in test orders because our customers can safely test from home without putting themselves or others at risk.  Thanks to the quick turnaround from the workair team, we have been able to keep this vital medical service going at a time it is needed most and we are now actively testing and supporting healthcare workers with our coronavirus testing solution.”

With more than 30 existing clients already using its cloud-based technology to support employee productivity and customer engagement, workair is leveraging its expertise to help many more companies support their staff to make the transition to effectively work from home easier in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis.  Since the outbreak in Ireland, the company has been working closely with existing clients, as well as providing solutions to new customers, enabling SMEs of all types to continue to effectively run their day-to-day business, ensuring their staff can work remotely to service customers in Ireland and abroad.

workair provides unified communication platforms for businesses of all sizes through various communications, meeting, project management, customer engagement and analytics tools. workair provides a seamless and easy to use experience by providing all of these services in one central location, increasing efficiency and reducing costs in a manner that connects effectively with existing CRMs.

workair has well-established partnerships with leading, award-winning communications providers with a global footprint. Unified platforms from 8×8, Ring Central and LogMeIn enable workair to provide customized solution to meet specific businesses’ needs.  workair is making enterprise grade solutions affordable to businesses of all sizes, future proofing businesses in their transition to the cloud. Voice, video, Instant messaging, analytics and  meetings removes the need for employees to switch between multiple platforms and applications, bringing all services onto one user-friendly platform. workair’s offering reduces both complexity and cost while fostering a collaborative work environment by enabling employees and customers to be connected anywhere and on any device.

Since its launch, workair has worked with businesses in many sectors including the motor, auctioneering, law, recruitment, travel, financial service, and healthcare industries with cloud-based solutions benefitting management, employees, and customers.

Take off – flight-sharing start-up Wingly raises €3m & expands into commercial aviation market. #Aviation #Wingly #AvGeek

Flight sharing platform Wingly has completed a €3m investment round, with the funds to be used to launch a new commercial aviation service and to accelerate the growth of its existing cost-sharing flights in its largest markets of the UK, France and Germany.

With the ​Innovacom Fund leading the round, Wingly Pro will see the Paris-based start-up become the first online platform to allow smaller, commercial aviation operators to advertise their flights and connect directly with potential passengers. Additionally, operators will be able to post flights with spare seats, including empty flights.

Listing on the Wingly platform will be restricted to businesses that possess valid certifications from the Civil Aviation Authority for commercial air transport across Europe. And keeping in line with other online booking portals, Wingly has also obtained a European-wide travel agency licence.

“The launch of Wingly Pro this summer will extend our vision and make Wingly the largest collaborative community for private aviation,” said Wingly co-founder and CEO Emeric de Waziers. “This foray into commercial aviation will help us respond to the existing demand from our community as well as complementing the leisure-oriented cost-shared flights currently being offered by the 20,000 private pilots who have already registered with our platform,” said Emeric de Waziers, co-founder and CEO of Wingly.

“By addressing both demands, Wingly is making flying more accessible than ever before. This furthers our objective to connect the 500+ airfields in the UK and also expands our inventory to add many more helicopter flights.”

The launch of ‘Wingly Pro’ will also assist in the fight against one of the private aviation sector’s most persistent challenges – illegal charter flights. Wingly will be registering, validating and monitoring all parties using the service, giving them the ability to ensure the barriers of private and commercial operations are not crossed.

“Our platform will be able to provide much needed clarity and transparency to the public,” said Emeric de Wazier. ”This will enable them to select trusted operators and pilots, whose documents have been thoroughly checked and verified by Wingly and who are operating within the rules.”

With the coronavirus expected to cost the global aviation sector $84bn this year alone, the launch of Wingly Pro is the latest chapter in Wingly’s goal of becoming a catalyst for innovation in the aeronautics sector.

“With the way the current global pandemic has affected the mobility and travel sector, aviation will require a fundamental change in approach as well as suitable digital tools” said Jerome Faul, President of the Innovacom fund.

“It is essential for Wingly to be able to contribute to the development of sustainable aviation – lots of operated charter flights are carried out with less than 40% occupancy,” said Emeric de Waziers. “Our interest here is to fill empty seats, improve the aircraft occupancy rate, thus reducing the carbon footprint per passenger as well as the cost for all parties.”

Wingly is also developing a variety of new features to coincide with the pending launch of Wingly Pro. The first will be ‘flight request’, allowing users to directly post the type of flights they are looking for on the website – based on the criteria of the specific request, they can be met by either commercial operators or by a cost-shared flight with private pilots.

Get a massive 50% off the Urbanista Stockholm True Wireless. #Tech

Looking for some new true wireless earbuds well here is a fantastic deal now on with Urbanista. Already price well and worth every euro and up there with some other great names out there these have been affordable offering all you expect from a pair of true wireless earbuds and more at their price point inlcuding a wireless charging case and a nice selection of colours to pick from too. You can check our review here..

To pick them up at a the reduced price just add STHLM50 at the checkout and enjoy a really good pair of true wireless earbuds.

Stockholm is the pinnacle of wireless earphones. True wireless means true freedom, and with a sleek charging case that provides for 14 hours of total playtime, four appealing colours to choose from and simple and intuitive controls, you can go anywhere while always equipped with incredible sound.

Features

Total Playtime: 14 hours
3.5 hours per charge
Slim charging case with 3 charges
Dual microphones on the right earbud
which cancels the surrounding noise
Stereo phone calls
Bluetooth 5.0
Touch control
Volume and music controls
Voice control (Siri, Google Now)
Compatible with Android and iOS

GET THEM HERE AND DONT FORGET THE CODE STHLM50

Aramex Launches “Aramex SMART- Unbox First. Pay After.” to Boost E-commerce Growth Across its Core Markets. #AramexSMART #Payments #logistics

Aramex, a leading global provider of comprehensive logistics and transportation solutions, today announces the launch of “Aramex SMART”, an innovative and comprehensive delivery, payment and returns solution for e-tailers that enhances consumers’ online shopping experience, increases payment optionality and delivery flexibility, and promotes the overall growth of e-commerce industry in the region.

“Aramex SMART” is the world’s first all-in-one stack delivery, payment and returns solution offered by a logistics and transportation company. It enables e-tailers around the world to deliver a premium experience for their shoppers in Aramex’s core markets. Consumers that use this solution benefit from a convenient online shopping experience which gives them access to fast deliveries, easy returns, and allows them options to complete their payments within a period of 14 days after the delivery of their shipment, using a payment method of their choice.

Commenting on the launch, Bashar Obeid, Chief Executive Officer of Aramex, said: “The launch of ‘Aramex SMART’ is a milestone not only for Aramex, but for the entire e-commerce industry as it brings together a full stack of delivery, payment and returns solution in a single offering. As one of the leading industry players, part of our strategy is to continuously improve the ecosystem by identifying gaps and coming up with innovative solutions to help resolve bottlenecks that will ensure a healthy and uninterrupted growth of e-commerce. With ‘Aramex SMART’ we aim to support businesses that wish to grow their online sales channels, and improve the online shoppers’ overall experience, especially during the current unprecedented challenges brought by COVID-19. Through the launch of this innovative solution, we aim to boost growth in the digital economy and support resurgence in retail demand.”

 

Arun Singh, Aramex’s Corporate Treasurer and Head of Aramex SMART, said: “We are very excited to launch ‘Aramex SMART’ in response to evolving consumer needs and e-commerce industry trends. Through our extensive market research, we identified a need for a full suite solution that will address disparities between an increased consumer preference for cash-on-delivery shipments in spite of limited digital payment options offered by e-commerce players. Our research showed that one of the main reasons for preference for cash-on-delivery is due to the trust deficit consumers have in the e-commerce experience. Our studies also revealed that businesses suffer from slower deliveries, high rejection rates, and inventory inefficiencies with cash-on-delivery shipments. To address these gaps, we have developed this innovative platform that provides shoppers convenient and flexible payment options when making online purchases, as well as supporting e-tailers with cash flow management, ensuring seamless and efficient transactions, higher acceptance rates, improved consumer trust and enhanced bottom line growth.”

“Aramex SMART” is the latest addition to the suite of other innovative solutions that Aramex developed as part of its digital transformation journey. Earlier this year, the company introduced a fully revamped mobile App that includes real–time shipment and courier tracking, and seamless connection to Aramex’s WhatsApp chat-bot.

In 2018, Aramex launched “Aramex Fleet”, a crowd-based delivery platform that connects Saudi Nationals to flexible last mile delivery work to leverage Saudi Arabia’s sharing economy and support fluctuating demand in the Kingdom. This was followed by the launch of Aramex Spot, a partnership with retail outlets to support last mile delivery access across Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

How Apps Streamline Business Processes [Infographic]. #Apps #Business

Did you know that the average small businesses owner uses 18 apps to run their company every single day? In this guide, we show you how apps can help to streamline business processes. This boosts efficiency by saving resources, cutting costs, and freeing up time for employees,Colm Stafford, Managing Director of an IT solutions company in Ireland called ERS IT Solutions Ltd. has sent this  infographic called “How Apps Streamline Business Processes”

Review – Charmast 10000 mAh and 10400 mAh portable powerbanks with some extras. #Charmast #Charging

Still suffering from battery anxiety?? Yes many of us are but there are affordable solutions at hand in the form of portable powerbanks which come in all shapes and sizes and of course prices. Powebanks come in some huge formats and portable options too with some neat tricks on offer too on th emore expensive ones but today we have two portable ones that will not break the bank and both of these can be picked up for around 25 euro.

They are the typical industry look but on the slim side yet offer a bit more than the single output offerings. With the 104000 mAh option you can charge up to 3 devices at once or one device several times depending on its battery capacity but the thing is here the portability factor and sharing factor so the like of this is ideal for travel,camping and more even for just one person use especially if you carry more than one device you can charge your phone and true wireless earbuds for example.

BUY THE CHARMAST 104000 mAh on Amazon.

This device offers an LED display too giving the power status which is handy and keeps you in check of its own status so you can recharge when required. Mmost people think powerbanks are for just mobile phones,they are not you can charge any peripheral or tablet and more so there is great diversity there. These also offer faster charging than the typical dirt we see in local shops or euro stores.

The smaller of the two though has some other ideas with an in built torch and once again the option to charge more than one device on the go which again is ideal and this one is more rounded than its sister and might be better for portablility but having said that both are really portable and descrete looking but do the job they intend to do and give you a little more value for your money even though they have that industrial design look but who cares it is power at hand on the go and can serve more than one device and one person..

BUY THE CHARMAST 10000 mAh on Amazon. 

Almost half of Irish office workers would change jobs for a company embracing more automation.

OpenSky, the digital transformation specialist for government organisations and large private enterprises, today announces the findings of a survey which reveal that almost half (47%) of Irish office workers would move to an organisation embracing more automation.

The research – carried out by Censuswide and involving 1,000 people across Ireland, 500 of which were office workers – found that 62% would like to see their organisation embrace more automation, with the highest demand among workers in Carlow, Dublin and Cork. Some 35% of respondents think automation will help people to do their jobs more effectively.

The top three benefits of such technologies were cited as the ability to minimise boring tasks, to help during situations such as the current coronavirus pandemic, and to enable information to be processed faster.

William Flanagan, Technology & Commercial Director, OpenSky

Almost a third (32%) of office workers believe automation would reduce the pressure placed on the human workforce, while more than a quarter (26%) think it would lead to the possibility of a four-day work week. The study also revealed that a significant frustration among people was spending too long in work.

Moreover, 71% said that further automation of business processes would be of strategic benefit to their organisation. Forty-seven per cent of those respondents said it would reduce operational costs, while 42% think it would streamline processes.

In terms of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics, almost a fifth (19%) of office workers admitted they would be worried about such technologies listening to and watching them in the workplace. Some 22% think robots will be involved in workplace decisions within the next 20 years, while 14% believe they will have employee rights by this time.

If organisations fail to implement innovative solutions, like Robotic Process Automation (RPA), which enable valuable staff to work on what they are trained to do rather than spend excessive amounts of time on mundane and monotonous administrative tasks, their employees’ job satisfaction and workload is affected.

William Flanagan, Technology & Commercial Director, OpenSky, said: “Even though workplace operations were transforming before the pandemic, the current situation has highlighted, more than ever, how vital technology is in terms of supporting businesses to remain competitive and secure long-term continuity during a crisis.

“Irish businesses really need to consider investing in technologies that increase productivity levels, reduce costs and enhance customer service levels, enabling them to achieve competitive advantage. The businesses that invest in the tools to uphold competitiveness are the ones that will survive in the long-term – the ones that don’t are more likely to see catastrophic implications, as so many have unfortunately seen recently.

“Not only that, but businesses also need to meet the growing demand among employees to work smarter, not longer.  If organisations fail to implement innovative solutions, like Robotic Process Automation (RPA), which enable valuable staff to work on what they are trained to do rather than spend excessive amounts of time on mundane and monotonous administrative tasks, their employees’ job satisfaction and workload is affected. It also impacts staff retention as employees will simply leave to work for organisations that support more automation.

“Automation is designed to benefit people – not replace them. And while the role of emerging technologies, including AI and robotics, will continue to increase in the world of work over the next few years, the most effective strategy is technology and people working together to be innovative and drive growth.”

Garden ‘Field Trip’ with Google Pixel 4 #Gardening #Pixel4 #GoogleLens #Wildlife

As summer arrives thoughts are turning towards our gardens and balconies and I wanted to share some ways people who might be new to gardening can use Google Lens to discover more of their garden and help children discover a love for their garden.

Whether it’s using Google Lens to identify a flower or insect, brushing up on gardening skills with Google Assistant, following outdoor DIY tutorials or even mastering the art of photography, there’s hours of fun (for adults and children) to be had on your doorstep. To get started, please find a selection of tips and tricks below using features on Google Pixel 4.

 

Fred Brewin, senior product manager for Google Lens, says: ‘There’s magic in the change of a season that makes people want to get closer to nature. We want to help people learn more about the environment around them, and we have a nifty AI-led tool to help. Google Lens can easily identify plants and flowers using your camera on Pixel 4 and other Android/iOSdevices with a simple tap.’

Garden ‘Field Trip’ Pixel 4 Tip Sheet 

Name that flower!  Google Lens: Now your little ones can become the ultimate flower expert by using Google Lens to identify what’s growing in the garden. Challenge them to find as many different species of flowers as they can and once done, move onto plants and insects. You can also encourage them to ask Google Assistant for handy facts as they go along.

  1. Open the camera on your phone, hit more and then press Google Lens

  2. Point your camera at the flower to identify the plant

  3. Swipe up to learn about the discovery

You can also use the folder of stock images to create your own eye spy checklist, or if feeling creative make your own.

Channel their inner artist 

Portrait Mode: Help creativity blossom by showing kids how to take beautiful snaps of the garden. Colourful flowers are perfect to photograph and now Portrait Mode on Pixel 4 makes it easier than ever to take a crystal clear shot. Photograph insects, trees or even clouds and different textures such as bark and grass. What’s more, why not try drawing or painting the photographs when returning inside.

 

  1. Open up your camera and tap the menu icon

  2. Select Portrait mode and tap on the screen to focus on the flower

  3. Older kids can play around with the brightness and shadows slider to make the subject pop

Grow your own

YouTube Tutorials: If spending more time in the garden has you feeling green fingered, create a vegetable or flower patch with help from YouTube tutorials.

 

  1. Simply download the YouTube app

  2. Search for a video such as: ‘How to create a vegetable patch’ or ‘How to grow tomatoes’

  3. Watch step-by-step tutorials on your phone right from the soil bed

  4. What’s more, motion sense on Pixel 4 means you simply have to swipe to pause a video, so there’s no need to take off your gardening gloves

Make something extra special 

YouTube Tutorials: Once you’ve mastered the flower beds, why not start a mini building project with the whole family. Whether creating a bird feeder, bug hotel, worm tower or even a magical fairy garden, there’s a host of YouTube tutorials to follow. Please find example videos at the end of the tips.

Learn more about the world around you 

Google Assistant: Kids can learn more about the world around them with help from Google Assistant. Simply say “Ok Google” followed by your question.  For example, say:

 

  1. Ok Google, tell me about bumble bees?

  2. Hey Google, what is a ladybird?

  3. Ok Google, what are the best flowers to plant this season?

  4. Hey Google, what are the best plants for growing at home?

Bring the magic of the garden inside

Google Assistant: There’s also fun to be had if it’s rainy outside. Google Assistant can recreate the sounds of animals, birds and insects such as the sound of bumble bees or even a woodpecker. So, when telling a story about the garden or teaching your children about creepy crawlies and birds Google Assistant can help bring the lesson to life. For example, try saying:

 

  1. Ok Google, what sound does a pigeon make?

  2. Ok Google, make the sound of a robin?

  3. Hey Google, what sound does a dove make?

  4. Ok Google, what sound does a bee make?

  5. Ok Google, what sound does a fox make?

  6. Hey Google, what sound does a butterfly make?

Garden DIY Project YouTube Tutorials:

Simply say ‘OK Google, play’…followed by the below titles to bring up the video.

 

How To Make A Bird Feeder 

How to make your own fairy garden

Bug Hotel: How to Make a Home for Beneficial Insects

 

How To Make A DIY Worm Tower

How to make a bee hotel

Fun Kids’ Crafts: Painted Pots