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A Letter to Businesses During COVID-19

With so much data and speculation surrounding the infamous COVID-19 pandemic infiltrating our news outlets and business newsletters every day, it’s becoming more and more apparent our need to stay flexible and optimistic about our social atmospheres, both work-related and familial.

There’s plenty of good news out there about recovering COVID 19 patients, declining numbers and uptake of vaccines, as well as tips on how to stay safe from the virus. But as most of us have transitioned from working in-office to working on our couches with TV trays as make-shift desks, sometimes staying there, or gradually transitioning back to the office, it’s important to know how to keep your business functioning as fluidly as it did pre COVID.

That’s why Kiwi Group is readily available to help with your Salesforce Tune Ups.

A lack of vitamin D plus a lack of organization from having to rethink your business organization and strategy can be a lot to handle all at once. So it pays to have CRM experts in your arsenal. Kiwi Group specializes in:

  • Helping organizations maximize the value from their Salesforce platform
  • Making Salesforce user friendly
  • Integrate Salesforce with Outlook
  • Integrate Salesforce with Marketing Automation systems like Pardot, HubSpot and MailChimp
  • Data cleansing and enhancement
  • Individual and group training
  • Ongoing support plans and consultation

Whether it’s a technological tune-up, or helping with CRM organization, Kiwi Group does both.

But how do you know if your business needs a “tune-up”? Salesforce, Bridgepoint Consulting and RTS Labs have offered up a few clues to help identify businesses that need a little extra CRM TLC. A few include:

  1. You’ve lost resources and talent
  2. Your CRM is not well-integrated with other business systems
  3. Your team isn’t using Salesforce
  4. You’ve outgrown your business environment

The loss of resources and possible loss of talent, plus the change in business environment, is something almost everyone is experiencing right now with COVID quarantine and beyond. Some businesses are downsizing and need a new strategy with how to move forward and keep CRM technologies and programs working for them, no matter the changing circumstances.

But Kiwi Group is here to help as a go-to source for optimizing your business through CRM technology and consulting. You can check out our implementation packages on our website. To learn more about how Kiwi Group can help clean up your business clutter and give you one less thing to worry about during this high-stress time, visit our website or reach out.

Be healthy and be safe!

5 Reasons to Express Gratitude at Work this Holiday Season

After what has been another tough year for millions of people around the world still trying to deal with COVID, Long COVID, lockdowns etc I realise that I have a lot to be grateful for.

I’m so thankful for my wonderful clients who are all such a pleasure to work with.
I’ve also been extremely grateful for some of those clients agreeing to video testimonials to explain why they love working with Kiwi Group.  Joe Carey who is the Marketing Manager at Microline Surgical is one of those clients:

I’m also grateful for the team of people that work with me at Kiwi Group.  It’s important to work with people that you respect and trust and have that feeling reciprocated. Not only does this lead to a happy work environment it also leads to higher levels of production and results in satisfied employees which in turn creates happy customers.
However, people are less likely to feel or express gratitude at work than any place else.  When pressured by our hectic day-to-day lives it can become difficult to stay positive and see the silver lining. And in the wake of such a difficult couple of years during the pandemic things can feel excessively gloomy.

Here are five reasons to express gratitude at work

Being grateful feels good. By focusing on the positive aspects of life and choosing to be thankful, individuals will experience higher levels of optimism and enthusiasm. When practiced consistently, this can lead to a reduction in stress, depression and anxiety.

Gratitude begets gratitude. Like any emotion, gratitude is contagious. When a company strives to develop a gracious culture, thankfulness becomes the norm.

Gratitude improves camaraderie. When working on a team, the absence of gratitude can have catastrophic results. Feeling unappreciated is the number one reason why people quit their jobs. Yet, feelings of gratitude create a work environment with high levels of synergy, clarity and performance.

Gratitude satisfies everyone. Employees are motivated by different things such as money, status, or maybe even power but everyone craves recognition and praise for a job well done. Expressing gratitude is an easy, non-monetary way to make everyone feel appreciated.

Gratitude drives personal growth. Being grateful does not require a disconnect from reality or the circumstances of the day. Instead, it challenges a person to look deeply into the facts before them and choose to see the good rather than focusing on the bad.

For more information on how technology can create a happier work environment, contact us today.

Kiwi Group wishes you a very happy holiday.

Dreamforce 2020.

Dreamforce 2020 Takeaways

It was an unprecedented year for Salesforce’s user conference this year, as the entirety of Dreamforce to You was held virtually during the months of November and December.

We were happy to be able to attend several sessions during DreamTX in the Healthcare and Life Sciences industries. There was a lot of knowledge to unpack! It was wonderful to hear insights from other Salesforce users, and be able to ask questions live.

5 Trends and Themes that Emerged

1. One Source of Data Truth

Healthcare organizations have a goal of creating one single source of data truth.

Organizations ahead of the curve have already connected all of their data platforms into one giant integration. Salesforce’s robust API capabilities and vast product offerings support this goal. Several case studies were presented for how this is being done.

Example: UCSF Medical showed an example of their application architecture.

Application architecture.

2. Data More Widely Available

Organizations are increasingly interested in making insights and data available to more of their staff.

This need has arisen especially during the pandemic. Additionally, because of the increase of digital interactions, so much more data is needed and gathered. Orgs are working to set up their technology to be able to deliver insights to a broader range of internal users.

3. 2020 Was a Year for Innovation

As is obvious, so much of business operation and customer interaction has moved to digital in 2020. It was inspiring to see the amount of innovation that is being done by organizations to still reach their business goals and help their patients, clients, and customers.

Example: Enovate Medical, an EHR/EMR workstation supplier for hospitals, created a staged hospital room in their facility in order to do virtual demos of their products. Their webcam is set up in the corner by the ceiling, and a sales person can walk around the room and demonstrate, simulating an in-person visit.

4. Personalization is Key

The more your data and insights can allow you to personalize your sales and marketing efforts, the more successful your organization will be.

While this has been true in recent years, the fresh challenges of 2020 has made customers and patients more expectant. They are less tolerant of sales and marketing that is not hyper-targeted to them.

As an executive from SmileDirectClub said, “Customers are not going to go backwards.”

5. Instant, Real-Time Data

Speed matters.

Healthcare and Life Sciences organizations want real-time data, and instant insights. AI and machine learning predictions, while not brand new technology, are becoming more and more accessible and widespread.

Example: Salesforce shared an example of what a Marketing Intelligence setup might look like.

Embracing complete marketing intelligence.

We are looking forward to the innovations and success that 2021 will bring.

We are poised and ready to help any organization looking to integrate platforms, implement Salesforce products, or just get advice on the best way to handle their data.

Just let us know how we can help.

Salesforce CEO Seeks Kiwi Group Inc.’s Input on Artificial Intelligence

Last month, our President, Tracy Ericksen, was invited to attend an elite focus group luncheon comprised of industry experts that was hosted by Marc Benioff, Salesforce CEO. In preparation for the annual Dreamforce conference taking place later this fall, Marc has been visiting major cities across the country to test messaging and delivery. Executives from some of Minnesota’s biggest companies including 3M, Ecolab, United HealthCare and Ameriprise were invited to listen to Marc share his thoughts and provide feedback regarding their experience with Salesforce.

The theme of the luncheon was connecting with customers in new ways and focused on the investments industry leaders such as Google, Amazon and Apple are making to embed artificial intelligence into software. Artificial intelligence helps to automate tasks, predict behavior and spotlight relevant information. For Salesforce customers, this means their version of artificial Intelligence enabled through Einsteinhas the human like abilities to recognize patterns, make decisions and learn from experience. In sales, it helps salespeople to focus their time and identify the best next step for their top opportunities.

“It’s exciting to witness the commitment Salesforce continually makes to staying ahead of the curve, especially when it comes to artificial intelligence”, said Tracy Ericksen, Kiwi Group Inc. President. “The combination of artificial intelligence and Salesforce will remove barriers and opens doors for companies to connect with customers in ways they never dreamed possible.”

“Salesforce has the largest CRM market with revenues exceeding 5 billion. I was impressed that a CEO of the size and scope of Salesforce took the time to meet with such an intimate group here in the Twin Cities. He was an active listener and was genuinely interested in our feedback.”

Here’s what we can expect from artificial intelligence in the future

International Data Corp. predicts the world-wide market for artificial intelligence to increase to $16.6 billion in 2019 from $1.6 billion in 2015, which represents a CAGAR of 65.2 percent. Specifically, industry watchers expect artificial intelligence to drive substantial market growth in software in the next few years. Companies striving to connect with customers in more intimate, immediate and relevant ways than ever before through insights gained from artificial intelligence.

CRAMS, a cloud-based health and safety software, has even proposed that AIs could help revolutionize healthcare.

For more information, on artificial intelligence and how to better connect with your customers, contact Kiwi Group today.