Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

"Good. Better. Best. Never let it rest, until your good is better and your better is best." This classic children's nursery rhyme should be a grown-up mantra for every company today. Either do it better - operate more efficiently and continually innovate to meet market demands - or succumb to rising costs and proactive competitors. But how? SAP's Peter Russo advises, "Many standard processes can be covered quickly, efficiently and at a much lower cost thanks to pre-configuration and new implementation techniques and tools. Not only does this bring a rapid ROI, but it frees up resources for where solution differentiation will have a stronger impact." T-Systems' Dr. Uwe Heckert sees an ICT service industry trend toward "simplification, standardization and flexibility," but adds, "Quality improvements and implementation speed increases in existing landscapes are still an issue." Pour a cup of Joe, Earl or OJ and join us for food for thought on Game-Changing Innovation: One Bit at a Time.

Tech leaders with a traditional "CIO" title face increasing pressure to change with the times. Why? According to Asuret's Michael Krigsman, "In the old days of corporate technology, experts guarded big computer centers and served as the high priests of technology. Few others were allowed inside their precious realm. Today, so-called 'consumerization of IT' means every department and function in a business has the potential to be its own IT department." Vala Afshar at Enterasys adds, "Consumers are driving the accelerated adoption of social, mobile and cloud technologies. Service delivery organizations must adapt quickly: culture, people, process and technology." What's going on here? Is this just a fashionable trend or a long-term impact on your company? Will provider-customer co-innovation continue? Can customer service be the key differentiator between you and your competition? Pour a cup of Joe, Earl or OJ and join us for food for thought on the 21st Century CIO Makeover: The Reveal.

"Show me the money", the iconic phrase from the 1996 film Jerry Maguire, still resonates in business and pop culture more than 15 years later. But before a company can see the money, they need to demand, "Show me the information." That's no easy task because growing your business requires getting the right information, in the right format, to the right people at the right time. Adding to your challenges, the total volume of digital data is expected to double every 18 months. According to Howard Dresner's recent Mobile Business Intelligence Market Study, we are "in the midst of a profound shift toward Mobile BI (and mobile computing). This paradigm shift will affect everyone and have as much impact as the Internet did, over time." However, this "proverbial 'moving target' of hardware and software standards presents difficulties to both customers and suppliers alike." Pour a cup of Joe, Earl or OJ and join the experts as they explore what happens when Business Intelligence Goes on the Road.

Valentine's Day: Love it if you receive "the perfect gift". Hate it if you don't know what gift to give or where to find it. If you're the latter, it's not all your fault, says Adrian Drury at Ovum: "You may not know what to buy your loved one, but your retailer does." As a game-changer holiday, Feb. 14 poses a double-edge relationship sword for retailers. Fail to help a consumer express their love, and that consumer will not love your brand. Why is this so difficult? Because of a sea change of customer buying behavior, says SAP's Jon Wurfl. Consider 37% of PriceGrabber® Valentine's Day Shopping Survey respondents who shop online or via mobile phone or tablet. And gender, age, generational and ethnic preferences of each customer, plus brand reputation word-of-mouth on social media. If you aspire to author Becky Carroll's gold standard - the Customers Rock company - pour a cup of Joe, Earl or OJ and join us for a Valentine's Day Post-Mortem: Are you a retailer we love to love?

What's in a name? Plenty, for today's 'CIO'. Given this tech leader's dynamically evolving role, their "I" stripe could be earned for bravery as an astute Integrator, game-changing Innovator, Infrastructure guru, Intelligence master – or some of each. But perhaps the title itself needs a makeover: 'CCEO' for Chief Customer Experience Officer. Alphabet soup aside, who is best suited for this transformed and transformative function? What comes to mind are Superman / Superwoman traits, like a bold, progressive, fearless IT leader who meets tough challenges head-on. A strategic thinker whose vision enables company-wide business agility to scale to new heights. And a positive-interaction advocate who deftly tears down traditional barriers between the IT department and business units. Listen as four experts discuss the evolving roles, goals and soul of today's technology leaders. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl or OJ and join us for food for thought on 21st Century Tech Leaders: What's In A Name?

Ready to grow your company through global expansion? Smart strategy, according to Emergent Research's Steve King. "Almost three quarters of global GDP growth over the next 10 years is expected to come from emerging market countries. How can you not participate in that growth? But the road to profitable subsidiaries can be bumpy, cautions SAP's Mike Morel. "Subsidiaries have been the stepchildren of the corporate world, always a second priority. If corporate organizations can put a strategy in place that brings all the pieces together, you are going to get one plus one equals three. This is the home run that everyone is looking for." Our panelists will explore key considerations, including the rewards of reduced labor costs and tax havens vs. risks of losing your organizational identity, and the costs of opening a subsidiary vs. dismantling one. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl or OJ and join us for food for thought on Subsidiaries: Smart Game-Changer or Global-Size Headache?

Whether you're a start-up or a seasoned company, you're facing the hard facts of today's customer experience: it's a perpetual-motion target and it's your new competitive battleground. Given these challenges – plus your tight time and tighter budgets – how can you slide the sensitive customer satisfaction needle in the right direction to motivate your employees and satisfy your executives? Tune in for 10 Quick Wins you can implement now and see benefits in the near-term – really! CRM experts Reza Soudagar, Vinay Iyer and Dr. Volker G. Hildebrand will share nuggets of wisdom from chapter 10 of their book, "The Customer Experience Edge: Technology and Techniques for Delivering an Enduring, Profitable, and Positive Experience for Your Customers". Pour a cup of Joe, Earl or OJ and join us for food for thought as we present Ten On-Ramps to the Customer Experience Freeway.

According to Jen McClure at Thomson Reuters, "In just a few short years, social media has evolved from being considered a fad, to a disruptive force, to a powerful new set of business tools that are being incorporated into every function of organizations as they strive to become 'social businesses.'" Yes, social media has changed the voices of customers and the media – whenever they're happy or not so happy with you – from a whisper to a shout. That means your brand value can soar or stumble at the click of a Tweet. Like it or not, you'd better be ready to seize the golden opportunities and manage the pitfalls, all in right-time. If you're not taking this paradigm shift seriously, tune in for our experts' priceless advice as they name-drop social business blunder examples from Sears, Netflix, Dominos, BP, Gap and other iconic brands. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl or OJ and join us for food for thought on Avoiding Social Media Blunders: Don't Let This Happen to Your Company!

With social media and smartphones fueling consumers' expectations and enabling them to impact your brand, the customer experience is now your competitive battleground. Everyone has a customer experience horror story. What's the buzz about your company? Are you prepared to put customers at the center of your thinking to transform them into your best advocates? Meet Reza Soudagar, Vinay Iyer and Dr. Volker G. Hildebrand, authors of The Customer Experience Edge: Technology and Techniques for Delivering an Enduring, Profitable, and Positive Experience for Your Customers. Based on market research, case studies and statistics, they will explain how to combine strategy, leadership, organizational change, and technology to develop highly valued products and services, transform your customers into loyal evangelists, and convert emotionally-bonded customers into profits. Pour a cup of Joe, Earl or OJ and join us for food for thought on The Customer Experience as Competitive Game-Changer.

There's a global financial crisis, and struggling companies are reducing staff, or worse, shuttering doors. If you're out of a job, you'd be out of your mind to consider starting a business today. Right? Not true, says small business expert Susan Wilson Solovic. "We are entering a new era in which the majority of Americans will either own a small business or work for one....While it may seem counterintuitive, a recessionary climate can actually be an ideal time to start a business." Need proof? Hyatt Corporation, Burger King, FedEx, MTV, CNN and HP started small in down economies. And college dropout Bill Gates started Microsoft in a sluggish economy, eking out just $16,000 in revenue his first year. Whether you're a big biz seeking to contain costs, a small biz in need of advice, or just have an "I wanna be my own boss" gleam in your eye, pour a cup of Joe, Earl or OJ and join us for food for thought on the Era of the Entrepreneur: Small Business as the New Economic Game-Changer.