It’s not just what you know, it’s what you’re allowed to know
11/05/12
by John Bird, Managing Director
This month sees thankQ releasing a whole new bundle of tools to build on our integration with social media platforms. For some time now the hot question has been “do you integrate with social media?” but few have been able to answer my question back “what information do you actually want to integrate?”
comments: be the first to write a comment
it's not about selling
27/04/12
by Mark Edwards, Head of Account Management
As an account manager people are naturally wary when I call and invite myself over for a cup of tea and a chat. The natural thought would be “what does he want?” and “what is he selling?” – I know it would be mine if I was on the receiving end of that call. Well…
comments: be the first to write a comment
excuse me whilst I get on my SOAP box
27/03/12
by Samantha Gibson, Marketing Manager
“Art over function”. It’s a phrase from my old ad agency days which I like to bring out and dust off every now and then. Back then it was used as a cutting critique of a designer’s work – something that looks pretty but doesn’t actually do the job. And let’s face it, when you’re in a creative industry, it’s pretty easy to get carried away with the aesthetics.
comments: be the first to write a comment
So is IT worth it?
01/03/12
by Samantha Gibson, Marketing Manager
IT – such a simple word – a simple word for something that can be pretty hard to get your head around. And once you have got your head around it, IT moves on – leaving you floundering in its wake. So let’s not focus on the IT word – let’s have a look at something warmer, friendlier, simpler (and a bit longer) – CRM; and ask the questions: Should you? Is it? Does it?
comments: be the first to write a comment
grant giving and taking
10/02/12
by John Bird, Managing Director
Working with the not for profit sector we often find ourselves working on projects that are being funded by some form of grant – often money that started life in central government. A few years ago we saw lots of projects funded by ChangeUp money (part of Capacitybuilders). There are occasional bursts of funding from other government departments and since New Year we have seen a flurry of interest generated by the Arts Council Catalyst programme.
The common theme to all of this funding is the time pressure – the pressure to apply for money and the pressure to spend money. And I know I shouldn’t complain about our customers wanting to spend money, but, well, something needs to be said!
comments: be the first to write a comment
What are the key ingredients of a successful training session?
24/01/12
by Nilesha Mistry, Training Manager
Naturally you may consider that responsibility ultimately lies in the hands of the trainer. The trainer should know their product and have the professionalism and ability to convey their message to others, be patient, listen, interact with their audience, lead the session and ensure that the learning experience is a positive one with a successful outcome.
comments: be the first to write a comment
the secret of good technology is..
06/01/12
by John Bird, Managing Director
As the year turns from 2011 to 2012, we have once again been asked to make our predictions for what the big technology news will be in 2012. Strangely, the headlines look remarkably similar to those we suggested in 2011 – and still reflect what people are talking about – mobile integration, cloud, social media integration, cloud, cloud and a bit more integration.
As a technology company we face the challenge of making the right call at the right time as to where we invest our time and energy in reacting to new trends and technologies. But technology is moving on all the time isn’t it – so surely the quicker we react to the latest ideas, the better? Not always.
comments: 1 comments
a is for aardvark
23/12/11
by John Bird, Managing Director
Its Christmas so I thought my blog should be a bit more upbeat than my usual gripes about the world. Except social media, I can’t let that one go. So here is a random selection of thoughts from the year, brought to you by the letters T, H, A, N, K and Q.
comments: be the first to write a comment