Digital Disruption from EX²

Over the past two decades, it seems that every year, technology changes at an ever-increasing rate. Whether driven by advances in hardware, software or both, or the result of disruptive technologies, even IT professionals are sometimes amazed by how rapidly the tech world is changing. As was the case in previous years, 2014 brought new products, interesting news and innovative solutions for a number of IT challenges. The following timeline lists some of the most significant events in 2014.

Experience optimization is not just a marketing project or an IT project, and approaching it as such isvirtually a guarantee that efforts will be in vain. Optimization must be approached as a business-wide effort. Because all companies have goals, structures, philosophies, purposes and environments that are combined into a unique picture, no single optimization plan will work for all enterprises. However, regardless of where a company is in terms of volume, experience or size, there are seven things that effective experience optimization teams commonly do to ensure success.

EX Squared Solutions has been named a winner of the 2014 Higginbotham Health & Wellness Award, which is presented annually to Austin-area businesses deemed to best encourage a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle for employees. The award was presented at the 2014 Greater Austin Business Awards, an event sponsored by the Austin Chamber of Commerce. The event is the largest of its kind in Central Texas, and each year, it brings together approximately 1,000 entrepreneurs, business leaders, government officials, regional chambers and non-profit organizations.

Marketing professionals know all too well that competition has become increasingly stiff over the past decade or two. This is especially true online -- the Internet has served to help "level the playing field," and even small enterprises can use technology to empower their marketing. In an attempt to not be left behind, companies feel pressured to make sure that their marketing efforts immediately include every new technology that appears. Although this is typically the wisest strategy, sometimes technology outpaces purpose.

Mobile marketing stopped being optional a long time ago, at least for companies that want to increase their sales and provide customers with an omni-channel buying experience. As a result, mobile marketing has become more proactive about targeting customers -- sometimes a bit too aggressively. There is a fine line between communicating with customers and annoying them, and while endeavoring to learn just what their customers want, some companies have crossed that line.

Whether your company is deploying a new mainframe system, enterprise content management system or mobile app, problems can arise. It is common to encounter employees who resist the change, either out of fear that they will be unable to master the new technology or because they fail to see how they can benefit from the change. However, a lack of prior planning is responsible for many deployments that experience delays or fail completely. Here are five steps you can take to ensure a smooth deployment and encourage company-wide adoption.

First came home shopping via radio and cable television, and then came the Internet and online retailers. Modern shoppers suddenly discovered the convenience of ordering a product from the comfort of home, even at 3 a.m.

As most retailers will freely admit, one of the more difficult aspects of pleasing customers is keeping up with their constantly changing desires. Consumers can be fickle; a brand or product that sold faster than retailers could stock their shelves last week may gather dust this week. Customers who were once reluctant to make purchases online have become increasingly more comfortable with the process. Shoppers who could not imagine using a mobile phone to place an order a decade ago are now conducting research, comparing pricing and purchasing items with their mobile devices.

For more than three decades, brick-and-mortar stores have been waging a battle against online retailers. Every year, online stores gain more of the market share. In recent years, several chains that were once retail giants have been forced to declare bankruptcy, close many of their locations or sell their brand to a competitor. Although the fight has been deemed as hopeless by some, the reality is that brick-and-mortar retailers do not need to abandon ship yet. They just need to use every tool available to encourage shoppers to opt for in-store purchases.