I was at the Big Data Analytics Conference 2016 – Ready for the Next One!

Had the honor of being a panel speaker this past November 15, @ the Big Data Analytics Conference 2016 @ Enderun Colleges in Manila.

It was THE analytics event of 2016!

I was part of a panel discussing the topic of “The Future of Big Data Analytics in the Philippines”.

Other topics included Making Big Data Work for You, Powering Effective Marketing through Analytics, Building and Managing Your Data Science Team and a whole lot more.

On 15th of November 2016, Enderun Colleges, together with Global Chamber® Manila organized its 1st Data Science Conference entitled “Big Data Analytics Conference 2016” with a theme of “Making Big Data Analytics Work for You.”

Stay turned for details on the next one, coming in June 2017.

Joined by over 400 attendees, we dove into the deep world of Big Data Analytics. Attendees came from the business, government and public sector, technical, and academic communities to discuss the trends, tools and opportunities big data analytics delivers in your respective fields. Industry experts from all over the Philippines openly shared their best practices and insights to show attendees who to become future leaders in a data-driven environment.

The conference tackled topics ranging from leveraging big data analytics, new business models and opportunities, empowering marketing through data, to understanding what the future holds for big data in the country.

Visit the website set up for the conference to learn more.

>> http://www.bigdataconferenceph.com

DMAIPH offers a wide range of analytics centric training solutions for professionals and students via public, in-house, on-site, and academic settings. We tailor each training event to meet the unique needs of the audience. If you need empowerment and skills enhancement to optimize the use of analytics in your organization, we are here to help. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to set up a free consultation on which of our DMAIPH analytics training solutions is best for you.

10 Points Where There is a Need for a Data Science Consultancy

My good friend Albert Gavino recently posted about why there is such a strong need right now for data science consultancies.

Bert is a data scientist in the truest sense of the word. So when he listed 10 reasons, which I think are spot on, I asked him if I could share. The 10 reasons are:

Some (if not most) companies want to get into it, but are not sure if they need it.
They need direction on how to do it.
They need information on how much to invest in data science infrastructure
They need people with skill sets to be able to implement data science
Some are biased towards proprietary software while some like the open source guys like Apache.
CEOs think it’s all about big data
Data Science is continually evolving so don’t ask me about AI and deep learning….it’s still transforming things
How much does it cost to consult for a data science? pretty high because we all know demand and supply in this industry
Recruiters confuse programming languages and tools such as R, Python, SPSS, SAS, matlab, spark, scala, hadoop, hive, mahout (there are just too many out there they would get lost)
There is a gap in our Academic Curriculum where they just teach electives such as Business Analytics which does lack a lot of information to the needs of the industry.

So if the point is not already clear, there is a growing difference between the haves and the have nots when it comes to analytics and data science.

If you want to be with the have and leave all the have nots behind, you have to invest in a good analytics solution, a data science team and some technology to help you handle your big data.

If you want to learn more, please look for my friend Albert Gavino or connect with me. Also, Talas Data Consultancy will be hosting a Data Science Conference on November 26, 2016. I will be there meeting and greeting analysts, data scientists and people interested in how to use data to drive better decision-making.

Analytics Culture – The key to using analytics in a business is like a secret sauce. It is a unique combination of analytics talent, technology and technique that are brought together to enrich and empower an organization. A successful analytics culture is not easy to create, but DMAIPH can show you how. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly so we can build a strategic plan to turn your company into analytics driven success story.

Sharing My Analytics Story

Sometimes I get asked to share my analytics story. It’s pretty awesome when that happens.

I’ve have gotten so accustomed to talking about my analytics story that I do speaking engagements, public training seminars and write this blog. Talking about analytics and sharing how I have and do use data to facilitate data-driven decision-making is my favorite thing to do.

A lot of people would like to share their analytics story, but they never feel like they are in the right place to do so.

Some are not confident enough in what they are doing and afraid of looking like they don’t know what they are doing. Well, when it comes to analytics most of us don’t always know what they are doing… the whole point of analytics is discovery and looking outside the box.

Other people chose not to share their analytics stories because they don’t have a complete understanding of analytics in general. They know their niche, whatever they are in charge of back at the office. But they are not part of the bigger data picture in their company.

I have also find that others don’t share their analytics stories because they think what they are doing is to simple or not relevant to a broader conversation. Well, hardly anyone does the same thing as someone else when it comes to working with data. How we use data in our jobs is a individual as how we dress in the morning.

SO, when I speak, or present or write, I do my best to get others to participate. I love to learn about what challenges people are having and help them come up with solutions. A lot of analytics trainings are follow this method or use this technology, but few actually solve any problems. They give you tools but no instructions on how to use them in context of your own data environment.

I have found that the best way to build better reports is to talk about them. The quickest way to build engagement for more analytics is to talk about how to use analytics.

It’s all about taking the data in your head and constructing engaging conversations. That’s why in every opportunity I have to talk about analytics, I finish talking about how to market your analysis and how to make it enchanting to your audience.

I’ll be doing a training in Ortigas this coming June 15 and a seminar on June 22. If you are interested in sharing your story and coming up with some solutions to your data challenges, I’d be happy to see you there.

Data Analytics Training on Nov 22

Just sharing some details on an upcoming training I’ll be delivering.

This innovative and one of a kind workshop will provide you with easy to
implement strategies to increase your effectiveness in decision- making.

Objectives
– We will start with a basic overview of analytics, current trends in
the field and how analytics is being used here in the Philippines.
– Through a couple of hands on exercises, we will practice finding data,
analyzing it and reporting our findings.
– We will go in depth understand several key components of analytics
including business intelligence, competitive landscaping, data
visualization and business dashboards.
– We conclude the day by taking an assessment of each of our own
business and starting to develop strategies to enhance the analytics
culture in our business.
– Learn more about Big Data and Data Warehousing

Key Topics:
– What is Data Analytics?
– Overview of Data Analytcs in the Philippines
– Self- Assessment of your own analytics
– Finding Data (Mining and Presenting the Data)
– Big Data and Data Warehousing
– Discussion about Descriptive, Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics
– Business Intelligence and Business Dashboards
– Using Data Analytics to Drive Decisions
– Enchant your audience

Group Exercises will focus on mining data from public data sources, working on a marketing strategy based on business analytics and building a business dashboard prototype.

In today’s global marketplace, businesses are challenged with endless streams of data of immense volume, variety and velocity coming from around the world. Having people on your team who can use the data in your business to drive more data based decisions in no longer an added value. It is a fundamental cornerstone of success.

522

SEMINAR FEE

PHP 6,000/regular participant inclusive of VAT, training materials
(workbook), am/pm snacks, lunch and certificate of completion

*Group DISCOUNT (Minimum of 5):*

PHP 4,800/ participant inclusive of VAT, training materials (workbook),
am/pm snacks, lunch and certificate of completion.

To register, please call 09177992827 or send an email to info@sonicanalytics.com

Analytics Training – DMAIPH and our partners at Sonic Analytics offer a wide range of analytics centric training solutions for professionals and students via public, in-house, on-site, and academic settings. We tailor each training event to meet the unique needs of the audience. If you need empowerment and skills enhancement to optimize the use of analytics in your organization, we are here to help. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to set up a free consultation on which of our DMAIPH analytics training solutions is best for you.

Convergys eyes 6,000 new hires this year… But From Where?

A recent ABS-CBN headline touts how one of the biggest BPOs in the Philippines is planning to increase their staff by about 15%. And they are not alone, in the past few months I have seen a lot of the bigger players (including IBM and Google) make public announcements about staffing up here in the Philippines. But a lot of people are asking where will they come from?

Based on research being produced and/or complied by IBPAP, we are seeing a widening of the talent gap between the number of seats available and the number of quality candidates to fulfill them. The Philippines is about to graduate hundreds of thousands of college students, yet so few of them will be ready to step right into a call center job. The government has made huge strides in partnering with the industry leader and higher education to create courses that will help fuel the demand, but its not nearly enough.

And to make things even more interesting, we are seeing a lot of mergers between bigger players (Convergys just acquired Stream) as they try to consolidate to offer more services to bigger clients abroad. So the big fish are eating well. However, the same cannot be said for a lot of the smaller BPOs.. most set up by Filipinos with the idea of capitalizing on the call center boom. But they are for the most part struggling as they either can’t find accounts or enough staff to fill the client requirements. The competition has never been more fierce when it comes to finding good people.

So where does that leave the industry? Is the pool big enough to supply the big fish like Convergys with 6K more employees? 2014, will be an important year in the evolution of the BPO industry in the Philippines.

As for DMAI? We continue to grow quickly as we have a mostly work from home team that is almost completely made up of former call center agents who have walked away from higher pay for better work life balance. Is this the wave of the future? I think so!

Ten Things I Noticed While Walking Along EDSA

The other day I was at a meeting at the Mall at EDSA Shangri-La and it hadn’t occurred to me that it’s Valentine’s Day. Being that I’m Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ), we don’t really celebrate it, so don’t flame me for not being a romantic.

Anyway, as my assistant and I left the mall, it became obvious to me that getting back to Cubao was going to be a challenge. So after looking at the taxi queue and the bus line queue we decided to walk the two blocks down EDSA to Megamall to see if it was any better. It wasn’t. So then I decided why not just walk back to Cubao. It shouldn’t take more than an hour or two, so and it would be good exercise.

So on that long walk, actually a couple of kilometers, that actually took just under two hours, I had a lot of time to reflect on things. Here are ten things that occurred to me during the walk.

1. Its not actually a bad walk, with the exception of a few tight squeezes at the MRT stations and in front of Mega Mall, it was pretty wide open side walk most of the way.

2. Don’t Go to the Malls on a Holiday. The malls in the Philippines always get crowded on Friday nights, but a Friday Night Valentine’s Day… takes the cake for the busiest I have ever seen.

3. The MRT is way to overcrowded. We didn’t even try taking the MRT (Manila’s light rail network) because you can see by the passing trains people were crammed in like sardines. Whatever happened to the plans to modernize the now 20+ year old rail service?

4. Nice Restaurants are so overpriced. 4,000 PHP ($100) for a steak dinner. When you compare prices between the US and the Philippines, fine dining is one area way out of whack. So many places to eat at EDSA Shang, so few offer a nice meal for a good price.

5. There are not enough Taxis when you need them. If you spend time in Manila, you know the drill. During off hours, taxi drivers fight over you, but during rush hours you have to fight for them. Its one of the greatest variations in ebb and flow business I have ever see. I’d argue even worse than Manhattan.

6. Robinson Galleria has the worst Taxi Queue in Metro Manila. Green Hills and EDSA Shang Mall are close runners-up, but the taxi queue at Robinson Galleria is the slowest moving one I have ever stood in.

7. There are too many buses. Even when they are crowded to the brim with people and offering the cheapest way to get up and down the EDSA for most people, there are too many buses. The biggest cause of traffic congestion are buses who cut in and out of lane, stop in the middle of the road and all in all are driven by want to be Hollywood stunt drivers.

8. Too Many Ways to Waste Money. When you walk down ESDA, besides the dozen malls, you also see countless showrooms for high-end cars, you see a lot of business whose cliental can only by the wealthy. If you have money there are so many ways to waste in EDSA, while the masses ride by in a crammed bus or are stuffed away on the MRT. Its one of the worst visualizations of the rich-poor divide in the Philippines.

9. There are more condos being built than anything else. Its mind-boggling that they boom keeps booming. When you try to do the math in your head, how many condo have been built and how many multitudes of more are under construction and then you take into account the number of OFWs, Call Center Agents and people with enough money to invest, there are still more vacant or going to be vacant condo units then there are buyers. Talk about a bubble that has to burst.

And 10. Mary Me, Oliva is the talk of the town. Up and down EDSA there are a series of bill boards with the message “Olivia, will you marry me 21414.” The speculation is rampant about what the heck they mean. But whatever the origin, its one of those things that has every one buzzing about it.

Philippines Analytics Outlook 2014 (1 of 4): My Assessment

As 2014 is on the near horizon, I have been asked by more than a few people what I think the next year looks like in terms of analytics and its evolution as both a service and a career path. Now more than ever, I think it’s the time to really up our game in both terms of training talent and providing analytics solutions.

Here is why:

• BPAP and some of the big analytics companies like IBM and HP are moving quickly to infuse more analytics focused content into the higher education system. DMAI continues to get more requests to be involved with turning students onto BPO and analytics careers than I can address myself.
• The demand for analysts still far outweighs supply and the talent gap will quicken throughout the year. If you type in analyst in jobstreet.com.ph you will see about 1500 jobs posting on any given day. That’s a 33% jump from where the demand was less that two years ago.
• More companies are looking to the Philippines as place to start-up analytics teams. I’ve had conversations with about a dozen companies on the past six months asking me how to go about it.
• The biggest demand is for Fresh Grads and Undergrads who have the critical thinking skills and decision-making confidence needed for analytics. SO that’s is where DMAI will focus in the first half of 2014
• The SMEs (small and medium-sized entrepreneurs) are starting to see the need for analysts but don’t have access to the talent available. If fresh grads are once again our priority, SME needs is right behind it.

So in the coming months you will see DMAI strive to do the following:

1. Continue to add more positions with DMAI to meet the demand of overseas clients. We plan to grow from 12 to 20 analysts by the end of January alone.
2. Conduct more trainings, including the one we are doing as a charitable effort to support the people directly impacted by the recent typhoon.
3. Present at more schools and professional events to continue to sound the call to action.

If you are interested in joining our team as we charge ahead towards our goal of being THE name brand in analytics in the Philippines, please send me us your resume to analytics@dmaiph.com.

If you’d like to learn more about how our analytics talent and solutions can help your business, please email me directly at danmeyer@dmaiph.com

DMAI – The Strategic Plan

Sometime I get asked the question, what is my strategic plan for DMAI. My answer is simple, “to be THE name brand when it comes to analytics in the Philippines.” Of course the next question is always, how will you get there?

Well, that is a little more complex. DMAI offers a variety of analytics solutions that all feed into our vision of being the top of the analytics pyramid. They include:

1. Partnering with countries abroad to provide analytics services to international clients.
2. Providing analytics solutions to companies located here in the Philippines.
3. Offering our expertise by coaching to executives and managers.
4. Conducting analytics trainings for companies and professionals located in the Philippines.
5. Empowering Filipino students and young professionals with the skills needed for careers in analytics.

So that’s a lot. How are we doing so far?

Let’s look at the data… I so love data!

Since May 2012:
> Directly trained over 70 fresh grads from almost two dozen schools.
> Trained over 50 Business Owners, SMEs, HR and Recruiting Professionals.
> Provided on site training and consulting for three small BPO companies.
> Completed over ten analytics projects for small businesses in the US and the Philippines.
> Made over a dozen media appearances on TV, Radio and the Internet.
> Set up analytics outsourcing agreements with five different companies based in the US and India.
> Spoke publicly at seven different schools here in the Philippines.
> Been a featured speaker at four different public seminars.
> Crafted over 150 blog posts.
> And am so close to finishing my first book.

We still have a long way to go, but DMAI is well on its way to achieving our goal!

Doing What I Do Best!

Yesterday, I had the privilege to do what I do best… talk to about analytics. Its been a few months since I was in front of an audience interested in hearing me speak about my career and share with them my passion for using data to drive decision-making. Thanks to one of my key business partners, PMCM Events Management, I was one of several speakers who spent the day with IT students from St. Scholastica College in Manila.

I got to share the stage with my good friends and frequent collaborators Khoa Bui and Raffy Pekson, made some new friends with Leila and Paolo and even got to be up there with one of my idols Janette Toral. It was truly a special day for me as I felt so happy to be back in a place where I can actually do something to make the world a little better place. By giving the St. Scho students some guidance and direction I know we were able to help many of them discover new career possibilities and open their minds to new ways of looking at their future.

For my part, I just had about 40 minutes to give a simple Introduction to Analytics. I went over briefly the concept of analytics, talked about what analysts do and gave a few examples of current trends in analytics. It’s just the tip of the iceberg so to say, but I am sure I inspired a few students to share the dreams I have… about data!!! Haha!

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