Tag: DMAI

Assessing the Analytics Culture In A Company

Yesterday I conducted a public training on business analytics and one of the exercise we completed was doing a self-assessment of the business each participant currently finds themself in. 

  • Level 1 – No analytics at all.
  • Level 2 – Only a few people use analytics and most key management decisions are not made based on data, but on experience
  • Level 3 – Some people use some analytics to make some decisions, but its generally inconsistent across the organization.
  • Level 4 – Most decision makers have access and generally use analytics. Several key team members have strong analyst backgrounds.
  • Level 5 – Every team member from top down knows analytics, has access to the data they need and are empowered to take action on it.

We need to work hard to develop an analytics culture in our businesses.

No technological solution or influx of top talent simply layered on top of existing processes and culture, can achieve these results. Further, pockets of existing analytical talent quickly grow disillusioned and, because they are not integrated into the business as a whole, fail to deliver much strategic value.

Empowerment Needs Structure

An Empowering environment is the goal of most companies, but few are able to fully realize it.

Empowerment happens when team members at all levels of the organization feel they have a say in things. Empowered employees feel they have authority to make decisions for the best interest of the customer and for each other.

Empowerment falls short when there is not enough structure in place to ensure that decisions are being made with direction and purpose.

I feel that we have built a pretty good environment that encourages empowerment, but we don’t always have enough structure in place to ensure the empowered decisions are what best for the team and for our customers.

We devoted a half day of training today to discussing ways to add structure to the business to enable more empowerment.

Let’s see how it works.

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DMAI – The Intelligent Philippines Outsourcing Solution

Over the past couple of years I have successfully consulted and partnered with a number of small call centers based in the Philippines. Most of my assistance has come in the form of analytics training and consulting, with a focus on making more data-driven decisions and optimizing reporting processes.

I’ve drawn a lot on my experience working with outsourcing projects while with Wells Fargo as well as the glorious failure or my own outsourcing company BPO Elite. And now to add to those, the amazing success we have having with DMAI in managing the rapid growth of a 50+ person outsourcing team of consisting of both home and office based staff.

Armed with these experiences and guided by a gifted management team, DMAI is now on the active look for more small business clients. We specialize in providing talent with above average analytical skills, who have been trained to make data-driven decision and are passionate about their work. The caliber of DMAI team members is not what you typically find in a call center employee.

We want to partner with just 2-3 more small or medium sized business who are looking to add staff overseas to complement their domestic operations. If you know someone looking to get started or is unhappy with their current outsourcing arrangement, maybe we are the partner they need.

The Philippines presents a very unique opportunity for American business to hire staff who speak and American style of English, are well versed in American culture and offer just about the best level of customer service in the world.

Please Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/dmaiph to see what our team members and customers say about DMAI.
You can also follow my blog at http://www.dmaph.wordpress.com to learn more about our mission and purpose… to empower better decision-making through analytics.

For a free consultation, please connect with us via the above channels or send an email to analytics@dmaiph.com

Putting Together a BCP Plan? Use Your Analytics!

It was true 3 years ago, and sadly its true today… just took this photo today (March 1, 2017). All the evidence and all the rhetoric, but in the end the planning failed.

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…As Metro Manila and the island of Luzon are preparing for its second typhoon in a matter of days, I thought it prudent to talk about business continuity planning (BCP).

One of the most overlooked areas of business operations is business continuity planning. When it comes to the outsourcing of functions and responsibilities to a team in the Philippines, there is a high need for a solid BCP.

However, my experience is that very few companies and their outsourcing partners have put in place a well thought out plan to handle a variety of business outages and disasters.

During my time with Wells Fargo I was involved in overseeing business continuity planning for a number of business lines and became pretty well versed in the subject matter.

Some of the key points are having a clear chain of command during a crisis. Escalation procedures and call trees are ways to make sure everyone knows what is expected of them. Putting together a written BCP plan that can be shared with the team is also very important since most disasters impacting the Philippines come with potential power and technology interruptions.

Another key piece of disaster planning is to have pre, during and post incident plans to follow. If you know a typhoon is coming there is a lot that can be done before hand to help limit business impact. And having a clear post incident plan is key to getting business back up and running asap.

Updating the client and keeping them in the know, is also something that can be much more challenging then planed and should be given appropriate thought. Practicing the plan and doing mock disaster drills is another way to achieve optimal communication and response results.

Business Strategy with Analytics – Aligning a business strategy to drive an organization forward requires a robust analytics solution. Businesses who have good analytics tend to be much more profitable and efficient then ones that do not.

DMAIPH has helped dozens of companies in both the U.S. and the Philippines with adding more data analysis in their business strategy. We have joined up with our key business partner PMCM Events Management to showcase our solutions at #TechToniPH in July 2017. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to find out what we can do to help you align your business strategy with analytics.

Making You Business More Prominent On The Web

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140713020324-277926763-the-biggest-dilemma-for-entrepreneurial-minds?trk=tod-home-art-list-large_0

I came across this blog post on LinkedIn that shares some insights on how an entrepreneur can get their product/service to stand out in the crowded landscape of bright ideas, innovative solutions and be the next big thing.

Here’s what the blogger think needs to happen to make business ideas prominent on the web:

1. People need to understand that their ideas aren’t going to get stolen. People who notice your ideas are either going to a). Simply tell you what they think, b). Want to go into business with you, or c). Become an early adopter of your product. Win/win. The truth is very few people would take the risk necessary to implement your ideas. The few who do become investors, business partners, and employees.

I am a big proponent of this. In fact is other people want to get out there and set up analytics focused companies in the Philippines that do any combination of training, consulting and outsourcing, that’s a good thing. The pie is far bigger then I can eat alone. And competition makes us all better.

2. People need an online platform to publish and collaborate on business ideas. Kind of like open source sites, but for business ideas and plans. This platform would help entrepreneurs reach people with similar business goals and ideas, and connect and collaborate with them.

I use WordPress for this or a number of reasons. It’s easy to use and its free. It allows me to blog about a range of topics like outsourcing, analytics, the Philippines, decision-making and setting up a small business all in one place. WordPress can also be set up to deliver your content to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter (among others) automatically. So My 2000 blog followers, 5000 LinkedIn connections and 1500 Facebook friends all get my content beamed right to them.

3. Lastly, people need to be able to reach professionals through this platform.

I make a point of cutting and pasting my blog post links into groups on LinkedIn and Facebook. I add just about anyone on LinkedIn who views my profile (aside from the less 1% who are obvious scammers). I send a reply to everyone I connect with (sometimes I do have to have interns send the initial message) and I follow-up personally on every business lead, student question or well-wisher.

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If you are looking to launch a new business, thinking about outsourcing some analytics functions or wondering how to set up a business in the Philippines, DMAI can help!

Looking For A Job? Treat Your Job Search Like A Job And You Will Find One

On a daily basis, I get approached by people asking if I can either give them a job or help them find a job.

My response is usually do you have a resume? How many jobs have you submitted your resume to today?

When I get back negative remarks to those questions, I do my best to create an educational moment.
Going back a few posts I talked about teaching a man to fish and my last post was hard work and persistence allow you to create your own luck.

In my almost 30 years of working, I applied for more jobs then I can even imagine. But in that 30 years, I think the longest I have ever gone without working is about three months.

I am a firm believer, that even in extreme situations, the best way to find a job is to treat your job search like a job. To be focused and have a plan to help you create opportunities so you don’t just sit around waiting to get lucky and have a job fall in your lap.

With that in mind, I did a quick Google search on some tips to bring focus and discipline to a job search. Here are some of the high points:

1. Set Goals. Provide yourself with targets and track your progress towards meeting them.
2. Network. Make a list of people who have jobs like the one you want. Interact with them.
3. Be Polished. Spend the extra time to make your resume flawless. Dress up. Be Early.
4. Practice. Volunteer your time. Look for free training. Do practice interviews.
5. Be Selective. Resist the temptation to apply for everything. Focus on what you are good at.
6. Positive Surroundings. Look for people who can inspire, empower and motivate you to keep on the hunt.
7. Use Technology. If you are reading this, then you most likely on LinkedIn or Facebook. You have a natural network right there and the most powerful communication tool around. Don’t waste them.

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Finding a job is one of the hardest and most challenging jobs around. If you treat it as such, you are much more likely to find a good job quickly then someone who doesn’t.

To People Like Me Luck Is Anything But Being Lucky

I’ve seen a couple of blog posts and online articles lately from entrepreneurs talking about how they don’t like it when people say that they are so lucky to be successful. Given the hard work and sacrifices that go into being successful, their stories are never ones of just being lucky.

Being at the right place at the right time is another one that downplays the preparation and open-mindedness needed to capitalize on opportunities. You can only be lucky, if you have set yourself up to identify, evaluate and execute a strategy when the timing is right.

Over the past two years as I have built my company from the ground up, I am told at least a few times a week by people that I am so lucky to have the life I do. And my immediate response is always, it has little to do with luck and is due to my hard work and my persistence in chasing my dreams.

Being an American, being white, and being male… they do not guarantee success. I’ll admit they can be advantages at times, but only when I’m able to able to use those advantages. I’m from a middle-class, blue collar family. Forsaking the traditional Meyer man route of serving in the military, I was the first one in my family to go to college. I received scholarships based on merit and worked all through college and grad school. Not much luck involved there.

My time with Wells Fargo honed my analytics skills and prepared me for being a executive, but I was rarely lucky when I got promoted, earned a bonus or was given special projects. Again it was a solid work ethic, good role models and mentors and a can do attitude that made me successful.

Now that I have built a modest success of a company and able to really enjoy my lifestyle of being an international business man and analytics expert, I too find it frustrating when someone says , “You are so lucky”. I use these moments to educate and hopefully empower that person by telling my story and praying it gives them the spark they need to stop waiting to get lucky and start making their own luck!

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Is Better Possible? This Question Drives Great Minds, Great Ideas and Great Companies!

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2014/07/is-better-possible.html

Wanted to share another of my blogger hero Seth Godin’s recent blog posts as it relates to a couple of things I talk about a lot in my training and with my staff. Don’t settle for good, demand great!

“Is better possible? The answer to this is so obvious to me that it took me a while to realize that many people are far more comfortable with ‘no’.

The easiest and safest thing to do is accept what you’ve been ‘given’, to assume that you are unchangeable, and the cards you’ve been dealt are all that are available. When you assume this, all the responsibility for outcomes disappears, and you can relax.”

You see this all the time, people just don’t want to cause a scene. When faced with a policy that makes no sense they just abide instead of question. When asked if anyone has any questions, and they do, but they chose not to ask it out of fear of being embarrassed they keep in to themselves.

“Mostly, though, I’m surprised because there’s just so much evidence to the contrary. Fear, once again fear, is the driving force here. If you accept the results you’ve gotten before, if you hold on to them tightly, then you never have to face the fear of the void, of losing what you’ve got, of trading in your success for your failure.

And if you want to do this to yourself, well, I guess this is your choice.

But don’t do it to others. Don’t do it to your kids, or your students, or your co-workers. Don’t do it to the people in underprivileged neighborhoods or entire countries. Better might be difficult, better might involve overcoming unfair barriers, but better is definitely possible. And the belief that it’s possible is a gift.”

And this is at the core of why my training is so impact full and so many of my employees feel high levels of job satisfaction… because empowering people to believe better is possible goes hand in hand with empowering them to use data to make decisions. To be a great analyst you need to always ask yourself is there better data available, can I find a better way to analyze it and can I find a better way to communicate the findings.

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Teaching A Person To Fish – The BPO Way

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This in one of the most famous quotes used when it comes to empowering others to become independent and self-sufficient.

The primary reason why I left my career at Wells Fargo and moved to the Philippines to set up a business was the opportunity I saw to be a once in a lifetime kind of thing. My goal to empower Filipinos with basic analytics and decision-making skills that they could use in careers in the BPO Industry plays to both my strengths and my passions.

I see the BPO Industry as the biggest pool to fish in for fresh graduates. They are young and healthy enough to survive the working at night lifestyle, they are fresh out of very structured work environments which most BPOs are and in general they have a least a basic level of English.

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I see analytics and decision-making methodology as the pole they use to fish. By learning some basic terms, getting their hands dirty with some entry-level BI tools and by having an introduction to things like process improvement, they have head start over many other fresh grads and undergrads.

They can improve their fishing pole by mastering certain software and programming languages, but improving their English and by being mentored to look at a BPO job as the first step in a career not just a job they do for a while.

As time goes by, I hope more of my brethren in the BPO Industry took more time to think about how to teach their employees to fish and not just throw them on the phones and hope they sink or swim. Our recruitment and retention would be so much better if we were seen as a place to learn how to fish for a lifetime and not just feed their family for the day.

The Dark Side of BPOs… It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way

Let me start by saying I am a big proponent of the BPO Industry in the Philippines.

I’ve worked in the industry for over 10 years and have spent countless hours involved in sharing information about the growth and success we have enjoyed.

I speak at schools on a regular basis explaining to student the huge opportunities a call center career can have.
Overall, I think the positives far outweigh the negatives in the industries impact on the economy of my adopted home country.

However, some days I just shake my head. One of my former employees was just telling me about her recent experience with her new employer and the challenges she is facing really leaves me feeling blue about the BPO Industry in the Philippines.

Still under a new hire training period she, she is not technically entitled to any paid time off even when she is sick or there is an emergency. So when she recently had an illness and had a doctor’s note prescribing time off, she expected that her employer would allow her at least unpaid off until she recovered from a pretty nasty infection. Because it’s the right thing to do.

However, her request was denied and on top of not being allowed even unpaid time off she was instructed to work an 11 hour shift because of business needs. Wow.

Being the top of her training batch and having zero absences to date have zero impact. The fact that she is one of the most dedicated and hardest working employees I have ever worked with has zero impact. She had to go to work sick and put in 11 hours.

The short sighted lack of compassion demonstrated by the low level manager of the business unit of the huge multinational corporation that makes billions makes me sad.
But it also reminds me that this is why I set up my own company, because being part of something so big and so focused on profit is not something I want to be part of anymore.

So to all my friends and connections who are BPO executives, managers and leaders… lets not allow this to happen in our businesses. We have to change this mentality for the simple fact is that there are not enough qualified workers for our industry. The answer to being short staffed and metric driven cannot be just the bottom line when it makes us push our best workers to the point of making unhealthy life choices. We lose out of so many talented contributors to this industry because we treat them like a piece of machinery and just look to replace then when they breakdown.