Ensure employees are competent

As a department store manager in a mid-sized company, I frequently have to insure the employees are performing at company standards. My company provides technology support services so customer service must be at its highest. At this position I currently oversee ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service. I have had the fortune of working with hard working and knowledgeable people.

                Recently, I have been notified that one of my employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level. I have begun to receive numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment. I have come to the conclusion that I must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.

                Wanting to confront this individual with the most success, I looked to tactics of giving an ultimatum. You give an ultimatum when the relationship is important and an issue is threatening that. I felt as though this individual was worth keeping as an employee, but substandard work and a hostile attitude was threatening his position in the company. I decided to approach the employee with boundaries. I wanted to let them know how their behavior was affecting myself, co-workers, and employees. I clearly would state that I wanted this employee to achieve the quality service and hospitable attitude that I knew they were capable of. And I would forthcoming that if I don’t see this behavior then I would be forced to dismiss them as an employee.

                Going into this I knew I must stand my ground and follow through with any decision I come to. Whether it’s talking to someone about a drinking problem or confronting an employee who is performing substandard work, the approach can be very similar and successful.

                Going about it this way I anticipate the employee’s response is going to be initial compliance, yet I fear they will attempt to vent their anger further towards the customers. If they admit they were wrong and assure me it won’t happen again I will set a day later on in the week where we could sit down and discuss it more in depth. I believe only getting to the root of the problem will truly fix it. Should the employee get upset with me and make excuses, I will make some initial comments as though I am reaching out a helping hand. After all, should the employee have recently experienced the death of a loved one, I would want to give them the opportunity to express where their anger is stemming from. If they do not offer such information, I would send them home and tell them to return when they are capable for work. At such a moment they will either be dismissed for not returning to work or will be dismissed if they return with the same hostile attitude.

                The conflict resolution skills I will use will be to focus on maintaining a healthy relationship with the employee rather than simply being right. I will focus on the present issues that have been brought to my attention. I would be willing to forgive if the employee makes amends and becomes a productive and skillful employee. There is however no “agree to disagree”. If I cannot insure that the employee will perform to my expectations I will dismiss them.

http://familyinabottle.com/free-articles/why-using-an-ultimatum-with-a-problem-drinker-may-not-work-and-what-you-can-do-about-it

http://helpguide.org/mental/eq8_conflict_resolution.htm

Facebook recapped

What is the Facebook of the present compared to the Facebook of the past? In my “World’s End” blogs I focus on the content that allows success when others have failed.  Over the course of our existence many companies have come and gone. They have seen their world end and become replaced by another. How has Facebook prevented this “touch of death” and remained successful?

Facebook recently announced they had 500 million users around the world. It began for college students, but is beginning to take over every social network on the planet. “It is even challenging Google with a vision of a web tied together through personal relationships and recommendations, rather than by search algorithms (NY Times)”. Instead of going to Google to search reviews, people are getting feedback from those on Facebook with their likes and dislikes.

Although Myspace catered to those wanting to drastically changing the appearance of their profile page, Facebook has limited that amount. This allowed Facebook to be faster and be prone to less spam and visual clutter.

However, the same as any organization, they must listen to their users and be willing to change depending on the needs of said user. Privacy over the internet is a big issue and may be the only threat to Facebook’s success.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/facebook_inc/index.html

Cell Phones replace much technolgy

Few will deny that cell phones are one of the most world changing inventions affecting our lives.  In my “World’s End” blogs I focus on the content that allows success when others have failed.  Over the course of our existence much technology has come and gone. They have seen their world end and become replaced by another. The question is no longer how will cell phones continue being a successful device, but how many devices will become obsolete because of cell phone advancing technology?

Once cell phones became affordable and reliable they quickly replaced home phones in many households. Their initial features also replaced address books, calculators, wrist watches, alarm clocks and calendars. Basic games were available on cell phones which did not have much of an impact on any gaming devices. Even the advanced gaming options on today’s smartphones still do not compare to gaming devices, however, for the gamer that spends time on the go, the cell phone graphics are entertaining and acceptable.

Caller ID, a great feature still vastly used has also been upgraded slightly. Cell phones can now speak the person’s name who is calling or emit a specific ringtone designed for a particular person.  

In addition, with the advancement of internet and google searches, cell phones limited relying on phone books to find business numbers and locations. GPS is now enabled on phones and some people rely solely on their internet phone and do not even own a PC. MP3 players enjoyed a relatively brief success before cell phones became comparable music devices. There is also an application on my phone for use as a metal detector!

The drawback cell phones still must overcome is size. I enjoy my larger phone of a Droid 2 because I go online frequently and watch videos. I do not, however, have the conflicting issue of desiring a smaller phone for use as a more portable music player, compared to the small compact size of an MP3 player.

http://www.wirelessguide.org/phone/features.htm

Making ads specific to cell phones, TV, or other devices

What is ad insertion? In my “World’s End” blogs I focus on the content that allows success when others have failed.  Over the course of our existence different technology has come and gone. They have seen their world end and become replaced by another. Why has ad insertion technology been so embraced?

Communicate with providers to meet needs. Being successful from past failures.

TV service providers, including cable companies, seek to target advertising to their subscribers according to the type of device they are watching and, to some extent, where they are. Three-screen advertising insertion technology is the process of creating multiple video streams which allows an advertisement to reach multiple devices.

Consider a service provider targeting consumers on a PC and mobile devices to illustrate the benefits of this technology. While the PC is likely to be sitting at the customer home, consumers carry their mobile everywhere. So a cell phone would not be as beneficial to show localized ads of the kind we see on television. My personal example is my cell phone showing me specials on my next oil change from a dealership in Arizona. Now living in Florida with my cell phone, those “local” ads are no longer local for me.

This technology is increasing in usability because service providers can send adverts that are device-dependent, making them specific to owners of the Apple iPad or differentiating between users of smartphones and ‘classic’ mobile phones.

It is quite clear that finding ways to monetize multi-screen TV is a priority to service providers and advertising is going to play an important role in that. The ability to target adverts for different devices will be a key weapon.

http://www.v-net.tv/NewsDisplay.aspx?id=561&title=ad-insertion-benefits-extended-to-multi-screen

Tivo has advanced by adding features

What is the Tivo of the present compared to the Tivo of the past? In my “World’s End” blogs I focus on the content that allows success when others have failed.  Over the course of our existence many companies have come and gone. They have seen their world end and become replaced by another. How has Tivo prevented this “touch of death” and remained successful?

                “TiVo Inc. is a provider of advanced television technology and services that redefines home entertainment by providing consumers with an easy way to manage, control, watch, and record live television and receive thousands of movies and television shows from cable, broadcast, and broadband sources in intuitive user interface.” (NY Times)

These services are possible because of digital video recorders (DVRs). Tivo has distribution agreements with Comcast, Cox, DIRECTV, as well as international companies. TiVo receives revenues from three main sources: consumer service, licensing of technology to television service providers and media services.

Tivo has shown, in the past ten years, to be constantly evolving to made their service more desirable. ''The thing that most people can relate to is never missing their favorite show,'' said Anthony Wood, Replay's founder and chief executive in 1998. ''People have busy lives, and it's not worth it to program their VCR.'' In the beginning Tivo did record television as it still does. Then, in 2000, they combined with Blockbuster for video on demand services. However, Tivo did not sell well the first year because of all of their features were too much to explain to customers in a simple ad. Also, sales people in electronics stores did not understand the concept to be able to help customers with information.

Through many patent lawsuits and numerous competitors, it is perhaps partly due to Tivo being the pioneer in DVR that allowed for its current success. They continued to add features such as duel recording, parental guidance, transfer shows to iPod and PSP.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/tivo-inc/index.html