BIZTECHBUZZ in the world of social, cognitive, IoT and startups

Category: Germany

Talking Social Business with Airlines in Prague with a new Social Study for Airlines

 The GLOBAL AIrline Summit. 

On September 9, I’ll be talking with senior airline executives from around the world at the IBM Airline Summit in Prague, Czech Republic. The theme of the summit is “Smarter travelers expect smarter airlines: Delivering an exceptional customer experience while optimizing operations.”

Today’s travelers really do expect more from airlines than ever before. Yes, we expect smooth operations, a pleasant flight and good value.

But more and more we expect personalized customer service while we are shopping for a trip and during each step of the journey, delivered consistently through all the devices we use.

The NEW Socially Connected Airlines. 

Today, meeting those expectations depends on using the latest social business tools to help the airline workforce keep the planes on schedule and to create exceptional customer experiences.

I recently read a related article in Business Travel News that might interest you by Paul Campion, an IBM colleague in the UK.

The SUMMIT.  A Breakthrough Event!

 At the summit, airline executives will share their own experiences and hear speakers from other airlines, industry analysts, a leading international airport, Coca-Cola marketing, Netflix, and from IBM. 

We’ll be launching some exciting new social business research sponsored by IBM with PhoCusWright – “Social media in travel: mayhem, myths, mobile and money.” The study will provide clear quantitative insights around what travel companies need to manage, mobilize, and monetize their social strategy.

Of course, the Summit won’t be all work and no play. I hear that we’ll take a tram ride and walking tour through Prague’s beautiful old town. Then we’ll share a meal in one of the city’s great restaurants. I’m looking forward to it. Watch this space for my blog post after the event.

3 Cool Social Products!

I discovered these interesting products on social.

I’d love ones that you’ve seen!

  1. Higi –It like a Klout score that combines your  eating and activity habits, all the while ranking your score, scoring pictures of food for calories and protein , etc.   They have ‘stations’ set up in drugstores so that you can weigh in, test your blood pressure, etc while combining your “community”  or friends into your overall score.  VERY cool!
  2. Virtual Receptionist / Concierge  — So you are a smaller or medium company and you cannot afford an assistant, see this video that allows you to have a virtual and smart assistant.   Very furturist — I just landed at an airport and I was directed by an virtual concierge!
  3. Cuelight Pool Table – Yes, gaming!  Cuelight allows you to transform any pool table into a digitally-enhanced video experience. High-definition imagery responds in real-time to every shot. User-selectable themes yield infinite possibilities.   It is real and is already in the Paradise Tower Penthouse, Hard Rock Hotel & CasinoTM, Las Vegas and the Esquire SoHo apartment.  Check it out!

Mobile first. Social Always. Mind the data.

I am here today in Luzern, Switzerland at the Big IBM event with over 1200 companies talking about Mobile and Social!

luzern

We have a special Digital Media Room to assist clients getting started with Social.   Social has a STRONG ROI component which I find is very appealing to our Swiss clients.   And the transformation itself is getting noticed in how it is changing the way we work. Did you know that 83% of gen y has joined a social network and $200B in mobile money transfers by 2015?

IBM believes in this transformation so strongly that Social Business has been a key enabler of IBM’s legendary business transformation and global integration.   IBM is the most prolific user of enterprise social technologies.

Today, more than 400,000 IBM employees use IBM social technologies, including Connections, IBM’s social business platform. As a result, more than 130,000 communities have been developed, 842,000 files shared globally have generated more than 22.1 million downloads. Every day, IBM generates 50 million instant message chats.   IBMs recent $1.3B acquisition of Kenexa  brings relevant data and expertise into the hands of business leaders within every functional department (marketing, HR, sales, product development).

After the keynote, I’ll post our key points for this powerful transformation!