Recently I was approached by Microsoft to speak on the tech panel at the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Annual Propel Your Business Conference. The NAWBO organization represents the issues and interests of more than 1.3 million women business owners in the state! It was one of the most empowering experiences of my career. I was surrounded by women who shared stories of hardship and success, but more than anything, the drive to persevere. It was an honor to participate in the event.

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking to these women, all of them business owners and entrepreneurs. While on the tech panel, I spoke to them about technology tools that promote collaboration. Now, when I hear collaboration I think productivity. How can my company deliver a better customer experience at a competitive price and be more successful through increased efficiencies? My company, J4 Systems, delivers this through the use of enterprise technology tools designed by Microsoft for the Small to Medium business market. I recently read an article by an emerging luxury shoe manufacturer, the owner explained to the reporter how he and his partner grew up with computers, “we are not intimidated by technology, we embrace it”. I thought to myself, in order to become highly productive and successful in today’s market we must embrace technology and leverage collaboration tools to promote our success. That is today’s business ecosystem.

Now think about trends that impact the way we work. How many of you have a smart phone? An iPad? Both? Gardner predicts 1 Billion smartphones by 2016, with 350 million of these being used in the workforce. So, what about social networking….did you know 82 % of the world’s population engages in social networking? 82%! Your customers and my customers are all online, networking. What if you could access your email, your documents, your contacts and share tasks, action items and jointly work on a project anywhere, anytime, on any device? This is the modern office!

Communicating with customers and team members from your smartphone, your iPad, while in the office, at a client site, or my favorite – at the beach! With my first introduction to this technology my initial response was, how is that different from the way I communicate today? Now I realize it is COMPLETELY different! I am the worst end-user, I rebel against every change until I realize a process that would typically take 1-2 days to accomplish manually can be accomplished within minutes through collaboration/efficiency. Those are hard numbers to argue with.  

You must be thinking, “How?”……I would be.

Well, let me first ask you, how do you access and edit your office documents on your PC, smartphone or tablet? How do you compile and visually interact with data, share insights and help improve business performance? Do you have access to the latest version of your documents whether working online or offline? But most people have very limited access to documents across devices. Its difficult, so generally, people keep multiple copies or email themself the dcocument. I save the document on my computer and use Microsoft Office 365, a sophisticated cloud based solution that provide me access to everything. What if I told you this solution provides an optimized experience across devices so you can access your office apps from anywhere? Meaning you can aways access the latest version of your documents from anywhere with your skydrive that syncs with sharepont content.

How many times have you been at a client site and thought, oh, I wish I had access to that file. What would it have meant to you….one less trip to your client? One less trip to close a deal? A better customer experience, faster more efficient service delivery? How many times do you hear a colleague say, “if only there were more hours in the day?” Streamlined collaboration gives you just that, more hours in the day. I prefer to be on the beach! What holds you back from this type of flexibility? Most people don’t think the cloud is secure, or it may be complex to migrate to the cloud. You may be concerned with reliability, losing control of your data or operations in the cloud. Microsoft backs their offering with a 99.9% financially backed Service Level Agreement (SLA). It’s compliant with world-class industry standards like ISO 27001, HIPAA- BAA, FISMA, and Data Processing Agreement.

So, let’s integrate social networking into our mobile office. Many business owners restrict social media because it reduces productivity. While I would agree, let’s make sure we are sticking with our objective and embracing social media. Today through the use of social networking we follow our colleagues, customers and clients yet we limit the access to social networks at work as it is a distraction. We share documents by email and large files using web applications. What is the value of keeping track of what is going on with your colleagues, documents and projects? How do you share large documents and files? What if you knew a colleague is available in real-time even when you’re not in the same location? New enterprise social networking features in SharePoint let you share what you are working on, ask questions and keep track of what your colleagues are doing. That means you can share documents more easily inside and outside your business including large files dynamically.

Okay, now real-world experience because that is what matters to me. So, I have two young sons, 10 and 16. Recently my youngest caught the horrible flu bug that was going around. Day 2 of having a 102 fever, he was at home with my nanny and my calendar was full of meetings to review reports and decisions need to be made. Most people would be thinking why can’t I be in both places at once? Why can’t I have it all? Well I can. I can run online meetings and share rich content or presentations in real-time. I can engage remote employees and maintain productivity.  Now I can take it one step further, our phone system integrates with all of this! So, I have voice, video, instant messaging and web presentation ability. 

How old is your telephony system? Are you using VOIP? Most people say they use a public instant messaging and web conferencing tool like Skype, but information security is a big concern when staying connected with remote workers using public instant messaging, email and phone. I use Microsoft Lync to host and participate in online meetings with web conferencing tools. It allows me to interact with people through HD video/audio, instant messaging and share my desktop and/or presentation. I can stay in contact with family, colleagues, customers and partners with cost effective enterprise grade instant messaging, real-time presence information, and voice and video. 

What’s the business value of your modern office? For me it is quality of life. If there is one thing I have learned over the years is the importance of business and family life. That doesn’t mean I have to perform at a level that creates vulnerability with my competition. Through enabling and improving mobile productivity, I enable new ways of collaboration with social, voice and video. My customers are happier, and so are my employees. My costs are reduced by a reduction in video conferencing, telephony and travel. I now have simplified administration, and my critical data is protected.

So, how does technology increase collaboration and therefore productivity? Well, I have shared with you the tools I use to be highly productive, without compromising the customer’s experience. We all know that an increase in productivity/efficiency directly translates to our net profit. While Microsoft may not point it out, I will. All of these statements allow for more control over our operating expenses which means more money to invest in our company’s and in our pocket’s!

The recent news to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act rang through the US last week. I have sat through many conversations arguing both sides and felt the inspiration of positive debate ring through me. Today I prefer to discuss something that is not quite as controversial, welfare fraud. The bottom line is that it exists, and our local law enforcement agencies actively investigate potential fraud to keep the welfare program intact. When observing this topic for the first time, welfare fraud, food stamp trafficking, and SIU were foreign to me, but quickly became something I am passionate about. The SIU department allows me, and many other Californians to live in our bubble by protecting the State from people with ill intentions who are trying to circumvent the system. To my surprise, the challenges which surfaced seemed to inhibit the teams’ investigative success. In no way am I implying the efforts are inadequate, in fact, I feel the opposite. Public servants are many times the hardest working and most passionate about their impact to society, with a drive to serve and protect. Let’s face it, the reality is, time is limited, reliable resources are scarce, and fraudulent activity exists.

My colleague, Jared Roberts, and I sat down with a team of investigators to understand the life cycle of a fraud referral, through prosecution with the DA’s office. Many of the challenges we uncovered made the investigative process more difficult, shifting the team’s efforts towards administrative tasks.  

Our inspiration quickly grew and thus the SIU FraudTracker™ System was built. Our goal is to decrease the monotony of administrative tasks and allow the SIU team to focus their effort on what they do best; gathering the facts, analyzing the data, and building a solid indisputable case.

The SIU FraudTracker™ System provides an easy to use dashboard that displays pending referrals, investigators’ current cases, and other open cases. It provides the ability for case workers, and social services, to easily submit referrals. In addition, many counties have suggested the reporting process of metrics for the State takes anywhere from 1-3 weeks; with the SIU FraudTracker™ System, these reports are generated with a click of a button allowing staff members to meet the demands of a high case load.

Let’s focus our time, effort, and passion on protecting the people who are truly in need of public assistance.

While the aftermath of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care act is yet to be determined, we can all agree the reduction of welfare fraud provides a direct and positive effect on our economy. So spread the word, let’s collectively work towards a positive change.

If you would like to more information the SIU FraudTracker™ System you can watch a recording of the webinar we recently hosted - SIU FraudTracker System™ Webinar Recording

The sun is shining in California this morning, the birds are chirping outside my window and my mind is speeding down my virtual runway. 

Have my teams executed as expected?  Which organizational touch points need my attention for the day?  At the top of my list . . .  actual company revenue targets for the month of April, sales department objective attainment, project management profitability analysis and, of course, what is the weather so I can pick out the perfect dress?

Luckily, my companion mentions my weather concerns are easily addressed by an iPhone app.  He solved one of my  top items in less than two minutes. Access to pertinent information at his fingertips — I just love technology. 

Once the perfect dress is identified, my remaining thoughts are solved with SharePoint executive dashboards.  Real-time, dynamic data pulled from my accounting application, my contact management application and my professional services automation tool.  You see, I have already defined the metrics that matter most to me. SharePoint delivers this information, allowing me to make educated decisions with specific information about the business.  All the while, I am fashionably prepping for the day.

I can view profitability metrics, gauge sales performance and review dynamic pipeline on my iPad – securely.   Every project, every milestone, every piece of information I need is right at my fingertips. Just like the perfect pair of earrings or the bangles that make the couture sparkle, SharePoint sets the tone for the day and enables me for success.

Just like the perfect little black dress, it’s all about the fit, and I can tell you that SharePoint fits seamlessly into any business. If you’re like me, seeing is believing which is why I’m giving a presentation in Burlingame, CA on May 24^th to share my firsthand experiences with SharePoint and demonstrate the business process automation features. You can get a sneak peak right now, just check out my YouTube video, enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuLEKf3FS3A

March Madness is in full swing and I am addicted to the intensity.  One shot, one chance to be successful and move on to the next round.  The desire to be the Champion is presented in every shot, every rebound, every foul.  You can see it in each player’s eyes, a loss is devastating.

I can relate to this intensity through business.  The passion to win, the motivation to execute flawlessly.    I am inspired by those who have chalked up the past two years as a moment in time and taken 2012 in full force.  The past is boring — setting the stage for the future you desire is where it is at!  The desire to be successful each day, with intensity, separates the men from the boys.  I say this as a woman in business with the same desire, but must use this term to prove my point.  2012 has been a great year, but March Madness has reminded me success is a choice, not a chance. Have you taken your shot today?

Fifteen years ago I sat in a boardroom waiting to present my first sales forecast to a business consultant we all referred to as Uncle Ed.  He had a fierceness about him that we all dreaded. There was no smoke and mirrors with Uncle Ed.  He taught me at a very early age sales success could be predicted with the proper forecasting strategy. 

Over the years, I have refined this process and virtually eliminated the opportunity for my sales team to make statements such as, “Well, the customer SAID it was my deal” or “They promised to provide signatures.”  The bottom line is there is not hope in sales, and it is up to the executive leadership team to build a foundation where sales forecasts are an emotionless resource for the organization to predict revenue expectations. 

If your organization is held ho$tage by an emotional sales cycle, ask yourself, “Does my CRM solution provide milestone-based metrics for which the entire sales department uses to streamline their focus and increase their close ratio? Do these milestones translate to your average sales cycle? Hindsight is 20/20.  Did your forecast of the past predict revenue of today?  Did it come close?” Managing milestones that ring consistent through a sales department prove to increase the desired results for both the sales professional and the organization. 

So call in the swat team and let’s end this showdown today.