THE BOARDROOM

Today’s hyper-connected consumers expect businesses to provide compelling services through tech solutions. Customers increasingly demand personalized, perceptive, and digital-first engagement from enterprises. Consequently, marketing technologies have become essential to business sustainability. During the COVID-19 pandemic, digital engagement with customers became more crucial, as widespread stay-at-home mandates—designed to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus—have accelerated consumers’ always-on, hyper-digital behavior. The health crisis has also raised customer expectations—according to a Salesforce study , 69 percent of customers want companies to find new ways to deliver existing products and services during the pandemic, while 54 percent of consumers expect entirely new products and services. In the Globe Business “State of Industries” white paper , figures show that it has become imperative for enterprises to have a wider online presence to make new services available, and to reach their digital customers.  To address this need, healthcare companies are exploring social media as the first touchpoint for their teleconsultation services. Banks, on the other hand, are on the road to paperless operations—with an expected growth of 15-20% in digital services. Real estate companies are looking to further push digitalized leasing, selling, and payments. Retailers are recognizing the importance of digitalization and e-commerce aside from delivery—from exploring geo-targeting, re-opening new locations, to using new business models. And by deeply knowing their hyper-digital customers, manufacturers are taking advantage of the shift to digital transactions to have a complete view of their operations. Globe Business helps enterprises to keep up with this new breed of constantly connected, hyper-digital customers. Its suite of Marketing Technology Solutions helps enterprises prepare for the year ahead and recalibrate for the unique challenges of a post-pandemic world. How can engagement tools, like mobile rewards, loyalty programs, and branded content connect your businesses to a discerning digital audience?  Ever Loyal and True: AdSpark’s Digital Rewards A 2020 McKinsey study on consumer sentiment found that in the wake of the pandemic, 35 percent of consumers have tried new brands, and 77 percent have changed their shopping behaviors. Shep Hyken, customer service and experience expert and Chief Amazement Officer at Shepard Presentations, said that the pandemic has put consumer loyalty up for grabs. He further explained that if a company does not adapt quickly enough to the new norms, they will lose their customers to competing brands that can meet their expectations. A value-adding digital rewards program can help companies swim against this distressing trend. AdSpark AdRewards allows businesses to deploy different types of digital rewards (either stand-alone or integrated with other customer loyalty programs) with the help of a broad-ranging omnichannel approach.  AdSpark AdRewards primarily offers three kinds of digital rewards: Mobile Rewards enable businesses to delight their customers with free Globe mobile data and load for every purchase or brand engagement. Online Vouchers allow businesses to partner with various e-commerce platforms, such as Grab, Lazada, Foodpanda, and 0917 Lifestyle, for their digital rewards. On-ground to Online Bespoke Loyalty Programs let brands connect their on-ground executions with social media promotions, creating a seamless customer experience. These offers can be customized as brands explore the end-to-end execution of these digital rewards with Globe Business. Empowering Online Sales: RUSH Getting into e-commerce can be a nightmare for businesses that are just starting or expanding their online presence.  Only a handful of companies get it right , especially with the meteoric increase of online shopping. Businesses simply can’t afford to wait and see. RUSH helps ease businesses into the digital space through a plug-and-play e-commerce platform and digital loyalty program. Under RUSH, businesses can choose between two services: RUSH E-Store Suite helps businesses set up and manage their end-to-end e-commerce platform. From content management, product inventory management to order fulfillment, RUSH E-Store Suite ensures businesses can expand their reach and secure revenue streams in the time of hyper-digital consumers. RUSH Loyalty Suite enables the power of customer insights to design a meaningful loyalty program. Rewards and incentives are based on customer actions and milestones, which help ensure repeat visits and purchases. With its e-commerce, and digital loyalty platforms, RUSH empowers brands and businesses to have deeper and actionable insights on their customer’s journey for a better and meaningful experience. A Fresh Digital Experience: Sphere Entertainment Lockdowns and quarantines have only increased customers’ appetite for online entertainment. The pandemic has created a rapidly growing and engaged audience. Platforms like Sphere Entertainment can help savvy brands  reach increased viewership with live virtual events and well-curated, hyper-relevant branded content.  Create fresh and buzz-worthy virtual experiences with Sphere Entertainment, as backed by the creative trifecta of Globe Studios , Globe Live, and Shoor . Globe Studios, a full-service production house, helps businesses create compelling short-form or long-form branded content. Globe Live, an end-to-end event production and management service that offers a safe and secured space for live virtual events and curated community events. Shoor, an online experience marketplace, connects with Globe Live to offer fresh virtual experiences for your customers, while allowing content creators to monetize their premium content. As a trusted business partner, Globe Business drives digital transformation by providing enterprise customers with compelling marketing technology services. Get higher conversion, actionable insights, and data-driven results while engaging with your hyper-digital customers today.  Contact your Globe Business Account Manager or visit our website to  learn more about our Marketing Tech Solutions.

Coaches MSMEs on enhancing remote employee engagement The seismic shift to remote work left businesses scrambling to adapt to a new agile way of working. Moving to an online set-up also meant that leaders needed to find new ways to connect and engage with employees, in order to strengthen workplace culture and drive productivity.    As HR professionals and people managers know, fostering employee engagement involves strategic and continued communication that builds belief, respect, and trust within the organization. Beyond creating good team rapport,  this also has a proven positive impact on the company's bottom line. At the end of the day, employees are the most important assets of a company. This was the most important takeaway from the first session of Globe Business ’ “Malasakit sa Manggagawa” , an online kapihan series exclusive for its MSME clients.  “We developed these learning sessions as a venue to share best practices and actionable insights intended to empower HR leaders and people managers to address people and business challenges they face every day,” said Jojit Lañas, Globe Business Sales Cluster Head for Visayas and Mindanao. Strong employee engagement begins with effective leadership Mark So, the founder and CEO of Businessmaker Academy and HR Club Philippines, couldn’t emphasize enough the role that leaders play in keeping their workforce engaged. “Business leaders who build trust and integrity by keeping an open line of communication with their staff, involving employees in important decision-making processes, and giving personnel encouragement to boost confidence, succeed in keeping the workforce more productive and engaged,” said So. He also emphasized that operating with empathy and showing the employees a clear forward path to growth will have more productive and happier workers who will adapt to changes with ease and less resistance. Extending “malasakit” and implementing technological innovations enables better employee experience  Sharing some of Globe’s successful initiatives that helped keep their employees connected and productive during the pandemic, Vicky Marquez of Globe’s Wonderful Employee Experience Team gave three powerful and doable tips to help HR teams craft creative ideas to keep employment engagement dynamic in their companies: Think win-win. Before looking at rewards or punishments, let us look at how we can create a frictionless experience for both employees and partners. Always remember to be human. We must find ways to continuously shape the culture of our companies by being humans first. More than technology, ‘malasakit’ begins with genuine care and delivery from the end of management.   Ask your employees “Kumusta Ka?” , this simple gesture builds trust between two individuals, creating an encouraging environment where employees will feel loved and cared for.  “Applying all these, Globe has been able to come up with innovative ways to empower and engage our employees even as they work remotely,” she said.  Meanwhile, to keep track of its 8,000 employees nationwide and ensure their welfare as the pandemic raged, Globe also launched its COVID-19 disaster response chatbot named DUDE (Digital Usher for Disasters and Emergencies) , that helps keep every employee safe by providing accurate information, safety tips, regular health check-ins and support hotlines. DUDE was a huge success as it became a friendly and comforting fixture in the life of Globe employees during the pandemic.  “More than fancy technology, malasakit begins with genuine care and delivery at the end of the management,” added Marquez. “At Globe, we believe in the ‘circle of happiness’ where engaged employees lead to delighted customers, and satisfied shareholders,” she said. Globe Business is one with SMEs in taking care of an organization's greatest assets, their people. To know about the next “Malasakit sa Manggagawa” session and the selection of HR tools you can utilize for your company, get in touch with your Globe Business account manager or visit glbe.co/malasakit .