Zone’s Mark Sylvester handpicks and shares the five best news stories on digital trends, experiences and technologies…
1. Putting Europe on the big tech map
There’s no doubt that Europe is a hotbed of innovative tech talent. So, why has this side of the Atlantic never produced the stellar giants to rival Silicon Valley? It’s a question close to the heart of former Hewlett-Packard boss Leo Apotheker and a like-minded band of tech vets.
They think ‘lonely’ tech entrepreneurs may be the reason. By creating a system of networks and support, they believe they can unlock a treasure trove of venture capital and take European tech to a whole new level.
2. Your office can pay its way
In the post-pandemic world, investing in your office may seem a waste of money. However, it could turn out to be money very well spent. An engaging and comfortable workspace encourages staff to do their jobs better, collaborate more easily, and be more creative.
And that means increased productivity and a healthier bottom line. From investing in modern furniture to embracing light colours, you can turn your office into a place of happy staff and the source of healthy profits.
3. The future? Make mine immersive
Immersive tech has come a long way from visualising yourself as a sword-wielding elf and could now be a major force in shaping our societies of the future. The potential of augmented, virtual, and extended reality was a hot topic among a select group of specialists at the SXSW festival of film and interactive media.
From more engaging, effective, and faster training to understanding human behaviour in changing environments, it’s a technology that could reshape how we see our world.
4. IT bots need the human touch
While IT service desks might seem ripe for automation, it’s crucial to put people at the heart of the equation.
Though we might be tempted to automate everything that can be automated, remembering that the end goal is to improve customer experience can help create the right balance of time-consuming tasks that can be done by bots and those front-end interactions that are better left for the human touch.
5. Creating marketing excellence
With a study by global management consultants McKinsey suggesting creativity is key to marketing success, it might be time to re-examine how you handle those tricky creative types.
The research claims that the most creative businesses outperformed competitors across a range of metrics by at least 64%. So, discover the views of a host of creative leaders on recruiting and retaining the award-winning talent and then get the very best from them. Freedom, support and creating an environment where innovative ideas are welcome are a good start.
