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Problem-Solving Product-Selling





Working in the customer analytics space, I am constantly talking to both hiring managers and candidates about the importance of understanding the reasons why customers are loyal to certain brands or services. The overall goal being to increase sales, engagement, or ROI from marketing initiatives for the business.

Although I appreciate that this is important from a business growth perspective, I feel that Don makes a great point...understanding the reason why a customer needs the product or service in the first place is vital, and can only have positive effects on the overall goals the business wants to achieve.

With the advancement of technology, the increased use of cloud-based platforms for marketing, and the use of open source technologies to predict customer behavior, companies need to be ahead of the curve to ensure they don't fall behind their competitors or have their business model "kicked out" from under them by putting volume of sales over understanding their customer's needs.

It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on this, and how the companies you work for prioritize problem-solving versus product-selling.

Credit Don Peppers - Step Back from Your Product to Solve Your Customer’s Problem

Jenni Kavanagh
 Jenni Kavanagh LinkedIn

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Back To Basics In The Business Of Data Science

Though COVID-19 and the US Election still dominates the news, there’s a lot going in the world of Data Science, too. 2020 ramped up efforts in the healthcare industry to combat the pandemic. Cybersecurity is entering a renaissance of sorts as we tackle the misinformation age, but there’s some fun stuff, too. Here a few Data Science trends finding foundation and leverage in 2021. Businesses Kick Data Science into High Gear To stay viable, businesses are kicking their Data Strategy into high gear. From the top down, there will be an estimated increase of Chief Data Scientists to help businesses make critical business decisions from e-commerce to SaaS. Trajectory of Data Analysts Upskilling to Data Scientist  Once relegated to sampling bits of data and leaving others to break it down into workflow, Data Scientists could see a boost of responsibility. The demand for soft skills, upskilling, and cross-training could reduce the need to have Machine Learning and Data Engineers process empowering the Data Scientists to do more. Breaking the Mold With businesses and education moved online, businesses will be challenged to keep employees engaged. Training and education are now available to employees and would-be Data Scientists at home for on-the-job training as they face new technologies being developed, use new tools, and lessened demand on the college degree, but the experience in applying what’s been learned. Machine Learning Gets Smarter AI and Machine Leaning applications will focus on charting algorithms to understand cause-and-effect. But it won’t happen overnight. Teaching and testing machines is intense and time consuming. These technologies might present probability, but can’t determine definites. Yet.  Applying Machine Learning strategies to business problems through systems will focus businesses on finding solutions rather than focusing on building products that aren’t in their wheelhouse. Adding neuroscience and computational neuroscience into the mix for Machine Learning will see these fields grow. Ultimately, Machine Learning and AI are estimated to be the final piece in the puzzle when it comes to Data Science strategies for a variety of industries.  Back to Basics As everyone gets organized in their new ways of doing business, Data Scientists are getting back to basics. Their solving big problems with better tools, technologies, and open-source information now available. The push for open access scientific and medical journals along with the global team environment offers a variety of ways in which Data Scientists can come together to focus on problems more efficiently than anyone else. In other news, projects such as the new James Webb Telescope, the open access drive for scientific and medical journals, and the latest space race information, Data Scientists have been busy getting these projects off the ground as well. Though 2020 took us by surprise in so many ways, we took what we had and ran with it. So, as we enter 2021, we’re on a unique footing from Machine Learning and AI to Data Science with the added boost of nuero-and computational science to employ every tool at our disposal. Businesses have ramped up their efforts and are empowering the professionals in the Data Strategy teams to help them make critical business decisions with an eye toward the future. Data Scientists are getting back to basics while leveraging their skillsets from open access, online education sources, and on-the-job training to solve the big problems we face. And of course, while we have our eyes on the sky when it comes to space exploration this year and our feet on the ground as we work to vaccinate populations against COVID-19, and Chief Data Scientists split their focus to improve business bottom lines, we know demand will remain high for those in the Data industry. If you’re interested in Data & Analytics, Harnham may have a role for you. Check out our current vacancies or contact one of our expert consultants to learn more.  For our West Coast Team, contact us at (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to sanfraninfo@harnham.com.  For our Mid-West and East Coast teams contact us at (212) 796-6070 or send an email to newyorkinfo@harnham.com.

Elizabeth Sobel

Elizabeth Sobel

14. January 2021

Could Mobile Gaming Help Us Solve Real World Problems?

From Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar’s Twitch play Among Us to Fortnite helping kids get into college, the mobile gaming industry has leapt into the new decade with gusto. It doesn’t hurt to have a few well-known names behind it, too. But it’s what AOC and Oman accomplished -normalcy - that begs the question. Could mobile gaming help us solve real world problems?  A Cultural Beginning             Cultural institutions, such as museums, have had a rough go of it this year. But innovation, creativity, and collaboration have come together to offer opportunities to get a bird’s eye view of the art world. Whether you play Occupy White Walls to create your own gallery bring real art into your gaming world through the Getty Museum and Nintendo’s Animal Crossing collaboration. Just a few ways these could be jumping off points to discussion for problem-solving include: Opportunities abound to host audiences from around the world without a head count capA chat function to discuss what you see, what you like, what you don’t, and what you’d like to seeCultural institutions become more open allowing anyone and everyone into its virtual wallsPerhaps even simulations and to imagine what-if scenarios for the rest of usGames could host exhibitions such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium of California who’s partnered with Animal Crossing and a fossil expert form the Field Museum in Chicago who hosts virtual tours through Twitch Games give us the opportunity to imagine what’s possible. And these games are bringing real life events and activities straight to your fingertips in mobile gaming. Ad-Tech and Analytics are In the Game Since social distancing has become the norm, gaming has exploded. Once all the numbers are in, mobile game downloads are expected to see a nearly 40% increase in 2020 from 2019. No business who sees the potential here is standing by, the least of which is advertising. If you remember cable TV or maybe still have one, the free channels were often supported by commercials. In some television shows, products were given strategic placement. Okay, so it’s probably still happening today, but now we’re used to it. Skip ahead a few generations. Hello, Ready Player One fans, and advertisers have a new platform. Or at least, they’re working on it. There are still a few kinks to work out. Some game developers are designing games to help allow advertisers to fit seamlessly into games.  The audience of one engagement of TV has moved to a community engagement of many in the gaming world. Over two and half billion people are gamers across demographics of age and location. Social media still has the highest ad buys from television, but gaming is quickly catching up. As advertisers and businesses get in the game, it’s estimated there will be a monumental shift in the collective. Games have always served as a device to teach. Chess and checkers teach strategy. Monopoly teaches business and banking. Life teaches us to follow different paths and see what happens (not so different from Second Life). So, what could games teach us now with its ever increasing role in bringing groups together for engagement, community, and discussion? What role will you play in the coming year? If you’re interested in Data & Analytics, Harnham may have a role for you. Check out our current vacancies or get in touch with one of our expert consultants to learn more.  For our West Coast Team, contact us at (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to sanfraninfo@harnham.com.  For our Mid-West and East Coast teams contact us at (212) 796-6070 or send an email to newyorkinfo@harnham.com.  

Joshua Poore

Joshua Poore

07. January 2021

Business Intelligence Is About Asking The Right Questions

You’ve dotted all the ‘Is’, crossed all the ‘Ts’. You’ve ensured your business priorities were aligned with your mission and objectives. But, how can you know if you’re on the right path, especially in light of today’s uncertainties. Your crystal ball may be in the cloud, but to find its clarity, you have to be asking the right questions. Below are three questions to consider moving forward. 1. How Collaborative Are We? As businesses shift online and teams expand globally, collaborative business intelligence streamlines decision-making. A combination of BI tools, software, and social technologies to inform, engage, analyze, and form insights of what customers want and need. This form of collaboration takes decision-making out of its siloes. Not unlike the Socratic method, collaborative business intelligence solves problems through shared information to find common ground. Using business intelligence software to provide opportunities for predictive modeling, visual analysis of data and business metrics, businesses analysts can interpret and inform, in a more efficient streamlined process. 2. How Secure is Our Data? Whether big business, small business, or medium business, no one is immune to cyberattacks. The ever- increasing rise of these attacks pinpoints just how important keeping data secure is for all businesses. Breaches cause not only monetary loss, but ultimately, consumer trust leading to more loss. The importance of Data security cannot be overstated.  Now that a majority of businesses are making flexible and remote work options available, it’s imperative businesses work to keep data secure. Consumers today are much more concerned today about how and why their Data is used, and many may decline to offer it, not wanting to put themselves at risk of a possible cyberattack.  3. What’s the Best Platform to Drive Actionable Insights from Our Analytics? Much like the trend of collaborative BI, businesses are focused on combining business processes and workflows into one platform, so everyone has access to the same Data. It’s within these platforms, that businesses cannot only determine what action to take and implement those actions all in one place. Platforms become the hub of the wheel and the spokes are analytics of a particular industry, business, or department in which insights can be implemented. Some platforms on the move include Sisense and Sharepoint. Google Analytics Intelligence (GAI) might be the most well-known especially if you’re just getting started asking the right questions for your business.  If you want insight into the state of your business, know any major consumer traffic changes, or want to know the probable conversion rate of web browsers to customers, GAI can help you get those answers. Because it uses machine learning to help, it’s important to know not necessarily what questions to ask, but how to ask them. How to Ask a Computer the Right Questions If you’ve been working in a collaborative BI team and asking each other questions based on the data you’ve collected, it may be a bit of a mindset shift for asking questions of a computer. So, how you phrase your question, what you want to know, and how you ask may require a bit of thought to find the answers you’re looking for. Below are a few guidelines to consider when posing the questions.Follow the TrendIf you want to know what’s trending in your business, you might ask: How many products were sold last week?How many customers did I have today?Where are my customers located?What time were the most customers shopping?  Which is Best? When you want to know what product is selling the most and through which means. Follow the performance. These questions might include: Which channel converted the most customers?Which product sold the most? Which product sold the least?Which hour was best for customer traffic? Compare and Contrast These are questions or commands that enable you to compare two sets of data side by side, such as how your business performed week to week, day to day, or year to year. While most questions begin with ‘which’ or ‘how’, the compare and contrast questions can get a bit more complex. In these questions, you begin with what you want to know such as conversion rate, revenue shares, traffic, or trend.  As this year comes to a close, what questions will you ask of yourself? Are you ready for a change? A new role? If you’re a business, what questions will you ask to move your company forward in the new year? If you’re interested in Big Data & Analytics, we may have a role for you. Check out our current opportunities or contact one of our expert consultants to learn more.  For our West Coast Team, contact us at (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to sanfraninfo@harnham.com.  For our Mid-West and East Coast teams contact us at (212) 796-6070 or send an email to newyorkinfo@harnham.com.  

Kavya Kannan

Kavya Kannan

23. December 2020

Computer Vision Offers Safety and Security in Surprising Industries

At a Yale University speech several years ago, Peter Thiel, the founder of PayPal joked, “We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140-characters”. Well, flying cars are still in the future, and so are self-driving cars. Yet, some autonomous vehicles have found homes in the most unlikely of industries.  The rules and regulations which keep our roads safe are also hindering our ability to realize self-driving cars. Yet, safety measures abound ready to ‘plug-and-play’ the safe handling of you in the driver’s seat and those with whom you share the road. Hands off the steering wheel, of course. Three Ways Computer Vision is Preparing for Driverless Cars 3-D Mapping for RealTime Learning – much like your backing camera on your latest automobile, car cameras can also record live footage to map their environment. From this Data, autonomous vehicles can spot obstacles or determine alternate paths.Sensing Obstacles and Objects – using sensors to determine what the obstacle or object in the road is – whether it’s pedestrians, other vehicles, or even something as simple as a loose bag or cardboard flap. If it’s something you’d have to drive around to avoid hitting, shouldn’t your car know this, too?Gathering Detailed Data – can help your self-driving vehicle identify traffic lights, road conditions, and congestion. Each of these elements are steps to a more reliable experience, once driverless cars come on the scene. In the meantime, there’s an old industry bringing machine and human together like never before. Building for the future is employing robotics, AI, and Computer Vision technologies for seamless integration. Building Technology: Computer Vision Meets Construction Sites It’s backbreaking work to move dirt from one place to another, but if you’re going to build, it’s the first thing to be done. It’s also the most repetitious and mundane. Enter autonomous heavy equipment. These machines prepare the sites for the human crews who will come in later to do the building itself. Before panic sets in that robots are replacing people, understand that people can still move faster than these large machines. The idea behind automating processes is to ensure projects remain on schedule using consistent, reliable resources; man and machine working together. Yet, there is one place where man shines and machine does not. Controlled chaos and changing conditions. The Computer Vision elements employed here can help systems to recognize things such basics as utility lines and variances such as historical artifacts. Finding something like an archeological site or historical artifact can stall or stop a project. But whether the site’s on track to finish on schedule or a glitch throws a curveball into the schedule, the site still needs to be protected. Who better than a drone? Safety First – Construction Site to Driver’s Seat Autonomous vehicles whether on the road or in the sky offer a unique view of their environment. Just as driverless cars are employing 3D mapping and object identification, drones are being used to help navigate and manage construction-size projects. Below are a few ways they’re making waves: Predictive Modelling using Computer Vision - predict how much on-site material may be needed.Put together prefabricated partsTrack progress and watch for things like structural issues, number of trucks entering a site, even if teams are following best practices. Though driverless cars are still future forward ideas, driverless trucks, and other autonomous heavy equipment are in the driver’s seat. Making the idea of working with machines exciting to the professionals in the industry is one way to make the idea more palatable. The move to intelligent, more reliable systems to keep projects and people on track, on budget, safe, and to ultimately solve a problem offers bold solutions for the future. If you’re interested in Big Data, Analytics, Life Sciences, and more opportunities in the Data professional’s industry, Harnham may have a role for you. Check out our current vacancies or get in touch with one of our expert consultants to learn more: For our West Coast Team, contact us at (415) 614 - 4999 or send an email to sanfraninfo@harnham.com.   For our Mid-West and East Coast teams contact us at (212) 796-6070 or send an email to newyorkinfo@harnham.com.  

Mairead Holt

Mairead Holt

10. December 2020

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