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With the onslaught of widespread digitalization, the entire world today stands digitally united. This global synthesis is possible because of smart mobile devices and the wide array of applications available across android and iOS devices. There are more than 1.76 billion individuals using a smartphone, out of which more than half belong to the Asia-Pacific region. Increasingly, developers have to keep in mind a global audience while creating their apps.

Mobile devices have become a part and parcel of our lives today. This means that the potential market for app developers is virtually endless. Every new app developed and published, simply takes the whole ball game to the next level, and raises the bar of competition. What is the one vital means through which you can achieve a higher download rate for your mobile application? Well, the answer is creating an emotional bond with an individual. How do you do that? The answer is app localization. The mother tongue has the power to connect people, and the same applies to the popularity of your application. An application that features an individual’s native language immediately creates an emotional bond and gives you an edge over your competitor app developers. A mobile application with multiple language support increases the chance of its growth in the global market, thereby helps developers generate higher revenue. Localization of a mobile app helps in forging a personal relationship with a user and paves the way for making him or her, a habitual user.

App localization does not just mean translating the given language, but also reiterating several other aspects like the name of the app, currency units, symbols, designs, time zones, keywords, etc. Localized apps help local users feel comfortable using your application in their own language. More than 72% of app users are not native English speakers, which imply that apps which are not localized miss out on a large share of the market. According to a leading market survey report, apps that are released in native languages enjoy an increased 120% download rate and drive 26% increased revenue.

There are several ways in which you can localize your app. For the starters, you may make use of the localized language of a region. You may also consider localizing the video and image content on your app, as well as to conduct test to examine app localization.

What are some of the benefits that are delivered if you successfully localize your application?

1. Reach: Asia has the largest mobile app consumer base today. Therefore, if you are restricting your application with a single language, you can very well be sure of missing out on a huge market.
2. Sales Opportunity: There are more than 5 billion active smartphone users across the world. So just think about the kind of virtual sales opportunity your app gives you if you have it localized!
3. Increased ROI: You can only get your money’s worth from your app if the users download it. Studies prove that localized apps help app developers across the world to achieve better ROI.

App developers, in order to comprehend the full potential of the global markets, need to cater to the interests of different cultures. Localizing your application by ‘experts’ help you in realizing the true potential of your app; and, at the same time, get it appreciated across the world.

Automated systems for quick and efficient identification of individuals are widespread. The presence of a wide variety of biometric authentication methods which are based on physiological characteristics like fingerprint, voice, hand geometry, and retina patterns are already present. In the light of this, face recognition technology is being increasingly considered as a groundbreaking technology that enables the adoption of a natural way of identifying an individual. Identification using facial features is a non-intrusive process; it is intuitive and does not rely on the whims of any individual.

Until recently, this technology was thought of as something straight out of sci-fi movies. However, in the past decades it has become viable and widespread. There are numerous industries which are benefitting from the face recognition technology. Generally speaking, the technology seems to have emerged suddenly. However, that is not the case. The technology has been around for more than five decades now.

This post intends to trace the genesis of the face recognition technology, and shed light on how it has evolved over time.

1960s

Woodrow Wilson Bledsoe (1921-1995), a renowned mathematician, computer scientist, and educator, is considered by many as the father of facial recognition. In 1960s he designed a system that used what was known to be a RAND tablet to classify photos manually. The RAND tablet was a device which was used to input vertical and horizontal coordinates of a face on a grid by using an electromagnetic stylus. The recorded metrics were then inserted in the database. As soon as the system was provided with a new photograph of an individual, it was able to retrieve an image from the database that had a close resemblance to him or her. However, due to limitations of the technology at that time and the restricted power of computer processing, the facial recognition of Bledsoe was inadequate.

1970s

In 1970s Goldstein, Harmon, and Lesk made use of 21 subjective facial indicators (eyebrows, lip thickness, hairline, etc.) to make the recognition process automated. These measurements had to be done manually which made the program time consuming and labor intensive. However, it was far more accurate than the technology of Bledsoe’s RAND tablet.

Late 1980s and Early 1990s

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the research by mathematicians of Brown University – Lawrence Sirovich and Michael Kirby – together with two computer scientists from MIT, Alex Pentland and Matthew Turk introduced Eigenfaces, which was a linear algebra-based system that could plot faces by focusing on the ways in which it was different from the average.

Late 1990s and Early 2000s

The National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) encouraged the commercialization of face recognition by launching the Face Recognition Technology (FERET) program in early 1990s. The project was aimed at creating a large database of facial images.

2000 onwards

The facial recognition technology of the recent times far surpasses the earlier attempts, especially with widespread implementation of machine learning. Tech giants like Google and Facebook are applying complex algorithms to their enormous databases of personal information and photos, and paving way for a band of new generation tools. For instance, Facebook published a research paper on a facial recognition technique – DeepFace – that was able to reach an accuracy score of 97.35% over a large database of photos.

As data keeps piling, companies are implementing facial recognition technology to garner more attention and sales. In 2009, Coca Cola Zero released a profiler application on Facebook that helped users scan for photos of individual who looked like them. In 2015, Google introduced FaceNet that made use of a new algorithm and an artificial neural network to achieve perfect accuracy. This technology may be found in Google Photos that sorts photographs and automatically tag them on the basis of the faces recognized.

Face recognition system on mobile phones was revolutionized with Apple releasing iPhone X last year. The new phone model sold out real quick that proved consumers have now accepted facial recognition as the new advanced standard of security. The iPhone version of this technology is just the tip of the iceberg, in regard to the scope and possibilities of the technology.

The Way Forward

Facial recognition is a disruptive technology that has deep learning as one of its important components. It is part of the new generation algorithms that are being developed by the key players in the market. It is deep learning that holds the secret to face tracking, face match, face detection, and real-time translations.

With most of the conversations about facial recognition technology being focused on privacy and its related issues, there is a fair chance of the technology being used in various other sectors. It is very clear that the authentication and identification solutions of tomorrow will be incorporating several aspects of biometrics. This may lead to the birth of a highly sensitive biometric mix that would be going forward to guarantee total security of all in the ecosystem. It is now just a matter of time when the future enhancements of this technology and its widespread implementation will be creating new and advanced levels of service and security.

Image: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/concept-face-recognition-software-hardware-1224768763

Employees are now a young, vibrant, mobile set – ready to work from anywhere, across various timelines & locations. We believe it’s time for ‘Change’ across the organizational matrix, ensuring – Effectiveness, Speed, and a more Intelligent working model.

But then, how do you get there?

Do you dive in head-long without a strategy, a plan, or a gradual implementation pathway? Or, do you begin by introducing smarter systems at the very basic level – making change, not just an eventuality – but a part of engagement & experience management.

We believe in the latter, and have ideas – tools & trends that can ‘Transform’ without a glitch, a snag, or a tear in business-as-usual.

Here are a series of tips & tools that can pave the path for enhanced employee engagement:

1. Weekly Feedbacks

Weekly meetings must be held at the end or the beginning of the week to constantly stay updated, connected and well-informed. These meetings are essential, as they help collate valuable feedback, and give corrective performance evaluation reports.

All the concerned team members get together, either at the beginning or at the end of the week, to assess and ascertain the tasks which have been delegated & accomplished in the previous week, while aligning the activities for the following days. Valuable feedback on employee performance and workplace grievance is also shared, to further throw light on the on-going system.

2. Build an Organized Work Ecosystem

Various engagement tools are used to streamline the team’s activities, and align other processes for better coordination, enhanced efficiency, and unbiased & transparent delegation of responsibility. Some of the engagement work tools include, Trello & Slack. Their intuitive design and easy-to-use dashboard make remote work a cakewalk.

3. Rewards & Recognition

Continuous feedback and performance acknowledgement is a crucial part of employee engagement. Everyone loves being praised, and their work being appreciated in front of their co-workers/teammates. Arrange for bi-weekly sessions, wherein, all the team members collect together and each of them are called up and applauded for their hard work and contribution to the organization. This will encourage them to work twice as hard, and reach their ultimate potential.

Performance appraisals also play a significant role in boosting or pulling down the morale of an employee. A company’s performance appraisal structure should be designed in a fashion which ensures every employee is given the appraisal they deserve. This reduces the employee attrition rate, while encouraging the rest to carry out their responsibilities in the best way possible.

4. Enterprise-wide transparency

Establish clear lines of communication between all employees and managers. Provide employees all the information they need, and address their grievances if any. Lay the foundation for enterprise-wide transparency, and empower your workforce to use their discretion to take better & quicker decisions in the long run.

5. Engagement Activities

Work can get monotonous after sometime. In order to overcome workplace monotony, the HR team can conduct several engagement activities where employees and staff members are allowed to showcase their talent. From dancing & singing to setting up the platform for simulating games – these help employees escape the mundane workload and free their minds from the intricacies that their jobs involve.

All these tools and activities, combined together, will help improve the performance level of the entire workforce while driving positive growth in the organization.

Source: http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/next-generation-employee-engagement-tools https://www.business.com/articles/scott-gerber-employee-engagement-tools/ https://blog.impraise.com/360-feedback/5-tools-to-increase-employee-engagement-performance-review https://slack.com/about

Today, HR departments must go beyond merely checking the right boxes and maintaining the status quo. As a new generation of professionals disrupts workplaces across the world and groundbreaking collaboration models go mainstream, it’s important to question existing processes.

• Are job boards the ideal medium for attracting top talent?
• Can outmoded IT infrastructure handle ‘anytime, anywhere’ workloads?
• Is the pen-and-whiteboard approach to project management, a good fit for the digital workforce?
• And, can HR teams successfully win over the average millennial who’s always looking for greener pastures?

The answer lies in innovation coupled with pragmatic implementation – out-of-the-box ideas, that are geared for real-world outcomes. Even as solutions providers push the envelope, employers are forging strategic partnerships – with an eye on quantifiable results.

Every year, millennial turnover costs the US economy around $30.5 billion. Over 60% of this segment is open to changing positions at any given time, reporting low engagement levels, consistently. To turn this picture on its head, it’s essential to delve into core HR pain-points and identify emerging tools that could resolve them.

1. Remove hiring inefficiencies: Geofencing is key to a well-defined candidate pool

One of recruitment’s biggest challenges is cutting through the noise/clutter. With hundreds of applicants for every post, yet only a few actually suited for the role, recruiters face the problem of ‘too much and too little’ – at the same time. Geofencing combines GPS, individual data, and radio frequency information to push mobile notifications. The technology could be deployed for many use cases (traditionally a retail industry favorite), and it’s starting to find traction in the HR community.

Here’s how it works: the employer buys access to online profiles and information lists, and then sets up a ‘geofence’ in places frequented by candidates. On entering the area, a potential employee would receive an alert, immediately.

The essence of geofencing is to place the right job, in front of the right candidate, at just the right time. For job seekers, this translates into seamless yet targeted delivery, and a higher success rate.

2. Secure processes: Facial recognition prevents fraudulent activities for large, global workforces

Initially a consumer-facing technology, facial recognition is fast finding its way into business applications. Facial recognition could simplify any task that relies on authentication or individual approvals – payroll, for instance, demands high accuracy and security. Managers signing off on bonuses, reimbursement claims, or deductions have to be extremely precise, ensuring an almost ‘watertight’ pipeline.

A facial recognition check-in place would remove manual dependencies, as the technology validates identity and ratifies transactions automatically.

Another impact area could be attendance and leave management – systems are now migrating from legacy paper-based models, to biometric check-ins. The next leap would be facial recognition, where the system scans the employee’s face, recording attendance and validating access permissions at one go.

3. Engage employees: Voice bots aid in connectivity, responsiveness

Text-driven chatbots are a CRM essential: the cornerstone of customer engagement and online interaction management. HR chatbots bring the same sense of availability to workplace exchanges. Given current engagement metrics – only 33% workers feeling truly engaged – voice bots could prove to be invaluable in boosting morale and building communication pathways. The traditional chatbot is text-based – a round-the-clock HR extension that assists employees, sets reminders, provides information, and much more. This is particularly relevant for new hires, making it easier to navigate the waters after onboarding.

Translated to voice-triggered systems, these could become the ‘go-to’ platform in a number of scenarios – blue-collar workers handling machinery, for instance, or remote sales representatives, when driving.

4. Enable mobility: Advanced tech is a ‘must-have’ for the gig economy

Contemporary workforces are no longer limited to a consolidated team working from one location – contingent workers, third-party partnerships, and strategic/temp hires are critical to business outcomes. In addition, the preference for BYOD (bring your own device) makes mobile support vital for HR frameworks.

All systems, therefore, must embrace ‘mobility’ as an integral factor – talent acquisition, spend management, attendance, payroll, all reimagined for better UX (user experience), on the go. Automation, employee self-service portals, and AI platforms that predict user needs, intuitively, are all part of this revolution.

5. Revisit the foundations: Blockchain uses P2P networks to accelerate processes

Blockchain distributes functions among several computing nodes, mitigating dependencies on a single point and extending access to multiple data sources. Its most popular application is for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum.

Compensation in cryptocurrency format could help differentiate employers in a competitive landscape, its dynamic nature holding special appeal for millennial candidates.

Beyond payroll, the fundamental ‘decentralization’ methodology can be woven into a range of core HR tasks including applicant screening and digital contracts. Blockchain-based job portals, for example, could automate eligibility checks across disparate referrals, with near-zero manual intervention.

Making Change the New Normal and Technology, a Conduit for the ‘Good & the Profound’

The workplace is now more than an operational hub for next-gen employees, and HR teams must be equipped to enable, engage, and empower workers – ensuring businesses can achieve greater heights. What’s needed is a complete process rethink – pivoted on technology, intersecting organizational efficiency with a flexible work environment.

The latest breed of tech tools offer not just fresh ideas: they promise system efficiencies, happier employees, and a visible impact on the bottom-line. Defining a smart deployment plan that taps into best-fit solutions, is the obvious next step towards building a rich, rewarding, meaningful, and intelligent workplace.

A business enterprise undergoes several process-specific, digital remedies over their journey. In this blog, we will explore the trend that focuses on digitally transforming the front-office operations to bring about organizational success, in the long-run.

Automation starts from your front-desk

The trailblazers of the digital era have proved to us, time and again, that by focusing our attention on the front office first, we lay the foundation for long-term success. The latest study conducted by Cognizant Center for the Future of Work reveals, “By applying digital remedies to precisely targeted process areas, organizations can relieve operational stress and generate improvements, yielding outsized results that ripple across the process value chain.”

The key organizational benefits can be reaped only by revolutionizing the customer-facing, employee-engaging & front-office processes. In other words, the biggest break to kindle positive change lies in implementing and executing a focused digital remedy to bridge the gap between the organization and its customers & staff members.

Some of the front office transformations that drive connectivity and enhance engagement between the business unit and its direct stakeholders include:

Employee Satisfaction

Front-office automation ensures employee satisfaction, and boosts employee engagement. Once all the systems have been centralized to generate accurate, unified reports, right from the front-desk – life becomes a lot easier for the entire workforce, as a whole.

Employee check-in/check-out scenario

With the help of front-office installations, staff members can now view their timestamps, and scrutinize the number of hours clocked from their own device, anytime, anywhere.

Attendance, Leave & Shift Management

They can also check their daily attendance, download weekly rosters, apply for leaves, and get a clear understanding of the changing shifts and time-slots.

Customer-friendly & Visitor Ease

Bridging the gap between employer & employee is not enough to achieve the long-term goals of an organization. A lot can be done to establish smooth lines of communication with the customers/visitors. Automation of the front-office paves the path for error-free, secured processes, centralized data-sources, & enhances overall clarity.

Quick Verifications

When a client/customer visits, they are seamlessly registered in through a series of hassle-free, digital processes. The front-desk operates on its own, capturing the name, contact details, photograph, and time of arrival & exit of the visitor(s). They are soon escorted in to meet their contact person. Smart Meetings

Instead of hiring new resources who conduct administrative tasks, such as, calling, checking for free dates in calendars, and setting up meetings – companies can now complete these activities at the touch of a finger. With automated front-office operations, systems can now do what earlier required humans to do. These installations help find suitable time-slots, set-up meetings, send instant alerts to the meeting holder & attendee(s), and efficiently end the meetings by sending notifications to all stakeholders, and by freeing calendar timeslots.

Now, it is time for you to witness and be a part of this digital journey, as you automate and revolutionize your front-office processes to bring about overall workplace transformation.

Sources: https://www.everestgrp.com/2018-05-digital-transformation-front-back-office-operations-using-next-generation-workforce-market-insights-44596.html/