Presentation: Empower Mobile Salesforce.com Users to Close More Deals

July 9th, 2010 by Kristie Wells | located in Productivity, Salesforce | No Comments » | trackback

Yesterday we co-hosted a webinar with the folks from Echosign and the slides as well as the audio is now available in case you missed it live.

Webinar: Using Ribbit and EchoSign to increase salesforce productivity

June 23rd, 2010 by Kristie Wells | located in Events, Productivity, Tips and Tricks | 3 Comments » | trackback

Ribbit is partnering with EchoSign and CustomerThink to provide a free webinar taking place on July 8th that will highlight how on-the-go sales reps can boost productivity. Spend your time selling, not filing paperwork.

Live demonstrations will show how reps can:

• Call in meeting notes and sales updates from the field instead of typing into Salesforce.com
• Get out of “voicemail hell” with voice-to-text call transcriptions
• Use voice integration with Chatter, a new collaboration tool from Salesforce.com
• Send contracts from Salesforce.com to increase sales productivity and…
• Enable customers to sign contracts electronically from smart phones, to shorten the contract signing process.

While demand may be picking up, competition will continue to be intense. Join us for one hour to learn how to free up more sales time to drive revenue, not busy work.

We hope you will join us for this webinar. Registration is free.

Team Ribbit represents at Cloudforce

June 23rd, 2010 by Kristie Wells | located in Events | No Comments » | trackback

Check out more photos from the San Jose event and several from photos from the Dallas event.

SMS – the growing new wave of communication

June 17th, 2010 by Sia Frederick | located in SME Trends | No Comments » | trackback

SMS, or simple message service, lives up to its name – it’s one of the easiest and most effective ways to communicate. Its efficiency and availability make it one of the most highly used modes of communication worldwide.



The future of SMS is bright, as it seems to only be trending upward, with usage growing exponentially over recent years.  While the simplicity, reliability, and affordability of SMS have made it an attractive option for mobile users, emerging trends will ultimately spur its growth over the next few years.  Businesses are finding an ally in SMS for machine-to-machine applications, allowing data and updates to be sent from locations that are not fixed, such as moving vehicles with GPS systems.



But there’s a downside: just as businesses are capitalizing on the reach afforded by SMS, so are spammers.  Spammers have the capability to reach many more unwilling “customers” than ever before through the use of SMS.  That’s great news for spammers, but an annoyance for the rest of us.  Nevertheless, spamming will play a large role in the growth of SMS.



Flat rate billing plans and personalization services for SMS are also making it a desirable option for communicating in real time.  For a more detailed review of these growth trends, check out this article.

One of the most important advantages of SMS, though, is that it is often available when other voice services are not.  When calling is not an option because of service disruptions, SMS may be the only way to stay in touch.  It is one of the few reliable ways to communicate during emergencies. The power and reach of SMS was demonstrated during the recent devastating earthquakes in Chile and Haiti.  When these catastrophes crippled voice networks in these countries, friends and family members were still able to connect via SMS. This articleoutlines how SMS is able to survive when carrier networks are damaged.

With all of its efficiency, reach, and popularity, SMS  seems like it will be next big vehicle for marketing.  What’s interesting, though, is that SMS marketing really has not yet taken off. There are some companies like Waterfall Mobile that are providing valuable services with SMS ,such as sending out messages to skiers with weather updates.  Airlines are also using SMS to send out updates to customers regarding flight delays and gate changes.  But what is really surprising is that there aren’t more companies using SMS as a way to gain new clients, market their products, and engage their customers. It’s easy to see the value of using this simple, far-reaching mode of communication –  so what are they waiting for?

A Mobile Dessert I’m Anxiously Awaiting

June 4th, 2010 by Jon Garcia | located in SME Trends, mobility | No Comments » | trackback

My summer resolution is to replace my Blackberry RIM 8320 mobile phone.  I’ve had this phone for a couple of years, and it’s done a respectable job of handling my corporate Outlook email, calendar, and address book needs.  Despite this device’s solid messaging abilities, I’m looking for a replacement because I’m tired of its “Flintstone”-like Internet browser and its limitations.  Recent smartphone browsing developments make my Blackberry’s tiny screen, sluggish browser speed, and miniscule application market replacement-worthy.

Replacement Criteria

Here’s what I’m looking for:

• A device that handles integrated voice, email, calendaring, and address book at least as well as my old Blackberry.
• A smartphone with the largest possible screen that will fit into my pocket.  It should also support Internet browsing at or close to broadband speeds via WiFi or a carrier’s mobile network.
• A smartphone brand that supports more than 10,000 third party applications — a healthy, growing number of third party apps bolsters my confidence in the platform’s functionality.

Given these criteria, my decision boils down to a smartphone that’s either on the iPhone or Android platform. While iPhone is compelling because competitors have had to perform more than a few iterations to even approach its functionality, and the new 4G IPhone is due to be released soon,  there’s good reason to consider Android in my selection process.

Top five reasons I’m considering the newest Google Android Platform smartphone:

Google is releasing FroYo (Android version 2.2 – with a code name short for frozen yogurt) this summer on phones and carrier networks yet to be determined.  In addition to meeting all my criteria above, FroYo is a significant upgrade for the Android platform, offering speed and phone capabilities that exceed or equal those of the iPhone.   My list of top FroYo capabilities includes:

1. Ability to store Android apps in SD memory. Storing apps outside core memory frees the device to easily add apps that constrained earlier versions of Android, which required them to be stored in core memory.
2. Access to 50k applications in Android’s app market. The platform also has automatic upgrade capabilities.
3. Speeds of 2x-5x faster than Android v2.1 with a  browser that’s 2x-3x faster. Speed improvements enable Google to claim FroYo will be the fastest mobile browser in the market when it is released.
4. Support for Flash 10.1 and AIR from Adobe. FroYo users will be able to access video clips in the most common video format on the Internet (unlike iPhone, which refuses to support the Flash format).
5. Tethering. FroYo users can connect their phones to their PCs/Macs to access WiFi or the carrier’s network − try that with an iPhone.

Looking forward to tasting some FroYo this summer!

Ribbit heading to Cloudforce in Dallas and San Jose

June 1st, 2010 by Kristie Wells | located in Events | No Comments » | trackback

We are putting on our comfy shoes and doing our stretches as we prep to wo/man the show floor at the upcoming Cloudforce events in Dallas (June 15th) and San Jose (June 22nd).

If you are planning on attending one or both of these events, we hope you will stop by the Ribbit booth and say hello.

More Businesses Are Tapping Benefits of Social Media

May 24th, 2010 by Rico Sharqawi | located in SME Trends | No Comments » | trackback

There is no denying that social media is an extremely powerful tool for today’s businesses. Companies of all sizes have begun to explore ways to communicate with their consumers via social media. They’ve discovered that this medium can be an effective and inexpensive way to send updates, promotional campaigns, sales announcements and other outbound communications.

Social media is also used by companies to obtain feedback and leverage the influence of people who are well-connected. Starbucks is a perfect example of a company that is engaging consumers and asking for their input - take a look at their idea wall.

Another great example is the Facebook campaign launched by Papa John’s Pizza, where fans of the Papa John Pizza page were recruited to create a new pizza recipe.

But large companies aren’t the only ones benefiting from social media – small and medium businesses can take advantage of it as well. In an article in Destination CRM AMI’s Marketing Strategy Group VP Chad Thompson suggests that there are many reasons for businesses to consider social media:

1. Social media makes it easy to identify fans and advocates. Sites like Facebook and Twitter enable fans to easily share their enthusiasm for your business. They’re also easier to grow than traditional marketing tools like an email blast. Rather than going to the work of gathering phone numbers and email addresses, SMBs can communicate directly to customers without cluttering up their inboxes.
2. Social media provides the ability to gather insight from a broader range of people. “A lot of SMBs are finding ways to integrate social media sites and services into their actual business,” Thompson says. One-way communication like direct marketing and email can only be sent to customers who opt in, but social networks help get messages out  to a large group that could include vendors, associated businesses, and prospects.
3. Social media allows businesses to build credibility. SMBs are also using social media to take a position of thought leadership in an area of business. Companies are publishing in-depth blog posts that demonstrate an understanding of key industry issues, and spreading the posts via sites like Twitter and Facebook. As a result, they’re making their brands more distinctive and standing out from competitors.

“They know that it’s not enough to be on there,” Thompson says, “They have to show greater analysis and understanding and expertise.”

To that end, take a look at this article published by Mashable about five surprising Social Media business success stories.

I expect to see more and more businesses using creative ways to utilize the power of social media to create greater customer loyalty and capture the attention of more potential customers and fans. Do you have any examples of businesses using social media to share?

The future of language online

May 20th, 2010 by Lise Rubarth | located in Uncategorized | No Comments » | trackback

Our planet is made up of a vibrant mix of cultures and languages – and several decades into its existence, the web is finally catching up. For a long time, English was the dominant language of the web – if you wanted your work to be read, you had to write in English or risk obscurity. But times, they are a-changin’.

I was inspired recently by one of my favorite NPR shows, On the Media, when I heard a fascinating episode called: “Bridging the Online Language Barrier.”

The show, hosted by Mark Phillips, suggest that the way language is evolving on the web is similar to what happened during the Renaissance, when Latin was the primary language for writing and reading. That began to change when people began to write for their local audiences.

That same phenomenon is now happening online; according to the show, over 400 million Chinese are using the internet, Arabic internet users have increased by over 2,000 percent in the last decade, and – perhaps most tellingly – only 27% of today’s internet users speak English.

Which language is ultimately dominant – or if one will even be a dominant – is less interesting to me than the notion that many different languages can thrive online. I’m excited by the idea that people who don’t speak the same language can still understand each other, share ideas, and communicate meaningfully.

Here at Ribbit, we think of voice as an object much like any other data object. It powers workflow, initiates and modifies business processes, and affects outcomes. Though embedding voice into workflow is very much in its infancy, it has the potential to dramatically change the way business gets done. What if technology could help your business move fluidly across language barriers, opening whole new markets and opportunities that were never possible before? What if voice and language were simply flavors, like colors, that enhance what you do but don’t prohibit knowledge from flowing freely?

It’s a whole new way of seeing the world – and who knows what could happen as a result? I personally believe that we have so much to learn from each other… and I’m pretty excited about being able to tap into knowledge from other cultures and create business models that aren’t possible today.

What interests you about the ways language is evolving online?

Webinar: Innovative Solutions to Help the Busy, and Increasingly Mobile, Sales Professional

May 18th, 2010 by Kristie Wells | located in Events, Tips and Tricks | No Comments » | trackback

We are pleased to co-present a free webinar with Customer Think and EchoSign on June 17th where we will share best practices to boost productivity for on-the-go sales professionals, and improve the customer experience too!

Ribbit for Salesforce.com will show:

• How to get your reps out of “voicemail hell” with voice-to-text call transcriptions
• How reps can call in meeting notes and email instead of typing
• How to use Salesforce.com to send broadcast text messages or alerts
• How management can save sales people time and get more out of Salesforce.com

EchoSign will show:

• How easy it is to get your customers to sign contracts with electronic signatures via web, fax, Blackberry or iPhone
• How to make any document a signable contract by adding fields for initials, signatures or free form content on the fly
• How to send contracts for signature directly from Salesforce.com
• How to create automatic alerts so you know when your contract was delivered, viewed and signed

If you would like to join us, please register here.

Article: Destination CRM highlights enterprise use of Ribbit

May 17th, 2010 by Kristie Wells | located in Articles and Media Mentions, Productivity | No Comments » | trackback

Adam Boretz, from Speech Technology magazine, digs into Ribbit’s speech technology and highlights two enterprise clients benefiting from their use of Ribbit for Salesforce - Delta Dental and Selling Power.

—–

(1) Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee: Adam interviewed Kevin Edelman, CRM product solutions administrator who said, ”I saw [Ribbit] at the [Dreamforce 2007] tradeshow and saw a value in [Ribbit for Salesforce], where sales reps could leave themselves messages and record their activities that way.”

Since then, Edelman has seen the company evolve. He successfully implemented Ribbit for Salesforce at Delta Dental, where about 40 sales reps use it mostly to receive transcripts of their voicemail messages on their mobile phones and to record memos and email drafts via voice. He estimates that Delta uses the technology to process 500 to 700 messages per month.

“I think [Ribbit] is very aggressive in coming together with some really great things,” he says. “They’ve been adding a lot of different functionalities over the last year and a half…. It was good before, but now it’s even better.”

Edelman says reaction to Ribbit has been positive at Delta, but admits that adoption has been slower than anticipated — with some older, less-tech-savvy salespeople resisting the new technology. Nonetheless, he remains very positive and suggests that enterprises start small when deploying Ribbit.

“Roll it out division by division,” he says. “Have a plan for continuous education…. Find a power user in each division so they can then take over the championship of that application.”

Recently, Edelman and Delta expanded their use of Ribbit, tying office voicemail to Ribbit for Salesforce — something he calls a big success. “The sales staff has a single point of entry for all their voicemail,” he says. “Everything gets recorded. Everything gets reported. It has improved our response time on critical issues and I have some managers that will swear by it.”

—–

(2) Selling Power, a publication currently read by more than 420,000 sales leaders and producer of the biannual Sales Leadership Conference series. Adam spoke with Marcel Sendejo, a regional manager who works remotely from Austin, Texas, and uses the solution when he is on the road to dictate notes into Salesforce and to keep up with voicemail messages. Like Edelman, Sendejo learned about Ribbit at Dreamforce and has had a relationship with the company ever since.

“It’s just an organization tool that I pretty much can’t live without now,” he says, adding that he will walk out of a meeting and begin dictating notes immediately. “It helps me to be efficient. It helps me to be very organized.”

Sendejo says Ribbit prevents him from having to log on to Salesforce and play catch-up after a long day on the road and allows his supervisors to keep tabs on his accounts without phone calls or additional meetings.

“The main thing [is] the convenience,” he says. “The transcription is ideal. It’s just a huge time saver…. I love the dictation aspect. The big story for me [is] time savings. And not having to do administrative work to keep everybody else in the loop.”

—–

Nice words from Salesforce.com:

Scott Holden, director of product marketing, and Al Falcione, senior director of product marketing, are also impressed with what they’ve seen from Ribbit. ”It’s a pretty amazing solution,” Falcione says. Holden agrees, noting that Ribbit is one of the most highly rated applications by customers using Salesforce’s app exchange.

“If you look at just the ratings that the Ribbit application gets, it averages a 4.7 out of 5,” he says. “And everything people say is really sort of game-changing about how they interact with the telephone and their voicemail and how they attach those voicemail and texts inside Salesforce.”