Thursday, 12 December 2019

How Technology Is Shaping The Future Of Farming


We use technology in almost every aspect of our lives. It helps us accomplish tasks at work and home, stay up to date with current events and provides countless hours of entertainment.
From a business perspective, technology is helping across all industries as well. It aids in production, customer service, talent acquisition, security and much more but what impact is it having on the planet?
Some might argue outdated devices are contributing to the ever-growing pollution problem or that our data is at risk by using these technologies and while that may be true, several innovations are aiding in land and water sustainability.
According to FAO, the world population is expected to grow by over a third between 2009 and 2050. We are in the midst of this growth so we must continue to adopt more efficient and sustainable production methods while also adapting to climate change. Many farmers are utilising technology to help achieve those goals, reduce water consumption, improve operations and increase profits.
Author’s Note: Sonnet Malakaran George, Agro-Food Industries and Losses Expert from FAO (Food & Agriculture Organization) will be one of the keynote speakers sharing his valuable insights during the World Intelligent Farming Summit.


Here are a few of the tools & strategies helping farmers to achieve these goals and more:

Mobile Technology

The first tool we will look at is mobile technology since it has been around the longest. Tasks or data that farmers would traditionally use a pencil and paper for have been transferred to mobile devices and tablets.
Smartphone technology and applications have provided many benefits to farmers without costing them a lot of money. These software solutions provide real-time feedback and let you send out new work assignments to your team, all from the field.
One example of this is the Field Navigator app, a popular driving application for Precision Agriculture. It allows you to measure the size of your farm easily, even in poor conditions or low visibility.
It also has a steering assistance feature that helps with driving to parallel tracks, reducing your workload as well as the size of untreated areas and avoids overlapping. The app works for any size farm and is compatible with external GPS antennas for even further accuracy.


Image Source: Play Store

Big Data Analytics

Like many other industries, farmers can use big data to increase productivity and profitability. For farmers, big data can provide rainfall patterns, water cycles, fertilizer requirements and much more.
By having this information, farmers can make smarter decisions that will ultimately increase the farm’s yield. There is a lot of information to analyze with the data collected by mobile devices and wireless technologies but farmers need to be able to gather it all into one platform.
That is where our next tool comes in.

Farm Management Software

Farm management software can collect huge amounts of data and help farmers better manage it to make informed decisions at every stage of the production process. There are also other software options to help with machine operations and production.
Agrivi is one example of a farm management software that lets you plan, monitor and analyze all of your farming activities easily. You can also manage tillage, planting, spraying, fertilization, irrigation, harvesting and all other activities with a few clicks.


Image Source: Agrivi
Boost your performance with a farm management software by gathering and storing substantial information. Make timely and informed decisions based on accurate data.

Agriculture Drones

Agriculture drones are one of the latest innovations transforming the farming industry and its popularity is only increasing. The agriculture drone market is predicted to be worth $5.19 billion USD by 2025.
Drones help farmers in many of the same ways the other technologies mentioned do, with increasing crop yield, saving time, reducing expenses and providing data to enable accurate and precise decisions making.
Here are a few ways drones can be used for agriculture:
  • Estimating Soil Conditions
Many of these tasks required the farmer to be in the field, performing them manually before but now, through drone technology, farmers do not have to be in the field and these tasks are completed faster with more accuracy.
Even top brands are recognising the importance of drone use in agriculture. Recently John Deere collaborated with Volocopter to create a VoloDrone-based aerial crop-dusting system. The drone is mounted with a tank and sprayers to dispense pesticides, liquid fertilizer, anti-frost agents and more. Both companies see potential for sowing seeds for new crops in the air as well.


Image Source: TechCrunch
To discover even more ways technology is shaping the future of farming, read our full blog post here.
Join us and industry experts to learn more about these technologies and trending topics in smart farming. Register today to save your seat for the World Intelligent Farming Summit in March.

Tuesday, 3 December 2019

Best Tips For A Great Conference Experience

Business conferences or summits provide great value but they can be overwhelming if you are unprepared. These events are usually filled with speaker panels, networking sessions, interactive workshops and more.
So, how do you make the most of your conference experience without being overwhelmed or getting lost in the crowd?
Do not wander through the crowd hoping to meet your favourite speaker or worse, finally meet them and forget what you wanted to discuss.
In this guide, we will provide some of the best tips to overcome traditional summit woes and achieve a great conference experience.
Focus Your Goals
The first thing you should do before you even start travelling to a conference is to focus on your goals and establish what you want to get out of the event.
Are you hoping to build your business connections? Do you want to gain more industry knowledge? Or, maybe you are hoping to pitch a new strategy to like-minded individuals and receive feedback?
Whatever your reason for attending is, setting specific goals beforehand will help you focus during the event and accomplish more.
Plan Your Day
Our next tip is to plan your day. Many summits have different programs set up and some of them overlap so you must research the topics and prioritize which ones you will attend.
Besides planning the actual panel sessions you will attend, you also need to think about what you will need for a full day of networking and learning.
Here are a few of the things we suggest:
  • Extra pens
  • Power bank or extra chargers
  • Chapstick
  • Gum/Mints
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Hand Lotion
  • Snacks
  • A light jacket (even in the summer)
For a list of more things to pack and other travel tips, check out our guide for business travellers.
Utilise Online Resources
In the months/weeks leading up to the conference, take advantage of any online resources offered. Each of our events has a subscription area at the bottom of the page that helps you stay up to date on event changes.
Simply enter your full name and email and then you will be alerted if a speaker is added or removed, if social activities are added, etc.
We also provide individual LinkedIn groups for each summit as a resource before the summit. The event chairman, keynote speakers and other industry executives are all added to these groups well in advance of the summit.
These groups are a great place to connect with the other attendees of the conference and share challenges or ideas before or after the event.
LinkedIn also has a great nearby feature to use during the conference.
Connect With Your Internal Team
Companies do not always have the budget or resources to send more than one representative to an event. If you are the lucky one chosen to attend, connect with your internal team before you leave.
See what issues they are facing or what questions they want answered and then take that with you to the conference.
Schedule Time With Speakers
As we mentioned earlier, the schedules during these events are usually packed and even during the “free time” you have speakers can be approached by many different people, making it hard to establish a genuine connection with them.
To help avoid this, connect with the speakers before the summit and try to schedule one-on-one time with them. Even if it is grabbing coffee or lunch, this creates valuable time for you to get your questions answered.
We mentioned our LinkedIn groups that provide a platform for you to connect with speakers or attendees on but you can connect through any social media channel. Tweet at the speaker you are most excited to meet and watch the relationship evolve from there.
We also have a complete guide on how to utilise Twitter before, during and after the conference.
Have A Networking Plan
Having a networking plan is vital to your success at a conference or summit, yet most people still show up to an event without one.
Maybe you are thinking — I will just show up and meet a bunch of people. While you can easily accomplish that, it does not create a solid foundation to build those relationships on. Either you or your new connection will possibly forget the meeting ever occurred because you meet so many people over a few days.
Establish a plan with whom you want to meet, questions you need answered and successful examples to add to the conversation. By researching and preparing this information, you create valuable topics to discuss which creates a more memorable experience for everyone.
For even more advice on how to create a great conference experience, read our full blog here!
Looking for business conferences to attend or speak at? Check out our upcoming events and register today!

Friday, 29 November 2019

WHY YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS A CHATBOT

Just a couple of years ago, chatbots were a trending topic as “the next big thing”. While there is still a large conversation around chatbots today, they are well established so it is more about their evolution or how businesses can utilise them outside of customer service.
In fact, 79,943 chats are fielded by chatbots per month and 90% of businesses report faster complaint resolution with bots so if you are not using a chatbot yet, you are behind the curve. Chatbots represent the next generation of technology but let us dive deeper and examine the benefits they can bring to a business.
Customer Service
Using a chatbot as a customer service representative is the most popular reason for chatbot adoption with companies so far and it is working. 70% of millennials report having a positive chatbot experience. That positivity pools over to your brand and product or service as well, if maintained correctly.
To establish a positive customer experience, make sure your chatbot is:
  • Using professional language
  • Bug-free
  • Leading your customer down a clear journey
  • Providing the correct answers or information
  • Working across all devices in the same way
Another area to think about when adopting a chatbot for customer service needs is the ability to send customers to a live agent for support when needed. Not all companies are currently doing this and it could be an area of opportunity for you to get ahead of your competition.
Avoid customer frustration by letting live agents handle more complex issues and build brand trust by showing your customers you are willing to meet them through their medium of choice, you are not forcing a chatbot on them like many companies are now doing.
Cut Down Operational Costs
Before chatbots, companies had to have live agents to support the customer support requests coming in. If you are trying to keep up with the 24/7, 365 day model of support (which clients expect) it can be draining on your employees as well as the budget for your company.
Chatbots have allowed support requests to be handled more efficiently so you do not need as many live agents. Chatbots can resolve simple or repetitive tasks, freeing up your live agents for the more complex issues.
According to Chatbots Magazine, companies can save up to 30% by adopting virtual agents or chatbots.
Not only do chatbots help reduce operational costs, 57% of businesses agree chatbots deliver a large ROI with minimal effort.
Opens New Avenues for Marketing & Sales
Besides being a great resource to aid your customer experience strategies, chatbots are also opening doors in the marketing and sales journey.
Chatbots have evolved beyond a few programmed answers to the point where they have the ability to remember users and their activity to provide personalised feedback on purchasing decisions or product questions, which lead to much better customer engagement.
They also provide an immediate response to guide consumers through the sale and reduce the chances of them leaving your site for a competitor.
Instead of annoying popup messages as you go to leave a site, chatbots are tailored to provide the most relevant notifications depending on customer behaviors. The pop up is more discreet, not blocking the actual content of your website and is more relevant to the customer because it is triggered by an action they take.
Another marketing area that chatbots benefit is the reach potential for new customers. Chatbots attached to your social media pages can reach a huge range of prospective clients. It would take an extensive sales force to match which costs money, time and resources to accomplish.
By evaluating the interactions chatbots are having with your potential customers, you can effectively get the right message to the right people. All of the information being collected by the chatbot (name, job title, etc.) can be automatically imported into your CRM software to build your lead database.
All of these benefits combine to help you increase your brand’s value.
Constant Improvement
Unlike humans, who can resist constructive criticism or additional training, chatbots welcome a consistent learning cycle.
Human error can occur repeatedly and if you have an employee with a poor work ethic, which can translate poorly to your brand but through constant evaluation and optimisation, chatbots only get better. The investment into improving that chatbot is also less than of a human employee because it does not require a separate trainer or training software.
With chatbot optimisation, you can:
  • Conduct A/B testing
  • Make sure consumers are receiving your entire branding message
  • Add products or adjust pricing instantly
  • Personalise offers based upon the customer journey
By observing and analyzing your customer’s needs compared to the performance of the chatbot, you can make adjustments to ensure it is helping you achieve specific business goals.
Showcase Products & Services
Instead of risking upsetting some potential customers with email marketing messages or cold calling, chatbots allow you to get your products and services in front of the appropriate people and the appropriate time.
This allows you to meet your clients on their schedule and provide the most relevant content to them. This helps your potential customers feel appreciated and cared for rather than irritated or annoyed.
With a human sales force, you have to train them on your product and the message intended to lead people to buy. Some people will be better at relaying the message than others and then some will go off and create their own script. By utilising a chatbot, it allows you to push out a consistent message to your entire audience.
To read our full blog post with even more explanation on why you need to adopt a chatbot, click here.
If you want to learn about the trends and advancements around chatbots, join us and global executives at the 2nd World Chatbots Summit.
It will take place in Berlin, Germany on February 13th and 14th, 2020. Global brands will be presenting informative case studies on choosing the best technical platform for your chatbot, identifying essential factors for successful chatbot adoption and more.

Wednesday, 27 November 2019

How To Use Networking To Build Business Partnerships At A Conference

Some people love networking sessions while others loathe them but no matter your thoughts on networking sessions, they are designed with a purpose in mind. Most people think the purpose is to get attendees of the event comfortable with each other to lay the foundation for conversational growth.
While this is true, there can be other goals of networking sessions. At Luxatia International, we want to set the stage for dynamic discussions throughout the event but we also want you to have the opportunity to leave with new business partnerships.
Achieving this can be stressful, especially for the introverts in the room, but we have gathered several tips to help you accomplish this goal!
Prepare Business Cards
Preparing business cards with valuable information should be something you think about a week or so before the conference to give yourself enough time to create and print new ones if needed.
First off, make sure everything is up to date — your picture, job title, company branding, etc. Then decide, what is the most valuable information you want people to have about you? Do you want them to follow up on LinkedIn, your personal website or just your company email?
Do not overload your business card with information but make it appealing enough to stand out against the other business cards people will collect during business events such as a summit or conference.
You may think business cards are not as important anymore in the digital age but during these events, you are meeting many people and it can be overwhelming trying to remember everyone’s name. If you introduce yourself to someone and then hand him or her a business card so they can read your name, it helps them retain it in their memory.
If your business card has a photo or brand image, even better. A photo of yourself will help them easily remember you or even a brand image can help new acquaintance’s place a company with your name.
Download the LinkedIn App
The next step you should take before a conference is to download the LinkedIn app. You may have completed this already. If not, we highly suggest doing so as soon as possible, as there are many features the LinkedIn app can offer to you as a business professional.
Once you have the LinkedIn app downloaded, you will be connected to your LinkedIn groups. If you have not joined the LinkedIn group for the summit you are attending before downloading the app, do it now!
Our LinkedIn Summit groups are created months before the actual summit, giving you plenty of time to join and connect with other attendees or just like-minded professionals. Gear up for the conference by joining in dynamic conversations around the latest trends, challenges and technology influencing your industry.
Once you are at the conference or summit, you can use LinkedIn’s Nearby feature to get even more connections. The appeal of the feature is in its name. This tool allows you to find connections around your physical location using your device’s Bluetooth.
Gather Business Brochures
Aside from business cards, brochures can also be a great physical object to hand out at conferences or summit. Again, this will help by creating a lasting memory in the mind of the people you are meeting or by giving them something to reference and remember you by later on.
If you are representing a smaller business, outline your company’s values and goals. For larger businesses that people may already be familiar with, design a brochure that highlights a new product or service.
Not only will this help establish a personal connection but if the person you are meeting needs the product or service you are offering, then it builds a valuable business connection as well.
Research Attending Businesses
As we mentioned earlier, networking sessions can be overwhelming when you are surrounded by tons of strangers and are unsure what to talk about. By researching attending businesses beforehand, you can find out about recent projects they have worked on or the new technology they are using.
This will help you pinpoint areas or people of interest so you can make the most of your networking time. We always list a few speakers and the companies they represent on each summit page or you can request a free brochure for the full line up.
Brochures can be requested for every summit through upcoming events > the individual summit event page > request a brochure.
To read even more networking tips, check out our full blog here.
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