Monthly Archives: May 2019

Blog, KVR Singapore

Technology Upgrades in Singapore Making It A True Smart Nation

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Do you know that Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative is not something new? It was officially launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 24 November 2014. And now the nation is internationally recognised. In fact, the city-state ranks first in the Global city performance index 2017.

Whether it is about smart mobility, healthcare, safety, or convenient administrative services, Singapore is an indisputable leader. And this can be felt through the changes you might have spotted in the daily routine.

Yes, those sci-fi movies about machines and androids enslaving humanity, now seems to be turning true. Even Singapore has designed various amazing gadgets.

7 Advanced Technologies in Singapore:

Here we have listed some of the technological advancements which define Singapore as a SMART NATION in true sense. Have a look:

1. Drones Make It Safer:

Getting catch hold of bad guys is easier now. With Singapore Police using drones for surveillance law enforcements gets all new heights. The new drones come with sirens, a searchlight which is ten times more powerful than a car headlight, and an audio warning system with a 100m range. Hence, it benefits police with more mobility and can follow the targets, conducting aerial searches. In the similar queue, patrol bots have be deployed at public events to navigate pre-planned paths on their own.

Even drones are popular among the photographers as it can help them to get a perfect shots.

2. Pay via QR Codes:

From several years you might be paying at fancy restaurants or retail shops using ATM cards. But now the good thing is that if ever you realise that you’re all out of notes and cannot run to the nearest ATM, you can now pay with your phone. Yes, that’s right. You will easily find QR code systems implemented at hawker centres which works with various mobile banking apps. Moreover, there are companies like NETS planning to expand the system to more than 120 hawker centres.

Read Also: 5 Essential Pieces of Technology for Businesses

3. Fitness Bands or EZ-Link Cards:

To keep a track of your various bodily functions and time, you can count on a good fitness band. But that’s not all. As these bands can now be used on your next bus or MRT trip. The collaboration of EZ-Link with two tech companies brings for the fitness bands which comes embedded with EZ-Link chips. These could be topped up with any other EZ-Link card, and you can use your wallet when tapping in or out of a ride.

Read Also: Awesome Gadgets for College Students

4. Auto Driven cars:

Now there is a possibility to enjoy your next weekend trip across Singapore in your car without a driver. Simple, your car turns into your driver. All credit goes to the vehicles which have been given a dose of self-driving technology. So there is possibility for these cars to move around on their own similar to a real driver. And don’t worry for the safety. These have been tested already for years intensely. There are number of reputed organisations like the Land Transport Authority and Nanyang Technological University, performing plenty of testing in closed circuits and on public roads.

5. Advanced Lamp Posts:

Following the recent technological renovations, even the lamp posts are going to get an upgrade. Yes, you read that right. Singapore is planning for a vast network of street lights with sensors and analytics systems. As far as the purpose behind is concerned, the technology will allow these smart lamp posts to gather data such as vehicle traffic, weather conditions, and unusual sounds like car crashes or screams. In fact, these will he be helpful in guiding the self-driving vehicles stated in above mentions point.

6. HDB Home Systems:

There is testing going on with new smart home initiatives. During one of the testing phase, these systems were found to be assistive to monitor the movement of elderly family members in the home. Utilising sensors these notified users if the elders were in distress or not. Along this, these were helpful in tracking the usage of various household appliances, allowing users turn appliances on or off remotely, and sent mobile notifications when appliances were left on with nobody at home.

7. Robots Enter Mainstream:

Though Singapore has been introducing robotic staff into the workforce, chances are they will become more common in coming days. Developed by students and staff from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, “RoboCoach”, is meant to provide physical training to the elderly. Now the duties of these robots will not be limited to the fetching and returning of service items. They are good at imitating human movements, and all set to change the concept.

Which excites you the most among them?

Blog, SEO

7 Online Reputation Management Tips for Singapore Businesses

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Over 92% of customers read online reviews and testimonials before making a purchase. In this scenario, you would like to have tons of positive reviews everywhere, from independent reviews sites to social media platforms.

But not all customers are happy. Even big brands have unsatisfied customers. As a result, they may drop a negative review about your business. Given that nearly all customers trust reviews or testimonials, having negative reviews can affect their buying decision.

Negative reviews can now travel faster than ever, thanks to the ubiquity of Internet-enabled devices.

Negative reviews directly impact your online reputation.

Is there any way to handle those adverse comments?

Enter online reputation management. It is the “practice of crafting strategies that shape or influence the public perception of an organization, individual or other entity on the Internet.” (Source: Techopedia).

Read Also: How Online Investing Increases Your Business’ Visibility?

If you’re thinking it is all about burying those negative reviews, sorry to say you are wrong. Instead, it is the practice of handling those adverse comments in a “positive way”. ORM helps you keep track of your business image over the Internet. Besides, it lets you find out the problems of unsatisfied customers and if you can resolve them.

Here are some key ORM tips to improve your business image across the digital world.

1. What is Being Said about Your Brand?

Some love your brand. Some find it’s just above average. There may be some who don’t like it at all.

The point is here to be aware of what customers think about your brand. Checking their reviews and feedback will help you know their take on your business. Besides, you can use brand monitoring tools like Mention to stay on the top on reputation management. Or you can set up Google Alerts to see other’s post about your business. This is the first thing to do before moving to other steps.

2. Take Care of Your Negative Reviews:

Negative reviews, as we have said earlier, can influence your buying decision. However, burying or clearing them off is not a great idea. This is because your business looks too good to be true. As a result, a customer will think that there is something wrong at the bottom.

Unlike positive reviews, most negative reviews are genuine. People post them because they are not satisfied with your services or feel annoyed. Here you need to understand their issues and assure them that they will be fixed. This will unleash a positive impact over an “annoyed customer”.

It also shows you as a business who really cares for their customer. As a result, a new or potential customer will always have peace of mind while buying from you.  Not taking care of negative reviews led Nestlé to close their public page due to huge outcry and resentment.

Read Also: How to Spot Fake Online Reviews

3. Have Profile Across the Relevant Websites:

Your company must have a presence on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. Don’t be restricted to there. Go beyond to some additional social media sites or listing sites in Singapore like Hotfrog, Yalwa, Contactme, and Enrollbusiness. LinkedIn is great for B2B businesses while Instagram is suitable for visually oriented products like clothing and food. YouTube is also great for your video or slide-based content.

Having more accounts will help you outrank the negative postings. Having a strong online presence also builds your credibility and helps you reach more customers.

Read Also: How to Improve Customer Satisfaction with Social Media

4. Create Press Releases:

PR helps your brand reputation as it spreads awareness. They can be built around anything, from new launches, recognition, awards, events and more. It also helps you tackled negative press ahead of time. Simply put, the more PR you have across the web, the less likely negative press will be found by your potential customers. Think this as in the ration of—100 positive PR and 10 negative PR.

5. Improve the Online Reputation of Your Employees:

Some businesses are generally known by the name of their employees. For example, for businesses like healthcare or hair salons, perspective might be searching for your services asking their colleagues or friends “Which one do you prefer” instead of “Which business you prefer?”

The friend will tell the name of a person instead of a business. This is why it is important to develop a strong Internet presence on social media and blogging sites of your key employees.

6. Encourage Customers to Share Positive Experiences:

We all know that it’s not complicated. Just give them a gentle reminder or request this way—“Did we live up to your expectations today? Please drop your positive feedback!” This request can be placed at the bottom of webpages and receipt as well. An overwhelmed customer is likely to give instant positive feedback.

7. Keep Track of Your ORM:

Establishing a business reputation is not enough. Once created, it is required to be constantly monitored and maintained to protect a business. Here’s how…

  • Use the tools like Brand Monitoring or Trackur.com to keep track of the reviews, online content and tweets mentioning your brand name.
  • Monitor your social media accounts and review sites as well.
  • Also, check the reputation of your potential partners.

AND

  • Stay consistent with the ORM practices given so far in this blog.

So this is how you can improve your online reputation as a business. However, if you are not good at this or don’t have time to keep track of the things, it is better to hand over this task to a professional ORM company in Singapore.