Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Software : Salesforce revamps its CRM tools, launches Sales Cloud1 and Service Cloud1

Software : Salesforce revamps its CRM tools, launches Sales Cloud1 and Service Cloud1

Salesforce revamps its CRM tools, launches Sales Cloud1 and Service Cloud1

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Salesforce revamps its CRM tools, launches Sales Cloud1 and Service Cloud1

Salesforce.com has revamped its Sales and Service platforms to offer more advanced mobile functionality. The newly renamed apps, Sales Cloud1 and Service Cloud1, offer sales and service agents the ability to access extensive CRM tools via mobile devices.

Salesforce has been increasingly focused on mobilizing its CRM tools. The company launched Salesforce1 in November to help clients build cloud-based CRM apps for mobile devices.

Since that time it has launched Sales Reach, a tool designed to enable sales reps to launch on-the-go marketing campaigns from their smartphones, and it built in mobile reporting functionality to Salesforce1 so that mobile app developers can keep tabs on how their apps are performing on all devices.

Sales Cloud1

Updates to the Sales platform include the Today app, a tool that provides agents with a customizable interface that features important tasks, upcoming meetings, and other relevant daily information. Sales Cloud1 also includes Tasks, a to-do app designed for priority management; and Notes, a remember app that allows reps to jot down details that automatically link to customer records within Salesforce.

Additionally, Sales Cloud1 includes Events, a meetings and events calendar, Sales Path, a real-time prospect journey roadmap, and Skills and Rewards, a collaboration tool that connects teammates across skillsets and enables co-workers to reward one another for successful interactions.

Sales Cloud1 is generally available for $65 per user per month.

Service Cloud1

As Salesforce updates its Service Cloud to Service Cloud1, new tools include SOS for Apps, which is similar to Amazon's Mayday button. The SOS provides in-context access to customer service with a live video connection to an agent, on-screen guided assistance and screen sharing for any customer with a mobile device.

Service Cloud1 also includes the Smarter Agent Console, which is designed to automatically provide agents with content relevant to service calls without the agent having to perform searches. Instant Service Communities is an addition to the Service Cloud that enables businesses to create communities where customers can connect with information, apps and experts for support.

Service Cloud1 is now generally available and pricing starts at $65 per user per month.

Windows Phone's Cortana can now help you gamble and make choices

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Windows Phone's Cortana can now help you gamble and make choices

Cortana is a pretty useful little helper for those who choose to take advantage of her skills in Windows Phone 8.

But now the virtual personal assistant can help you make tough choices in addition to placing calls and reminding you of important anniversaries.

An update to Cortana on Microsoft's side has granted the AI the ability to flip a coin or roll a die with a simple command ("roll the dice," "flip a coin"), two random acts that can be endlessly useful.

Left out

Well, maybe not endlessly useful - but it's nice to see Microsoft adding little features that help flesh out Cortana's personality.

TechRadar judged that Cortana stole the show in the latest Windows Phone updates, but oddly she was missing from Microsoft's recent Windows 10 announcement.

Granted, that wasn't the strangest thing about that announcement, but we're still hoping to see her get involved in the next Microsoft OS before it launches next year.

Plex is joining Microsoft's own media player on Xbox One

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Plex is joining Microsoft's own media player on Xbox One

Plex has become the go-to media app for home theaters, and now the service is launching a native Xbox One app on October 7.

That's great news for people with lots of digital video files, but there's a catch: use of the app will be reserved for the service's premium "Plex Pass" subscribers.

Plex Pass subscriptions cost $5 (about £3, AU$5.70) a month, $40 (about £25, AU$45) a year, or $150 (about £93, AU$170) for a lifetime, and in addition to cloud support and other features they'll now include use the Xbox One app.

Microsoft launched its own media player app on Xbox One recently, though compared to Plex it's still lacking numerous features and polish.

Flex your Plex

The Plex app organizes users' media collections, automatically adding art, cast and crew information, descriptions, ratings, and more, all behind a nice UI.

The service has features similar to Netflix and other streaming services, including recommendations and the ability to remember your last position when you stopped watching something, but it uses your own digital files.

It's effortless to use on a variety of platforms, and the Xbox One app looks like it will fit in nicely.

It's a shame about the paywall, but it may not last long - The Verge says it will be available to non-subscribers for $5 at some point later on.

In addition there's an Xbox 360 Plex app in the works for an unspecified time.

Gmail iOS update adds iPhone 6 support and a math joke

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Gmail iOS update adds iPhone 6 support and a math joke

You may need to brush up on your math if it seems odd to you that Google just updated the iOS Gmail app to version 3.1415926.

But Google is definitely not the type of company that turns down an opportunity to make a math joke, even when that joke is as simple as naming an app update after pi.

Besides that, the Gmail for iOS update has a single improvement: support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Bare minimum

Previously iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users had to deal with a low-resolution view of the existing Gmail app, but Google has fixed that with support for the new, larger phones' resolutions.

Other than that, though, the Gmail app for iOS remains exactly the same.

No doubt more improvements will arrive in future updates, but for now enjoy downloading Gmail version pi.
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