The sales and distribution world is undergoing a profound transformation. Ever-shorter innovation cycles, the shift towards multi- and omnichannel, new technologies, the way personal selling is changing, and increasing price pressure are all demanding a lot from the sales and distribution departments of Swiss companies. To survive in this fast-paced environment, organizations in sales and distribution need to constantly realign themselves. This requires innovation, creativity and the courage to do the unusual.

Sales Excellence Award in two categories

Against this background, the sales and distribution experts of the Swiss Marketing Forum, WATC Consulting AG and the Hochschule für Wirtschaft in Zürich (HWZ) are launching an award for successful and forward-looking sales and distribution initiatives in Switzerland. Its primary goal: to identify and spotlight individuals and teams who are pioneering new and creative sales and distribution projects, and to promote exchange among sales and distribution professionals. The means to this end: the Sales Excellence Award, which in future will be presented once a year for outstanding sales and distribution achievements.

The Sales Excellence Award is presented in two categories:

• Small and medium-sized enterprises with less than 500 employees
• Large companies with more than 500 employees

In addition, there is a special jury prize and an audience award (not tied to categories).

Broadly based jury

The organizers of the Sales Excellence Awards are proud to have attracted an especially distinguished group of judges who represent a broad Combine wealth of experience from practice, consulting and teaching. The jury is composed as follows:

• Marc Baumgartner, CEO, Würth AG
• Paul-David Becker, Managing Partner, BSP International AG
• Daniel Binkert, Market Area Manager, Member of the Management, CSS Versicherung AG
• Katrin Brunner, Retail Manager, Lacoste
• John Charles, Head of Strategic and Key Account Management, Post CH AG
• Gregor Doser, Industry Leader Retail, Telco, FMCG, Agency, Google Switzerland
• Séverine Dröhnli, Head of National Sales and KAM, Bayer (Switzerland) AG
• Patrick E. Koller, Managing Partner, WATC Consulting AG (Jury President)
• Martin Limbeck, Managing Director, Martin Limbeck Training Group
• Marcus Schögel, Director, IfM-HSG Institute for Marketing, University of St. Gallen
• Monika Schulze, Global Head of Customer Experience & Digital Strategy, Zurich Insurance
• Thomas Schwertje, Head of Marketing, Coop Switzerland

The jury will judge the projects entered according to four criteria: Sales Strategy, Sales Management, Information Management, and Customer Relationship Management. Several dimensions are included in the assessment: the degree of innovation of the submitted project, its benefit for the organization, its relevance beyond the company, and its concrete implementation with the accompanying accompanying measures.

Application deadline until July 15, 2019

Sales and distribution projects from companies and organizations based in Switzerland are eligible for the competition. The application deadline is July 15, 2019. Application forms and further information on the Sales Excellence Award are available at www.swissmarketingforum.ch/sxa. The Sales Excellence Award ceremony will take place at the Sales Power Conference at the GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute on November 12, 2019. In addition to the award ceremony, the event will focus on networking among guests and learning from each other. The prizes awaiting the winning teams are also in this spirit. In addition to a monetary prize, each winning team will receive a customized Sales Excellence Impulse Day with a workshop to discuss sales and sales-specific challenges and issues.

The Second World War partially interrupts the already existing efforts for international standards. After the end of the war, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was founded in London in October 1946. It emerged from the International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (ISA), which had existed since 1926, and the United Nations Standards Coordinating Committee (UNSCC), which had been formed during the war.

October 1946: Founding meeting of the ISO in London

The conference in London is attended by 25 countries with over 60 delegates, which shows the great importance attached to standardization. Fritz Streiff, Chairman of the Standards Commission of the Swiss Association of Machinery Manufacturers, and Willy Kuert, Head of the VSM Standards Bureau and Secretary of the Swiss Standards Association, travel to the negotiations in London to represent Switzerland. The conference focuses on the ISO statutes and implementing regulations.

Only one organization per country can become a member

ISO aims to facilitate the coordination and unification of standards issued by national standards bodies and provides for a continuous exchange of information on countries' standardization work. Membership is open to any national standards organization, provided that it meets the conditions for admission and is willing to accept the statutes and implementing regulations. From each individual country, the organization that most comprehensively represents the standardizing bodies of that country is to become a member. The official languages of ISO adopted in London are English, French and Russian. The headquarters of the ISO are to be in Geneva, where the ISO begins its activities in February 1947.

The London Conference designates Geneva as the headquarters of the ISO. The Geneva office is established and on February 23, 1947, the ISO starts its activities.

Bodies of the ISO

The highest authority in the ISO is the General Assembly, which consists of the assembly of representatives of all members. As a rule, it meets every three years. For the first Presidents of ISO, Howard Coonley, chairman of the Executive Committee of the American Standards Association, is elected. The executive body is a Councilconsisting of the President and ten other members, who together represent eleven different member countries. This Council is vested with broad powers and is responsible for the governance of the ISO between General Assemblies. For the first five years, China, France, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States of America have permanent seats on the Council. The remaining six seats are allocated to Australia, Belgium, Brazil, India, Norway, and Switzerland. The Council elects from among its members a Vice Presidents and a Trésorier. Gustave L. Gérard, Belgium, is appointed Vice President for the first term and Fritz Streiff, Switzerland, is appointed Trésorier. The business of the organization is conducted by a Secretary General guided.

Switzerland recognizes its important role in the ISO

The Swiss representatives are convinced that Swiss industry and business can benefit from international standardization efforts and that active participation is therefore of great importance.

Thus, the Swiss Association for Standardization wrote in its press release of April 1947: "The standards organization of a country which, like Switzerland, is very heavily dependent on exports, must seek and maintain contact with foreign standards bodies by all means. Through our membership in ISO, these indispensable connections have been established, and we will be able to participate in the solution of international tasks. We are particularly pleased with the designation of Geneva as the headquarters of the new organization, the election to the ISO Council and the transfer of the trésorier's office. These decisions of the London Conference testify to the esteem in which our country, and Swiss standardization in particular, is held in international circles. They should be an incentive for the Swiss standardization bodies to assist in the implementation of the ISO work to the best of their ability."

Active cooperation with ISO for over 70 years

Decades after ISO was founded, Switzerland is still actively involved in international standardization and enjoys a high status within the organization to this day. Our country was and is often represented in the steering committees, for example in the ISO Council and the Technical Steering Committee. Currently, Switzerland is represented in the highest bodies with Urs Fischer in the ISO Council and Marcel Knecht in the Technical Steering Committee. Nicolas Fleury from Switzerland has been Deputy Secretary General since 2009, and the current Trésorier is also a private individual from Switzerland.

Urs Fischer: "Proof of confidence"

"Our close cooperation and the fact that ISO continues to maintain its headquarters and central secretariat in Switzerland fills us with great pride and pleasure. We consider it a special proof of the trust of ISO as well as its members and appreciate exceptionally that our know-how, our reliability and our cooperation since the existence of ISO are recognized without any doubt. Our 100th anniversary gives us a perfect opportunity to thank our colleagues at the ISO in Geneva, but also all members, for the extremely pleasant and successful cooperation."

Sources: Archive Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV) and ISO

Alongside conversion rate, customer loyalty and customer satisfaction are high on the agenda of many companies. In the first step, the challenge is to find the most meaningful values and evaluate them in the overall context. LogMeIn, a leader in customer engagement technology, has drawn on its years of experience to compile six tips on metrics and approaches to help companies with "Operation Customer Satisfaction."

Ask the right questions

Companies can collect various figures to determine customer satisfaction. Collecting data is the first step in arriving at actionable insights. However, for customer interactions to be used to optimize the customer experience, it is crucial to know what questions companies ask their customers and how detailed the answers are.

Six tips for measuring customer satisfaction

Companies should pay attention to the following aspects when measuring customer satisfaction:

1. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) as a central value for customer satisfaction: When it comes to measuring customer satisfaction, the obvious metric is the CSAT itself. For the simplest survey of CSAT, a question is asked such as "How satisfied are you with the service you received?" and answered with a value on a numerical scale. The difficulty with a survey of this type is that many customers, especially those who have not had an exceptional experience, ignore the survey and do not participate. But it may also be that the emotional aspects of the customer experience are glossed over in the aftermath. Yet it is these that could be critical to improving the customer experience and relationship. That's why it's important to look at CSAT in the context of other metrics.
2. Customer experience vs. customer expectationAs a supplement to the question about satisfaction, a question about the customer's expectations can be used. This involves checking whether customers agree or disagree with a statement such as "The service met my expectations". Gradients should also be taken into account here. Examples: Agree completely; Agree mostly; Agree hardly.
3. Use the Net Promoter Score to measure the likelihood of recommendations: The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a key figure that provides information on how likely customers are to recommend a product or service to others. To determine this figure, there is an NPS model that is designed to help companies inquire about and evaluate the behavior of their customers in the right way. To do this, the model divides customers into three groups: Promoters, Indifferents and Detractors. The first group speaks positively about the company, the second group is neutral, and the last group expresses negative opinions. To find out which category a customer belongs to, the question is asked, "How likely are you to recommend us?" The answer on a scale of 1 to 10 provides information about a single customer transaction. The distribution among the customer groups yields the actual key figure, the NPS. A value greater than 0 means that the company succeeds in turning customers into brand ambassadors. However, it is often not clear to customers how the model works and they tend to relate the question to their satisfaction rather than to recommendation, so that the value loses significance. Therefore, it can be useful to explain the model briefly and concisely to customers before they answer the question.
4. Reduce response time to customer inquiries: In addition to surveying customers, it is important to identify harder facts for evaluating the customer experience. In this context, an important KPI that influences customer satisfaction is a company's response time. It is a frequent source of frustration for customers - especially when they do not receive any attention for a long time and e-mails or chat requests are not answered quickly enough. Nowadays, customers expect response times of a few hours or minutes. 24 or even 48 hours are no longer acceptable.
5. Complete requests at the first contact: Complementary to response time, the First Contact Resolution Rate (FCR) quantifies the percentage of customer inquiries that are answered during the first contact and provides information on how effectively and efficiently customer inquiries and problems are resolved. Measuring response time and FCR not only serve as indicators of customer satisfaction, they can also alert companies to potentially damaging delays.
6. A short turnaround time is appreciated: The average processing time is another key figure that gives an idea of how efficiently customers are served. However, like the other values, it should always be viewed in conjunction with the CSAT or the NPS, since a short turnaround time is desirable in principle, but not at the expense of satisfaction. The overall picture of the key figures shows whether customers are satisfied with a company for a long time or whether there is a risk that they will turn to a competitor.

"To measure customer satisfaction, companies rely on CSAT or NPS. But for a comprehensive assessment, other metrics should also be considered," advises Sandra Schröter, senior international product marketing manager at LogMeIn. "In doing so, it is advisable to bring the data together in one place. From the big picture, it becomes clear how well a company is meeting its customers' expectations. Insights like this are essential because today, the customer experience is more important than ever and critical to long-term business success." LogMeIn offers Bold360, a digital customer engagement solution that helps companies make customer interactions more intuitive and efficient.

More information at: www.bold360.com/de/

The success of Switzerland as a business location depends to a large extent on the success of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in a wide variety of sectors. Because Switzerland as a domestic market is quickly saturated, especially for highly specialized niche offerings, many Swiss SMEs seek success abroad at an early stage. Research on the internationalization of companies has so far focused on large companies and multinational corporations. A systematic study of the special prerequisites and necessary leadership and management competencies of SMEs has been lacking.

Internationalization among SMEs is oriented toward opportunities

A study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, sponsored by Innosuisse, now shows that the internationalization of SMEs and large corporations differs significantly. "Small and medium-sized enterprises embark on internationalization in rapid cycles, orienting themselves to the opportunities or contingencies that present themselves, and are heavily dependent on entrepreneurship and the leadership and management skills of their executives," says project leader Prof. Dr. Ingo Stolz, describing the initial situation from qualitative interviews with over 20 Swiss SMEs. This contradicts previous descriptions and models, which traditionally describe internationalization in stages as a linear and strategically driven process. In the subsequent quantitative study, the researchers surveyed around 70 additional companies to determine the extent of their internationalization competencies. The study focused on the following questions: Which paths lead to the successful internationalization of SMEs? What leadership and management competencies are important for pursuing these paths? How can we measure whether the necessary competencies are available to a sufficient extent? And how can these competencies - if necessary - be developed?

Between intuition and rational decision-making

Executives of SMEs usually accompany internationalization projects through three phases: a start-up phase to search for possible scenarios and opportunities; a consolidation phase to test a concrete implementation idea by launching pilot projects; and an establishment phase for the consistent implementation and scaling of an internationalization project. During these three phases, an SME executive finds himself in two areas of tension, more so than in other business situations: on the one hand, he must identify the right time for intuitive action or for rational decision-making. On the other hand, they must use existing resources efficiently without missing the opportunity to make bold investments in new things.

Internationalization requires diverse competencies

The leadership and management competencies for internationalization can be divided into seven sub-areas: Risk awareness, strategy, adaptive organization, entrepreneurship, intercultural competence, international partnerships and market orientation. Successfully internationalizing SME executives have good internationalization competencies in all seven sub-areas. Depending on the phase of internationalization, the competencies within these seven sub-areas vary.

The Lucerne Model of SME Internationalization (see graphic), which emerged from the project, summarizes these findings. Based on this, the research team developed a measurement tool for determining the leadership and management competencies of SME executives in the areas relevant to internationalization. In this way, not only can existing competencies and any gaps be ascertained, but appropriate development steps can also be initiated.

The study results are available now at hslu.ch/kmu-international freely available for download. They will be enriched at the International Leadership Forum Lucerne (ILFL) with the concrete experiences by the corporate partners of the research project. In an open dialogue, SME entrepreneurs and executives are invited to discuss the internationalization of SMEs based on these latest research findings, exchange best practices and discover innovative entrepreneurial approaches at ILFL. An intensive exchange of experiences, practical workshops and inspiring keynotes provide the appropriate framework for this in a varied program.

The targeted expansion of its infrastructure forms a core element of the strategic orientation of GIA Informatik AG. Security for its customers is the IT company's top priority. It chose Lucerne as the location for a new data center (now the third), as it is not located in any danger zone for nuclear power plants, earthquakes, airports or floods. CKW Fiber Services AG has been operating this data center since 2015 and accommodates various tenants in it. At the beginning of 2019, the IT service provider from Oftringen with a focus on SAP, Cloud computing and IT Services will start operations in Lucerne. René Lüscher, Head of IT Solutions and member of the Executive Board of GIA Informatik AG: "We are convinced that with another data center we can offer the best possible solution for our customers. The new location does not pose any significant risks. By geographically separating the data center locations, we ensure that not all data centers are affected at the same time in the event of a crisis situation. With the new data center in Lucerne, we are significantly raising our quality standards."

Low latency brings great advantages

The primary data center is still located in Oftringen; all system classes classified by availability are located here. Disaster-tolerant systems are in operation in Lucerne. The lines from the previous data centers of GIA Informatik AG to Lucerne are routed redundantly. This means that they run on separate paths and never cross each other. The IT service provider ensures the fast connections with DWDM technology and bandwidths of 100 gigabit dark fiber leased lines. The data center in Lucerne is built according to Tier Level 3 to 4 and the current state of technology and security. In addition, with certification to the ISO/IEC 27001:2013 standard, it meets the same high information security management requirements as GIA Informatik AG. This ensures the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information. Furthermore, the new data center is well connected in terms of data technology. René Lüscher: "Due to the relatively short distance of less than 100 kilometers between the headquarters in Oftringen and Lucerne, we achieve a low latency, thanks to which the systems can be operated with high performance for the customers."

Customer wishes are a top priority

For the next two to five years, it is foreseeable that customers will increasingly want to move their data to the private cloud. GIA Informatik AG has sufficient capacity for expansion and transmission. "One of our essential advantages is data storage Switzerland. We are known for our quality," confirms René Lüscher. Furthermore, a geo-redundant connection is important, for example of the private cloud to the customer site.

Source and further information: www.gia.ch

Another common comment is, "Aren't the very problems preventing us from focusing on what's important?" After all, isn't the goal to reduce and solve the problems?

Everything is right! The only thing is: Too often there is the phenomenon that people do not strive with full force towards the next level of success because they fear that this will cause them even more problems. And this is exactly the point: You will always generate problems if you change something substantially. Striving for extraordinary goals automatically generates a series of problems that you are not even thinking about today.

Just imagine the flight to Mars. Or even driverless cars. Or building a business in a new market. You will create dozens or hundreds of new problems in all these cases. So my suggestion: better have the mindset that creating problems is a positive thing. In other words, the more problems you create, the more it is a sign that you are substantially developing yourself and your team or company. Or do you think that an Elon Musk, a Richard Branson, a Steve Jobs, a Nelson Mandela, a Bertrand Piccard and many others have sought the path without problems? Probably rather the opposite!

Here comes the good news: If you generate enough momentum on the way to your great goals - and this momentum is just crucial - then many problems will virtually dissolve as soon as you deal with them. You know this from your own experience: If you personally pursue an important goal with full force, then suddenly solutions are found for obstacles that previously seemed almost insurmountable. The reason: You have built up momentum.

So next time, instead of looking for the easiest path with the lowest common denominator, ask the leadership team instead, "What big steps toward a great vision will get us into so many problems?" And then take that path! You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

To your problems!

To the author:
Volkmar Völzke is a success maximizer. Book author. Consultant. Coach. Speaker. www.volkmarvoelzke.ch

Bastian Schneider has been advising companies on strategic and operational brand management in numerous industries in Switzerland, Germany and Austria for many years. He regularly writes professional articles on the topics of brand management and employer branding and gives expert lectures to companies, at universities and at conferences. Bastian Schneider was formerly a consultant at the Institute for Brand Technology in Geneva and a partner of NOHETO! Unternehmens- und Managementberatung in Witten. He studied economics at the University of Witten/Herdecke and is a trained banker. With Brand Leadership Circle (BLC), which belongs to Hotz Brand Consultants, Bastian Schneider is currently in the midst of a real transformation process. BLC was a printing company that began to transform itself step by step into a creative ecosystem for brand-oriented management with 130 employees about 15 years ago. In the process, they quickly realized that they had to actively involve those affected in the process. Clear orientation, but also the tangible handover of trust and responsibility, was particularly crucial in order to develop future strength. He actively passes on the experience he has gained in the process - including at the Ostschweizer Personaltag 2019 in June and here in this interview.

Bastian Schneider, how did you earn your first money?
With my father, at the age of 15. For an entire summer, I was "allowed" to cut down, dismantle and clear away countless trees in the garden together with my brother - for 8 Mark 50 an hour.

What was your first employer and why did you choose it?
My first real employer, after studying economics, was the Institute for Brand Technology in Geneva - for me at the time the authority on brand management and the only ones who seriously and seriously combined the subject of brands with the subject of corporate management. I had read many of the publications and found myself in the brand-technical view and the basic attitudes. It was clear to me at that time: I wanted to become a brand engineer! Towards the end of my studies, I sent out just one application. To Geneva. On my own initiative. There was no job advertised. But it worked out! In December 2004, I flew from Cologne to Geneva for an interview. Three months later I was able to start - and from there I realized exciting brand projects in Switzerland, Germany and Austria for many years. Today, I am still grateful that this worked out. I was able to learn a lot - and that's how we, my family and I, came to Switzerland in the first place.

Which company, apart from your own, has the greatest appeal for you, the best image - and why?
Quite clearly: Lego - and that's been the case since I was a little boy. "Inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow" - I can still identify very well with this purpose. But the question of an employer's charisma is one of those things. In many cases, the image of the company's product outshines the image of the company as an employer. Just because a product is sexy or a brand is in at the moment doesn't say much about what the company is like as an employer. What it's really like to work for this company. Every day. False or exaggerated expectations before applying then give way to great disappointment after starting work - with correspondingly high employee turnover. This is a major reason why some companies need to professionalize their employer branding. As a brand consultant, I have been able to look behind the scenes at some companies. Time and again, you meet employees there who immediately get the feeling: This fits, they are at exactly the right company for them. The pot-and-pan principle in action. A productive win-win situation. I think we should work to promote this "matching" and not think so much about the general appeal.

How can an employer stand out in the competition for skilled workers in the digital age?
The secret is "self-selection". It's not about being attractive to all potential employees. It's about being attractive to the right employees. For the people who fit the company, its culture and its entrepreneurial ambition. Companies are as different as people - and this should be taken into account. What triggers enthusiasm in one person is an absolute no-go for another. There is no right or wrong. There is only "fit" or "don't fit". Bold profiling versus generic noise without effect. In the competition for skilled workers, this means: Recognize your special features - and highlight them in your communication. What makes our company unique as an employer? What can we promise - and really deliver? What do we fight for? What inspires us to give our best every day? A company should answer these questions clearly and confidently in its own way. And thus lay the foundation to successfully participate in the "war for talent". In order to be able to attract the people who are right for you. The best way to do this is by taking advantage of the new digital possibilities and communicating in an increasingly data-driven, system-supported and automated way. Qualitatively better applications, more efficient recruiting processes and a higher average seniority will be the result.

What are employer values that will always exist and remain important?
From a brand perspective: only your own.

Bastian Schneider is a speaker at this year's Ostschweizer Personaltag. More information 

Production and supply chain processes can be increasingly digitized and create new efficiency potentials. This fourth industrial revolution is forcing companies in the distribution, manufacturing, process manufacturing, service, chemical and food industries in particular to realign their ERP solution. Rob Sinfield, vice president of enterprise management at Sage, says, "Industry 4.0 is changing the way businesses operate and presents tremendous opportunities, but also increasing complexity. Our objective is to help our customers consistently leverage the potential of Industry 4.0 with software that not only has a wider range of functional capabilities and can manage business processes more efficiently, but also maps application-specific features in detail. Sage Business Cloud Enterprise Management is a total solution for customers who want to bring together products and processes and thus consistently expand their business opportunities."

Flexible implementation options

With the new version, companies can choose whether they want to use the software as a pure cloud application in the public cloud or as a hybrid solution. For customers who do not want to work in the public cloud, Sage Business Cloud Enterprise Management can also be provided hosted in the private cloud or on-premise.

Sage Business Cloud Enterprise Management Version 12 allows users to customize the system's user interface to their individual workflows on a role-based basis and control them both from the desktop computer and via tablet or smartphone. Workflows can thus be optimized and ERP management accelerated from order taking, manufacturing and warehousing to sales, customer service and finance. Customized dashboards inform users in real time about the performance of selected business processes and, for example, draw attention to irregularities that could affect the operational business. With customized scoreboards, users can run detailed analyses on individual business functions and thus optimize their risk management. Thanks to the responsive design, all workflows, data and analyses are always displayed clearly and in a well-structured manner on all end devices.

Additional interfaces for even more functional diversity

New, additional interfaces (APIs) also make it possible to expand and customize the software's functions by integrating tailored solutions and apps from third-party providers. This allows automation processes to be further expanded, for example.

Version 12 also includes two new query frameworks, GraphQL and Sage Data Integration, for the Sage Business Cloud Enterprise Management interfaces. This can reduce integration time for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to as little as two days and help end users streamline processes, avoid duplication and reduce errors.

More information about application possibilities and features of the software

Women's issues such as gender equality, pay gaps and quotas are booming in politics, the private sector and the media. Everywhere there seems to be a lack of female exponents. There is a desperate search for female speakers for conferences or suitable female candidates for boards of directors. Statistics showing that Switzerland is far behind in terms of the number of women in management positions are often cited. Rarely, however, are the nearly 60,000 Swiss self-employed women entrepreneurs of sole proprietorships and small businesses included in these statistics. The board of the Association of Women's Businesses, newly elected on April 10, is strongly committed to giving these women a voice in management positions.

Small, but with growing importance

Of the over 594,000 self-employed in their main occupation, over 10.3% are in women (bfs, 2017). They run innovative start-ups, sole proprietorships and small businesses. These firms may be small compared to large international corporations. But their importance is undisputed when it comes to innovative, agile business models, work-life balance, and attractive opportunities for part-time employees. And the fourth industrial revolution will further increase the economic importance of self-employed workers in the service, technology and healthcare sectors.

This is also confirmed by the statistics published by the bfs in 2018 on the topic of founders in Switzerland. With an upward trend, 35.3 % of all new companies were founded by women alone in 2017. And this trend can also be seen in the long-term view: In the second quarter of 2018, female entrepreneurs accounted for 37.3% of all entrepreneurs - compared to only 28.2% in 1991.

Own pension solution for female entrepreneurs

However, the fact that 60,000 self-employed women and their businesses receive little attention from politicians and the media is only one of the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs: As long as they have no employees, they often fall between the chair and the bench when it comes to 2nd pillar pensions, they find it hard to gain access to large business associations and trade networks, and they have a hard time securing public funding.

That is why the Association of Women's Businesses has been working for 21 years to give women with their own businesses a face and a voice. In 2017, for example, the first cross-industry pension solution for sole proprietors in Switzerland was implemented. With the new board elected in April, the aim in the coming years is not only to continue the successful projects, but also to launch new initiatives that give more visibility and weight to women entrepreneurs in Switzerland. "Yes, in many areas there is a lack of female role models and candidates. But where we have them in Switzerland, we need to give them the visibility and create framework conditions with which they can grow. This is an essential contribution to the innovative strength and attractiveness of Switzerland as a business location," says Chantal Schmelz, newly elected president of the Association of Women's Businesses.

More information: Association women's business 

Many companies have neglected their data quality in the past, for various reasons. The fact that their ERP systems performed only suboptimally as a result was something they were unaware of or accepted. With the digitization of processes and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI), this is becoming an even greater risk. Because there is ample scientific evidence: Poor data quality affects efficiency and results, even with AI systems such as self-learning machines. Anyone who has not yet taken action should therefore do something.

Seven tips for better data quality

ERP manufacturer proALPHA advises subjecting data to a seven-stage performance test - and that includes the company's own inventories as well as information from other sources, such as credit reporting agencies and other third-party providers. The decisive performance parameters are:

1. CompletelyMissing information is more than just annoying. The more digitalized processes become, the more important it is that all the necessary data is available. If, for example, information on the components for a product is incomplete, the production process may come to a standstill or the end product may not meet the specifications. To ensure the performance of business processes, it is advisable to define mandatory fields and perform automated checks at selected process points. Nevertheless, companies should not fall into a "data collection frenzy". Since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force, the principle of economy has applied to personal data: only as much information may be stored as is actually necessary. Data that is no longer required must be permanently deleted. (Incidentally, this also applies to Swiss companies that have data from the EU area, editor's note).
2. CurrentNon-synchronized address and contact data is a prime example of outdated information. Precisely because sales employees only sporadically visit headquarters, the customer database was never up to date in the past. Mobile CRM solutions provide a remedy here. They also keep production-critical information such as warehouse data up to date. Nevertheless, not every status needs to be available in real time. Instead, companies should check their processes to see where faster data provision can increase productivity, and start there.
3. Consistent: Data records in different systems must not contradict each other. In practice, double data storage in several data silos and manual transfer "only" lead to additional work for data entry in the best case. In the worst case, errors occur, for example when transferring order data to quality assurance software. Inconsistencies resulting from this are relatively easy to get to grips with today, thanks to modern integration techniques.
4. Conform: Data must meet the requirements of the systems and the processes, for example, it must be in the appropriate, preferably standardized format. Date and currency formats are classics here. In the case of time stamps, it is also important to ensure that the respective time zone is recorded in addition to the hours and minutes. After all, there is a twelve-hour time difference between 8 a.m. in Shanghai and 8 a.m. in São Paulo.
5. Exactly: Data must be accurate. More precisely, they must be sufficiently accurate. After all, not every business process requires high-precision data down to the xth decimal place. Here, too, companies should first ask themselves: How precise do measured values and other data need to be? The required accuracy should then also be monitored on the system side by means of appropriate rules and data checks.
6. UniqueDuplicates not only unnecessarily inflate the database. They also lead to unnecessary queries. If they remain undetected, misinterpretations quickly occur. For example, if a supplier has several supplier numbers and thus key figures such as the contract volume for discount negotiations are not aggregated. Filtering out redundant data from an inventory is already possible with the on-board tools of a spreadsheet program. However, duplicates keep creeping in and the work starts all over again. An automated data quality manager offers a more sustainable way to clean data.
7. CorrectThis criterion refers not only to topicality but also to another essential aspect, namely the accuracy and reliability of the data. The current discussion about fake news underscores this once again: "cutting-edge" information about a supplier's economic difficulties does not necessarily have to be correct. The sources from which companies obtain business-relevant information must therefore be traceable and credible.

Sustainable quality management required

The relationship of companies to their data is often ambivalent: In some places, for example in sales or finance, its quality is sometimes openly mistrusted, while in other places, for example in production, the quality is often overestimated. Sustainable quality management for data helps in three ways: It prevents costly errors, increases confidence in the company's own data, and enables better decisions. Above all, however, properly managed data helps to digitize processes. To achieve this plus in data-driven efficiency, companies can learn a thing or two from top teams in sports: It takes profound and honest analysis, a clear strategy, and individual commitment to continuous improvement, at all levels of the team.

Source: proALPHA

The shortage of skilled workers on the labor market has led to an applicant market in many industries. As a result, the choices available to many employees have increased significantly. However, this also leads to a high willingness to change among Swiss employees: More than one-third of companies (34 %) report that voluntary employee turnover has increased over the past three years. This is shown by the current labor market study of the personnel service provider Robert Half.

Remaining attractive for employees

Accordingly, more than a third of respondents (34 %) see the biggest challenge for talent management as keeping the existing team motivated and engaged. "Attracting new employees, shortening the recruiting process and improving communication - these remain at the top of the agenda. However, measures to retain employees are also becoming increasingly important for the success of the company," comments Zerrin Azeri, Associate Director at Robert Half in Zurich. "Companies therefore need to respond quickly to remain attractive to existing employees."

Align changes with most common reasons for change

Employee turnover is a cross-industry problem. The reasons for employee resignations, on the other hand, differ depending on the size of the company. While in large companies too low a salary (44 %) is the most frequently cited reason, in small companies it is a lack of freedom (38 %) that causes employees to look for a new employer. In medium-sized companies, there are no less than three top reasons why employees leave the company: poor work-life balance, lack of career development and lack of recognition for performance (32 % each).

"For measures to be effective, companies should analyze exactly why employees leave. For large companies, a critical look at salary packages is recommended. If budgets don't allow for bigger pay jumps, perhaps alternative offers will incentivize employees," Azeri explains. "Small and midsize companies, on the other hand, should think about how to give their employees greater freedom or develop career paths."

Source: www.roberthalf.ch

The development company for individual software Intersys was able to increase its sales by 28 percent from 5.4 to 6.9 million francs in the past fiscal year. In the same period, profit grew by more than 0.5 million francs. "This financial success also allowed the company to pay bonuses and dividends and expand its workforce in its twentieth year," says Adrian Hutzli, CEO of Intersys. The number of employees increased from 32 to 37 in 2018.

Complex data projects at large companies

The year 2018 was characterized by several adjustments within the organization and the expansion of new services, which had a positive financial impact. For example, the sale of Cassandra services and licenses not only attracted new customers, but also generated additional profits on the EBIT side. These include, for example, new complex data projects at major Swiss companies. Overall, thanks to the project acquisitions at three major customers, the number of employees was increased and investments were made in the new strategy. Hutzli had begun adjusting the company's strategic direction for the next three to five years in the fourth quarter of 2018. The concrete implementation is to be launched in the second half of 2019. Hutzli: "In the process, it is important for us to retain what is tried and tested and to incorporate new things. The goal, for example, is to develop successful products from existing services with which the company can scale." Product approaches for the management of medical devices (MaMeDe, Management of Medical Devices) or for the localization of emergency calls (Location Server) are being developed and are already meeting with great interest on the market.

First nearshoring experiences

In order to compensate for a lack of skills and to be able to react flexibly in the event of resource bottlenecks, the company has implemented initial projects using the nearshoring method. In the current fiscal year, Hutzli intends to expand this cooperation, although all contacts with customers will continue to be maintained by Intersys from Switzerland. "Nearshore development has proven to be an effective alternative for us to provide developer capacity. However, we want to further promote and expand the capabilities in the area of product management, product owner, requirement engineering, GUI specifications for direct collaboration with our customers within Intersys in Switzerland," Hutzli emphasizes.