Zendesk Commended by Frost & Sullivan for Its Customer-focused Sales Force Automation Solution

Based on its recent analysis of the North American small and mid-sized business (SMB) mobile worker apps market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Zendesk with the 2020 North American Product Leadership Award for its Sell sales force automation (SFA) solution. The solution stands out for its ease of use, affordable pricing, creative bundling, ongoing support, and emphasis on the customer experience.

“Zendesk Sell is tailored to the needs of SMBs and offers a tiered selection of capabilities. Unlike legacy sales management tools, it supports an omnichannel strategy; provides an easy-to-use, mobile-first experience; and prioritizes integration with both internal company systems and external services,” said Jeanine Sterling, Frost & Sullivan Industry Director. “Significantly, Zendesk is able to leverage the product usage data from over 40,000 Zendesk customers and combine it with information from its Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report for well-rounded insights regarding customer needs.”

Zendesk Sell is available as a standalone offering and as a part of a competitively priced bundle called the Sales Suite. This bundle includes the Zendesk Sell, Chat, Reach, and Voice, which are core tools used by sales representatives to prospect, communicate, and sell. Zendesk Sell is available in a cloud-based as-a-service format, and its subscription pricing model makes it affordable to smaller businesses and allows customers to scale the solution easily.

The company is looking to make the most of its rising brand awareness with creative go-to-market strategies that target existing Zendesk users that need SFA software and value the integration of Sell with other Zendesk products and that target new prospects that are searching for SFA software that is powerful yet easy to use and affordable. These two strategies can potentially tap customer segments that are new to SFA and either seeking to upgrade to a more advanced SFA or replace a legacy or homegrown product.

“The SMB mobile worker applications sector is expected to continue growing, and mobilized SFA solutions, such as Sell, will be key contributors to this trend. The company also continues to forge technology and reseller partnerships, thereby building an ecosystem of apps and alternate channels that open up new global markets,” noted Sterling. “As Zendesk expands into the enterprise sector, its Sell offering and tiered plans will continue to offer SMBs flexibility, scalability, integrations, and the capabilities that smaller businesses need to succeed.”

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has developed a product with innovative features and functionality that is gaining rapid market acceptance. The award recognizes the quality of the solution and the customer value enhancements it enables.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analyses, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

The Agile Achiever: The All-New BMW S 1000 XR Now in Indian Market

Features

* The all-new BMW S 1000 XR.

* Enhanced Touring Capabilities - The lightest bike in its class. 

* Powerful and Agile - New 999 cc four cylinder in-line engine 

* Dynamic and sporty design with optimised ergonomics.

* Extensive standard equipment – All-LED Lighting, Dynamic ESA, Riding Modes Pro, TFT display and connectivity. 

* Wide array of retrofit options for enhanced safety, comfort, storage, maintenance, riding gear, navigation and communication.

* Enhanced riding experience and comfort with unmatched safety. 

‘XR’ stands for an uncompromising mix of sportiness and touring capability. The all-new BMW S 1000 XR’s thrilling design reflects pure performance and the promise of long-distance travelling comfort with a riding position that is impressively active yet relaxed. The front fairing and lighting system are defined by sharp edges. Combined with striking beading the overall line is shaped aggressively and consistently to the finish. The visually short tail is also reminiscent of a sport bike. The revised aerodynamics, fairing, comfortable handlebars along with long-distant seating position ensure great riding fun miles after miles. The adjustable windshield provides even better protection against the cold, driving noises and the elements allowing the rider to keep your eyes on the road. All lighting units such as the main headlamp, tail light, indicator lights and instrument cluster uses the latest LED technology. The new LED headlamp not only gives the all-new BMW S 1000 XR a highly dynamic look, it also lights up the road even more effectively than before. The integrated parking lights enhance the bike's unmistakable appearance.

The newly developed 999 cc in-line 4-cylinder engine is based on the BMW S 1000 RR engine and delivers an output of 165 hp at 11,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 114 Nm at 9,250 rpm. The engine speed range is broader and harmonious to enhance ridability. The 4th, 5th and 6th gears now have longer ratios, low noise level, lower fuel consumption and lower engine rpm at cruising speeds. The motorcycle sprints from 0-100 km/hr in just 3.3 seconds and achieve a top speed of over 200 km/hr.

The new suspension system has been completely engineered to enhance riding dynamics and riding fun as compared to the predecessor model. The key factor is the optimum interplay between the frame design and the engine as a load-bearing element. The new double-sided swinging arm offers a particularly sensitive response thanks to its direct linkage. The suspension geometry further increase agility, feedback and enhance the mechanical grip of the rear wheel.

The all-new BMW S 1000 XR has four standard riding modes – Rain, Road, Dynamic and Dynamic Pro. The ‘Dynamic Pro’ mode is fully configurable and offers riders a wide range of setting options to suit their riding style.  The throttle response, engine brake, ABS control and traction control, wheelie control (including the new ‘Power Wheelie’ setting) can be configured separately for the first time. While the part integral BMW Motorrad ABS systems already provide a very high degree of performance and safety when braking in a straight line, ABS Pro now takes this a step further to offer increased safety when braking in banking position as well.

The adventure tourer features the latest generation of BMW Motorrad Dynamic ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) as standard. Thanks to the latest valve technology, the versatile adventure sports bike provides a particularly dynamic riding experience with a high level of ride comfort. For the first time in the BMW S 1000 XR, the dynamic brake assistant DBC (Dynamic Brake Control) also supports the rider during braking manoeuvres.

Further, MSR (Motorschleppmomentregelung) or dynamic engine break control electronically prevents the locking, slippage or hopping of the rear wheel that can result when the throttle is snapped shut or the during rider downshifts. MSR maximizes stability and safety of the BMW S 1000 XR by detecting rear wheel hopping in time and instantaneously equalize drag torque by opening the throttle valves. The anti-hopping clutch in combination with MSR offers best protection against engine braking torque influences and against dropping the bike. 

The best-in-class 6.5- inch colour TFT screen instrument cluster along with BMW Motorrad connectivity offers unmatched display and access to information. In addition, the BMW Motorrad Connected App offers handy arrow based navigation suitable for day-to-day use directly on TFT screen. The multi-controller on the left hand handlebar panel enables quick, safe and convenient screen operation. 

A wide range of retrofit equipment and gear options are available to further enhance the riding experience with a range of storage bags, backpacks, rider gear, navigation and communication. Customers can augment their bike with safety accessories suchas radiator grille, hand protector, brake disk lock with antitheft alarm and protective glass for TFT screen. Quick maintenance at home or while touring is made easy with assembly stand, multifunctional tool kit, tyre pressure travel pack, breakdown assistance kit for tubeless tyres and compact foot pump. 

Intermiles Offers Opportunities to Earn Daily with Intermiles Everyday

InterMiles, the leading loyalty & rewards programme, has introduced an expanded range of opportunities that will enable members to broad-base their earning potential of the digital rewards currency, InterMiles. ‘InterMiles Everyday’ will enable members to earn assured InterMiles as they conduct their daily transactions.

The lockdown has prompted new habits and behaviors to take hold as members adjusted to a disruption in availability products, access to services and social distancing norms. Taking cognizance of increase in adoption of digital services, InterMiles App will provide meaningful opportunities for members to earn more across activities such as online learning & reading, retail, healthcare, bill payment & recharges, and gift cards, through ‘InterMiles Everyday’.

Mr. Vikas Chandak, Senior VP & Head – Business & Strategic Partnerships, InterMiles said, “We are excited to share with our members that InterMiles earning is no longer occasion driven, it is every day. InterMiles Everyday allows our members to find quick and easy ways to earn InterMiles on a daily basis via our App and engage with various aspects of the program. The pandemic has prompted consumers to actively seek convenient ways of interacting with brands. InterMiles Everyday is in sync with the evolving habits, lifestyle & constraints of our member community and offers instant miles earning opportunities. As we grow InterMiles Everyday, we hope to make the InterMiles earning a very rewarding daily habit.”

As new habits take hold, members are spending a lot more time online – buying, learning, accessing entertainment and building social connections have all become increasingly virtual. Towards making InterMiles earning an everyday habit, InterMiles Everyday has opened a range of fun & engaging activities like Quizzes and Games which members can enjoy while sitting at home. Additionally, encouraging our members to stay fit, InterMiles Everyday will allow members to earn miles for steps they take on a daily basis through its new feature Step to Miles. Through unique partnerships InterMiles enables its members to earn miles for all their online shopping across players like Amazon, Flipkart and Zivame, as well as while learning on Udemy, Economist, TedX and Eduonix. InterMiles is continuously expanding these partnerships towards becoming more relevant on a daily basis.

InterMiles serves as a ubiquitous, alternate currency of choice that members can earn on every spend as well as use accumulated InterMiles for a reward of their choice. Members can continue unlocking rewards across Amazon, Shoppers Stop, Flipkart, and over 2,500 merchandise options on the InterMiles Reward store.

About InterMiles

InterMiles is one of the world’s leading Loyalty & Rewards Programme. - Its ubiquitous rewards and recognition currency, also called InterMiles, helps close to 10 million InterMiles members fulfil their travel and lifestyle aspirations. The program lets members make every day transactions and lifestyle experiences more rewarding by earning InterMiles across, essential services, healthcare, wellness, learning, shopping, dining, travel and more. Members can then redeem these miles for over 2,500 merchandise options.

Godrej Protekt, Indian Railways Parner for Hygiene-Based Safe Rail Travel Program by Introducing Personal & Home Hygiene Range

Travel Safe

* With new products, Godrej Protekt forays in segments like soaps, disinfectant sprays, face masks, fruit & veggie disinfectant and dish washing liquid

* Partnership with Mumbai division of Central Railway for a social initiative to promote safe rail travel and hygiene

To empower people to live fearlessly in the ‘new normal’, Godrej Protekt, India’s trusted hygiene brand from Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), introduces a complete personal and home hygiene range of twelve products. Offering 99.9% protection against germs, bacteria and viruses, the range includes Godrej Protekt Health Soap, Body Wash, Germ Protection Fruit & Veggie Wash, Germ Protection Dish Wash Liquid, INR 1 Hand Sanitiser Sachet, Air & Surface Disinfectant Spray, On the Go Disinfectant Spray, Surface & Skin Anti-Bacterial Wipes, PW95 Face Masks, and Multipurpose Disinfectant Solution.

Till recently, Godrej Protekt was present only in hand hygiene segment with hand sanitisers and handwashes including Mr. Magic – India’s first powder to liquid handwash, in its portfolio. With the new range, Godrej Protekt becomes a complete personal and home hygiene brand. It is foraying for the first time in segments like soaps, disinfectant sprays, face masks, fruit & veggie wash and dish washing liquid. Thus, Godrej Protekt will now offer hygiene based protection for home, kitchen and personal use.  It has also introduced hand sanitiser in a sachet format at INR 1 for the first time.

 

Commenting on the occasion, Sunil Kataria, CEO - India and SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), said, “Godrej Protekt's purpose is to alleviate hygiene concerns of consumers with the personal and home hygiene range. We have become a complete hygiene-suite for home, kitchen and personal use. Our key new products include Germ Protection Fruit & Veggie Wash, Germ Protection Dish Wash Liquid, INR 1 Hand Sanitiser Sachet, Air & Surface Disinfectant Spray, On the Go Disinfectant Spray, Surface & Skin Anti-Bacterial Wipes, and Multipurpose Disinfectant Solution. As a brand, Godrej Protekt aims to be INR 500 crore in next 3 years.”

 

He further added, “We have partnered with the Indian Railways' Central Railway zone to promote travel hygiene amongst passengers and rail employees. 2 lac products of our new range like Hand Sanitiser Sachets, On the Go Disinfectant Spray will be used in passenger trains for a safe travel experience. Our Air and Surface Disinfectant Spray will be used to disinfect surfaces of ticket booking counters as well. We look forward to the partnership with Central Railways to build an initiative which will positively impact people's lives.”

As a purpose-driven brand, Godrej Protekt has effectively utilised the new range for an initiative in partnership with Indian Railways’ Central Railway zone. In the new normal, regular activities like rail, flight, and road travel, will be impacted. Health risks perceived by people will need immediate acknowledgement, to boost their confidence and reassure a safe travel experience. Under the aegis of Protekt India Movement, Godrej Protekt and Mumbai division of Central Railway will run a joint program to improve travel hygiene and its awareness amongst passengers and rail employees. The following activities will be undertaken as part of the joint program: 

* Safe travel awareness-raising activities will be conducted at railway stations under Central Railways

* Godrej Protekt Health Soap will be given to railway employees to boost their hand hygiene

* Godrej Protekt Hand Sanitiser sachets to be distributed amongst passengers on Central Railway local trains as well as long-distance trains originating from Mumbai for cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Patna, Lucknow, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Gorakhpur, Darbhanga, and Gadag

* Godrej Protekt’s On the Go Disinfectant Spray, with 99.9% germ protection and anti-bacterial capabilities, will be used in the above mentioned long-distance trains to disinfect hard surfaces like passenger’s luggage along with handles, seats, armrests, door handles

* Surroundings and surfaces of ticket booking counters of Central Railway stations in Mumbai will be disinfected with Godrej Protekt Air and Surface Disinfectant Spray, an aerosol spray which kills 99.9% germs and bacteria. 87 ticket booking counters of 53 stations between CST upto Karjat, Panvel and Kasara, will be covered

* Both entities will co-create digital content around hygiene practices necessary for rail travel during COVID-19 times. This will be to build awareness amongst 4.12 lac combined followers of Central Railways on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The program will cover close to 400 local and long-distance COVID-19 special trains. The on-train activities will benefit passengers of long-distance trains traveling from Mumbai to states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Karnataka, Odisha, Telangana, Kerala and other parts of Maharashtra. Passengers of Mumbai local trains running under Central Railways will benefit as well. Around 2 lac products from Godrej Protekt new personal and home hygiene will be offered by Godrej Protekt for this program.

Commenting on the joint program, Gaurav Jha, Sr. DCM, Mumbai Division, Central Railway, said, “Through a joint awareness program with Godrej Protekt, Central Railways highlights its commitment towards health and safety of our passengers and employees. This is a unique social initiative aiming to boost hygiene standards awareness as well as gear them with relevant solutions at select touchpoints. This will encourage people to travel more by rail. We will connect with passengers on-ground, in-train and via digital media through this program. Seeing its success, we can replicate this program across various zones of Indian Railways.”

About Godrej Consumer Products Ltd:

Godrej Consumer Products is a leading emerging markets company. As part of the 123-year young Godrej Group, we are fortunate to have a proud legacy built on the strong values of trust, integrity and respect for others. At the same time, we are growing fast and have exciting, ambitious aspirations.

Today, our Group enjoys the patronage of 1.15 billion consumers globally, across different businesses. In line with our 3 by 3 approach to international expansion at Godrej Consumer Products, we are building a presence in 3 emerging markets (Asia, Africa, Latin America) across 3 categories (home care, personal wash, hair care). We rank among the largest household insecticide and hair care players in emerging markets. In household insecticides, we are the leader in India, the second largest player in Indonesia and are expanding our footprint in Africa. We are the leader in serving the hair care needs of women of African descent, the number one player in hair colour in India and Sub-Saharan Africa, and among the leading players in Latin America. We rank number two in soaps in India and are the number one player in air fresheners and wet tissues in Indonesia.

But for us, it is very important that besides our strong financial performance and innovative, much-loved products, we remain a good company. Approximately 23 per cent of the promoter holding in our Group is held in trusts that invest in the environment, health and education. We are also bringing together our passion and purpose to make a difference through our 'Good & Green' approach to create a more inclusive and greener India.

At the heart of all of this, is our talented team. We take much pride in fostering an inspiring workplace, with an agile and high performance culture. We are also deeply committed to recognising and valuing diversity across our teams.

RB Announces $25 Mn Investment in New Reckitt Hygiene Institute to Strengthen Scientific Evidence and Achieve Change

RB has announces the launch of a global initiative to generate high-quality scientific research-based evidence to inform public health recommendations and promote behaviours that improve global hygiene. The Reckitt Global Hygiene Institute (RGHI) is a public health research and innovation hub that will bridge epidemiology, public health, and behavioural insights to generate practical, high-quality scientific research that leads to enduring behaviour change. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed public health to the top of the global agenda. At RB, we see the need for a new paradigm that brings together the highest quality scientific based evidence and informed public health recommendations to generate large-scale behaviour change for a cleaner, healthier world,” said Laxman Narasimhan, CEO of RB. “Today we’re announcing our commitment to convene a group of multi-disciplinary experts who, like us, believe real change on a global scale is within reach if we translate science-based evidence and consumer behavioural insights into sustainable hygienic practices that can be adopted globally. This ambitious goal is the result of our belief that the highest quality hygiene is a right and not a privilege.”  

RB’s commitment to global hygiene research and education includes: 

A multi-year, $25 million investment in research aimed at filling the gaps in our understanding of the science-based evidence around hygiene and the behaviours and solutions necessary to sustain it. 

The formation of an Expert Panel—comprised of cross-discipline luminaries—to guide these research efforts at leading academic institutions around the world. 

The creation of a Global Hygiene Institute with physical infrastructure, a Governing Board supported by full-time staff, ongoing research, and education programming driven by expert researchers and educators. 

Through the establishment of a fellowship program with leading universities, RGHI will generate practical, informed public health research and recommendations that champion global hygiene as the foundation of health. The RGHI Governing Board will determine specific areas for research and will work with the Expert Panel to award the fellowships to promising early career academics, who will become Reckitt Fellows. In addition to the fellowships, the Institute will award grants to institutions for open, collaborative, cross-functional research. The Expert Panel will further define the parameters of these awards. 

RB is honored to announce the founding members of the Governing Board and Expert Panel including: 

Professor Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine 

Dame Sally Davies, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge

Professor Feng Cheng, Research Center for Public Health, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, Tsinghua 

Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) 

Professor Dr. Albert Ko, Department Chair and Professor of Epidemiology, Yale School of Medicine  

Professor Teo Yik Ying, Dean, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore 

“The purpose of RB—to protect, heal, and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world—resonates more than ever in the current environment. I am excited to work with the Expert Panel and combine the deep experience in their respective fields with RB’s expertise in hygiene and consumer behaviours,” said Simon Sinclair, RB Chief Safety Officer, who has been named Executive Director of RGHI. “We look forward to partnering across disciplines and geographies to generate the information necessary to support the right behaviour changes for a healthier world.” 

Updates about RGHI are forthcoming as additional details about the initiative are confirmed. The formal launch of the Institute will be in the autumn of 2020.  

LAVA Brings its Service Centre to You with Service on the Wheels

Indian Mobile handset brand, Lava International Limited, launched a unique customer service program to provide service and repair facility to its customers at their location. Lava’s Service on Wheels will enable customers to get access to Lava service centre at their city/town/village without having to travel to the service centres for fixing their phones.

Lava’s Service on Wheels has been launched in districts of UP, Haryana, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Bihar and will be expanded to 300+ locations by the end of the year. This is in addition to Lava’s current service strength of 800+ service centres throughout the country.

Speaking about this launch Satya Sati, Head- Customer Service, Lava International said- “Providing excellent after sales service to our customers along with quick turnaround time has been our key focus at Lava. We understand that during these unprecedented times there is a lot of anxiety and apprehension in travelling to the nearest service centre. To ease our customers we thought of this unique program through which we can take our service centres to our customers.”

Service on Wheels is being offered through Lava authorised technicians who will travel to nearby areas/markets including rural locations and help their customers. These Lava authorized technicians will follow the requisite social distancing norms. Technician will carry all necessary spare parts and replacement devices and repair the handset on the spot. In case of any major repairs the handset will be taken to the service centre and delivered to the customer during the next visit of service on wheels.

Students of Global Indian International School Shine in CBSE Class X and XII Exams

Students of Global Indian International School (GIIS), a network of premier international schools, achieved noteworthy academic feats in the recently announced CBSE Class X and XII results. The examinations were held in February 2020, before the nation was under lockdown due to the emergence of Covid-19. 

Commenting on the performance of GIIS students, Mr. Rajiv Bansal, Director-Operations, GIIS India said “It is extremely gratifying to see our students perform well in the board exams with many students scoring centum (100) and near perfect scores (99) in various subjects. At GIIS, our NINE Gems Framework is designed to focus on the holistic development of our students and academic excellence is a critical aspect of our pedagogy. The constant support from our teachers and the sincere efforts of our students has enabled GIIS to achieve such good results across the country. We are extremely proud of our students’ achievements and want to thank the parents for their constant support in nurturing the leaders of tomorrow.”

Out of 7 GIIS campuses in India, students of Noida, Surat, Ahmedabad & Whitefield (Bengaluru) campuses appeared for their Class X exams and achieved a 100% pass percentage. While students of GIIS Surat & Noida campuses appeared for Class XII exams, this being the first batch for GIIS Noida.

Sameeksha Srivastava, student of GIIS Noida topped her Class X batch with 97.6% while Dhanay Agarwal and Priyamvada Sinha scored 96% and 95% respectively to secure the second and third positions. Nehal Kaul, a science student of Class XII topped the school with 96.6% marks followed by Ronit (science) and Pratham Chhabriaa (commerce) scoring 90.4% and 86.2% respectively. Pratham Chhabriaa has also been selected and received a scholarship in University of Waterloo in Canada, where he will be doing his Honours in Economics with Business.

Batch of Class X in GIIS Surat achieved 100% pass percentage. Kanishka Khandelwal topped the class with 94%, followed by Ishan Mittal and Suraj Rajput with 92.8% and 90% respectively. With respect to class XII, Neha Mishra topped the class with 91.2%, followed closely by Khushboo Mishra with 90.4%, both from the Commerce stream.

A scholar at the Advanced Learning Centre for bright students by IISC, Bengaluru, Sri Uma Maheshwari from GIIS Whitefield campus topped her class scoring 96.4%, and a perfect 100 in Mathematics in CBSE Class X examinations. Among other toppers from the batch, Anirudh Pradyumnan Srinivasan scored 95.6% and Himanshi Sarkar secured 3rd position with 94.4%. And Rushil Verma, who has scored a centum (100 marks) in Hindi, is an achievement worth mentioning.

At GIIS Ahmedabad, student Vaidehi Thanaki topped the batch with 93% in her Class X CBSE examinations. Aakriti Roy and Gaurav Nathani with 91.8% and 91.6% secured the second and the third rank respectively. The campus also achieved a 100% pass percentage.

GIIS’ focus on delivering quality education to its students with a strong emphasis on enhancing their learning outcomes has been a crucial factor in the excellent performance showcased by its students.