Archive for the ‘use case’ category

Ten Benefits of an Online Database to Public Relations Agencies

April 2nd, 2009

With the launch of the new MediaOnTwitter database generating enthusiasm in the PR community, I thought I’d share ten benefits an online database provides PR professionals:

1. Track media contacts from third parties. Excel import allows agencies to easily import media lists obtained from third parties. Firms can even update existing records via an Excel Import.

2. Better manage agency workflow. Email alerts will notify appropriate team member when a change is made and requires follow-up (i.e. press release has been approved by client and requires posting to wire).

3. Streamline the approval process. No need to send emails back and forth to your client. Simply grant the appropriate permission levels to your clients so they can access the latest revisions real-time.

4. Stay on top of editorial calendars. Date field type and calendar format allow you to easily create an editorial calendar. Distribution schedules can be set up so no editorial deadline is missed.

5. Communicate with journalists, clients and prospects. Built-in email campaign tool allows agencies to merge database fields and send newsletters or mass emails to their media contacts or clients.

6. Easily locate media contacts and prior agency work. Use the Internet like search functionality to locate a niche journalist or past release in your database.

7. Maintain integrity of media contacts. Keep contacts clean and up-to-date via the find duplicate feature that makes it easy to find duplicate contacts by name, publication, email, or any other field you specify.

8. Powerful way to segment media and clients. Slice and dice your contacts using custom views to filter data based on criteria most relevant to your client (i.e. location, beat, etc.).

9. Create an online media archive. Flexible field types allow you to upload podcasts, videos, images, documents and create hyperlinks to press mentions.

10. Experience anytime, anywhere data access. While on the road, easily access the latest press release or media contact information.

These are ten of the benefits we have heard from our PR and creative agency clients. If you’d like help getting your agency on track with TrackVia, give us a call. Don’t forget – continue to submit media contacts to the MediaOnTwitter database for your chance to win a Kindle 2. Stay tuned for a future post that describes how TrackVia’s database powers MediaOnTwitter.

Additional Reading:
Advertising/PR Agency Uses TrackVia to Increase Efficiency

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How an Online Database Can Streamline the Hiring Process

March 25th, 2009

Resume Overload With unemployment rates breaking records, hiring companies are being bombarded with applicants. National media outlets recently covered an open janitorial position at a school in Ohio that received 835 applicants for a full time job that pays $15 to $16 an hour with benefits. With numbers like these becoming more the norm than the exception, it becomes almost impossible for hiring managers to find the needle in the haystack.

During a recent conversation with one of our customers in the outplacement business, we learned how some hiring managers are dealing with the record number of candidate resumes that have been pouring in recently. The customer pointed out that hiring managers should view the thousands of resumes received as an opportunity to find the best candidate and a resource to build a candidate database for future positions rather than a never ending maze of paperwork.

After my discussion, I thought it would be worthwhile to share the advantages of using on online database with email collection to streamline the applicant review process:

1. No need to manually re-enter applicant emails received into your database. Enable online database’s email collection feature to automatically collect emails received from company’s career email address (careers@company.com) and applicant database records will automatically be created in your database and resume attachments will be uploaded into the notes section.

2. Don’t worry about forgetting to send out acknowledgment of resumes received. Enable the auto reply to automatically send out an email acknowledgment once a resume has been collected.

3. Categorize and organize applicants through the use of powerful database field types. Create fields to track progression of the applicant through the hiring process and record notes on the applicant.

4. Easily find the needles in the haystack. Use the powerful search functionality to search the entire database for key words or phrases used in the cover letter text included in the body of the collected email.

5. Control access to applicant data. Assign user permissions to give the hiring team the appropriate permission levels to view candidates in the pipeline. For example, if human resources should only view certain fields, you can restrict access to these fields.

6. Coordinate interview schedules within the database. Create a calendar view and set up a email campaign and mail merge feature to send out emails to those candidates who did not meet the qualifications for a particular job opportunity.

If you are hiring, I’d like to know how you are handling the volume of resumes being submitted to your company. Also, if you’d like help getting your applicant process on track with TrackVia, give me a call.

Read following case study to find out how an outplacement firm is using TrackVia:

Outplacement Firm Customer Case Study

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Tracking with TrackVia – NAI 1st Valley Commercial Real Estate

March 12th, 2009

In observation of Make a Referral Week, Ed Dunigan speaks with Rozilynn Mitchell of NAI 1st Valley Commercial Real Estate about the power of referrals and how NAI is using the TrackVia’s SaaS database for its commercial real estate business.

The referral tips Roz discusses in this podcast easily translate across industries. Some highlights from the podcast include:

Strong Relationships and trust lead to referrals.

To increase referrals, brokers should:

  • Promptly return calls (return calls within minutes vs. days)
  • Be available even if there is no monetary reward
  • Be a good Samaritan

Finding the right tools that give your team quick and easy access to information will increase referrals.

  • Make sure tools selected are accessible no matter where you are.
  • Make sure the software vendors you select have good support.
  • A customizable database will make it easier for you to manage your relationships and share information with others.

Click to read a case study featuring NAI 1st Valley’s use of TrackVia.

Additional Tracking with TrackVia Podcasts:

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Next Generation PR – Meet Your Database

January 5th, 2009

In PR it isn’t always about “who” you know… In today’s world where voices are a plenty, tracking “who” you should know is just as important. With a rise in social media and the growing influence of bloggers, the days of relying on a media subscription for your PR activities are long gone.

Most PR professionals subscribe to at least one media database but like me, you probably aren’t using the notes features. I, for one, use a number of media databases and would rather not store my information in a service that I may not continue using- not to mention that many of these services have limited sharing functionality.

I have used a number of databases throughout the past decade or so. Most were server-based and made it difficult to keep records updated in real time given out-of-office requirements. Today I run a virtual firm, Digital Idea Media, with two partners and a number of contractors. What we thought would just be a nice alternative to saving our contacts in Excel has quickly turned into a platform with unlimited ways in which we can track client programs and our business activities.

I decided that it would be best to share a list of the few surprises that we found in using TrackVia for our business:

1. Influencer Database – track all media, analysts, bloggers and record all PR activities (it isn’t just media relations anymore); run target lists and reports on activities per quarter; include images of contacts for tour briefing books

2. Media Database – track all audio, video and blog posts and upload stats for quarterly reporting; provide clients with a quick and accessible record of all media

3. CRM: Prospect/Client Database – track people who work for companies of interest; include background information; add notes for touch points; send holiday cards

4. Client Reporting Tool – keep an editorial or activities calendar and house documents that need approval; house final documents where all information can be assessed by the client or the firm at any time

5. Newsletter Database – track newsletter issues and calendar of ideas; use the mail merge feature to send the newsletter to the contact database

6. Blog Planning Database – create a list of blog ideas and final posts to keep on top of regular posting

7. Planning Database – track all PR activities for the year in one place; record how you did against your goals and keep your “PR Plan” in a living database

As you can see, there are many different ways in which you can use an online database solution like TrackVia. What we didn’t expect when we started using the database was the value in sharing the status of activities with clients, not just with our team as we had done in the past. The TrackVia database allows us to create the fields that are most relevant to our business and, we are able to customize a solid database that allows us to stay organized and our business well managed. We are just getting started and would love to hear how others are using it in our industry or others.

Melissa Hourigan
Partner, Digital Idea Media
Recurring TrackVia Guest Blogger

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A CPA’s 12 Step Program to Inventory Database Management

December 23rd, 2008

“I am a CPA”. Make that a recovering CPA. As a recovering CPA, I know how easy it can be to suffer from denial. Why change my inventory methods? However, my time at TrackVia has shed light on new ways to improve inventory management with an online database. Although I’m no longer a practicing CPA, I feel I owe it to all those tasked with year-end inventories to provide them with my “12 step program” to a successful year-end inventory.

1. Don’t let your client wait until 12/31 to create inventory lists. I know, easier said than done. No worries, it is easy to upload an excel document to create an online inventory management database in minutes!

2. Include fields in your database for book total, count total, calculated discrepancy, and warehouse location.

3. Restrict access to select fields (i.e. book total) so counters will only have access to edit and view the count total field. You don’t want to influence the count!

4. Create different views by location for all the inventory takers.

5. Print out and distribute views with item, location, and count total to the team. For teams counting in remote locations, email corresponding views to auditors straight from the database.

6. At this point, don’t let temptation take you back to where you were before. It only takes one misstep to get off the wagon!

7. Let the counting begin. Then have data entry clerks enter count totals into the online database. Better yet, have counters input count totals real-time while conducting the inventory via their laptops.

8. As count totals are input into the database, change history notes will record who made updates/when. No more claiming, “I did not count that many.”

9. Create a view that shows all items with a discrepancy amount not equal to zero. All discrepancies will automatically be calculated via the discrepancy calculated field.

10. Determine total discrepancy impact and key locations with inventory discrepancies by viewing database statistics.

11. Re-count as necessary and update records accordingly.

12. Finish your year-end audit in record time, so you too can enjoy New Years!

Admitting there is a better way is the first step. Feel free to give another CPA a call, and see how I can help get your inventory management database up and running.

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