Business

Avi Ben Ezra explains How to Increase Business Confidence in the Digital World

Published

5 years ago

July 5, 2019

The CTO of SnatchBot, Avi Ben Ezra, recently provided guidance to hundreds of bot developers and tech professionals on practices that increase business confidence. Below are some extracts published with his authorization.

Security first: Overcoming the damage done by hackers

Despite high-level encryption, hackers constantly find new ways to exploit some of the most trustworthy enterprises and organizations such as Google, Facebook, British Airways and T-Mobile. This is resulting in a situation where consumers simply no longer have any confidence in businesses. At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of people who are willing to share their personal data with those companies whom they deem to be reliable and trustworthy. This also includes those businesses who are constantly providing people with excellent value. Based on these facts what can business owners and CEOs do? The obvious answer is that every business owner and CEO of an organization should consider trust between the business and the consumer as a very vital priority.

In fact, it should take precedence over everything else such as quality services or superior products and even delivery services. It must be remembered that people and businesses are part of a digital environment which is resulting in a situation where businesses are more visible than ever before. Although transparency can be a good thing it is also raising the stakes considerably. Even the slightest mistake instantly becomes public knowledge and this can have a serious impact on consumer confidence and trust.

Understanding the importance of trust

There are many professionals now who are able to analyze businesses and organizations and who can then proceed to formulate a strategy which will allow that business to earn the trust of the consumer. The best strategy will always be to have a long-term and proactive approach when it comes to the important issue of creating trust with consumers. Managing and steering that process can be one of the most important things which a CEO or business owner will ever do. Everything has to be done according to a carefully formulated plan.

The first step will be to analyze the business or organization since you need to know exactly what is happening in that business or organization. You need to determine how much the business or organization is currently trusted by the consumer. You need to take a careful look at exactly what the consumer is expecting and you need to determine how successful you are in providing in those needs. You also need to ask some probing questions from the consumer in order to determine whether they are comfortable to share their personal information with your organization or business. If there is any resistance it is important to determine what it would take to gain the confidence of the consumer.

It can be difficult for startup businesses

You might be running a business which is making use of relatively new technology. You may be in the situation where you’re trying to attract interest in that product. Many things have to be overcome such as the initial skepticism of your target audience. It can be an uncertain time before they will eventually gain trust in your business. It will be important to consider these issues and to determine the best approach in order to ensure some measure of success. One tool which is often used when it comes to things such as trust is known as a trust roadmap. This can be implemented as soon as the analyses of your business have been completed and those results can then be used to determine the areas in which your company might be lacking. There are five areas which have to be considered when it comes to issues of trust and they are privacy, transparency, security, reliability, and fairness. You will have to find a way to convince the consumer that you will be able to protect the user data. You will also have to have convince them that all of their sensitive information is a priority as far as your business is concerned.

Don’t promise more than you can deliver

Do you have the means and resources to deliver on your promises? It will be disastrous for your business to fail the consumer after you have made certain promises. You will require an excellent business model as well as well formulated policies and it’s important to be always transparent as far as your products and services are concerned.

It is also important to frequently request feedback from your customers because this information is essential to gauge how much has been accomplished and how far the business has progressed as far as the trust of the consumer is concerned. Accountability is a very important indicator of the reliability and trustworthiness of any business organization. Every employee in that business organization has to work together in order to create an organization which will be able to earn the trust of the consumer. This will require strong leadership that is able to set an example which will clearly indicate exactly what it means to earn someone’s trust.

On the deployment of AI and Chatbot Technology:

With this, Ben Ezra seems to think that not only will consumer confidence increase, but also predictability for businesses, followed by business confidence.

Business

Turning Tragedy into Triumph Through Walking With Anthony

Published

6 days ago

April 18, 2024

Rosario Farell

On the morning of February 6, 2010, Anthony Purcell took a moment to admire the churning surf before plunging into the waves off Miami Beach. Though he had made the dive numerous times before, that morning was destined to be different when he crashed into a hidden sandbar, sustaining bruises to his C5 and C6 vertebrae and breaking his neck.

“I was completely submerged and unable to rise to the surface,” Purcell recalls. “Fortunately, my cousin Bernie saw what was happening and came to my rescue. He saved my life, but things would never be the same after that dive.”

Like thousands of others who are confronted with a spinal cord injury (SCI), Purcell plunged headlong into long months of hopelessness and despair. Eventually, however, he learned to turn personal tragedy into triumph as he reached out to fellow SCI victims by launching Walking With Anthony.

Living with SCI: the first dark days

Initial rehabilitation for those with SCIs takes an average of three to six months, during which time they must relearn hundreds of fundamental skills and adjust to what feels like an entirely new body. Unfortunately, after 21 days, Purcell’s insurance stopped paying for this essential treatment, even though he had made only minimal improvement in such a short time.

“Insurance companies cover rehab costs for people with back injuries, but not for people with spinal cord injuries,” explains Purcell. “We were practically thrown to the curb. At that time, I was so immobile that I couldn’t even raise my arms to feed myself.”

Instead of giving up, Purcell’s mother chose to battle his SCI with long-term rehab. She enrolled Purcell in Project Walk, a rehabilitation facility located in Carlsbad, California, but one that came with an annual cost of over $100,000.

“My parents paid for rehabilitation treatment for over three years,” says Purcell. “Throughout that time, they taught me the importance of patience, compassion, and unconditional love.”

Yet despite his family’s support, Purcell still struggled. “Those were dark days when I couldn’t bring myself to accept the bleak prognosis ahead of me,” he says. “I faced life in a wheelchair and the never-ending struggle for healthcare access, coverage, and advocacy. I hit my share of low points, and there were times when I seriously contemplated giving up on life altogether.”

Purcell finds a new purpose in helping others with SCIs

After long months of depression and self-doubt, Purcell’s mother determined it was time for her son to find purpose beyond rehabilitation.

“My mom suggested I start Walking With Anthony to show people with spinal cord injuries that they were not alone,” Purcell remarks. “When I began to focus on other people besides myself, I realized that people all around the world with spinal cord injuries were suffering because of restrictions on coverage and healthcare access. The question that plagued me most was, ‘What about the people with spinal cord injuries who cannot afford the cost of rehabilitation?’ I had no idea how they were managing.”

Purcell and his mother knew they wanted to make a difference for other people with SCIs, starting with the creation of grants to help cover essentials like assistive technology and emergency finances. To date, they have helped over 100 SCI patients get back on their feet after suffering a similar life-altering accident.

Purcell demonstrates the power and necessity of rehab for people with SCIs

After targeted rehab, Purcell’s physical and mental health improved drastically. Today, he is able to care for himself, drive his own car, and has even returned to work.

“Thanks to my family’s financial and emotional support, I am making amazing physical improvement,” Purcell comments. “I mustered the strength to rebuild my life and even found the nerve to message Karen, a high school classmate I’d always had a thing for. We reconnected, our friendship evolved into love, and we tied the knot in 2017.”

After all that, Purcell found the drive to push toward one further personal triumph. He married but did not believe a family was in his future. Regardless of his remarkable progress, physicians told him biological children were not an option.

Despite being paralyzed from the chest down, Purcell continued to look for hope. Finally, Dr. Jesse Mills of UCLA Health’s Male Reproductive Medicine department assured Purcell and his wife that the right medical care and in vitro fertilization could make their dream of becoming parents a reality.

“Payton joined our family in the spring of 2023,” Purcell reports. “For so long, I believed my spinal cord injury had taken everything I cared about, but now I am grateful every day. I work to help other people with spinal cord injuries find the same joy and hope. We provide them with access to specialists, funding to pay for innovative treatments, and the desire to move forward with a focus on the future.”