Craig Wilson

Something I've been pondering for a number of years and finally got irritated enough to post... How have IT suppliers, especially SAAS providers, managed to remove the concept of a resolution time from their service contracts? Clients pay them to deliver a service and yet, retain all the risk for the supplier not delivering, even when suffering significant service impact. The only material element that is offered is what they pass off directly down to the Cloud suppliers, Availability, retaining no risk themselves for the pain that they can inflict through bad management of services delivered by them. Surely it is within the supplier's gift to restore services to the last known working configuration within a decent timeframe so clients can manage the expectations of their customers? I get, with shared code bases, that actual fixes can be difficult to estimate and guarantee, but restoration should be manageable and actually represent a supplier's confidence in the ability to deliver its services to its clients. Time to push back against this?

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Did you know that IBMs Watson provides us with AI generated insights at Wimbledon? ➡ By combining the power of hybrid cloud and enterprise-grade AI, IBM transform over 2.7 million Wimbledon data points into insights, automates key business processes and secures Wimbledon's digital operations. ➡ This year, some of the most compelling stories of the tournament will be told with the help of IBM watsonx, the enterprise-ready generative AI platform. ➡ AI-powered fact sheets are used to generate meaningful insights – including a player’s likelihood to win their upcoming match-up. 😲 #ai #wimbledon #ibmwatson #watsonx

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Absolutely agree! Too frequently undervalued, Change Management is crucial in any organisation, leading to much smoother tech adoptions and better ROI. Tailoring strategies to fit the culture makes all the difference in engaging employees effectively. And ignoring it inevitably leads to project failures, avoidable cost and disruption... #changemanagement #roi #technologyadoption #IT

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84% of UK business leaders are facing the issue of an IT and tech skills shortage. Discover more findings in our independent report #IT #Skilsgaps #technews

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Take a journey with us this week and learn a little something about #DigitalTransformation 👇

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So, when does 'Managing expectations' become pure shoddy customer services? A recent experience as a customer has re-affirmed to me the value of CX when selecting suppliers and partners. Below is an automated reply I've received in response to a very generic invoicing query I needed an answer to. 5 Working days - so a week. A WEEK! Oh and btw, I called them after receiving this and it took about 45m to reach an agent. This is also not the first time both of these things have been an issue. This was not 'just a bad day / week'. Given the plethora of tech that's available in the CX space, surely this is a conscious decision to disregard customer satisfaction? ARVAL UK LIMITED - do better. I have plenty of CX professionals in my network that I'll happily introduce you to 😉 (not a pitch, I'm just nice like that).

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HOW AN IT MANAGED SERVICES PROVIDER FOUND UK COMMISSION BASED SALE SAGENTS Accrue Tek wanted UK sales agents to sell their managed IT services and cloud based Warehouse Management Solution. They chose the Premium Service to find agents from Salesagents.uk and received 11 applications from agents in the first 19 days. THE PREMIUM SERVICE TO FIND AGENTS INCLUDES: ·      A full page advert of the sales opportunity written by our copywriters. ·      Head-Hunters making searches and calls to find suitable agents. ·      A paid, targeted online advertising campaign. ·      The sales opportunity shared to 1,000s of followers via our online presence. ·      The campaign team discuss the opportunity with agents in closed groups. ·      The opportunity is included in the sales agent newsletter. Plus, many other features and resources inside the client’s personal account area. WHAT MAKES A GOOD SALES OPPORTUNITY FOR AGENTS The Accrue Tek sales opportunity clearly presented their opportunity so agents know exactly what they will be selling and who the target market is. They are offering an attractive commission rate of 30% and recurring commission. The service offered by Accrue Tek has many unique sales points and innovative options for sales agents to present to potential customers and that customer will want. You can see the advert we created for Accrue Tek which was at the heart of the search and promotion campaign at: https://lnkd.in/eH632cUH THE RESULT When you combine a good sales opportunity an attractive reward package with the search and promotion features of the Premium service, you get applications from sales agents that fit the required profile. #salesrecuitment #salesgrowth #salesagents ARE YOU LOOKING FOR SALES AGENTS FOR YOUR BUSINESS? If you’re looking for field or telesales agents, appointment setters or introducers, or considering selling your products or services through agents, see our services at: https://lnkd.in/e99M7Bd Or feel free to message me to arrange a chat. ‘There are currently over 800 companies using our services to find sales agents.’ 

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Developing a MaaS Roadmap for Scotland. What do we need and what are the barriers to success? Today I chaired a discussion panel at the MaaS Scotland conference tackling this topic, with most of the contributions from Tim Strong Ranald Robertson & Beate Kubitz #maas #mobilityasaservice

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Have you considered moving to Cloud Computing? Virtual Desktops mean your office can operate anywhere, simply login to your office from multiple devices anywhere https://bit.ly/47h6wtw #CloudComputing #Azure #ITSupport #Microsoft #VirtualDesktop

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Here we go... European Microsoft Fabric Community Conference kicks off with an Tutorial day. For me that means a dive in to the unicorn #microsoftfabric with the aim to see if it can replace our DWH that.is killing my budget.. #FabConEurope #microsoft #dwh #data #BC #businesscentral

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The incredible (and relentless) advancement of artificial intelligence has been a sight to behold, and of course it’s been tempting to dive in and explore its possibilities. Copilot busily being tested within the business. However, I've come to realise that I've overlooked the less visible, behind-the-scenes development of…open source AI. With its unparalleled access to data, open source AI might just give the likes of Google and Microsoft a run for their money. It's interesting to think about how legislation might come into play to protect the monopoly that Google and Microsoft have enjoyed for so long. These tech giants have had a stranglehold on the market (this from a Microsoft fanboy!), not just in AI but across a wide range of products and services, and they've reaped the benefits of their business model for what seems like an eternity. But as open source AI continues to grow and evolve, it could pose a real threat to the status quo. The democratisation of AI technology has the potential to shake up the market and disrupt the dominance of the big players. It's unclear whether lawmakers will step in to shield Google and Microsoft from this threat, or if the open source community will find ways to navigate any legal obstacles thrown their way. With some of the best legal brains in the World, I’m sure they will have a good run at protecting their staggering investments. The consequences of this shift could be massive and far-reaching, transforming the future of AI development as we know it. Will we see a more even playing field where smaller companies and open source initiatives can go toe-to-toe with the industry giants? Or will the deep pockets and lobbying clout of the tech titans allow them to keep their grip on the AI market? It's a wild ride, and I can't wait to see where it takes us.

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Software Engineering F&*K Up Behind Passport eGate failure in all UK Airports. David Farley, who is an authority in Software Engineering and an award winning author, questions how a critical system like eGates in all UK Air ports can go down for more than 4 hours due to a WiFi failure. 😳 Then he explains the possible real root cause behind this failure. A case study for anyone interested in or developing software for critical systems https://bit.ly/4aIHKTg

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A great use of teamwork and the right technology

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Client: We feel we're paying too much for our IT support and would like to understand if we could reduce costs while maintaining the service that users need. Us: We suggest breaking that down into three key questions: Q1 – Are there potential cost saving opportunities by changing End User Support suppliers? 🆚 Q2 – Are there opportunities to reduce cost by reducing End User Support resources (while maintaining current Service Levels)? 🤝 Q3 – Are there opportunities to reduce cost or improve the service in other ways (e.g. automation, addressing root cause, etc)? ⬅ The answer to each of the above may differ. For example, a recent client had, No, Yes, Yes We use our industry knowledge and accelerator blueprints to quickly and effectively analyse our clients' current position, compare against benchmarks, provide answers, and present clear costed recommendations to realise any additional benefits identified. Mason Advisory Limited #ServiceManagement #CX #UX #CostSavings #Balance

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Microsoft worldwide outage thing. When you are sat at Heathrow waiting for some metal tube to transport you to somewhere. Here are some things to celebrate in our messed up world today: 1) If you are having a bad day, rejoice that someone at Microsoft pressed Crtl+Alt+Del and nothing happened. It is not just you and me or the head of IT in your business. 2) Someone is always having a much worse day than you. The Operations team at British Airways are trying to solve the connect the plane and crew puzzle in 4 dimensions. They deserve an “I survived Microsoft” badge. Doing an amazing job despite a 90 minute delay on my flight.** now 3 hours. ** 3) In the lounge my polo shirt says Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. Sadly closed in 1925, but it would have run on time today, right through Microsoft outage day, much like the whole of Devon & Cornwall has still done. 4) The opportunity has presented itself to try all wine that BA have in the lounge. Stocks are sadly depleting rapidly and not because of me. 5) Retail sales are booming at Heathrow. The inflatable llama has finally been sold. 6) Donald Trump cannot access his speech and will have to make something up (sorry - this one is normal and not down to Microsoft). When you read on X that “my holiday is ruined”, “I could not even get a pizza”, “a BA staff member told me to calm down”, just scroll and think - these people are not in Positive Mode. They forgot that a flight delay is ok. They still get to their destination up to 3 months before their great-grandmother’s sailing ship.

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The time has come for me to bid a fond farewell to Kin + Carta. What an incredible 11-year journey it has been, starting as an IT Engineer for a 60-seat company on a farm in rural Somerset, England, and culminating in my role as IT Director of a 1500-seat multinational organization. It’s been an exhilarating ride filled with growth, transformation, mergers and acquisitions, divestments, and sometimes all four at once! This experience has truly broadened my horizons. I want to extend my gratitude to a few special individuals who played pivotal roles in my journey: Todd Gifford Thank you for kickstarting this journey 11 years ago. Paul Smith MBA MBCS CITP Thank you for giving me the opportunity to step into management. Jeremy Fisher + Stuart Fenlon Thank you for trusting me to lay the IT foundations for Edit. Andy Hall Thank you for teaching me to think in different ways, and being a great coach! Henry Oyuela Thank you for accelerating, challenging, and trusting me to build something new in K+C! To my incredible IT team, we achieved so much in just a few years. We navigated numerous constraints, pivoted with change, and ultimately laid the foundations for an exceptional global IT department. To the entire team, you truly smashed it! A few words of wisdom that have helped me for all my colleagues as you begin a new chapter with Valtech - Be comfortable with being uncomfortable. - See the opportunity in everything. - Embrace change. - Focus on what matters most. - Hire people who are better than you. I'll miss you all, especially my IT peeps!

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