​We believe that Scotland, which has a digital industry which is invested into with £13.8 Billion a year has been
previously unequipped to solve the acknowledged digital skills gap that is affecting us all. The This is Milk Digital Transformation Programme has been designed as a solution to this issue by teaching the skills required to successfully facilitate digital projects and excel in careers including:

• ​Business Analysis
• Service Design
• User Research
• Product Management
• Digital Planning, & Strategy

If one thing was learned from our #MilkBar event last week, it’s that STEM, should really be STEAM. With the 'A' representing the arts! 
We are living in the 'Age of Information', a period of time that is characterised by the shift from industrial production to one based on information and computerisation (Wikipedia). Nearly all business's are digital, or at least partly digital. So as time progresses how is this computerisation impacting Business and the roles/skills of the workers? 
Bringing together some of the top minds in Scottish Digital Transformation, This is Milk held the first #MilkBar of 2018 at Tontine Glasgow on the 16th of March. An event created to educate & discuss the topic 'Jobs of the Future'. ​

Inga discussed that fear of technology is not a new thing. Do you know that the introduction of the television sparked fears of mass lethargy. What about Y2K (The Millennium Bug) when all things technological would cease to work, causing the fall of civilization as we know it. 
In reality this did not happen, nor will any current or future technologies cause the level of destruction that we are led to believe. In actual fact, technology generally serves as a means to enhance our lives if used correctly. It saves us time. It provides us with information. Modern tech allows us to get what we need by the mere uttering of the word "Alexa". There is no need to fear technology, we survived it before, we will survive it again. 
Inga also spoke about the vitality of Art & Technology in today's curriculum. A theme that was echoed throughout this #MilkBar by all speakers. We were shown examples of Music & Art created by Artificial Intelligence. Luckily it is not quite at the stage where it will totally replace the human mind. It does however act as a sober reminder that creativity is an essential skill that must be allowed to flourish in our education system if we are to stay ahead of the pace of technological advancements. ​

Steve looked at job roles in recruitment. Asking "Are we hiring in the wrong way & for the wrong things". Do you recruit for job role? for skill? for personality? and what does this recruitment process look like>? 
Think about this. If the job role of tomorrow is unknown, then how do you recruit for it? Steve's own anecdote was to think about the very first welder, how was that person recruited? It's potentially by looking back that we may learn how to recruit for tomorrow. 
Again the Arts was a major topic in Steve's thoughts. Quoting Seth Godin, and promoting that you need to become a linchpin in your work, so that the shifts in technology won't be able to catch up? 
A focus in the soft skills are essential. Technical skills can be taught on the job, in fact they are abundant in the marketplace, however there is an increasing lack of expertise in the soft skills such as negotiation, people skills, empathy, leadership and collaboration. ​

The focus of conversation from Angela was that there must be a solution to the digital skills gap that has emerged. In true poetic fashion, Angela's vision for the training solution is an equal dose of design thinking, creativity, soft skills and reduction of fear. The very points that her predecessors had discussed moments before. 
A solution to the skills shortage is about working with industry to upskill existing employees in the skills that they are lacking. Doing so would allow our industry to direct change, keep up with future trends as well as future proofing jobs. Again this isn't about teaching the technical skills, it's about teaching the skills that facilitate digital projects, the jobs that the robots cannot take, where creativity and human on the ball thinking is crucial. ​

Perhaps now more than ever, we have learned that the future of business lies in the hands of those who are willing to advance their skills with that what technology cannot replace. To utilise technology to enhance our lives, not replace. Freeing up more time to add value to your customers, be more personable, be more human and future proof your job in a world that will autonomies everything that requires a lack of creative thought. 
We would love if you joined our #MilkBar community, share your thoughts on this topic and hopefully make it along to an event in the near future. 
 
This is Milk ​

In today's world, digital is the norm, people have more access to information than ever, and digital technology still presents a unique and under-exploited opportunity for organisations, and even a greater challenge for charities.
Barbara Geczy

Digital Transformation 

According to a recent survey, only 34 % of charity leaders understand the full potential of digital transformation. It is definitely not only about using creative campaigns, TV adverts to influence and inform existing and potential donors and volunteers. Digital transformation means knowing how best to use digital channels and tools to connect with customers  - in this case, donors and volunteers- and how to make their experience better. For instance,  elaboration of a digital strategy, change in the IT infrastructure,  using analytics, insights, digital fundraising and marketing are simply some of the elements. 

Unfortunately digital is still an opportunity that is being missed by most of the UK charity sector. They are too focused on everyday issues and not classifying digital disruption as a threat. In fact, most Scottish charities are small and could not afford to pay huge amounts to build or establish modern systems. And even when they do so, the employees of the organisation are frustrated by the lack of digital skills and a general lack of integration.

Start Small 

What most charities often forget, is that digital change is possible by taking small and simple steps. For example, as 66% of Scottish charities are involved in social care related activities, it is useful for them to focus on the brand and the cause by using digital tools and try to differentiate themselves from the others.  There is a broad range of opportunities: from the online communities and the collaborative economy service of Macmillan Cancer Support to RSPB's active presence on Facebook -  they all a really great examples of how brands can do social well without leaving a huge hole in the marketing budgets and being limited by the location. Digital organisations supported by the government, like Digital Scotland, One Digital and also NCVO offer a broad range of opportunities, conferences and programs to improve their digital knowledge.

And what does the future hold? It is possible that in 10 years' time, charities fighting for the common interest could develop a big digital platform to use and share their resources in the most efficient way and building a big app together to enable monitoring the services. The list of possibilities is endless, so it's up to them when they decide to step into the world of digital change.

We can help you with the Digital Transformation of your business! Learn more about our services:

What business leaders can gain  from our Horizon Watching service
​Denis Yordanov

 
​Information has always been important - not only for business, but to society as a whole. And information has always been around us, be it in the form of books, newspapers, or word of mouth. However, in recent decades, the amount of information available to us has increased exponentially and is increasing at even faster rates.

The way we access information has also changed. Through digital means, we have endless content at our fingertips. In fact, there’s so much information that it’s becoming increasingly hard to sift through it all and distill the most important pieces on which to base your decision-making. This is especially true for business leaders today - the rate of change has increased proportionally to the amount of information available.

It’s no longer sufficient for business leaders to gather information about what has happened to their business. In order to prosper, they need to know what is currently happening and more importantly what will happen in the future. They need to know what changes are taking place, what innovations there are, what their competitors are doing, and what the current and upcoming trends are. None of these exist in a vacuum and all of them act in constant reciprocity, it becomes almost impossible for individual business leaders to keep on top of all this. It's hard for them to justify spending their time and efforts  on forecasting what 'might happen' to their  business in the future opposed to what is happening to their business right now.  But the fact is that if you don't, you risk falling behind your competitors as you scramble to keep up. 

Horizon Watching - This is Milk's approach

This is Milk’s Horizon Watching service tackles this very issue.  It is exactly what it says on the tin: we aid you in discovering and assessing what’s potentially on the horizon for your business. We provide you  with information and predictions about trends, events, and changes that may take place in the future and help you examine what their impact will be on your business. We can compile a trend report for you with all the major trends that might shape your industry and we can work with you to analyse what they might mean for your business specifically. Finally, we can summarise and compile all findings and recommendations in one detailed report. This will help you to set strategy in the years to come and provide a roadmap to stay ahead of your competitors.

So how does it work?

• We look at various economic, technological, social, and environmental trends and the connections between them and analyse how they might impact your industry. Then we highlight the challenges and opportunities, all in one report.
• We host a one-day discovery day with you in which we look at the trends report and guide you and help you to think about what those trends might mean for your business specifically.
• Finally, we compile all findings and recommendations for the future and add them to the initial macro trends report.

Aim for the horizon and get in touch with us today!

The Milk Bar - Horizon Watching

The Milk Bar, our quarterly event where we discuss topics on transforming Scottish business for the better, is coming up soon! The topic of the next Milk Bar is on Horizon Watching and we have lined up some very relevant and engaging speakers and workshops.

When? Friday 5th August 2016, 17:30-19:30
Where? Snook Interchange Glasgow, 4th Floor, 84 Miller Street, Glasgow, G1 1DT

For more information on the speakers, the Milk Bar and to RSVP visit our Meet Up event page

Learn more about Horizon Watching and our other services!

Angela discusses what digital transformation has really meant to her

We can help you with the Digital Transformation of your business! Learn more here:

What a birthday party can teach you about how your customers feel.
Angela Prentner-Smith

​How do your customers feel about your business?

Think about what you remember most about the good, the bad, and the ugly in your experiences as a customer. What stands out the most? The colour of the walls or the website header, the effectiveness or friendliness of the staff, the waiting time? No matter what aspects shaped your experience, what sticks in your mind and defines your overall impression is how it made you feel. Were you annoyed by the cumbersome signup process of the website or were you pleasantly surprised at how happily the restaurant accommodated your dietary requirements?

Emotions are the key to customer experience. A study by Forrester showed that emotions had a bigger influence for customer loyalty than effectiveness or ease. Emotional experience trumps functional experience. Yet, many businesses feel daunted in the face of this – emotions are too unpredictable to control! And who in the world has enough emotional intelligence to be able to understand every possible way that your customers could be feeling about your business? However, that doesn't mean that there aren't many little things you can do to influence the emotional experiences of your customers and make sure it is as positive as possible. It's often just a matter of keeping the emotional perspective in mind and not just focusing on the technical or functional details.

A disappointing experience

Recently, I went through a rather unpleasant experience as a customer, which showed that the business had not given enough thought to the details that shaped how I felt when I interacted with their business. I took my two-year old son to a kids' birthday party at a local soft play. My son happens to have a milk allergy (as 1 in 10 children do), but this has generally not been a problem at most places where catering is an issue. This time, sadly, that was not the case.

When we signed in and they took his name, I told them about his allergy. I was looked at blankly. I went on to say that this means that he can't have cheese, ice cream, or anything else like that. The girl just said OK, but she didn't write it down, didn't get the menu, or ask what he could have. I assumed this meant it wasn't a problem.

Once it's time for the meal, it turns out that food on offer in the party room is pizza, sandwiches, and cheesy crisps. My boy can't eat sandwiches with margarine on, obviously can't eat pizza, and can only recently tolerate cheese powder type crisps. Still, he's two years old and wants to sit with all the other kids and eat pizza.

​I find the girl who I initially told and who was serving the food. I told her he can't eat anything here. She goes to the kitchen and says that we can make him a dry ham sandwich. I wasn't pleased.  Who wants to eat a dry ham sandwich when everyone else is eating pizza?

So how could my experience have been improved?

Here's a run-through of the emotions I (or any parent) would typically feel at a kids' birthday party: firstly, I want my kid to enjoy it. I don't want him left out, singled out, or left hungry. I don't want to be seen as annoying. I feel guilty for having to raise an issue with the staff, the other parents, and for telling him he can't have the pizza or the cakes, or the chocolates that all the other kids have. I feel sad for him, I feel overbearing and scared that I might take my eyes off him and he could nab a bit of cheese or chocolate.

All it would have taken was for the staff to ask me when we came in what he could have, take me through the menu, or tell me some options so it wasn't just the quickest thing they could get out. Basic staff training.

Imagine how many customer experiences like mine could be transformed if the businesses took the time to put themselves in the customer's shoes and consider how the experience must feel from their perspective!

Be ready for emotions

The consequence of neglecting the emotional experience of your customers can be severe. We recently wrote about the Balgonie Castle incident, which shows the importance of listening in on social media to see how your customers are talking about your business. When customers turn to social media to give reviews, feedback, or just vent, they tend to either be furious or ecstatic – the extreme ends of the emotional experience. You can miss a lot of the middle if you only look at these explicit reviews, and the middle of the emotional spectrum is probably going to be where most of your customers are.

You need to consider emotions before the actual experience happens. What are the hopes of a typical customer who are choosing your business? What is the last thing they want to happen? Are there any small ways you can make your customers' experience extra special? Think about what role your customers are going be in when engaging with your business and what goals that role entails. As a mother at a birthday party for kids, I want my child to have an enjoyable and problem-free time having fun with the other kids. I do not want him to have to eat a dry ham sandwich while everyone else has pizza – or worse, start vomiting because he's eaten something he's allergic to.

It's true that the situations that will make or break the emotional experience of your customers will mostly be unplanned and unpredictable. Particularly for customer service situations, this comes down to staff training and a readiness among your employees to be responsive and perhaps stray from standard processes if it's the right thing to do. An outstanding example  would be the time United Airlines signaled the connecting flight of a man who was flying to say his goodbyes to his dying mother to wait for him, even if it caused a delay.

Take your customer experience to the next level by thinking about the emotions you want to encourage!

We can work with you to improve your customer experience! Learn more about our services: