Our CEO, Russ Taylor, is the newest business contributor on MoneyInc., an online business and finance outlet that covers personal finance, technology and travel. The outlet reaches 1.1M visitors on average, per month. As a regular contributor, Russ will be sharing his perspective on mobile technology, and how businesses can maximize the use of mobile devices in their organizations. Check out his first article, Top 5 Corporate Gift Ideas This Holiday Season.
Apple CEO Tim Cook took center stage yesterday at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino to announce the release of several Apple device updates. If you were on the watch like us, you know there will be three new iPhone models building off of the company’s 10th anniversary iPhone X: iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. Additionally, Apple Watch Series 4 will feature a larger display with a slightly thinner body, along with some cool features like heart monitoring and haptic feedback on the crown.
Announcements of new Apple products, or any new mobile tech device, mean one important thing to us at Fusion of Ideas: we’ll be researching and presenting our customization offerings for the shiny new devices as soon as they hit the market.
The art of mobility is clear with every touch point of the customizing experience. And members of the Fusion of Ideas customization team are seasoned pros at figuring out the specs for new devices. Even when the new device is similar to an existing one, measurements accurate to hundredths of an inch must be taken to create a spec file that will be used for production. We also run tests and research on the materials the device is made out of – even a slight change to the type of metal or glass can change the way we approach customization. Most importantly, our color and laser customization process allows us to brand devices with high-quality graphics while not voiding Apple’s device warranty.
We’re excited to dive in and present custom options specific to these new devices. Stay tuned for more information as we await the release dates.
Our CEO, Russ Taylor, was interviewed for a recent episode of the “Into the Corner Office”, a podcast hosted by Brandt Handley of Resource Options International, Inc. This is the 23rd episode of the podcast, which focuses on various CEOs and their stories. Russ talks to Brandt about his approach to business, leadership and talent management, and the driving forces behind our success at Fusion of Ideas. The episode is available at the link below or via Apple Podcasts.
https://go4roi.com/podcasts/russ-taylor-into-the-corner-office-episode-23/
By Jennifer Fujimori
Each month, the Fusion of Ideas blog will highlight a unique client project. We’ll be giving you an inside look at each client and project, including the customization details, the project, and the outcome. Keep reading below to find out how we partnered with an aviation company at the top of its field in design and innovation.
Who they are:
Dassault Falcon Jet is a subsidiary of the French company Dassault Aviation, a global leader in the aerospace field. Falcons are known for industry-leading technology and design, incorporating comfort, speed and efficiency into each aircraft. The Falcon family of business jets, the first of which was introduced in 1965, delivered its 2500th jet in 2017.
Their customization goals:
Dassault came to Fusion of Ideas with a plan to enhance the buying experience for its customers. Before each Falcon jet is delivered to a customer, the aircraft is outfitted with a custom iPod Touch, iPhone and customized case, custom iPad, or all four of those items. The inclusion of the custom devices aligns with the company’s reputation as a luxury high-tech brand, and makes a big impact on the customer.
The process:
At the beginning of our partnership with Dassault, we created a system to uniquely meet their fulfillment and deployment needs. We procure, customize, and ship devices based on preset requirements. The process is seamless and efficient; each of these steps is completed entirely by the Fusion team at our headquarters in Lake Forest, which works diligently to ensure a high level of quality and accuracy throughout the process.
The outcome:
Each device and case is custom printed with the sleek Dassault Falcon logo. Upon unlocking the devices, recipients see a specially chosen app layout against a black background with the Dassault Falcon logo in white. The devices are preloaded with the prerequisite Apple native apps, as well as four apps that were selected by Dassault. The finished product is polished and professional, contributing even more to the unique experience of doing business with Dassault Falcon Jets.
By Jennifer Fujimori
Take a moment to recall your first job in a professional environment. Did you enter the workforce knowing the definitions of terms like OOO, B2B, SWOT, and EOD? How many times have you heard someone say they’d circle back, touch base, drill down, or get the ball rolling? We’re willing to bet most working professionals have at some point caught themselves saying things like “leverage” or “alignment” during work conversations.
The redundancy of corporate jargon may be maddening at times, but before you write it off, consider the values of using a commonly accepted lingo. It can be efficient, allowing you to deliver information using shorter messages; and it builds camaraderie between you and your coworkers, functioning much like an inside joke. In addition to those benefits, reducing ambiguity and the potential for misunderstanding can have an invaluable impact on business operations.
In business settings, this tends to happen easily and naturally. Even the term “lingo” has several different synonyms or words that mean essentially the same thing – jargon, slang, vernacular, lexicon, buzzwords – the list goes on. But it isn’t just universal business terms that tend to seep into workplace dialogues. Google, for example, refers to new employees as “Nooglers” and to their annual employee survey as “Googlegeist”. Trader Joe’s store managers are called “Captains” and assistant managers “First Mates”. Disney employees are guided by a “compass” with four points, one of which is a customer service approach they refer to as “Guestology”. And in medical and military fields, where precision and speed are critical, the use of shared and abbreviated terminology is not just a convenience but a necessity.
Here are a few examples of some of the jargon, some universal and some company-specific, that you might hear around the Fusion of Ideas office.
Mockup – high-quality images of several devices and design options, provided at the beginning of each client conversation about our customization services.
Asset Tagging – the process of scanning the barcode and serial number of each device so our system can track them.
Kitting – Fusion service that involves adding in (“kitting”) additional items to a package to be shipped neatly together. Examples include insert cards, charging cables, cases, and other device accessories.
Proof – final design file that is sent to the client for approval after our design team has finished making any requested revisions.
Production File – a production-ready file that has been prepared according to the specs of the specific device we’re customizing. The file is created by our design team and sent to our customization team.
Hybrid Etch/Print – combination of visible laser etch and color print. One of our most popular customization options.
Stealth Armor – protective, industrial grade film that can be customized and heat bonded to a device or product for style and protection.
Break/Fix – a replacement/repair service for damaged or broken devices. Under this program, Fusion will ship out a replacement device, then repair the damaged device and place it into the client’s inventory.
Digital Content – custom content that can be pre-loaded onto devices. Examples include apps, home and lock screens, videos, music, photos, and PDFs.
Device Depot – a client-specific inventory of devices which are stored and managed at Fusion and can be pulled from upon the client’s request. For example, we might pull from the inventory to replace a client device that was broken, lost or stolen, or the devices might be kept on hand and ready to ship to a new employee upon request from a client.
Mobile Device Management (MDM) – service that allows businesses to manage specific content, programs, apps, and settings on their devices. Updates and changes can be pushed remotely to the devices.
DCS (Dynamic Content System) – simplified custom mobile app option for displaying and updating content. Can be continuously managed by the client using admin portal.
Ordering Portal – A client-specific, easy-to-use web or app portal that allows clients order, ship, and manage their devices. The front end provides information about the program and device options. The back end allows for the client and Fusion to manage all orders and reports.
HQ – the “headquarters” of all our projects and related data, HQ is Fusion’s custom Client Relationship Management (CRM) software and project management database program. HQ houses all projects, proposals, client contact information, and notes.
