OpenMagazine

The collection of personal data has been an occurring concern in the 21st century, especially with the advancement of technology, many internet users have put a lot of consideration in protecting their personal data and constantly improving in methods to prevent data breach and the leak of private data. 

But have you ever thought on why companies and businesses collect data in the first place? 

Before that, let’s take a look on the 4 types of data that are collected by businesses alike: 

1. Personal data: includes personally identifiable information such as social security numbers and gender as well as non personally identifiable information, including your IP address, web browser cookies, and device IDs (which both your laptop and mobile device have).

2. Engagement data: details on how consumers interact with a business’s website, mobile apps, social media pages, emails, paid ads and customer service routes.

3. Behavioral data: transactional details such as purchase histories, product usage information, and qualitative data.

4. Attitudinal data: consumer satisfaction, purchase criteria, product desirability and more. 

Data is usually collected by directly asking it from the customers (survey forms etc.) or indirectly tracking with tracking technologies from websites, social media pages etc, sites with high consumer activities.

Now let’s get into why personal data is collected: 

1. To Improve Customer Experience

The reviews of products helps a business to determine which product should be recommended to which user, helps modify content in order to better consumer content and engagement.

2. To Improve Marketing Campaigns

This is to help companies understand how consumers are engaging with and responding to their marketing campaigns, and adjust accordingly. This highly predictive use, gives businesses an idea of what consumers want based on what they have already done. 

3. A Means of Securing More Sensitive Information

Marrying data from a customer’s interaction with a call center, machine learning algorithms, and tracking technologies that can identify and flag potentially fraudulent attempts to access a customer’s account. 

But do you know that you can still provide a personalized experience without collecting personal data?

The answer is through personification. 

Personification is the “delivery and optimization of relevant digital experiences based on an individual’s inferred membership in a customer segment and their immediate circumstances rather than their personal identity,” said by Andrew Frank, VP Distinguished Analyst with Gartner for Marketing Leaders.

Based on Andrew Frank’s research, personification is the idea of using less of the data that GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is focused on (personal identity, etc.), and utilizing the notion of a “persona”, which is essentially an audience segment that has been “de-identified” (with all personally identifiable information removed). This data is based on the audience’s behaviours and interactions with the products or services. This kind of information can prevent privacy intrusion and at the same time can be more telling about what the users’ intent might be at a given time.

Now is the perfect time for your business and company to practice personification and come up with new techniques in order to provide the best user and customer experience for your consumers and your brand. 

Andrea Ross is the founder of “The Career Establishment”, a Leadership and Team development company based in Singapore. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology from Huddersfield University in the UK and is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, Behavioural DISC consultant and a qualified facilitator (ACTA V5). Before embarking on a career as a certified trainer & executive coach, online program curator, Andrea spent 13 years in Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam leading a multi-million dollar global search firm Robert Walters. Andrea is also a podcast host for Talent Talk Asia which features interviews with some of the most successful talents across Asia to discuss the forces, opportunities & challenges that are shaping the corporate landscape airing on spotify, stitcher and i-tunes.

An entrepreneurial pursuit may not seem ideal in these turbulent times, but there are actually many business ideas that can be adapted to be pandemic-friendly! After all, entrepreneurship is about creating a thriving business while adapting to new situations and overcoming challenges. 

1. Fitness and Wellness Programmes 
   There is an increasing demand for fitness and wellness content as more people spend their days stuck indoors. Some are seeking out ways to up their fitness game so they can emerge from lockdown as a new man, while others are simply prioritising their mental health.
   If you have a background in fitness and health, virtual coaching can be a profitable business idea since the clientele will have expanded due to work-from-home orders. The potential client pool would also be larger since distance and commute are not limiting factors.
    Start by providing free fitness and health content online, like home workouts or recipe videos, in order to reach a wider audience and gain a following. Once you’ve amassed a substantial following, you can start earning by creating personalised workouts or diet plans for paying customers.
   
2. Dropshipping Business
     Being cooped up at home means more people requiring delivery services. Besides restaurant meals, baked goods, and groceries, there is a rising demand for services that deliver miscellaneous items. First, focus on filling gaps in the market, i.e. delivering goods that are not readily available or starting a hyperlocal delivery system for housing areas lacking in these services. Starting off with a hyperlocal delivery system can be a great learning curve since it is more affordable and efficient than mainstream delivery systems. Consider collaborating with local businesses to deliver their merchandise as this can help you establish good business relations while stimulating the local economy.
   
3. Professional Cleaning Services
   It comes as no surprise that professional cleaning services have been in higher demand due to the pandemic. In fact, the industrial cleaning service market is expected to continue growing considerably between 2020 and 2025 due to the ramifications of COVID-19. Clientele like large offices, restaurants, and storefront businesses all over the world will heavily rely on professional cleaning services to disinfect their spaces in the years to come.
   
4. Box Subscription Services
   There has never been a better time to start a box subscription company. With people being forced to stay home, box subscription services can be both a way to change up a routine with new products or maintain one with well-loved products. These services can take on many forms, such as meal prep kits, beauty product boxes, board games, or snack boxes. To begin, identify a niche market and begin curating products to their needs, while keeping in mind that people are likely searching for products that can improve their stay-at-home experience. 

As working from home becomes the new norm, so will virtual meetings. Conferencing platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Skype have replaced cafes and offices. An unprofessional virtual environment can be unpleasant for everyone involved. Thus, whether it’s with a client, colleague, or potential employer, holding effective and smooth-running virtual meetings is imperative in elevating your personal brand. Here are a few tips to ensure your next virtual appointment goes without a hitch.

Practise with a Test Meeting 

• Before the actual meeting, do a trial run to ensure that the technical setup is in order. Get to know the conferencing platform and figure out all the necessary functions. In some instances, the platform will require explicit permissions for audio and camera access or screen-sharing capabilities, so be sure to have that set up in advance. 
• Test your equipment. Since meetings are all about communication, it is essential that your microphone and camera be working well to avoid issues like muffled audio or blurry videos. Solve potential technical issues beforehand to help avoid unnecessary frustration and miscommunication. 
• Test your wifi. While seemingly obvious, connectivity issues can happen more often than one might expect. Having inadequate wifi would nullify all your previous efforts if it causes laggy audio or videos.

Create a Professional Virtual Environment 

• First impressions matter. In virtual meetings, presenting your best self on camera is important as that is the impression you will be leaving. A dimly lit room and a cluttered background is not only distracting, it looks unprofessional. Find a well-lit area with lighting that properly illuminates your face. You should also make sure that your background is clean and tidy. If you find yourself in a pinch, simply use any plain surface like a wall or a draped bedsheet.
• An empty room may result in echoing. If echoing occurs, either find a well-carpeted room or place some blankets and towels around to help reduce reverberation.

Look the Part

• While it may be tempting to stay in your comfiest attire all day, putting on your work clothes sets the mood. Some people feel the most confident when they are well-dressed, and that may be the case for you. Even if the meeting is audio-only, try dressing how you would in a physical meeting and see how that affects your performance. 
• During the meeting, act just as you would in a physical meeting. Being distracted, either by your phone or other tasks, during a long meeting is ill-advised as you run the risk of missing vital information. 

A certified coach with credentials from Australian Strength Performance, Nana Al-Haleq (@nanaalhaleq) is a highly motivated individual who is constantly striving to be the best at what she does. She is the most recognised female fitness influencer in Malaysia with the most following on Instagram she creates products to help men and women achieve their health goals. Reinventing herself from an influencer to a TV-Host, in a short span of 2 years, she has hosted popular television shows on NTV7, ASTRO and RTM, namely the Feel Good Show, Fitness Battle, Jom Kurus, Kami Geng FIT, and A-Z Aktif. She’s an official brand ambassador athlete with Under Armour and Apple. Now a household name, Nana is also a businesswoman and the brains behind BodyLab.