KlipBlog.

One of our biggest challenges at Klipfolio is conveying to people just how exciting, powerful and effective a desktop dashboard can be for companies monitoring operational metrics.

No matter how many ways we describe the nuts and bolts, or proclaim its benefits, there's just no substitute for seeing Klipfolio Dashboard in action. It's invariably the catalyst for the Aha! experience that we've seen time and again when someone finally "gets" the deceptively simple Klipfolio concept.

So, we're developing a series of short, informative, right to the point and, obviously, highly visual videos to showcase Klipfolio Dashboard in ways that no words can. We hope you'll try out the Klipfolio videos. And we'd love it if you'd tell us what you think of them.

Competition being what it is in today's tight marketplace, organizations depend more than ever on salesforce automation systems to help drive top-line growth. By improving the visibility of key data, these applications drive higher sales and help build and maintain profitable customer relationships.

Of course, the key word here is "visibility." The effectiveness of any sales automation solution can be measured by the degree to which it provides sales managers, reps, and customer relationship specialists with the information they need to know what is happening with the sales process in real time.

The fact that desktop dashboards are all about data visibility and real-time information makes them a natural and essential part of any sales automation process. So it should come as no surprise that, at Klipfolio, we set out to develop a desktop dashboard to leverage the capabilities of the world's leading automated salesforce solution – Salesforce CRM, from salesforce.com.

By converting critical, fast-changing, often hidden data in Salesforce CRM into real-time information on the desktops of sales personnel of all stripes, Klipfolio Dashboard for Salesforce CRM takes the extra step needed to make the most of a Salesforce CRM investment. It's yet another example of how a modest investment in desktop dashboarding can leverage a very significant commitment to an underlying information system.

Take a look and if you too would like get KPIs from Salesforce CRM on the desktop, let us know.

At a recent Help Desk Institute event, Klipfolio staff had a chance to chat with Call Center and Help Desk staff about the daily challenges they face. Here's what we learned.

• They use a mixed bag of technical solutions. You name it, and someone's using it on the Help Desk. Everything from Heat to Remedy to Parature to Excel. And a lot of shops use a mishmash of these and more.
• There is little consensus on what metrics matter most. Is it "first call resolution" that's key? Wait time? Dropped calls? Or something else?
• Old news is no news. Getting information too late was a common complaint. Knowing you've breached an SLA after the fact doesn't help much.
• Help Desk ROI is difficult to measure. The Help Desk is viewed as a cost center. To get the budgets they need to do the job right, Help Desk personnel have to sell themselves. And that means identifying their ROI.

What strikes me about all these challenges is that they are crying out for real time visibility.

How does Klipfolio help the Help Desk? Well, for starters, we tap into each and every source of relevant data, no matter where it's from or what its format, and combine it to tell the whole story about what's happening.

As for which metrics matter, deciding that is Step One in the Klipfolio process for getting customers up and running. Invariably, we learn that different metrics matter to different people. Help Desk managers, workers, and supervisors all have to focus on different things, so they need different Klips in their dashboards.

Of course, it's the immediacy of a Klipfolio Dashboard that makes it so valuable. By providing the right information to the right people in real time, it lets them work in the present. For Help Desk and Call Center workers this means faster response times for increased customer satisfaction.

As for measuring ROI, what better way to do that than to provide management with stats that show how faster response times have avoided those costly mistakes of the past and kept the company's customers and employees happy.

Help Desk is one of many clear-cut cases where a modest investment in operational dashboards can pay big dividends. If you're a Help Desk or Call Center worker, you should really check out what Klipfolio Dashboard for Help Desk can do for you.

I agree with Thomas Waligum's article, "To Hell with Business Intelligence: 40 Percent of Execs Trust Gut". However, as the CEO of a desktop dashboard software firm that extols the virtues of having operational metrics right in front of you to accelerate and improve decisions, does this not fly in the face of what we're all about?

Maybe not: only 40% of Execs in Waligum’s article go with their guts. That implies that a majority of the Execs do rely on some kind of business intelligence. What we really need to see is a corporate performance comparison between the two camps to judge which approach offers better results. Even among the minority of respondents that do rely on gut instinct, Waligum points out that most of these only do so “because good data was not available.” Rather than endorsing gut-based decision-making over BI, the stats actually suggest Executives only turn to their instincts when they are forced to do so. It sounds like Execs will be only too happy to trade in their stomach-based magic 8 balls for a real-time dashboard on their desktop.

Regardless, it's a good read that makes you think about how you make decisions. I bet readers will agree that it’s not an ‘either-or’ relationship, it’s ‘both-and’.

I rarely ignore my gut (to the horror of some of my colleagues - but I call it experience). But I also use Klipfolio Dashboard obsessively, and rarely ignore what the numbers are telling me.

Klipfolio Dashboard alerts me to issues, early trends, and exceptions - things I almost certainly would not catch as quickly without my dashboard. The numbers don't lie but neither do they tell the whole truth. Business is complex and myriad internal and external variables influence why bookings are up or on-time shipments are down.

The key lesson is that reporting tools, scorecards and dashboards can help us identify opportunities and issues earlier than before. There may be no replacement for gut instinct, but when you pair instinct with hard data, you’ve got a really winning combination.

Over the past two and a half months, we asked Klipfolio visitors and customers how they access and share their most important business information. Is it formally, using best of breed BI and KM tools? Or informally, around the water cooler? We also ran polls about personal and corporate preferences when choosing a smart phone.

Well, the results are in. And some might surprise you!

• They don't leverage client-side computing power
• Their UIs are a mess
• Browser technology is too limiting and is a security risk
• Web app deployment strategy is in the hands of the big browser players
• Perhaps not all employees should have Web access

While there is certainly truth to these criticisms, the reality is far from clear cut. The decision for or against Web apps depends on the business you're running and what your goals are.

Web-based applications, and desktop applications like Klipfolio Dashboard, both have their place. More often than not, Klipfolio Dashboard complements a Web-based solution. IT chooses the Web product for its accessibility, and ease of deployment and management. A desktop dashboard then leverages and extends the solution by increasing the visibility of its metrics and driving increased user adoption.

The use of Web apps will continue to grow. As an enterprise platform Web apps are still in their infancy, though. As the market matures, and as desktop applications integrate more effectively with networked content and become easier to deploy and manage, we'll see business taking a best-of-breed approach to deploying these solutions.

At the end of the day, both Web-based and desktop solutions are improving by leaps and bounds. Each has its sweet spots. And together, they can offer a solution that is better than either one alone.

What are your thoughts?

Allan

We'd like your input. You may have already noticed that we have placed this six-choice poll throughout the site, asking a question that is on our minds right now - and a hot subject area for dashboard vendors. Indicate which smartphone you use, and view the results.

If you're in the mood for a meatier survey, we can serve that up as well. We are also asking how your company shares its KPIs and important business information. Answering these questions might take you 5 minutes - so if you have the time, we'd appreciate your help. Start this survey here.

Thanks
Allan

Welcome to Klipfolio Inc. Over the years people like you have given us invaluable feedback on our products, market-positioning and branding. After some serious soul searching, market research, and endless meetings, we've bowed to the equity, recognition and momentum associated with the Klipfolio brand. Based on your feedback, we've retired the Serence brand and given the Klipfolio brand a makeover that exudes confidence while remaining clean, simple and professional.

This move consolidates our two core lines of business under the Klipfolio banner as Klipfolio Dashboard and Klipfolio Branded Desktop Applications. The consumer version of Klipfolio, and its vibrant community, continue as Klipfolio Personal Dashboard. This active and growing user community continues to be a great source of ideas and inspiration for us - thanks.

We're really looking forward to moving into 2009 as Klipfolio, Inc. and I'm eager to hear from you on how the new look feel comes across. Read more about this announcement in today's press release.

Cheers
Allan

Secondly, the editors at Dashboard Insight also took a shine to the article and published it too. The first has bigger screen shots and the second has a stronger conclusion to the article.

Brian

A rolling stone gathers no moss and our KlipFolio for Google Analytics dashboard is certified 100% moss free. To keep pace with changes to Google Analytics from the Googleplex, we've been tinkering with the logic behind your desktop dashboard. Update your KlipFolio for Google Analytics dashboard here.

Another reason to download the upgrade is the mild cosmetic surgery to which KlipFolio for Google Analytics has been subjected. Font smoothing and other minor tweaks don't just make your GA KPIs easier to read, they also give you the most fashionable web analytics dashboard at the cube farm.

To see what we mean, compare this look and feel to your current KlipFolio for Google Analytics dashboard.

Brian