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The PlanMill blog is a comprehensive resource for professionals in the service business. Whether you’re a project manager or an entrepreneur, we have resources and information, tips & tricks to accelerate your success! PlanMill CRM, PROJECT, PSA and ERP — trusted by over 100 service businesses in 25 countries — enables you to work smarter and increase profitability.
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How Finland Uses Facebook – Infographic

Are companies in Finland visible to the 800 million active Facebook users? (see Facebook Statistics belowRecent study shows only seven percent of the country’s population is considered to be among the most active users of Facebook. Source: Verkostoanatomia and Hill + Knowlton

 More facts  from a post by David Cohen at  AllFacebook

Social media is a Key Feature in PlanMill 

We consider Marketing and Advertising people to be part of our customer segment and we make it a mission to help them grow in size and profitability by using PlanMill systems.

It is easy to list all social media information of all contacts and accounts in PlanMill. When you create or edit a new contact or account, make sure to fill in and enter the web addresses or social media channels where you intend to interact with your new or existing contacts or accounts.

Form View of Communication for Contacts in PlanMill

Under Communication, write the Instant Messaging details such as Skype, MSN, Google Talk, and ICQ. Below Social Media, write web addresses or URL sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or Blog. In addition, you can select in the drop-down menu the name of company wiki where you want the contact to be allowed access.

Using the PlanMill Accounts or Contacts, a person’s social media profiles can be viewed within the system.

Latest Facebook Statistics

People on Facebook

  • More than 800 million active users
  • More than 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day
  • Average user has 130 friends

Activity on Facebook

  • More than 900 million objects that people interact with (pages, groups, events and community pages)
  • Average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events
  • On average, more than 250 million photos are uploaded per day

Global Reach

  • More than 70 languages available on the site
  • Approximately 80% of users are outside of the United States
  • Over 300,000 users helped translate the site through the translations application

Platform

  • On average, people on Facebook install apps more than 20 million times every day
  • Every month, more than 500 million people use an app on Facebook or experience Facebook Platform on other websites
  • More than 7 million apps and websites are integrated with Facebook

Mobile

  • More than 350 million active users currently access Facebook through their mobile devices
  • More than 475 mobile operators globally work to deploy and promote Facebook mobile products

Tell us what you think and add your comments below. Finnish and English comments will be answered! :)

Kudos to Finland’s 20 hottest startups in 2012

Congrats to Finland‘s current 20 hottest startups!

Here’s the shortlist of companies and date founded:

  1. Aava Mobile, 2009
  2. Applifier, 2008
  3. Blaast, 2010
  4. DealDash, 2009
  5. Digital Foodie, 2009
  6. Flowdock, 2009
  7. Makia Clothing, 2006
  8. Microtask, 2009
  9. Multi Touch, 2007
  10. Oncos Therapeutics, 2009
  11. Ovelin, 2010
  12. Rightware, 2009
  13. Senseg, 2006
  14. SkySQL, 2010
  15. Supercell, 2010
  16. Tinkercad, 2010
  17. Valkee, 2007
  18. Valon Lasers, 2011
  19. WOT Services, 2006
  20. ZenRobotics, 2007

Finnish business climate has changed dramatically recently — some high-educated young people will no longer pursue certain jobs in some big companies, but dream of their own business idea, as well as exciting products for international markets,” the report said.

PlanMill  Loves Startups

Finland’s 20 hottest startups include PlanMill customers and friends such as MultiTouch (see Success story and Our customers lead the way).

Getting into the list is not a guarantee of success

Are you on the list – congrats! If not, you will probably make it to next year’s similar listing – but be prepared for  a lot of hard work. As old folks used to say “money does not grow on trees!”

“There are certain clear challenges that  the companies face towards success, including financing. Accordingly, about one-third of the companies will fail and die, one third will produced back the money invested in them in the best case, and only a third will produce the money invested back many times over,” the report concluded.

Do you agree with the choices? Read more about the list on Talouselämä (Finnish) newspaper.

“No” is the New “Yes”: Thoughts on prioritization – Tony Schwartz – Harvard Business Review

“Truth be told, there’s also an adrenaline rush in saying yes. Many of us have become addicted, unwittingly, to the speed of our lives — the adrenalin high of constant busyness. We mistake activity for productivity, more for better, and we ask ourselves “What’s next?” far more often than we do “Why this?” But as Gandhi put it, “A ‘no’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.”

Saying no, thoughtfully, may be the most undervalued capacity of our times. In a world of relentless demands and infinite options, it behooves us to prioritize the tasks that add the most value. That also means deciding what to do less of, or to stop doing altogether.” Read more “No” is the New “Yes”: Four Practices to Reprioritize Your Life – Tony Schwartz – Harvard Business Review.

PlanMill CRM (Customer Relationship Management) – Video demo (Suomi)

30 päivän ilmainen koekäyttöPlanMill CRM, PROJECT, PSA tai ERP Cloud!

PlanMillin joustavat ja integroidut ohjelmistoratkaisut yhdistävät tehokkaasti, taloudellisesti ja käyttäjäystävällisesti asiakassuhteiden kehittämisen ja viestinnän (CRM), projektisalkun (PPM), projektin, tuntien ja kulujen hallinnan sekä talouden että toiminnanohjauksen (ERP).

Lisätietoja, lähetä email sales@planmill.com ja support@planmill.com

A Relaxing End of the Year Workday and Happy New Year 2012!

PlanMill wishes you a festive season with donation to ‘The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare in Lahti

CEO Thomas Hood & PlanMill Team

How to change your Twitter language to Finnish or any of 21 different languages

With Danish, Finnish, Norwegian And Polish newly available on the network, Twitter supports an impressive 21 different languages.

Skillful social media such as Twitter are suitable for B2B and B2C using PlanMill CRM, PROJECT, PSA & ERP


Why is this relevant for you as a PlanMill user?

As early as September 16, 2009 (PlanMill Release 12.1) we already recognized  your needs for better business intelligence and harness the power of social media for corporate needs.

Twitter widgets can be added to My Workspace in PlanMill using custom parameters

Have you added widgets for Google Maps, Twitter, and LinkedIn to your dashboard?

To activate Twitter in PlanMill

Go to My workspace > Personalize. Under Select layout and add & remove your preferred frames, click for example, PlanMill – Twitter, then Save.

To activate LinkedIn in PlanMill, go to My workspace > Accounts or Contacts > Personalize> Columns > Select columns > LinkedIn, then Save.

To change your language in Twitter

Twitter was an all-English network until April 2008, when the platform added support for Japanese.

Spanish and French translations became available in November 2009. In July of this year, Brazilian Portuguese became the latest addition, shortly followed by Dutch, Indonesian, Filipino and Malay.

To change your language, visit the Account tab of your Twitter profile settings on Twitter.com and make your selection from the Language drop-down menu. Read more from Mediabistro.

Your company can undoubtedly generate and achieve concrete revenues with skillful social media suitable. With PlanMill CRM, PROJECT, PSA & ERP, view Google Maps, Twitter and LinkedIn right in your own dashboards! Here’s how:

How to Send Voice Recordable Holiday Cards and Wish Lists

US and Finland-based ThingLink lets you use a free tagging tool to give photos new life with sound, voice, video, social, and other fun links. See ThingLink Celebrity Wish Lists.

How to create interactive holiday greetings
Upload your images, tag them with media, e-commerce and social profiles and share them with the world.
“These tags appear as small dots when you hover your cursor over the image, and can link out to a number of services, including Amazon, iTunes, YouTube, EventBrite, Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, Flickr, SoundCloud, Spotify, Wikipedia and many others. You can also choose to tag the images with just text or standard URLs, too.” Read more from TechCrunch

Only the Most Advanced Companies Are Integrating Social Data into Customer Databases: LeWeb Keynote, 2011

Do you have a process to record and integrate data from social interactions with customers into existing customer databases?

Are you  one of those smart organizations who can measure dynamically and act successfully on your social media interactions in a systematic, streamlined manner?

Check out the latest presentations from LeWeb 2011 and find out how PlanMill can set you on track with social media integration into customer databases.

At PlanMill, you can have social media integration with basic CRM! See demo below:

December 6 is a public holiday – PlanMill Office closes for the day


Congrats Finland!

THE PRESIDENT’S INDEPENDENCE DAY RECEPTION ON 6 DECEMBER 2011

President of the Republic Tarja Halonen and Dr Pentti Arajärvi will host the traditional Independence Day Reception at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday, 6 December 2011.

As in previous years, invitations have been sent to all members of the Government, Members of Parliament and Finnish Members of the European Parliament, as well as senior civil servants and diplomatic corps accredited to Finland. Other guests will include Finns who have distinguished themselves in one way or another and people whom the President and Dr Arajärvi have met during the past year. Around 1,900 guests in all have been invited.

The theme of the reception will be “Finland for equality and cooperation – responsibility for Finland, responsibility for the world”. In accordance with the theme, guests at the reception will include representatives of non-governmental organisations and minorities, as well as individuals who have worked towards the promotion of equality, tolerance and sustainable development.

The traditional buffet served to the guests will include light refreshments, such as layer loaves and other savouries, as well as pastries and cakes. Drinks will include fair trade organic coffee and tea, Palace Punch, wine, beer and soft drinks.

Some 170 flower arrangements will grace the Palace, predominantly in blue-and-white. Some of the flowers have been grown at Kultaranta, the President’s summer residence. Finnish candles and natural materials will also be used in the decorations.

Background music during the hand-shaking ceremony and dance music later on in the State Hall will be provided by the Guards’ Band under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Elias Seppälä, Chief Conductor of the Finnish Defence Forces; Major Raine Ampuja, Head of the Guards’ Band; and Captain Ville Paakkunainen. Dance music will begin with The Blue Danube, a waltz by Johann Strauss II, followed by Leila, a waltz by Georg Malmstén. The Guards’ Band Combo will play light dance music during the evening, with Osmo Ikonen as vocal soloist.

As in the past few years, the Yellow Salon on the third floor of the Palace will be reserved for jazz music. This year’s artist will be Jukka Perko Streamline Jazztet, comprising Jukka Perko (saxophone), Teemu Viinikainen (guitar), Ville Herrala (double bass), Jyrki Kangas (double bass) and Teppo Mäkynen (drums).

Source: Press Release on 2 December 2011 by the Finnish Foreign Ministry.

To our dear customers and friends: The PlanMill Office is closed on December 6, Tuesday to observe a nationwide Independence Day celebration in Finland. We will be back on Wednesday, December 7, 2011.

Scandinavia weathers the European storm: FutureBrand report

Small countries can have a big reputation, according to a report by FutureBrand 2011-2012 Country Brand Index. Finland’s country brand is 8th strongest amongst 113 nations, as written by Good News from Finland on November 15, 2011.

The FutureBrand index looks countries on several different dimensions. According to its report, “the strongest country brands are multifaceted and represent strengths in all the areas that impact life, business and travel. Each country gets points based on its value system, quality of life, goodness for business, heritage and culture and tourism.”

Finland ranks well in the value systems, for example in political freedom, tolerance, legal environment and freedom of speech. The country is also recognised for its environmental friendliness, quality of life, safety, education and healthcare.

The country is regarded also a good for the business, scoring well for its regulatory environment, skilled workforce, advanced technology and investment climate.

The World Cup Qualification UEFA was held at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in 2009. This game shows Finland 2 Wales 1 - Photo: Sheila Riikonen

FutureBrand Country Brand Index rankings 2011 - Download the pdf report

1. Canada
2. Switzerland
3. New Zealand
4. Japan
5. Australia
6. United States
7. Sweden
8. Finland
9. France
10. Italy

LOOKING TO 2012 

In 2012, there are clear opportunities for growth in several nations and regions, including:

  • The United Kingdom should look to leverage the London Olympics to help its overall score.
  • Presidential elections in the United States will undoubtedly impact political confidence and create new opportunities for media coverage.
  • The European Football Cup in Poland and Ukraine should offer a unique chance for both nations to highlight their respective cultures, histories and tourism appeal.
  • The nations of the Middle East and North Africa that have recently changed their governments and harnessed the power of their citizenry may now have the challenge of transferring that energy and openness into investment and tourism.
  • Asia Pacific will continue to grow regionally as infrastructure of travel and tourism expands to meet increased regional demand.
  • Similarly, Latin America will benefit from developments in infrastructure and inter-regional tourism, signaling growth and popularity.
  • And finally, in Europe the challenges of the economic crisis will continue to influence confidence and appeal for business and consumers. In parallel, the political infrastructure and values of the European Community will be tested across a number of nations that may see declining brand strength scores in the index if they fail to respond to new challenges.

Source: FutureBrand

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