• Three-year, projected multi-billion-dollar strategic partnership will focus on creating innovative industry solutions that deliver transformative outcomes for businesses and society.

• Hitachi Group will embed the Microsoft cloud, Azure Open AI Service, Dynamics 365, Copilot for Microsoft 365 and GitHub Copilot into their Lumada Solutions to accelerate growth of the Lumada business, and improve productivity for their 270 thousand employees.

• Hitachi will train more than 50 thousand “GenAI Professionals” on advanced AI skills. As part of the partnership, Hitachi will incorporate training provided by Microsoft into Hitachi’s training.

The collaboration between Hitachi and Microsoft signifies a significant step towards harnessing the transformative potential of generative AI to address pressing business challenges and drive social infrastructure improvements. By combining Hitachi's industry expertise with Microsoft's technological capabilities, the alliance seeks to create innovative solutions that enhance productivity, efficiency, and sustainability across diverse sectors, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable future.

1. Transformational Impact of Generative AI on Hitachi's Business:

   • Integration of Microsoft Cloud services and AI tools to enhance operational efficiency and application development within Hitachi Group
   • Leveraging Azure OpenAI Service, Dynamics 365, and GitHub Copilot to improve customer service and mission-critical system development
   • Hitachi's internal validation showcasing significant improvements in system design output quality and productivity through AI integration

2. Advancements in Predictive Maintenance and Energy Management:

   • Hitachi Rail's utilization of GenAI for predictive maintenance and equipment monitoring to increase service quality and safety
   • Collaboration on digital solutions for asset performance management, energy trading, and risk management to optimize energy networks and enhance customer experience
   • Importance of increased computing power and cloud infrastructure in scaling and deploying energy transition applications

3. Innovation and Customer Impact:

   • Introduction of generative AI capabilities in Lumada solutions for improved response times, operational efficiencies, and IT operations management
   • Empowering IT departments, financial institutions, and public sector organizations with AI-driven solutions to enhance decision-making and service quality
   • Support for the development of innovative digital solutions and energy transition initiatives to build a sustainable and resilient future

The collaboration between Hitachi and Microsoft represents a concerted effort to leverage the power of generative AI to drive social innovation, enhance operational efficiency, and promote sustainability across industries. By deploying cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions, the partnership aims to address evolving business needs, optimize energy networks, and empower organizations to navigate the challenges of the digital era successfully. This strategic alliance underscores a shared commitment to transformative progress and creating value for customers and society at large.

Enhanced Offering Opens Amazon’s Comprehensive Advertising Suite to Non-Amazon Advertisers

Marin Software, a renowned provider of performance marketing solutions, has unveiled a series of groundbreaking enhancements to its Amazon integration, designed to empower brands and agencies in reaching and engaging with the vast Amazon audience. By introducing features such as Sponsored TV, non-endemic advertising, and global DSP access, Marin Software is facilitating a seamless and effective way for advertisers to connect with consumers on the Amazon platform, even if they do not sell products directly on Amazon. These new capabilities underscore Marin Software's commitment to driving impactful marketing strategies and delivering measurable results for its clients in the evolving digital marketing landscape.

Key Takeaways:

1. Sponsored TV: Advertisers can now target Amazon's 155 million monthly users of ad-supported streaming services (Amazon, Q4 2022), delivering impactful ads for brands that sell on Amazon and those that don't.
2. Non-Endemic Advertising: Brands that don't sell on Amazon can now reach the omnichannel platform's vast audience while they're shopping, creating targeted and effective advertising campaigns related to purchases made on Amazon.
3. Global DSP: Marketers now have access to Amazon's robust advertising platform globally, enabling them to programmatically buy display and video ads across Amazon properties and publisher partners worldwide.

Chris Lein, CEO of Marin Software, emphasized the company's commitment to helping digital marketers connect with consumers in impactful ways. He stated that these enhancements will enable brands to maximize their reach and effectiveness within the Amazon family of brands.

These additions to Marin's existing suite of Amazon Ads solutions combine intelligence, AI-powered optimization, and customizable automations to help marketers thrive in the competitive multi-channel digital marketing landscape. With Sponsored TV, DSP non-endemic, and sponsored ecommerce advertising, Marin Software is equipping all advertisers with the tools to engage Amazon's diverse audience effectively and efficiently across all paid media channels.

Ooma, Inc., a smart communications platform for businesses and consumers, has announced exciting new enhancements to its Ooma Office business phone and communications service. These features aim to improve customer engagement and drive team collaboration, offering small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) powerful tools to compete with larger competitors.

New Features Overview

Ooma Office has been recognized by PCMag as the Best VoIP phone system for its affordability and scalability. The new features, available now in Ooma Office Pro Plus, include:

Contact Us Widget

The Contact Us Widget allows businesses to add a pop-up widget to their websites. This widget invites visitors to submit their name, mobile phone number, and a text message. Submissions are instantly accessible to employees through the text messaging inbox on their desktop or mobile app, enabling quick responses.

Auto Dialer

The Auto Dialer is designed for teams needing to make numerous outbound calls, such as customer support, sales, and accounts receivable teams. By queuing up calls from a pre-loaded spreadsheet, the Auto Dialer displays the next call on the agent’s screen once the current call is completed, enhancing productivity. Agents can also enter notes during the call.

Scheduled Messages

This feature allows SMS text messages to be scheduled for future delivery. This is particularly useful for busy service managers who can prepare customer notifications over the weekend for delivery during regular business hours.

Call Park on Desktop and Mobile Apps

Call Park, previously available only on desk phones, is now accessible through the Ooma Office desktop and mobile apps. This feature lets users place multiple inbound calls on hold and either resume them later or have other team members pick them up. The app displays a list of parked calls with caller information when available.

Online Whiteboard

During Ooma Meetings videoconferences, any participant can launch a shared whiteboard. This tool includes a variety of pens, text entry tools, colors, and shapes, facilitating idea sharing and collaborative project work.

Team Chat on Mobile App

Ooma’s team chat feature, formerly exclusive to the desktop app, is now available on the Ooma Office mobile app. This enhancement allows team members to participate in group chats while on the go.

Pricing

Ooma Office offers three pricing tiers with no contracts required:

• Ooma Office Essentials: $19.95 per user per month
• Ooma Office Pro: $24.95 per user per month
• Ooma Office Pro Plus: $29.95 per user per month (All prices exclude taxes and fees.)

“These new features, added at no extra cost to Ooma Office Pro and Ooma Office Pro Plus customers, are part of our mission to close the gap between technology previously available only to big organizations and bring these powerful tools to SMBs,” said Dennis Peng, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Ooma. Ooma continues to empower businesses of all sizes to communicate efficiently with their prospects and customers through various channels, whether it’s voice, text, or video.

By introducing these enhancements, Ooma Office is set to provide SMBs with advanced communication tools that drive efficiency and customer engagement, helping them stand up to their larger competitors.

The #1 CRM Marketing Solution for iGaming and Sports Betting expands its offering to supercharge personalization, contestant loyalty, and brand growth in the rapidly growing iGaming Sweepstakes sector. Secured The Money Factory, MyPrize, and Chanced.com as clients

Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing Solution for the iGaming and Sports Betting sector, has expanded its offerings with a turnkey solution designed to support iGaming Sweepstakes operators. This new venture welcomes three new clients: The Money Factory, MyPrize, and Chanced.com. As the CRM marketing leader for Online Casino, Sportsbook, and Lottery, Optimove aims to revolutionize the sweepstakes industry.

What are iGaming Sweepstakes?

iGaming sweepstakes companies provide online platforms for contests and giveaways, allowing contestants to win prizes through various games and promotions. These platforms create engaging experiences and reward player participation, driving loyalty and retention.

Optimove's Expertise and New Offering

Optimove leverages its deep expertise in the iGaming and Sports Betting industry to empower Sweepstakes companies. With advanced AI-driven marketing campaigns, Optimove helps these companies enhance contestant experiences, boost retention rates, and maximize player lifetime value.

Key Capabilities of Optimove’s CRM Marketing Solution

Advanced Marketing AI

Optimove provides AI-driven insights, creation, and orchestration to better understand contestants, streamline content creation, and optimize multichannel campaigns for enhanced personalized experiences across all touchpoints.

Personalization of Web and App Experiences

Using Opti-X, Optimove's Digital Experience Platform (DXP), the solution offers personalized content and product recommendations across digital touchpoints. This platform combines business rules with over 20 AI models for targeted personalization.

Enriched Customer Profiles

Optimove unifies all historical, predictive, and real-time customer data from sources like CRM, service clouds, and data warehouses to create a comprehensive single-contestant view.

Dynamic Real-Time Marketing

By combining sophisticated modeling and rich historical data with real-time data, Optimove creates powerful segments and responds swiftly to contestants’ actions with personalized messages across all marketing channels.

Continuous Optimization Loop

Optimove’s productized experimentation tools measure the incremental uplift of each campaign, journey, and strategy, allowing for continuous optimization of CRM marketing performance.

"The iGaming sweepstakes sector is experiencing unprecedented growth and heightened competition, making it essential for companies to foster contestant loyalty and deliver highly personalized experiences," said Tomer Imber, Senior Director of Sales at Optimove. With Optimove’s new solution, sweepstakes operators can enhance engagement, loyalty, and maximize contestant lifetime value. Welcoming The Money Factory, MyPrizes, and Chanced.com marks an exciting start to Optimove’s expansion into the sweepstakes domain.

Social Media, Digital Advertising Now Lead in Marketing Investment But Data Quality and Availability Still Biggest Issue

Stirista, the leader in data-driven marketing solutions, has released the results from its annual B2B Customer Acquisition Survey, focusing on senior-level B2B marketers across various industries. The findings highlight a significant shift toward digital marketing channels and the challenges B2B marketers face, particularly in data quality and availability.

The Shift to Digital Channels

The survey indicates that B2B marketers have increasingly turned to new technologies and digital methods to engage with customers as traditional marketing channels have become less effective. Social and digital advertising have emerged as the top customer acquisition channels. However, nearly half (47%) of the marketers report that data quality and availability pose significant challenges in reaching and engaging with customers.

Pandemic-Induced Changes

Mike Hilts, SVP of Product at Stirista, explains, "As in-person meetings and other traditional sales tactics fell away due to the pandemic, B2B marketers quickly pivoted to digital channels. Our survey sheds light on current B2B customer acquisition strategies and their potential evolution over the next two years."

Two-Year Outlook for Customer Acquisition Marketing

The survey reveals that most B2B marketers are optimistic about meeting or exceeding their marketing goals in the next 24 months. Despite this optimism, nearly three-quarters (72%) of respondents report limited success from their efforts, indicating a need for improved customer acquisition strategies.

Budget and Channel Shifts

Key findings include:

• A significant increase in budget allocation for partner programs is expected by 72% of marketers.
• Mobile (in-app) and video marketing budgets are also anticipated to rise (30% and 29% respectively).
• Marketers plan to increase their focus on in-person channels, such as live events and partner programs.

Keys to Success in Customer Acquisition

The survey identifies several critical factors for successful customer acquisition:

• Marketing and sales alignment is deemed the biggest contributor to success by nearly half (47%) of the marketers.
• Data quality and availability are crucial, along with workflow efficiency (47%) and performance measurement and attribution (43%).

The Role of Live Events

There is a notable disconnect regarding live events. While 55% of marketers find live events highly beneficial, only 11% believe they are the main factor contributing to their strategy's success.

Challenges Across Industries

Data quality, attribution, and measurement are identified as the biggest hindrances to growth across all industries. Successful acquisition strategies vary widely among sectors, highlighting the need for tailored approaches.

Study Methodology

The findings from the 2024 Stirista State of B2B Customer Acquisition Survey are based on an online panel conducted by Ascend2. The survey included nearly 200 marketing decision-makers in management roles or higher, representing B2B companies with 500 or more employees across various industries in the United States.

The 2024 B2B Customer Acquisition Survey by Stirista underscores the ongoing evolution in marketing strategies driven by digital transformation and the critical need to address data quality and availability challenges. B2B marketers are poised to leverage a hybrid approach combining digital personalization and in-person connections to achieve their customer acquisition goals.

• Localization and Voice-over Provider for IVR Systems and Other Tech Platforms Conducted a Consumer Survey to Gauge Opinions on Current State of Voice CX

• Of all contact channels, 56% say they have the most success with the telephone for receiving same-day resolutions

In BLEND's recent caller preferences study, nearly 69% of surveyed consumers demonstrate continued reliance on automated phone systems, highlighting the resilience of the voice channel amidst expanding omnichannel support options. The study, conducted by BLEND, sheds light on consumer sentiments toward voice self-service, AI innovations, and audio quality in contact center interactions.

Consumer Behavior Insights

Phone Channel Reliance

The study reveals that:

• 69% of consumers call into automated phone systems several times a month.
• 56% rely on the phone for urgent customer service requiring same-day resolution.
• 53% describe their day-to-day interactions with IVR systems as 'positive' or 'very positive.'

Importance of Audio Quality

Consumers prioritize audio quality, with:

• 78.5% considering the technical audio quality of voice prompts and on-hold music, as well as the sound of the voice talent, 'very important' or 'important' to the customer experience.

Perception of Voice Technology

Human vs. AI Voices

• 60% believe they can distinguish between a 'human' voice recording and a current-gen AI voice on an IVR interaction.

Gender Preferences

• 46% have no gender preference for IVR voice recordings, while 31% prefer female voices.

Insights for Contact Centers

Tim Shoemaker, BLEND's COO of Voice-Over Services, emphasizes:

• The ongoing significance of the telephone in customer experience.
• The importance of high-quality voices and user interfaces.

Leveraging Consumer Feedback

BLEND utilizes consumer feedback to:

• Guide brands in voice casting, scripting, and audio implementation decisions.
• Recommend suitable voice actors or AI voices to enhance customer experiences.

Study Methodology

The survey, conducted in April 2024, involved 250 international consumers of all ages. Participants were invited via email, and responses were collected through an online survey.

BLEND's caller preferences study offers valuable insights into consumer behavior and preferences in contact center interactions. As consumer expectations evolve, contact centers can leverage these findings to optimize their voice-based customer service strategies and enhance overall customer experiences.

The new product is an evolution of the company's Link-in-bio offering, driven by market opportunities and customer demand for seamless conversion solutions

Bitly Inc., the world's leading Connections Platform, has introduced its newest product: Bitly Pages. This user-friendly tool enables businesses to create customizable, mobile-friendly landing pages that drive meaningful results. Bitly Pages enhances the company's Connections Platform by offering businesses a centralized solution to create, share, and convert end-to-end customer connections.

Evolution of Link-in-bio Tool

Bitly Pages is an evolution of the company's Link-in-bio tool, designed to meet market and customer demand for building landing page solutions. This innovative addition enables businesses, from small enterprises to large corporations, to generate links and QR codes at scale, directing users to personalized, interactive landing pages.

Addressing Market Demand

With the landing page market projected to reach $1.9 billion by 2032, Bitly is strategically positioned to assist businesses in closing the loop on customer engagement. Bitly Pages provides a seamless way for businesses to convert leads and optimize every customer touchpoint within the Connections Platform.

Features and Benefits

Insights and Optimization

Bitly Pages offers deeper insights into consumer interactions, enabling businesses to make data-driven improvements. By understanding user engagement with landing pages, businesses can optimize connections for higher engagement and conversion rates.

Seamless Integration

Bitly Pages integrates seamlessly with Bitly's suite of tools, including branded links, custom QR codes, and analytics. This integration enables businesses to deliver critical notifications, information, and experiences to their audiences, driving better business outcomes.

Empowering Businesses of All Sizes

Bitly continues its mission to empower businesses of all sizes to connect with their audiences in more meaningful ways. With Bitly Pages and other offerings, businesses can strengthen connections and drive engagement by delivering personalized experiences to their audiences.

Bitly Pages represents a significant advancement in Bitly's offerings, providing businesses with a powerful tool to create engaging landing pages and optimize customer connections. By leveraging insights and integrating seamlessly within the Connections Platform, Bitly enables businesses to drive meaningful results and enhance customer engagement.

All in One SEO (AIOSEO), the leading SEO plugin for WordPress, has acquired LowFruits, an innovative keyword research tool designed to uncover low-competition keywords for enhanced search engine rankings. This acquisition marks a significant step forward for AIOSEO in its mission to equip businesses with the best tools to optimize their SEO efforts effectively.

Empowering Small Business Owners

LowFruits enables small business owners to discover high-converting keywords with lower competition, providing them with a competitive edge in search results. With its advanced functionalities, such as bulk SERP analysis and keyword clustering, LowFruits empowers businesses to identify and target keywords that significantly improve their rankings.

Commitment to Excellence

"We are thrilled to welcome LowFruits to the AIOSEO family," said Syed Balkhi, Founder and CEO of Awesome Motive. "By integrating LowFruits into our ecosystem, we can offer our users a comprehensive and user-friendly tool to simplify keyword research and enhance their overall organic performance."

Maximizing SEO Potential

While LowFruits will maintain its independence, retaining its unique features and functionality, AIOSEO users can now leverage both tools to maximize their SEO potential. The synergy between AIOSEO and LowFruits will streamline keyword research and provide users with a seamless experience.

Future Enhancements

AIOSEO is committed to introducing new features and improvements to optimize the user experience and simplify keyword research further. Users can expect these updates to be rolled out by the end of Q3 or early Q4, further solidifying AIOSEO's position as a leading provider of comprehensive SEO solutions for WordPress users.

The acquisition of LowFruits by AIOSEO represents a strategic move to enhance keyword research capabilities and empower businesses with improved search engine rankings. With a focus on innovation and user experience, AIOSEO continues to be at the forefront of providing cutting-edge SEO solutions for WordPress users.