InHome is a marketplace offering Heating \u0026 Cooling (HVAC) services direct-to-consumer online

InHome Home Services

Services are ambiguous, and creating an online services marketplace requires finding a fit b/w the service and the marketplace model The landscape of marketplaces for services is littered with failures. There are many a stories of promising startups that failed to create an enduring business. Services, by nature, are ambiguous and their lack of standardization makes it hard to create liquid online marketplaces. Plumbing, for example, isn’t a fixed priced SKU you can buy on Amazon and be 100% sure that it would solve the pipe leak in your house. Services span a whole range complexity, from low complexity services such as food delivery to high complexity services such as home remodeling. There is no “one size fits all” marketplace model that works for all services. However, an understanding of the patterns of what marketplace models are best suited for what kind of services would make it easier to spot opportunities and to avoid failures. My attempt here is to articulate these patterns by defining the 4 categories with a strong service & marketplace-model fit, and a couple that are misfits. Below is a chart that lays out services on complexity vs. frequency of service, and marks the 4 categories where successful marketplaces have been (and and can be) built. Fig: Categories of marketplaces with a Service & Marketplace-model fit Categories of Fits Fit Category 1 — Lead generators for medium/high complexity (medium/low frequency) services Given the ambiguity inherent in service marketplaces, lead generators have been the most obvious and the earliest way to bring services online. As the name suggests, lead generators are not involved in the transaction and make money simply on surfacing (or establishing connection) between the consumer and the lead. The prime example of a marketplace in this category is , which is a lead generator for services across all complexities and across all frequencies. However, I suspect a big part of Thumbtack’s revenue comes from medium and high complexity services such as event photography compared to low complexity services such as home cleaning. Thumbtack Lead generators could take a share of the market in any complexity level but typically, the value of the lead (and the trust the marketplace creates behind that lead) increases in proportion to the complexity of the service. There is no reason for one to use lead generators for procuring low complexity services when there might be specialized marketplaces, offering a much better consumer experience (Fit Category 2) for procuring those services. A good example of a successful lead generation model in a specific domain (everything home related), but cutting across medium and high complexity services, is . It builds trust for the leads by showing detailed photos of their past projects, Houzz badges and awards, affiliations, reviews, etc. Arguably, Houzz has taken away some of Thumbtack’s market in home services but Thumbtack’s staying power comes from the trust and brand awareness it has engendered because of its breadth of services. is another good example in the wedding domain. Houzz Zola Fit Category 2 —On-demand transaction marketplace for low complexity (high frequency) services This category encompasses specialized marketplaces focused on low complexity (high frequency) services such as food delivery, ride hailing and grocery delivery. Prominent examples are DoorDash, Lyft, Uber Eats, Instacart, etc. These marketplaces go beyond lead generation, and into transactions, and they owe their liquidity to the demand that is generated (and maintained) on the promise of a much better consumer experience for buying services compared to lead generation marketplaces. In that sense, they deepen the market and create more liquidity than there would have been otherwise. However, given the low complexity (and the commoditized nature) of the services being provided by supply side, trust mechanisms in these marketplaces are less important, and marketplaces in this category have a hard time preventing supply-side multi-tenanting with direct and indirect competitors. Supply-side keeps on switching across marketplaces and jobs (same person could do grocery delivery today with Instacart and ride hailing tomorrow with Uber), and this leads to very tough unit economics. Andrew Chen has a about it. Such marketplaces will continue to exist, though there will likely be consolidation that combines multiple low complexity and high frequency services into one marketplace. good post Fit Category 3 — Managed transaction marketplace for medium complexity (medium frequency) services This category is relatively underdeveloped, with and being good examples in home services, and and being good examples in wellness. The services offered by these marketplaces sit in the sweet spot of being that supply-side is not constantly churning (and multi-tenanting) and that the buying experience can’t be standardized into a few clicks. This enables these marketplaces to offer a consumer experience 10x of what the lead generators could provide, thereby capturing sustainable demand. Puls Setter Soothe Glamsquad complex enough not complex enough These transaction marketplaces have a high degree of “managed” component. Puls, for example, vets its technicians and provides a 90-day guarantee on its services. Its buying experience is also very much tailored to each service with as much clarity on pricing as reasonably possible. Setter, on the other hand, introduces a trusted home manager into the mix to instantly help find the right provider. More specialized marketplaces, on the lines of Glamsquad and Soothe, might emerge in this category as more service buying continues to move online, and more segments of services (e.g. dog training — just a random guess) become large enough to justify specialized marketplaces. Fit Category 4 — Managed transaction marketplace for high complexity (low frequency) services This category is also underdeveloped, with being the best example of being successful in the desk-work space. Note that some of Upwork’s services might better fit Category 3 above. The marketplaces in this category are what James Currier called . The focus for the marketplaces here is to bring as much of the offline negotiation involved in a complex transaction online, into an interface managed by the marketplace. The power of these marketplaces comes from a few aspects (not all might be present in one marketplace): a) vetting of suppliers b) SaaS tools to work with these suppliers (before and after one has hired them) and c) guarantee when things go wrong. Upwork Market Networks is an evolving example of such a marketplace for home projects in the consumer space. is an evolving example for office projects in the B2B space for some of its services. It should be noted that the consumer experience marketplaces in this category need to create is very different from the experience that marketplaces in the Category 3 above create. Therefore, it’s very hard for a single transaction marketplace to effectively span across the Categories 3 and 4. BuildZoom Managed by Q : As consumer expectations are evolving towards expecting lower and lower friction, marketplaces in Category 3 and 4 would pose a threat to lead generators (Category 1). That, in my view, is the reason Thumbtack went through all to change its matching approach to be more instant and effective. Note the pain The Misfits (or Loose fits) While it’s interesting to understand the categories of fits, to appreciate the nuances of service marketplaces, it’s also important to recognize the misfits. Below are 2: Misfit Category A— Lead generators for low complexity (medium/low frequency) services Prominent example of a marketplace in this category is . With its positioning as “get affordable help”, TaskRabbit cornered itself into mostly being an option only for low complexity (medium frequency) services that one wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere at a better price e.g. home cleaning, or low complexity (low frequency) services that one wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere at all e.g. standing in a queue for a ticket. To be clear, TaskRabbit is not a failure in absolute sense, but it turned out to be much more of a niche player than it seemed at one point of time because it did not do what was needed to build trust in buying medium complexity services. TaskRabbit Misfit Category B— On-Demand transaction marketplace for low complexity (medium frequency) services Prominent example of a marketplace in this category is . Its mainstay is home cleaning, which not only is medium frequency, but also suffers from the same supply-side churn we had talked about in Fit Category 2. The medium frequency and low complexity aspects of home cleaning makes it really hard to retain supply, and unfortunately for Handy, there also isn’t any silver bullet to providing consumers a 10x experience when buying cleaning from Handy as opposed to buying it from a cheaper lead generator such as TaskRabbit. This is unlike other low complexity services such as food delivery or ride hailing, where the high frequency and on-demand nature of services at least creates an opportunity for the transaction marketplaces to offer a 10x consumer experience compared to what a lead generator could provide. Handy Obviously, service marketplaces are hard, and I have been wrecking my brain to understand what leads to the varied outcomes. Hope the categorization of fits and misfits above resonates with you, and it provides a framework for evaluating opportunities and avoiding pitfalls. Please share any feedback. Follow me on Twitter @setparth

Service & Marketplace-model fit

The potential is growing tremendously for Transforming Healthcare at Home Elderly and ailing patients might not have the resources and energy to visit doctors every now and then, which consequently leads them to choose the option of healthcare at home. Due to this, healthcare companies are always competing with each other in the race to adapt to the increasingly digitized world. Specifically talking about the US, the healthcare organizations are well aware of the issues prevailing such as the need for increased care for home treatments of the aging population, mostly due to mobility and budget issues. The only savior that can aid in such a situation is technology, given that it is implemented correctly. While working with technology, it is vital for home healthcare organizations to choose the right option to achieve the desired results, such as increasing efficiency while providing patients with the utmost care and affordable solutions. What Constitutes the Spectrum of Home Healthcare? Other than providing healthcare services for the elderly, healthcare at home is also useful for patients who need constant medical care and treatment once they get back to their homes from the medical facility or hospital. Home healthcare makes it possible for people to receive a variety of medical services in their homes. Healthcare at home can be beneficial for people dealing with different conditions. Whether the patient is an individual recovering from an illness after a hospital stay or someone who is disabled, old or suffering from a chronic disease, healthcare at home can be the right option in such situations. Healthcare at home allows people to get any kind of treatment available; be it therapeutic or nursing or even routine medical assistance. , this has also resulted in the reduction of hospital admission rates.  Healthcare at home comprises of the following factors: According to a survey by Canadian Home Care Association, with the aid of healthcare services at home, there has been a decline of around 72% in emergency department visits The primary focus of healthcare at home is for people to get medical support at home rather than spending time in a medical facility. Healthcare at home allows people to get the freedom of staying at their residential facility rather than opting for long-term nursing care at hospitals. With home assistance, medical professionals can assist patients who are incapable of conducting daily activities with help for tasks like food preparation, basic housekeeping, and emergency measures. This can be done until the patient can do all such tasks by themselves. • Home Assistance Home assistance also allows medical professionals to take care of medical and psychological assessments while allowing individuals to learn about . pain management, disease education, and physical therapy, etc Home care agencies keep their focus on providing medical expertise in the form of healthcare professionals at a patient’s home. In such cases, medical professionals or doctors are sent to a patient’s house to treat their injuries or illnesses. Once the health condition of the patient is restored, the need for medical professionals end and their services are discontinued thereafter. • Home Care Agencies Other than expert doctors, there are certain cases where other medical professionals are involved in home healthcare programs such as . The demand for such professionals is expected to significantly increase in the next decade as people of all age groups are growing more conscious of healthy lifestyles. • Home Health Care Workers nurses, physiotherapist, nutritionist, occupational therapist, etc Benefits of Healthcare at Home Healthcare at home can be beneficial for many reasons including but not limited to the following ones. Even when the patient is not in a condition to visit the hospital, home healthcare professionals can be of great help. They are specially trained and qualified to provide treatment while assessing the safety as well as risks at the patient’s home itself. They can also offer simple suggestions and corrections for the patient’s well-being, such as the medicines to keep in handy for emergencies or recommendations for immediate ambulance assistance etc. Numbers don’t lie, and looking at the above info-graphic gives a clearer picture as to what the future holds for Home Healthcare Services are supported in-home care too. These activities can include any basic necessity such as bathing, medicine reminders as well as grooming, etc. Such facilities allow elderly patients to get regular help along with their personal care requirements while maintaining a high quality of life for them. Activities of daily living at home is one of the significant benefits of healthcare services at home. Skilled medical professionals can carry out specific critical medical procedures at home with the help of supervised nurses who are certified and hold knowledge about technically advanced medical equipment. Healthcare at home allows your loved ones to get the personalized care that they need at their doorstep. Expert nursing care is a part of home healthcare. Patients who suffer from certain diseases and are discharged from the hospitals after treatments, often grow very weak as they lack nutrition. Their problems can worsen with ageing, illness, and injury. Healthcare at home may include dietary and nutritional counselling along with home-cooked meals that can prevent your loved ones from lack of nutrition. Dietary and nutrition support can turn to be confusing. Home healthcare experts can help your loved ones to consume the right medicines at the right time to control their medical conditions and prevent the intake of wrong drugs. Multiple medical prescriptions When home care is provided to patients with chronic health issues such as diabetes or pneumonia, clinical trials have turned out to be better with fewer complications according to researchers. Healthcare at home can result in better health outcomes. Moreover, home healthcare allows patients to get treated in a better manner as it provides one-on-one support for individuals. Such personalized and skilled care strengthens the bond between healthcare professionals and their clients. What’s Driving this Change in Home Healthcare Services? Companies focusing on providing home healthcare services rely on automation heavily as it allows to ensure that the technology used in the process remains invisible and will enable them to deliver the best care for the users. Due to this factor, more and more home healthcare providing companies are discovering the potential value of automation and optimization as they need to stay competitive in the field. is one of the examples of automated processes that result in increased efficiency. Leading technologies like can help healthcare businesses in providing better organized patient-centric services. Automated appointment scheduling Artificial Intelligence Source: isalushealthcare.com For instance, medicines and equipment required by the patients can be determined in real-time with technology. Along with this AI can allow the feature of duration along with in case of emergencies. It can also improve customer service through to avoid no-show appointment prevention. predictive caregiver scheduling and appointment predictive routing for travel predictive cancellation The whole purpose of automation in home healthcare is to streamline the overall processes such as scheduling and providing services as and when needed, along with all the necessary equipment, thus, improving the patient care at an accelerating pace. This way, all the hassle of fixing random appointments can be eliminated while increasing the productivity of the overall system. The power of the latest ground-breaking technologies like can change a lot in the healthcare sector as by resolving current issues and helping patients to get the best experience when it comes to home healthcare. Healthcare organizations are getting aware of the benefits that technology can provide them such as finishing basic tasks and saving time. Blockchain and AI 5 Technologies Reforming Home-Healthcare According to Kalorama information, out of which a good part of the demand was accounted for home healthcare facilities and services. Eldercare providers have picked up interest in the home healthcare treatments rather than shifting people to another treatment facility. 1. Sensors sales for remote patient monitoring was estimated to around $29.7 Billion in the year 2014 As per the trend, sensor technology could be placed in home premises, around doors, windows as well as the patient’s appliances and equipment. These sensors can provide alerts to caregivers in case of any abnormal activity. They can also track and send notifications if the patient misses their meals. This can be particularly important for patients dealing with diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Such patients can remain at home, and their activities can be monitored via mobile healthcare apps as well as sensors. In cases of emergency, such as when senior citizens are away from home for a long time, GPS tracking can help their families, healthcare workers or law enforcement bodies to locate them quickly. Technologies with features such as mobile alert services also allow these devices to follow a hybrid approach that enables people to find the elderly even in places where GPS might not be available such as garage parking and indoors. It can also help by automated calling for assistance in case users fall. 2. GPS Moreover, in need for emergency health services, there can be a difference of life and death concerning calling the closest emergency squad and rapid dispatching. GPS tracking becomes and much-needed option in emergency business service. Regular health monitoring is not an option but a necessity when it comes to elderly patients. Many devices are available these days which can be connected to smartphones to help reduce the costs as well as the time that is consumed when it comes to doctor visits in endangered health situations. 3. Remote Monitoring Tools Technology has enabled different options in the form of fitness bands that can keep a regular track of sleep, diet, number of steps, etc. Along with these, there are many other devices which can be used for the purpose of tracking and measuring glucose and blood pressure levels along with heart rate monitoring and other measurements. Such tools allow the patient’s family members as well as nurses and doctors to keep a detailed track of their daily healthcare needs and eliminate the need of calling a doctor time and again. Home healthcare relies highly on the data available from multiple resources and its analysis to gain vital insights for the right kind of treatment. Some home health services analyze data in massive amounts and use their outcomes to take preventive measures even before a medical situation can turn into a problem. 4. Big Data Big-data enabled sensor can detect the regular activity levels such as sleep patterns etc. and inform the caretaking authorities to take immediate action concerning any abnormality. Telehealth systems are a boon to the healthcare industry as they provide people with the ability to use phones and other digital systems to connect patients with doctors and specialists. Moreover, the promising advances in these systems can help the disabled or elderly citizens from traveling to-and-fro to healthcare facilities. Devices such as smartphones and iPads with a simple internet connection can make it easier for the people to implement telehealth and make results easier to understand. They allow doctors to monitor patients from different places and share the outcomes in real time. 5. Telehealth 3 Applications Driving Healthcare Innovation Constantly evolving mobile technology has led us to implement new and improved ideas to reality. Healthcare mobile apps are a big revolution in the industry as they have made our work more accessible and improved the rate of efficiency.  Following is a list of some of the healthcare applications that are rapidly transforming the healthcare industry for good. Doctor-on-demand is a mobile application that allows the patient to get a consultation with their doctors through video calling. 1. Doctor-On-Demand: The application uses the concept of telemedicine to provide the patients with an on-demand doctor in situations of urgent care. Source: dribbble.com/babuma Certified physicians offer their services for urgent care_,_ chronic conditions, preventive medicines, medical advice, etc for both medical care and mental health. The app could also be helpful in non-emergency situations like flu and cold, respiratory issues, allergies, back pain, and UTI. 2. HealthTap: A live screen capture from HealthTapSource: dribbble.com/joshshiau The application allows a patient to fix a with a doctor or to get some answers to their questions. It provides a convenient way to access healthcare from real doctors for , through consultations via video, voice or text. The app also has a knowledge library of around 700,000 topics and articles for people to read and learn about healthcare on their own. virtual medical appointment 24*7 It uses an AI-powered symptom checker for one-to-one recommendations and guidance . Microsoft HealthVault is a digital service as well as a mobile app that offers a patient the freedom to . The patients can also share these records with digital professionals securely in the time of need. The system is exceptionally suitable for patients with chronic diseases as they can keep a proper track of their routine health metrics. 3. Microsoft HealthVault: keep their medical records updated and safe HealthVault stores and maintains health and fitness information and addresses both individuals and healthcare professionals. It also allows patients to . set healthcare goals, track progress, and discover health trends Concluding View Healthcare at home sure has a lot of potential but it can only be leveraged if the technologies are utilized in an effective manner. Crucial data such as patient history should be managed properly and researched for insights and understanding without compromising its security. People need to believe in technologies in order to adapt and use them in daily lives. Trending names like Blockchain and Artificial intelligence can bring a revolution in the healthcare industry with emerging use-cases and a proper understanding on how they can be used at their best for patients, doctors as well as the overall healthcare ecosystem. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Read My Other Related Articles 1. Blockchain in Healthcare: Opportunities, Challenges, and Applications , Also on Hackernoon 2. Healthcare Innovation in 2018 , Also on Hackernoon 3. Coordinated Care — The Rise of Communication Tools & Mobile in Healthcare 4. “E-Prescriptions” — Making Patient Care Effective & Efficient 5. AI in 2019 — What Tech Companies are Betting Big On? 6. Top 10 Healthcare Companies in the US I am Mayank, Cofounder of EngineerBabu . Feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn | mayank@engineerbabu.com (About EngineerBabu — Medium ). In addition Help startups, enterprises, and owners to grow their business by building high class IT solutions. 95% of projects developed by them were completed on-time. , Win most innovative Premier Design Award, selected in Y-Combinator 2016 & 2017. EngineerBabu 30+ funded by VCs

How is Technology Transforming Healthcare at Home

If you’re pleasantly surprised by the local ads you’ve seen lately, geofencing technology may be responsible. Competitor geofencing is a marketing strategy that has taken the business by storm. Geofencing technology lets businesses target the most qualified audience by simply setting virtual boundaries. When targeted clients enter this boundary, ads or push notifications will be activated enticing them within that boundary to visit the storefront. It sounds like a story from a sci-fi magazine, but it’s real life – and every day, more and more companies are using this technology. Geofencing technology can be used for example, on Facebook, with contextual advertising, and in many other cases. In this article, we’ll overview geofencing technology and talk about how you can benefit from it. What is Geofencing? Geofencing definition is a location-based service in which an app uses GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi, or cellular data to trigger a pre-programmed action when a mobile device or RFID tag enters or exits a virtual boundary set around a geographic location. Besides, it is essential to understand what is geofence. In simple words, it is a virtual perimeter for a real-world geographic area. The geo-targeting, also known as location-based marketing, is a well-known example of geofencing. It uses geofences to target mobile users in specific geographic locations. For example, shoppers using an in-store app may be familiar with geofencing. A store or supermarket can be surrounded by a geofence that detects the user’s location and triggers app notifications. When entering the shop, the application will notify potential customers about certain offers and promotions. Geofencing Market Overview Given the mobile-centric nature of a geofence or white-label geofence, its adoption and effectiveness in meeting targets across many industries are on the rise. There are many uses for geofencing, and statistics support the point of hyperlocal tracking and RFID marketing. Geofencing is compatible with smartphones; 92% of The average consumer spends a day on their mobile device; 5 hours complete an action after receiving a message when approaching a specific location; 3 out of 4 consumers visited a store after receiving a location message; 53% of shoppers The number of smartphone users exceeds 220 million people; 22% of companies say they use hyperlocal targeting; prefer personalized ads; 71% of consumers 80% of shoppers use their mobile devices in a physical store; 77% of customers will purchase if the ad includes a call to action; Geofenced mobile ads have . This is due to the hyper-local nature and the granular targeting allowed for geofences. twice the click-through rate The Future of Geofencing There are some caveats to geofencing, especially regarding privacy in marketing. Just 4 years ago, Massachusetts was one of the first states to pass a consumer protection law that objected to location-based advertising to target people based on specific medical diagnoses. The Attorney General blocked an ad campaign by Copley Advertising, which a Christian organization hired to geofence around women’s clinics, that would target women in the waiting room or nearby anti-abortion ads. However, despite the security questions, it doesn’t look like geofences will soon lose popularity. , the geofencing industry is expected to grow by more than 27 percent by 2022, driven by “technological advances in the use of spatial data and an increase in applications across many industry verticals.” According to a MarketsandMarkets press release What is Geofencing Used For? There are many ways marketing specialists use geofencing. For instance, they can send location-relevant content to mobile users or explore offline behavior from location data for audience segmentation, personalization, retargeting, competitive intelligence, etc. Besides, businesses can use geofencing for security, time tracking, vehicle tracking, and more, or it can be used in home automation, children’s location services, and even law enforcement. With the rise in popularity of , and once the geographic area is defined, the possibilities for what can be done with geofencing seem endless. mobile devices Main Benefits of Geofencing What better help to understand your customers’ steps than their real journey via mobile? For most people, a gadget is an extension of their lives, making it the endpoint of interaction from which to turn your brand or app into a meaningful part of their everyday lives. Here are just a few ways a geofencing app can quickly add value to your business: Reach out to mobile users anytime with the level of interaction they prefer Geofencing can generate distinctive levels of interaction, from push messages to in-app content, emails, and advertisements. Whether a user has subscribed to receive notifications, these touchpoints can cause relevant content to appear in your app other than push messages. The geofencing app can provide real-time, accurate targeting These touchpoints can target users within 50 meters, meaning you can avoid messages that fall into the wrong context and thus avoid missed opportunities to connect and deliver value through your app. Work with high conversion The proof of the power of “place” is the click-through rate of tricky conversion rates. General notifications sent via mobile devices have a negligible CTR of 2-5%, while messages sent based on someone’s precise location using geofences as a trigger have a 3-5 times higher CTR. Make your business scalable with fewer human resources There should be no limit to the number of geofences you can set up in your markets or specific locations since there is no limit. You can also group geofences into campaigns and create them in bulk by country or in small, precise explosions in a few clicks. Why Do Companies Need to Use Geofencing Marketing? Geofencing is an efficient way to reach your users through mobile devices. Not surprisingly, according to our latest research, location-based notifications are 10 times more effective than standard push notifications. Mobile geofencing incorporates location and behavioral data into your app to improve audience segmentation and delivery of relevant notifications. It has proven to be an effective tool because it is personalized, reaches the audience on time, and is highly targeted. Some use cases for geofencing marketing: Attract visitors to your places by adding geofences to POIs (points of interest) such as airports, hotels, or tourist spots, and send them attractive notifications that generate urgency to convince them to visit your business. Interview customers when they leave your POIs. By getting feedback from your customers, you get to know your business and store experience better. Don’t forget to give incentives or rewards to convince your customers to take the survey. Capture customers at competitor locations by adding geofences to competitor locations to influence consumer behavior by giving them a better deal if they visit your store. Using this tactic, you can also determine which segment of your customers frequents your competitors’ businesses. Redirect customers who have visited a specific location or participated in your campaigns to make a special offer or promote your loyalty program. How Is Geofencing Implemented in the Marketing Strategy? 5 Important Tips Before implementing geofencing, you must consider the journey of your customers. Where do they usually go? What other businesses are they interested in? What questions do they ask? When you understand your clients, you can create geofencing campaigns that are more likely to attract them. Tip #1. Make your geofence the right size Companies are excited about geofencing, and in some cases, even too much. This can lead to too large geofences, not leading to results. For example, if you have a competitor 30 minutes away from your store, it is unlikely that consumers will visit your store on the same day. That’s why you want to create small, compact perimeters. The general rule of thumb for geofenced advertising is that your target area is only a four to five-minute walk from your store. You can increase this time to four or five minutes of driving in some cases. Remember, you want users to feel comfortable visiting you. In some cases, your company may not need to worry about Conversion Zones. For example, an e-commerce store might target a geofenced marketing trade show. However, the goal of this company is to encourage users to visit their website, not a physical location. Tip #2. Know your customers Your target audience is critical. If you understand your clients and what they want, you can create a target area to deliver results. Besides, you can design ads that will attract customers and encourage them to buy. If you’re not sure who your target audience is – or updating your target audience – look at the data you already have. For example, if you are active on social media, connect with your customers and see what they say about your business, services, or products. Tip #3. Make your ads work What is more effective – “Buy one dish and get one free, only today!” or “Come to our special dinner!” Of course, you invite users with each of these, but you are much more specific and precise in the first call to action (CTA). It is also worth noting that you must design not spammy or self-serving ads. For example, if you’re promoting a new product, encourage users to try it rather than buying it. With this approach, you naturally lead them through the sales funnel. Tip #4. Review your data regularly Optimize the success of your geofencing marketing campaign and your other digital marketing efforts by reviewing your data regularly. Otherwise, you won’t know how your campaign is progressing. If analytics is uncharted territory for you, you can always work with a geofencing marketing company. With technology like MarketingCloudFX, you can also view geofencing ROI. For example, if a user visits your website after receiving an ad but calls later to place an order, you might see this in MarketingCloudFX. Tip #5. Use all your targeting methods In geofencing marketing, you can use several external marketing methods, including: Contextual targeting It shows ads relevant to the page’s content, such as news articles about local restaurants. Content Targeting It’s a tool that targets the keywords used in a search and the intent of such keywords. If you have content for the keyword “restaurants with private dining areas,” you should ensure that the content discusses your private dining area and options. Retargeting A marketing targeting strategy shows ads to users who have viewed a product on your website, such as after visiting your storefront. Dayparting A method targets users at specific times, better known as ad scheduling. For example, if you have a target audience active on weekdays, you can only run promotions from Monday to Friday. Like many digital marketing tools, geofencing marketing will complement your digital marketing strategy. For example, it will inform your team when your target audience is active and how to promote them after visiting the store. Top-5 Companies Using Geofencing Apps Here are some real-life geofencing examples, including some of the best use cases by big brands. Starbucks As with many other geofencing examples, Starbucks uses this technology to send push notifications to interested customers nearby. One such example is their “happy hour” promotion, where certain drinks are half price, and users nearby receive special push notifications notifying them of the promotion. They can infer when a customer is nearby or walking in the door. To deliver the appropriate push notification, they can also use geofencing marketing to categorize their customers into categories such as whether the user is a cappuccino or frappuccino drinker. Amazon Amazon’s new location service makes it easier for customers to add location functionality to their apps. In June, business customers can implement the feature using high-quality data from leading providers to provide maps, points of interest, geocoding, route planning, geofencing, and asset tracking. The service can track items such as packages delivered to customers. And embed maps directly into apps to add a map to their website or app to let people know where they are. Importantly, businesses can use geofencing features to offer timely deals to customers when they are close to a retail location. Uber Los Angeles International Airport has banned taxis, Uber, and Lyft from picking up passengers. But the airport’s geofence allowed Uber to bypass this problem. When users get off the plane and think about getting home, the Uber app will notify them about nearby available cars. It is very convenient and precisely what customers need at the moment. They have to walk to the airport where the Uber will be waiting. This is one of many geofencing examples that show how companies can increase sales by creating geofences in the right place. Volvo Using geo-fenced marketing, the New York dealership attracted 500 new leads to its website and 132 shoppers to its showroom during the 30-day trial period of the campaign. The marketing team built geofences around areas with a high concentration of car buyers, including around local competitors, to target users with banner ads. They also set up a conversion zone around their dealership to track who visited the showroom. Volvo has used the tool to increase brand awareness and attract clients who have already gone to the store to buy a luxury car. Burger King One of the best examples of geofencing in geoconquest is the Burger King Whopper Detour campaign. The bold move saw Burger King troll McDonald’s by offering its iconic burger for as little as 1 cent, but only to users who downloaded the BK app and then ordered through it while visiting a McDonald’s restaurant. With careful planning ahead, Burger King collected data from thousands of McDonald’s restaurants and then created geofences around each one to launch the app promotion. Hailed as one of the best examples of geographic conquest allowed them to grab tons of competitors’ customers and get tons of free publicity at the same time! This is one of our favorite examples of geofencing ads. Summing Up Remember that geofences are abstract boundaries, so you can create any virtual geofence since the whole world is at your service. The method is economical: open the map, select the desired territories, and immediately start tracking them. Impressive, right? The geofencing technology can be implemented with ready-made software solutions. Also Published here

A Closer Look at Geofencing Technology and Applications

The invention of field has changed everything. Home care businesses have undergone a deep change in adjusting to the fine line between sophisticated technology and indispensable human intervention. In unpacking this crossroad, we discuss the potentials and limitations of home care in a context that incorporates AI. Artificial Intelligence in the healthcare The Current Landscape: Personalized treatment, empathy, and the human touch have been associated with the home care industry from its inception. However, with the advancement of , they become indispensable tools for increasing efficiency and reducing cost while improving overall patient outcomes. AI technologies For example, predictive analytics driven by AI is helping home care providers anticipate patient needs and optimize schedules to provide timely interventions. The wearable devices, with artificial intelligence algorithms, monitor vital signs and report to caregivers any concerns needing preventive measures before emergencies develop. The Rise of Telehealth: The greatest change that the landscape of home care can boast is reduced to driven by artificial intelligence. The emergence of remote nursing has changed modern healthcare into a more linked system, reducing the gap between patients and caregivers. incorporating telehealth solutions Real-time data analyzing AI algorithms provide necessary information to medical workers, who can make wise decisions based on received conclusions. It not only enhances the quality of service provided but also allows for rational allocation of scarce sources resources. The Human Touch Redefined: Although AI automates many of the process-related aspects of home care, its introduction does not dismiss the importance of person-centredness. In essence, it renews the human touch by allowing caregivers to concentrate on what counts – relationships with patients. Routine data-based work is delegated to AI, leaving more time for caregivers who can build strong relationships with their clients. This move to a more personal and emotionally rich approach is an example of the mutual dependence between technology and humans. Challenges on the Horizon: While integrating AI in-home care businesses, they should also leave the ethical issues and challenges. The integration of AI in healthcare involves balancing the use of technology for efficiency with considerations that safeguard patient privacy and dignity. Such issues as problems of data safety, algorithm bias, and dehumanization of care processes are real cause for concern. Finding the appropriate balance involves strong sustained ethical practices, educating caregivers, and communicating to patients how AI is used in their treatment. Empowering Caregivers with AI: AI is not replacing human caregivers; it serves to empower them. Through smart decision support systems and , caregivers can make more informed choices with reduced burnout rates as they now focus primarily on the delivery of quality services. AI-driven automation Programs that focus on the partnership between humans and AI prepare caregivers with the abilities required to negotiate a constantly changing terrain. Integrating AI into the caregiving process is not all about technology but a culture shift that encourages innovation and yet retains compassion. The Role of Predictive Analytics: Predictive analytics, one of the key elements in AI for home care is changing how providers treat patients. If the historical data is analyzed, and suggest preventative actions. AI algorithms can detect possible health problems Successful implementation of this prevention strategy helps to reduce the load on emergency services and hospital resources as well as increase patient outcomes. For example, an AI system can study the health history and lifestyle data of a patient to detect red flags that suggest an increased likelihood of crisis. By intervening before the situation gets out of hand, caregivers can help with targeted interventions ranging from medication changes to lifestyle advice. The Future of Home Care: In the future, then, home care will encompass a symbiotic relationship between AI and human hands. While technology keeps evolving, there is a tendency for robotic and aid companion devices will be used for older patients needing to have someone with them. Furthermore, AI will have a vital function in personalized medicine producing individual patient profiles. This level of personalization not only increases the performance of care but also contributes to better patient satisfaction. Conclusion: As home care continues to evolve, the meeting of advanced technology and compassion is poised for success. Technology integration should not be about replacing caregivers; it is about empowering them so that they can provide more intimate and compassionate services. In the process of this transformative journey, home care business owners must focus on moral issues and educate their staff about AI subtleties as well as address patient outcomes that technology affects all along. The combination of AI and the human touch is not merely technological progress but a paradigm change that has the potential to revolutionize compassionate care in today’s age.

How AI Is Impacting The Quality Care and Client Acquisition in  Home Cares

Estimating the price of a home is both science and art. Home characteristics, such as square footage, location or the number of bathrooms, are given different weights according to their influence on home sale prices in each specific geography over a specific period of time, resulting in a set of valuation rules, or models that are applied to generate each home’s Zestimate. Specifically, some of the structured data that is used in the estimation include Physical attributes: Location, lot size, square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms and many other details. Tax assessments: Property tax information, actual property taxes paid, exceptions to tax assessments and other information provided in the tax assessors’ records. Prior and current transactions: Actual sale prices over time of the home itself and comparable recent sales of nearby homes. Besides the structured data, there are a lot of other factors that constitute a so-called curb-appeal or the buyer’s impression of the house. It is important to consider those factors in the estimation so as to match the human emotions and social norms. When agents assess a property, the first thing they typically do is study the home from an overhead, satellite view on Google. They note whether it backs up to a busy street, the proximity to commercial property or freeways, the size of other homes nearby, the vegetation and landscaping, its orientation to the sun and, if available, will view any photos of the exterior plus a street scene. A home with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances compared to a similar home with a Formica kitchen definitely commands a higher value. Similarly, a home that has been renovated should be estimated more than its next-door similar neighbor which is a decade or two out of date. The companies like Zillow have been using such data extracted from home photos and satellite images of the neighborhood for some time. Armed with a large amount of data collected over a period of time, Zillow claims that its Zestimate is 15 percent more accurate when it incorporates machine learning to simulate human judgment. Till recently, companies like Zillow had an advantage of a pool of data collected over many years from homes all over the US, based on which they have fine-tuned their machine learning models. With the availability of computer vision APIs for object detection from Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, and Foxy it is now possible for any company providing real-estate services, while starting from scratch, to make use of unstructured data in their estimation. We tried Amazon, Google and Microsoft’s Object Detection APIs on a suite of home photos. We wanted to find out the accuracy of these APIs with built-in generic object detection models and whether they can be used to augment home estimations. Please see the end of the article on details of objects detected using each of these APIs with the built-in model on a variety of home photos. Observations Amazon provides the most accurate results followed by Google and Microsoft. Microsoft detects only a single object and has poor accuracy as compared to the other two. Amazon returns multiple labels related to specific objects as well as its ancestors. For some photos, Google returned specific labels such as “hacienda” for “Spanish Estate” showing it might have a wider variety of photos from different countries. Foxy AI takes an approach to classify objects in known categories related to real-estate like Closet, Laundry etc. It is not clear if their model has any higher accuracy than the generic object models of the other three companies. None of the results show adjectives like “Wooden floor” or “Granite countertop” etc. with default models which may limit their use in estimation. Improving detection Images may not always be clear and sharp. It will be interesting to see how accurately objects in cluttered, out-of-focus or low-light images are detected. Amazon APIs can return the bounding box for common object labels such as people, cars, furniture, apparel or pets. Bounding boxes can be used to find the exact locations of objects in an image, count instances of detected objects, or to measure an object’s size using bounding box dimensions. It would be interesting to see if we can detect additional characteristics of an object by feeding in zoomed in part of the image of the individual object. For real-estate photos, the useful adjectives to detect are — bright and spacious, marble, granite countertop, teak furniture, new refrigerator, wooden floor, Flaming birch cabinets, antique furniture, leather sofa, high ceiling, long, steep driveway, manicured garden, walk-in closet, long hallway, clean carpet. Amazon API allows the use of parent labels to build groups of related labels and then querying of similar labels in one or more images. This can be used to compare bedroom photos of multiple homes and query objects within that room to compare. Microsoft provides the idea of scoped analysis where you can specify the model’s name to get information relevant to that model. Currently, only Celebrities and Landmarks models are supported. But all the companies may eventually add real-estate as one of the categories or domains which may significantly improve the detection accuracy. Home styles, interiors change based on location and culture. Considering such aspects while detecting objects can improve detection accuracy. A targeted machine learning model trained only on the photos of interior and exteriors of houses vs. generic model for any object detection can work well. There are companies like Foxy AI who take this approach. Foxy provides API endpoints specifically to detect objects in home pictures and also provide price predictions based on the input parameters. Google’s AutoML Vision makes it possible for developers with limited machine learning expertise to train high-quality custom models. After uploading and labeling images, AutoML Vision trains a model that can scale as needed to adapt to demands. Such custom, production-ready models are better suited for our use case. Making a generic AI product that is genuinely useful to the custom scenario is very hard. A custom model development based on data collected from real users is always preferable to the exercise of fitting a square peg in a round hole. Teaching a computer to appreciate curb appeal and the buyer’s feel of the home is truly artificial intelligence. Using generic object detection APIs with built-in models can be a good start for companies who do not have any data. As they gather data over time, a custom model built using local home photos can work well to extract additional home features. These along with structured variables like square footage can help hone in on more accurate estimations. In any case, we are far from eliminating expert real-estate agent’s visit for a true valuation of real-estate. Object Detection Results on home photos Reference: https://i.imgur.com/7Jk4R8h.jpg Microsoft "categories":[{"name":"outdoor_pool","score":0.95703125}], "requestId":"7462e05d-5cc3–4273-a6d6-e78edc916d34", "metadata":{"width":2048,"height":1365,"format":"Jpeg"} Google estate : 0.9384693503379822 property : 0.9383976459503174 mansion : 0.9083089828491211 villa : 0.8863233923912048 real estate : 0.8205443620681763 home : 0.8012939095497131 hacienda : 0.7106115221977234 building : 0.7076689004898071 sky : 0.6754202842712402 swimming pool : 0.6674705147743225 Amazon Building : 97.64356231689453 Mansion : 93.88848876953125 House : 93.88848876953125 Housing : 93.88848876953125 Path : 93.61183166503906 Walkway : 93.61183166503906 Resort : 93.21076202392578 Hotel : 93.21076202392578 Flagstone : 91.89410400390625 Villa : 86.66985321044922 Water : 69.26892852783203 Pool : 69.26892852783203 Architecture : 61.82177734375 Sidewalk : 57.70322799682617 Pavement : 57.70322799682617 Analysis Microsoft correctly identified the pool with a qualifier of “outdoor”. But it did not return any other objects. Google identified specific architecture of building by identifying it as “Hacienda” meaning “Spanish Estate”. It also explicitly identified “sky” which was not detected by the other two. Amazon detected details like “Flagstone”. Amazon seems to have a pretty high confidence score also for each object starting with 97%. Reference: https://i.imgur.com/Eic3Xam.jpg Microsoft "categories":[{"name":"abstract_","score":0.01171875},{"name":"others_","score":0.01171875}], "requestId":"a7add036–54d5–4421-ab4c-889535161445", "metadata":{"width":1905,"height":2000,"format":"Jpeg"} Google interior design : 0.7810790538787842 home : 0.6999193429946899 window : 0.6992332339286804 outdoor structure : 0.5407284498214722 furniture : 0.5291412472724915 Amazon Flooring : 99.99893951416016 Floor : 99.8294448852539 Indoors : 94.28851318359375 Interior Design : 94.28851318359375 Plant : 89.50586700439453 Living Room : 85.67030334472656 Room : 85.67030334472656 Furniture : 83.99723052978516 Couch : 83.99723052978516 Hardwood : 82.8748550415039 Wood : 82.8748550415039 Jar : 78.75053405761719 Pottery : 78.75053405761719 Vase : 78.75053405761719 Blossom : 77.35748291015625 Flower Arrangement : 77.35748291015625 Flower : 77.35748291015625 Potted Plant : 76.62191009521484 Flower Bouquet : 72.43888854980469 Flagstone : 58.75558090209961 Door : 58.61599349975586 Corridor : 55.91652297973633 Analysis Microsoft could not detect any objects with default settings. It also has generic terms like “abstract” (maybe it detected the picture as a painting) with a very low confidence score. Google detected some generic terms like “Window” and “Furniture”. Amazon detected a lot of details included “Potted plant”, “Flower Bouquet” etc. Reference: https://i.imgur.com/6aGAOOp.jpg Microsoft "categories":[{"name":"abstract_","score":0.01953125},{"name":"others_","score":0.00390625},{"name":"outdoor_","score":0.00390625}], "requestId":"0f4b81a5-b38f-47b0–93fa-61d93186a5bb", "metadata":{"width":2048,"height":912,"format":"Jpeg"} Google property : 0.8942150473594666 countertop : 0.8445141911506653 kitchen : 0.8333971500396729 estate : 0.7475240230560303 interior design : 0.7038251161575317 real estate : 0.7007927894592285 cuisine classique : 0.6698155999183655 ceiling : 0.5234758257865906 Amazon Indoors : 99.1664047241211 Room : 99.1664047241211 Kitchen : 94.69178009033203 Interior Design : 93.49835205078125 Flooring : 89.98771667480469 Wood : 85.61946868896484 Lamp : 83.11481475830078 Chandelier : 83.11481475830078 Kitchen Island : 81.20708465576172 Hardwood : 77.21861267089844 Furniture : 59.81884002685547 Floor : 58.4579963684082 Analysis Microsoft could not detect any objects with default settings. Google detected that it is a kitchen but did not identify much of details within the kitchen. Amazon detected a lot of details included “ ”, “Hardwood” etc. Chandelier Reference: https://i.imgur.com/2CQ2EyM.jpg Microsoft "categories":[{"name":"abstract_","score":0.02734375},{"name":"building_pillar","score":0.3515625}], "requestId":"5e1faa3e-ac73–4a65-aaaf-84ec3d8547cd", "metadata":{"width":2048,"height":944,"format":"Jpeg"} Google property : 0.8988840579986572 room : 0.8776835799217224 interior design : 0.7127363085746765 real estate : 0.6541785597801208 living room : 0.6493942141532898 estate : 0.6164873838424683 floor : 0.5910876989364624 ceiling : 0.5784943699836731 flooring : 0.5770671367645264 house : 0.5629818439483643 Amazon Flooring : 99.9969482421875 Floor : 99.98954010009766 Wood : 98.96363830566406 Interior Design : 97.80683135986328 Indoors : 97.80683135986328 Hardwood : 92.8141098022461 Room : 82.762939453125 Living Room : 80.249267578125 Plywood : 72.39012145996094 Furniture : 69.56649780273438 Bedroom : 68.93217468261719 Bed : 61.190338134765625 Rug : 60.942543029785156 Analysis Microsoft could not detect any objects with default settings. Google detected the room incorrectly as “Living room”. Amazon detected the room as both “Living room” and “Bedroom”. It also correctly detected “Bed” and “Plywood”. Reference: https://i.imgur.com/LGKVfzx.jpg Microsoft "categories":[{"name":"indoor_room","score":0.93359375}], "requestId":"59e8b484–652a-4d78–90f6-d9fb4274c33f", "metadata":{"width":2000,"height":2000,"format":"Jpeg"} Google room : 0.916010856628418 bathroom : 0.8526955842971802 interior design : 0.8033964037895203 floor : 0.8008365035057068 wall : 0.7690424919128418 flooring : 0.7259812951087952 home : 0.725638210773468 ceiling : 0.701020359992981 estate : 0.6925469040870667 real estate : 0.657813549041748 Amazon Flooring : 99.98371887207031 Floor : 99.88095092773438 Furniture : 98.47281646728516 Couch : 88.17687225341797 Indoors : 87.85083770751953 Interior Design : 87.85083770751953 Living Room : 78.22207641601562 Room : 78.22207641601562 Wood : 71.65221405029297 Tub : 68.77200317382812 Hardwood : 62.696842193603516 Flagstone : 58.15713119506836 Analysis Microsoft could not detect any objects with default settings. Google detected sit correctly as a “Bathroom”. Amazon detected “Tub” and “Couch” but not as a “Bathroom”. Reference: https://i.imgur.com/6PnuY0Q.jpg Microsoft "categories":[{"name":"outdoor_","score":0.01171875},{"name":"outdoor_street","score":0.55078125}], "requestId":"88a759da-2b1c-43f9–9fec-c8cb07cb9fde", "metadata":{"width":1769,"height":2000,"format":"Jpeg"} Google property : 0.9011626243591309 walkway : 0.7674194574356079 home : 0.7527650594711304 real estate : 0.7386894822120667 arecales : 0.7260463237762451 palm tree : 0.6820899248123169 estate : 0.6767517924308777 outdoor structure : 0.6750420928001404 villa : 0.6429499387741089 house : 0.6065300107002258 Amazon Flagstone : 99.65138244628906 Tree : 95.78475952148438 Plant : 95.78475952148438 Patio : 91.34025573730469 Walkway : 90.66641235351562 Path : 90.66641235351562 Arecaceae : 88.72791290283203 Palm Tree : 88.72791290283203 Outdoors : 79.1570816040039 Sidewalk : 78.15443420410156 Pavement : 78.15443420410156 Human : 77.41170501708984 Person : 77.41170501708984 Building : 76.29102325439453 Banister : 74.00752258300781 Handrail : 74.00752258300781 Summer : 70.18952178955078 Hotel : 63.83850860595703 Arbour : 59.08328628540039 Garden : 59.08328628540039 Home Decor : 57.40121078491211 Pot : 56.944217681884766 Analysis Microsoft could detect it only as “Outdoor”. Google detected some generic terms like “Palm Tree” and “Villa” Amazon detected a lot of details included “Palm Tree”, “Patio” etc. It also detected “Human” and “Person” in the picture which is not there. Thanks to Pablo Thiel at Haverford College for help with extracting data with all the APIs. Originally published at 47billion.com on February 4, 2019.

Using object detection in home pictures for improving price estimation

With voice-based technologies poised for significant growth in 2018, it’s time for you to gear up, build new skills and take advantage of the new and exciting opportunities in this space. Nearly of at least one in-home voice assistant device, and about to start using them. With the launch of Google’s and Amazon’s upcoming launch of , shoppers and tech enthusiasts are getting super excited. 47% of shoppers in Australia are already aware 46% are willing or excited ‘Google Home’ Amazon Alexa But what does that mean for you? You probably have questions on your mind like: What new skills do I need to learn to be ahead of the trend and be of value? What kind of projects can I expect to work on with this technology being rapidly adopted by users? What are the key challenges while working with voice-based services? What’s driving the rapid adoption of this technology, and why? What are some areas of interest to thought leaders, influencers and industry leaders in this space? We leveraged our network and reached out to some of the top experts on this topic, and asked for their unique insights to address these questions. Let’s dig in! What’s driving the massive adoption of voice-based technology? According to , Application Architect at , it’s the ease of use and accessibility of voice technology which is making it a popular tech trend among users. He says, ‘It’s a lot easier for consumers to speak their questions, rather than type them,’ which makes it more ‘human’ to adopt voice services and provides them an opportunity to be where their customers are. Adam Burland ING Australia , Solution Architect at , feels that it’s the enhanced accuracy of speech recognition due to ‘generational gains’ in artificial intelligence leading this trend. He points to the cost effectiveness of these devices, and the familiarity users already have with voice-based services via their mobile devices as important factors causing rapid adoption at scale. Peter Hanselmann Bambora More importantly, Peter adds that SDKs and APIs have been made available to developers to experiment with by some of the major vendors for iOS and Android platforms. These APIs and SDKs are fairly accurate, cost-effective and easily ‘adoptable’ by developers, giving them free reign to invent new voice-based applications, with speedy adoption being a natural byproduct. , General Manager of Home Innovation, IOT Product Engineering at says it’s, “quite simply, togetherness” and the ease of using voice-based calling is what makes it attractive for users to adopt these technologies. Alan Crouch Telstra Complementing that, , Head of Backend Development at says it’s the convenience of using voice-based technologies, which is ‘just short’ of a technology that reads your mind, that makes it such a wonderful and loved trend among tech users. Adam Woods hipages What are some areas of interest to tech leaders and evangelists? Adam Burland says he is most interested in how voice-based technologies can be integrated with their existing platforms and services to provide a ‘multi-channel’ customer experience. So, if something is currently using text based technology, there’s likely to be a demand for skills in integrating voice services into existing platforms. Peter Hanselmann is more specifically interested in the use of voice-based services for payments. (think voice for fintech). He’s already created some prototypes for this for both Android mobile and PC, using the Google Cloud Speech API. As per his research, 8% of respondents to a BI survey in 2017 said they already used , and this percentage is set to grow to about 31% of US adults by 2022. Clearly, voice payments are all set for massive growth! voice-based payments Alan Crouch builds on his vision for creating more togetherness and says that he is most interested in iconic new products that work beautifully for families, small businesses and enterprises. He sees a massive opportunity in making the complex simple using voice- and video-based services. Adam Woods of hipages has a profound interest in machine learning technology that underpins voice-based services. He’d like to explore how voice-based services can get smarter and more intuitive. What projects do industry leaders have in the voice-based technology space? Adam Burland of ING Australia shares that they’re the first bank in Australia to make it possible for consumers to check their bank balances using Siri. They’re planning projects to make it possible for consumers to do banking transactions like transferring money and making bill payments, all via voice! Alan Crouch of Telstra says he’s excited to bring hands-free voice and video calling to all Australians. Additionally, Adam Woods of hipages shares that they’re one of the Amazon Alexa launch partners in Australia and will look into projects that complement the functionality of Alexa and its integration with other platforms. Needless to say, the future’s looking exciting for voice-based services. What are some of the key challenges in the voice-based services space? “I think the hardest part will be designing the user experience for voice-based services. For example, being able to respond to a follow up question within the context of a conversation, in a way that leads the user to the answer they are seeking.” says Adam Burland of ING Australia. Peter Hanselmann anticipates that being able to handle a wide variety of accents with Australia being a multicultural nation is going to be the biggest challenge. Another challenge he adds is maintaining the effectiveness of voice-based technology with loud background noise. Alan Crouch gives a user-centric insight by highlighting the importance of voice services being used securely and protecting the privacy of users. You don’t want some hacker to be able to just say “Siri, what’s my bank balance?” to another user’s phone! That would be a nightmare for a user, and a real problem that any developer with tech chops needs to take very seriously.

How Tech Teams are Preparing for the Explosion of Voice-based Services

At the International Builders Show 2024 in Las Vegas, it's evident that the future of homebuilding is here, and it's smarter than ever. Amidst the innovative showcases and tech-forward exhibits, one name stands out: , a division of , which is setting new standards for smart home integration and consumer satisfaction in the housing industry. Cox Communities Cox Communications Smart Homes for Everyone The concept of smart homes has transcended the realm of luxury and become a staple in the modern housing market. With an estimated 75.4 billion gadgets expected to connect to the internet by 2025, the demand for homes that are not only built with but also built for technology is skyrocketing. Cox Communities is at the forefront of this evolving digital reality, delivering pre-enabled fiber-powered broadband that’s fast, reliable and able to support their increasingly connected lives. "At Cox Communities, we envision a future where every home is built with connectivity at its core," says Guillermo Rivas, a spokesperson for Cox Communications. "This isn't just about access to the internet. It's about crafting homes that anticipate and fulfill the digital and lifestyle needs of tomorrow's homeowners, making smart living accessible to all." Christopher Phelan from echoes this sentiment, highlighting the industry's move towards integrated smart technologies in multifamily and senior living spaces. CSI Construction "The ability for a community to manage properties efficiently while offering residents advanced control and security over their living spaces is the next frontier in residential construction," Phelan notes. Stress-Free Moves with Pre-Enabled Homes Imagine moving into a new home and, with the flip of a switch, having all your connected technology work seamlessly from day one without needing to make countless phone calls to order equipment and schedule installation. Cox Communities makes this a reality by integrating Cox’s fiber-powered network into homes from the get-go. This approach not only caters to the 70% of home buyers looking for a turnkey move-in experience but also addresses the growing preference among Gen Z buyers for newly constructed homes equipped with smart features. The Rise of Build-to-Rent Homes The housing market is witnessing a significant shift towards build-to-rent (BTR) single-family homes. This trend caters to those hesitant to buy or looking for an upgrade from apartment living. Cox Communities recognizes the importance of technology in making these properties attractive to renters, ensuring that each home is enabled with the connectivity and smart tech tools necessary for a modern lifestyle. The Importance of a Trusted Internet Provider Having a reliable and fast internet provider is crucial. Cox Communities not only promises speed and reliability, backed by the Cox network, but also a commitment to growth and agility, ensuring that their network can support the ever-increasing number of connected devices in our homes. Pioneering Electrification in Smart Homes The future is not just about connectivity but also about sustainability and efficiency. An exemplary showcase of this forward-thinking approach comes from Siemens, a global brand of electrical engineering and smart home technology. Tim Curtis from Siemens shared insights into how their innovations are setting the stage for a more electrified and efficient future. “We displayed Inhab, as the market is looking to electrify and do more with less we are helping to enable that for customers. It starts with knowing your power,” Curtis stated. This perspective underscores a critical shift towards energy awareness and efficiency in the smart home sector, aligning perfectly with Cox Communities' vision of homes that are not only connected but also intelligently powered. Siemens is addressing a common hurdle for many homeowners looking to adopt electric vehicles (EVs) with a groundbreaking solution. “For people looking to buy EV chargers that don’t have space in their panel, we have a new product coming out this year that allows you to avoid panel upgrades so you can continue to use your existing panels and avoid $5,000 to $20,000 of unnecessary material and labor charges,” Curtis revealed. This innovation exemplifies the kind of smart solutions that are making sustainable living more accessible to the average homeowner. Additionally, Siemens is gearing up to introduce a Smart Breaker, compatible with existing Siemens equipment. This product promises to be a game-changer in home energy management, offering homeowners unprecedented control over their power consumption. “We also have a Smart Breaker coming out, it’s something we are excited to showcase,” Curtis added. This aligns with the broader industry movement towards homes that not only connect to the internet but also intelligently manage their energy use, reflecting Cox Communities' commitment to supporting homes that are prepared for the future. Cox Communities is a leading resource for builders and developers, guiding them through the complexities of modern home construction. By pre-enabling homes with Cox Fiber, they remove one of the major stress points of moving, significantly improving customer satisfaction. Their consultation services help builders attract buyers more efficiently, with homes pre-equipped with smart technology selling at a higher price. The Future Is Connected The future of housing lies in smart, connected homes. Cox Communities is leading the charge, transforming the way we think about living spaces and setting new benchmarks for the industry. With their expertise and innovative solutions, they are doing more than just bringing powerful broadband to new homes; they are creating the foundations for a more connected and convenient future.

The Smart Home Evolution: Cox Communities at the International Builders Show 2024

The Internet-of-Things (IoT) refers to a network of that use sensors, software, or other technologies to connect, exchange data, and communicate with other devices and systems over the internet. physical objects Smartphones are a good example of IoT technology in use, enabling billions of people around the world to connect to the internet and use online services and products. IoT devices have created a world that is more connected than ever, with smart video doorbells and sleep tracking bracelets to smartphone-controlled lightbulbs and more. This technology also has a foothold in the corporate and manufacturing world. In this story, we'll look at embedded systems and how they're vital to the IoT ecosystem. What Is an Embedded System? Embedded systems are simply computer systems that play a specific role within a larger mechanical or electrical system. Examples of embedded systems include GPS systems, central heating, heart rate monitors, and ATMs. These computer systems have a specific purpose, and multiple embedded systems can work together as part of a product with multiple purposes like a laptop (internet connectivity, video calls, video processing, etc.). How IoT Systems Can Benefit from Embedded Security Sternum, an IoT security, and observability platform is working with NXP Semiconductors to improve IoT security. Through this partnership, IoT manufacturers using may incorporate Sternum's security and visibility functionalities. NXP Semiconductors Sternum's Embedded Integrity Verification disarmed NXP's assaults with a 3% CPU overhead during DD. Sternum handles remote runtime attacks against linked devices and is a beneficial complement to NXP products. forecasts the embedded security industry will reach $10 billion by 2020. The statistic shows a rising need to safeguard linked devices and cyber-physical systems in consumer and corporate industries. P&S Intelligence IoT devices often lack and , making them a big security risk for enterprises. Without proactive security measures, firms depend on pricey vulnerability patching and seek alternative solutions. security visibility Sternum's global IoT platform makes fleets of connected devices entirely safe and viewable at the edge in a simple, frictionless, and autonomous way. The technology seeks the generic fingerprints of different attack exploitations, such as command injection and buffer overflow, and stops the breach attempts in real-time, safeguarding the device's runtime integrity against zero-day and one-day attacks. This technique protects against a broad variety of CWEs (Common Weakness Enumeration) and supports a proactive IoT security paradigm that avoids expensive reactive patching. How Do Embedded Systems Work Within the Internet of Things? Embedded systems work within the IoT ecosystem by connecting to the internet or digital networks to expand the range of the capabilities provided by the IoT device. For example, a smartphone is composed of multiple embedded systems that enable the device to take pictures, connect to the cloud, and make online purchases as well as recognize fingerprints and facial biometric data. Multiple embedded systems create a network of interconnected systems that allow the device to take on multiple different tasks that would not be possible without the IoT-enabled hardware network. Another example is a doorbell camera, it can record its surroundings 24 hours a day and upload the data to the cloud at predetermined intervals, or it can be programmed to only record its surroundings once movement has been detected by its motion sensors. The doorbell camera works as an IoT device by utilizing the multiple sensors (motion detection, night vision when it gets dark, voice detection, etc.) and connecting to the internet (transmitting video footage to your smartphone, uploading footage to the cloud, etc.). Such devices can also be programmed to work autonomously. For example, a doorbell camera can play a pre-recorded message for delivery men or visitors if you don't respond to the doorbell, or notifications can be sent to your smartphone. Another example is smart home devices that can change the temperature on the thermostat, turn on the air conditioning, or play music at a set time. One example that iPhone users should be familiar with is the iPhone deciding when to stop charging itself once it reaches a certain battery percentage, despite being connected. These smartphones can also send you reminders based on your previous activity. For example, your smartphone can remind you to set your alarm for a certain time, based on your previous patterns of behavior. How Embedded Systems Are Important in the IoT Ecosystem Embedded systems build upon the IoT ecosystem by adding additional functionalities to an IoT-enabled device due to its specialized and specific purpose. These systems make it possible for data to be sent between multiple devices, as well as transfer data to and from the internet. Embedded systems take data from their purpose-built sensors (i.e. video footage from webcams, or doorbell cameras, facial recognition from smartphone cameras, and so on.), and this data is deciphered and sent to an application that presents the data to the end-user or uses it to carry out an objective (i.e facial recognition used to unlock smartphones or doorbell camera footage sent to an in-home display). Conclusion Embedded systems play an important role in the Internet of Things ecosystem due to their specific purposes and the internet-connected networks they help to create, which in turn expands the capabilities of IoT devices.

INHOME HOME SERVICES

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INHOME HOME SERVICES

inhomehelps.com

-- employees

Since n.d.

COMPANY RANKING

INHOME HOME SERVICES

EVERGREEN INDEX #5802

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