Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Are QR Codes are here to stay?
QR codes are those little black and white checker-board graphics that you find in magazines, newspapers, posters and mailers.
They are encoded messages or text in the form of a graphic, that can be read by a QR code scanner which is typically an app on your mobile phone.
The 'QR' stands for quick response and they were invented by a subsidiary of Toyota to help streamline their vehicle assembly lines in 1994. The proliferation of smartphones capable of scanning QR codes with a free app has seen their popularity rapidly increase, and brought their use firmly into the consumer marketplace.
Because the response time to scan a QR code is very quick they are ideally suited to providing mobile phone users with an instant way to get to content on their mobile phone - no more typing a URL into your browser.
The mobile phone apps that can scan a QR code are generally free and will scan any QR code. We recommend i-nigma, one of the most popular and robust, which can be downloaded from www.imagetag.co.nz. If you have a smart phone, try downloading the app and scanning the QR code above.
There is a lot of discussion on the Internet about QR codes - anything from 'Are they here to stay?' to 'Should I customise my QR codes to reflect my brand?' and everything in between.
We have developed a service around QR codes because we believe they are here to stay, and here's why:
1. They are instantly recognisable, so once you have scanned one, you know what to do with every other QR code you see.
2. They are quick. You could see one on a passing bus and scan it as the bus flew past you. Quick means easy and people like easy.
3. 90% of mobile phones being sold in New Zealand are smart phones so it wont take long before "everybody" has one. If you don't currently own a smartphone the chances are your next mobile phone will be one.
4. The QR code scanning apps are free so the only cost is the mobile data, which is getting cheaper as time goes by.
We're happy to discuss the use of QR codes with you if you want to know more or have an opinion. I think they are awesome and look forward to working with them with more customers.
The 'QR' stands for quick response and they were invented by a subsidiary of Toyota to help streamline their vehicle assembly lines in 1994. The proliferation of smartphones capable of scanning QR codes with a free app has seen their popularity rapidly increase, and brought their use firmly into the consumer marketplace.
Because the response time to scan a QR code is very quick they are ideally suited to providing mobile phone users with an instant way to get to content on their mobile phone - no more typing a URL into your browser.
The mobile phone apps that can scan a QR code are generally free and will scan any QR code. We recommend i-nigma, one of the most popular and robust, which can be downloaded from www.imagetag.co.nz. If you have a smart phone, try downloading the app and scanning the QR code above.
There is a lot of discussion on the Internet about QR codes - anything from 'Are they here to stay?' to 'Should I customise my QR codes to reflect my brand?' and everything in between.
We have developed a service around QR codes because we believe they are here to stay, and here's why:
1. They are instantly recognisable, so once you have scanned one, you know what to do with every other QR code you see.
2. They are quick. You could see one on a passing bus and scan it as the bus flew past you. Quick means easy and people like easy.
3. 90% of mobile phones being sold in New Zealand are smart phones so it wont take long before "everybody" has one. If you don't currently own a smartphone the chances are your next mobile phone will be one.
4. The QR code scanning apps are free so the only cost is the mobile data, which is getting cheaper as time goes by.
We're happy to discuss the use of QR codes with you if you want to know more or have an opinion. I think they are awesome and look forward to working with them with more customers.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Constant Flow of New Customers
I looked at some interesting stats yesterday - the list of new customers signed up to our services over the last 2 years - and I was quietly delighted.
In 2010 we added 59 new clients and so far this year, a further 35. That's 94 new customers in 95 weeks. Not bad!
Admittedly many of these are small businesses with only a handful of products, but small business grow into big businesses, and we treat all our customers like they are big business because collectively they make up the total revenue of the company.
So welcome aboard everyone. We are delighted to have you as a customer and hope we can fulfill all your imaging expectations for many years to come. And a big THANK YOU to anyone who has referred a supplier to us. You are a valuable part of our growing community, so keep those referrals coming.
In 2010 we added 59 new clients and so far this year, a further 35. That's 94 new customers in 95 weeks. Not bad!
Admittedly many of these are small businesses with only a handful of products, but small business grow into big businesses, and we treat all our customers like they are big business because collectively they make up the total revenue of the company.
So welcome aboard everyone. We are delighted to have you as a customer and hope we can fulfill all your imaging expectations for many years to come. And a big THANK YOU to anyone who has referred a supplier to us. You are a valuable part of our growing community, so keep those referrals coming.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Motatapu Mountain Bike
Firstly, I made it to the end of the ride. Not such a monumental achievement really, when I look back on all the training I have done. In the last 2 weeks before the event I clocked up over 200km on the bike, so I was well prepared for an extended expenditure of energy and it was more a matter of how long it would take, how much energy would I consume, and would I break down or worse, fall off.
My time was 3 hours 10 minutes (61st out of 374 in Recreational Male), right in between what I thought I could achieve (3:30) and what I was hoping to achieve (less than 3:00), so I am very happy about that. Did I fall off? No, Did I stop? No. Did I beat Steve? No. Did he fall off? Yes. Big time! Broken brake lever, big chunk of skin off his forehead, stitches in his eyebrow and more in his elbow, and grazes down his arm and leg. He finished the race in true warrior style with blood running down his face, in 3:01, so I guess he won.
It is a great event, with about 3,500 people in various categories. The scenery is amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who loves to ride in the great outdoors. If you don't feel you can manage that kind of distance or duration bear in mind that there were people in the Open Recreational category who took over six and a half hours to complete the course. So you don't have to race if you don't want to.
I'm thinking about doing it again next year. So if your are interested in joining me or just want to know more about the event, feel free to get in touch. This year the Images in Space Motatapu Mountain Bike Team consisted of 1 competitor. Next year, who knows, we might even have 2!
Statistics:
Distance: 47km
Avg Speed: 14.2km/h
Max Speed: 48.3km/h
Powerade consumption: about 1.2 litres (thanks Coca Cola)
Before the race
Coming in to Aid Station 3 at approx 32km, the highest point.
The consequences of going too fast!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Barry in Training for 47km Mountain Bike Race
On March 12th I will be competing in the Motatapu Mountain Bike Race which runs from Glendhu Bay on the shore of Lake Wanaka, finishing in historic Arrowtown.
The ride follows a route early Maori used for hunting and gathering, and was not discovered by European explorers until around 1862, during the gold rush. The off road course, through the magnificent Motatapu, Soho and Glencoe Stations, is only opened once a year to the public for this event.
I call it a race, but in reality I will be happy to finish, and even happier if I beat my brother-in-law who is also doing the ride but is a few years younger than me, so will be playing his "youth card".
47km is a long way, especially if you are riding off road. In order to get sufficient training in I have had to find various routes around the North Shore and beyond which have led to some interesting stories.
In case you are wondering, if I ride from the office (my home) in Murrays Bay down to Devonport, out to the end of Stanley Point and back home I would still be a few kms short of the 47km of the course.
I did manage to do a 63km ride last weekend which took me through Albany, along the Coatesville Riverhead highway, around Whenuapai, over the Greenhithe bridge then a tiki-tour through Albany and Glenfield before heading back over to Murrays Bay.
I'm hoping to finish in under 3 hours, and really hoping to beat my brother-in-law - there's a few beers riding on it. To check out the event go to http://www.iconicadventures.co.nz/motatapu-home/motatapu-mountain-bike/. I will post my time and a run down on all the delicious exotic beers I will be enjoying!
The ride follows a route early Maori used for hunting and gathering, and was not discovered by European explorers until around 1862, during the gold rush. The off road course, through the magnificent Motatapu, Soho and Glencoe Stations, is only opened once a year to the public for this event.
I call it a race, but in reality I will be happy to finish, and even happier if I beat my brother-in-law who is also doing the ride but is a few years younger than me, so will be playing his "youth card".
47km is a long way, especially if you are riding off road. In order to get sufficient training in I have had to find various routes around the North Shore and beyond which have led to some interesting stories.
In case you are wondering, if I ride from the office (my home) in Murrays Bay down to Devonport, out to the end of Stanley Point and back home I would still be a few kms short of the 47km of the course.
I did manage to do a 63km ride last weekend which took me through Albany, along the Coatesville Riverhead highway, around Whenuapai, over the Greenhithe bridge then a tiki-tour through Albany and Glenfield before heading back over to Murrays Bay.
I'm hoping to finish in under 3 hours, and really hoping to beat my brother-in-law - there's a few beers riding on it. To check out the event go to http://www.iconicadventures.co.nz/motatapu-home/motatapu-mountain-bike/. I will post my time and a run down on all the delicious exotic beers I will be enjoying!
Monday, January 10, 2011
The Power of Trust
Welcome to our blog. Over time we intend this to become a place we expose a more personal side of the individuals who collectively make up Images in Space Ltd. Enjoy.
I came to the realisation the other day, that being trusted by your customer is a valuable and powerful thing, and how doing the right thing by your client can reap benefits far into the future.
It was while attending the Apollo User Group meeting in December that I received two glowing references about how great they thought Images in Space was, and how they valued the service they had received from us in the past. Sounds like a "aren't we wonderful" speech, but bear with me.
"That's nice" you might say. And it was. It was nice because neither of the individuals who commented currently work for companies we do business with (not yet anyway), and because one of them had been overseas for more than two years. They work for two different organisations and didn't know of my conversation with the other one. In other words these were not just cursory comments.
I wasn't blown away, of course - we aim to please, but it did make me think. That we have made a significant and positive impact on the lives of these two individuals enough for them to comment on it long after moving on from the roles they were in at the time of experiencing the service. And I think it all comes down to trust.
If we conduct ourselves in a manner that our customers can trust us, then we will have built a valuable and sustainable business. It takes a long time to earn someones trust, and you have to earn it. You can't ask for it or take it from them, you have to earn it. Earn it by being honest about errors you may have made. Earn it by doing what is best for your customer, not what will earn you the most amount of money. Earn it by asking them what they want and what they think, not telling them this is how it is.
After years of dealing with them, I believe we have earned the trust of our long standing customers.
You start to see the true value of being honest in business and acting with integrity when you get feedback like the ones I mentioned above.
These are the values that Images in Space lives and breathes and and I thank those who choose to do business with us because of it.
Barry Pyle
Managing Director
I came to the realisation the other day, that being trusted by your customer is a valuable and powerful thing, and how doing the right thing by your client can reap benefits far into the future.
It was while attending the Apollo User Group meeting in December that I received two glowing references about how great they thought Images in Space was, and how they valued the service they had received from us in the past. Sounds like a "aren't we wonderful" speech, but bear with me.
"That's nice" you might say. And it was. It was nice because neither of the individuals who commented currently work for companies we do business with (not yet anyway), and because one of them had been overseas for more than two years. They work for two different organisations and didn't know of my conversation with the other one. In other words these were not just cursory comments.
I wasn't blown away, of course - we aim to please, but it did make me think. That we have made a significant and positive impact on the lives of these two individuals enough for them to comment on it long after moving on from the roles they were in at the time of experiencing the service. And I think it all comes down to trust.
If we conduct ourselves in a manner that our customers can trust us, then we will have built a valuable and sustainable business. It takes a long time to earn someones trust, and you have to earn it. You can't ask for it or take it from them, you have to earn it. Earn it by being honest about errors you may have made. Earn it by doing what is best for your customer, not what will earn you the most amount of money. Earn it by asking them what they want and what they think, not telling them this is how it is.
After years of dealing with them, I believe we have earned the trust of our long standing customers.
You start to see the true value of being honest in business and acting with integrity when you get feedback like the ones I mentioned above.
These are the values that Images in Space lives and breathes and and I thank those who choose to do business with us because of it.
Barry Pyle
Managing Director
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