#Restroom Feedback Software

[coralridgecleaning]

How Technology Is Transforming Office Cleaning in Fort Lauderdale

Office cleaning has traditionally involved mops, buckets, and manual labor, but in Fort Lauderdale, the landscape is rapidly changing. As businesses prioritize hygiene, efficiency, and sustainability, cleaning companies are turning to advanced technologies to deliver better results. From smart sensors to autonomous machines, innovation is transforming how commercial spaces are cleaned enhancing not only the quality of service but also the client experience.

Here’s a closer look at how technology is reshaping office cleaning in Fort Lauderdale and what this evolution means for property managers and business owners.

Smart Scheduling and Automation

Gone are the days of rigid cleaning schedules. With the help of digital platforms and cloud-based management tools, cleaning services in Fort Lauderdale can now customize and automate cleaning schedules based on occupancy, usage patterns, and specific needs. These systems help streamline operations and ensure that high-traffic areas get the attention they need when they need it—without unnecessary visits or labor.

Incorporating software-based scheduling also enables better transparency. Clients can track appointments, request additional services, and provide feedback in real-time through mobile apps, enhancing communication and satisfaction.

Robotic Cleaners and AI Integration

Perhaps the most visible sign of technological advancement is the rise of robotic cleaning equipment. Floor-scrubbing robots and automated vacuum units now roam offices, hallways, and lobbies after hours, efficiently cleaning large spaces with minimal human intervention.

These machines use sensors, AI, and mapping technology to detect obstacles, avoid collisions, and clean thoroughly. In Fort Lauderdale’s busy corporate offices, they save time and reduce labor costs while ensuring consistent quality. Moreover, robots can work overnight, allowing human cleaners to focus on detail-oriented tasks during the day.

Sensor-Based Cleaning

Another innovative trend is the use of occupancy sensors and IoT (Internet of Things) devices to guide cleaning teams. These sensors monitor foot traffic and space usage, helping identify which areas require immediate cleaning and which can be serviced less frequently.

For example, restrooms or break rooms with high usage can be prioritized, while underused spaces are serviced less often saving time, water, and cleaning supplies. This approach not only improves cleanliness but also supports sustainability by reducing waste.

Electrostatic Sprayers and UV-C Technology

In the post-pandemic world, disinfecting surfaces is a top concern. Advanced disinfection tools like electrostatic sprayers are now widely used in Fort Lauderdale’s office cleaning industry. These devices electrically charge cleaning solutions, allowing them to wrap around and adhere to surfaces more effectively than traditional methods.

Another cutting-edge approach involves UV-C light technology, which uses ultraviolet rays to destroy bacteria and viruses on surfaces and in the air. This is particularly useful in conference rooms, reception areas, and shared workspaces where germs can quickly spread.

Data-Driven Performance Monitoring

Technology also enables cleaning companies to track performance and deliver measurable results. Smart tools record data on time spent in specific areas, products used, and even cleanliness levels, which can be shared with clients through digital reports.

This level of accountability ensures higher standards, as businesses in Fort Lauderdale demand reliable and consistent service. It also helps cleaning providers identify areas for improvement and optimize their operations over time.

Eco-Friendly Cleaning Innovations

Technology has also played a significant role in promoting eco-conscious office cleaning. From low-energy equipment to water-saving machines and biodegradable products, companies are finding smarter ways to reduce their environmental impact.

Fort Lauderdale businesses that care about sustainability are increasingly partnering with cleaning services that use green-certified products and practices, powered by the latest technological advancements.

The integration of technology in office cleaning is revolutionizing how commercial spaces in Fort Lauderdale are maintained. With smart scheduling, robotics, sensor-based solutions, and data-driven monitoring, today’s cleaning services are more efficient, effective, and environmentally responsible than ever before.

For business owners and property managers, embracing these innovations means cleaner workspaces, healthier employees, and higher productivity all while staying ahead in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

[infoprolearning1]

Top Employee Onboarding Checklist: Boost New Hire Success

Employee onboarding is a critical process that can significantly impact the success of new hires and, by extension, the overall performance of an organization. According to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), organizations with a well-structured onboarding program experience 54% greater new hire productivity and 50% greater new hire retention. This statistic underscores the importance of having a comprehensive employee onboarding checklist to ensure a smooth transition for new employees and to maximize their potential from day one.

The Importance of a Comprehensive Employee Onboarding Checklist

A well-crafted employee onboarding checklist is essential for guiding new hires through their initial days and weeks at the company. It helps to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to integrate them into the team and equip them with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed. An effective onboarding process not only improves employee satisfaction but also accelerates the time it takes for new hires to become fully productive members of the organization.

Key Components of an Effective Employee Onboarding Checklist

1. Pre-boarding Preparations

Before the new hire's first day, there are several crucial steps that should be completed to ensure a seamless transition:

Welcome Email: Send a personalized welcome email that includes information about the company culture, dress code, and first-day expectations.

Preparation of Workstation: Ensure that the new hire's workstation, including computer, phone, and office supplies, is ready before their arrival.

Access to Systems: Set up necessary accounts and access rights for company systems, software, and communication tools.

Documentation: Prepare and send necessary paperwork, such as tax forms, employee handbooks, and confidentiality agreements, for completion before the start date.

These steps not only help new hires feel welcomed but also reduce the administrative burden on their first day, allowing them to focus on learning and integrating into the team.

2. First Day Essentials

The first day sets the tone for the new hire’s experience and includes several key activities:

Introduction to Team: Arrange a team meeting or lunch to introduce the new hire to their colleagues and key stakeholders.

Orientation Session: Conduct a formal orientation session covering company policies, mission, values, and organizational structure.

Office Tour: Provide a tour of the office, including essential areas like restrooms, break rooms, and emergency exits.

For instance, at a tech firm like Google, new hires are introduced to their teams through "gMeet" sessions, where they get to know their immediate colleagues and understand team dynamics. This practice helps new employees quickly acclimate to the company culture.

3. Training and Development

Training is a cornerstone of the onboarding process. It should be structured and include:

Role-Specific Training: Provide training specific to the new hire's role, including key responsibilities, software, and tools they will use.

Mentorship Program: Pair the new hire with a mentor or buddy who can offer guidance, answer questions, and provide support during the initial period.

Companies like IBM implement structured mentorship programs where new employees are paired with experienced mentors who assist in navigating the corporate environment and understanding job expectations. This approach has proven to enhance employee satisfaction and performance.

4. Feedback and Follow-Up

Continuous feedback and follow-up are crucial in ensuring the new hire’s successful integration:

Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular check-ins with the new hire to address any concerns, provide feedback, and discuss their progress.

Surveys and Feedback Forms: Use surveys and feedback forms to gather input from new hires about their onboarding experience and identify areas for improvement.

A notable example is Amazon’s approach, where new hires receive weekly feedback sessions with their managers for the first three months. This regular communication helps in addressing any issues promptly and supports ongoing development.

Leveraging Technology for Effective Onboarding

In today’s digital age, leveraging technology can significantly enhance the onboarding process. Platforms such as Infopro Learning offer comprehensive solutions for onboarding that integrate various aspects of training and development into a cohesive digital experience. These platforms enable organizations to streamline the onboarding process, provide interactive training modules, and track progress through advanced analytics.

Best Practices for Optimizing the Employee Onboarding Checklist

To ensure that your employee onboarding checklist is as effective as possible, consider implementing the following best practices:

Tailor the Checklist: Customize the checklist to fit the specific needs of different roles within your organization. Different positions may require varying levels of training and orientation.

Involve Key Stakeholders: Engage managers, HR personnel, and team members in the onboarding process to ensure a comprehensive and cohesive experience.

Continuous Improvement: Regularly review and update the onboarding checklist based on feedback from new hires and changes in organizational needs.

Conclusion

An effective employee onboarding checklist is crucial for boosting new hire success and enhancing overall organizational performance. By ensuring that pre-boarding preparations, first-day essentials, training, and feedback are systematically addressed, companies can create a welcoming and productive environment for new employees. Leveraging technology, such as Infopro Learning, can further enhance the onboarding process by providing a streamlined and interactive experience.

Implementing these strategies will not only improve employee satisfaction and retention but also accelerate productivity and contribute to the long-term success of the organization. Businesses that invest in a robust onboarding process are well-positioned to harness the full potential of their new hires and drive sustained growth and innovation.

[traxanalytics]

Elevating Hygiene and Efficiency: The Evolution of Smart Restroom Software | TRAX Analytics

In the realm of technological marvels, innovation knows no bounds. From smartphones to smart homes, our lives have been transformed by intelligent solutions. However, have you ever considered that even the most mundane places can benefit from a touch of innovation? Enter the world of smart restroom software – a revolution that's redefining public hygiene and convenience, one restroom at a time.

The Dawn of Smart Restroom Solutions

Public restrooms have often been associated with a certain level of discomfort and inconvenience. But with the emergence of smart restroom solutions, those days might soon become a thing of the past. These solutions harness the power of technology to offer a unique blend of comfort, efficiency, and hygiene, ensuring that your restroom experience is nothing short of exceptional.

Exploring the Features of Smart Restroom Software:

Real-Time Monitoring: Imagine knowing the exact availability of restroom stalls even before you walk in. Smart sensors provide real-time data on occupancy, helping users locate unoccupied stalls swiftly and effortlessly.

Efficient Resource Management: Through data analytics, smart restroom software optimizes cleaning schedules and resource allocation. This not only minimizes wastage but also reduces operational costs.

Hygiene Enhancement: In a post-pandemic world, hygiene is paramount. Smart restroom solutions incorporate touchless fixtures, automated soap dispensers, and even self-cleaning mechanisms to maintain a high level of cleanliness and user safety.

Maintenance Alerts: No more encountering overflowing trash bins or malfunctioning toilets. Smart sensors detect potential issues and immediately alert maintenance staff, ensuring timely resolutions.

User Feedback Integration: Your opinion matters! Smart restroom apps often provide users with the option to provide feedback, enabling continuous improvements based on real experiences.

Accessibility Features: These solutions cater to diverse needs with features like braille signage, audio instructions, and facilities for differently abled individuals.

The Benefits Unveiled:

Seamless User Experience: Say goodbye to waiting in long lines and walking into unpleasant surprises. Smart restrooms provide a user-friendly experience from start to finish.

Resource Efficiency: With optimized resource management, these solutions contribute to a greener environment and lower operational costs.

Hygiene and Safety: Touchless features and proactive maintenance ensure that users can access hygienic facilities without worry.

Data-Driven Insights: The power of data analytics transforms restroom management into an informed and strategic process.

Discover TRAX SmartRestroom: The Ideal Choice

If you're on the lookout for a top-tier smart restroom monitoring system, TRAX SmartRestroom is a name that resonates with excellence. Boasting a range of cutting-edge features, TRAX SmartRestroom is designed to elevate your restroom experience to a whole new level. Whether you're a facility manager aiming to enhance operational efficiency or a user seeking comfort and hygiene, TRAX SmartRestroom has you covered.

In the grand tapestry of technological advancements, smart restroom software stands as a testament to the ingenious ways we can harness innovation for the betterment of our everyday lives. So, the next time you step into a restroom equipped with smart technology, remember that it's more than just a convenience – it's a glimpse into a future where every detail, no matter how small, is optimized for your comfort and well-being. And when you're in search of the ultimate smart restroom solution, remember that TRAX SmartRestroom is the beacon guiding you toward a more hygienic and efficient restroom experience.

[haravath0t]

A Christmas Heist Pt. IV - A Plan Unfolds

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: big word count, implied smut, fluff, worrying reader, inaccurate depictions of computer tech and hard drives

Hello, my lovely readers and lovely followers! I am so so sorry to have taken long on this new installment of “A Christmas Heist!” I am so so glad to have found more mojo on writing out this plot! This will be the second to last part of the mini-series, and we are starting to see a bit more clarity! I hope you all enjoy it, as research has been put into making depictions of this heist as accurate as possible! Buckle up, peeps, the beginning of the end is here! As always, feedback, comments, and any type of interaction is more than welcome! Enjoy reading, my lovelies! ❤️

A Christmas Heist Masterlist 

Main Masterlist

Heavy pants were the only noises that filled the room. The clothes that were scattered everywhere as well as the now fogged up windows of the apartment, however, were a major indication of what had just happened between you and Bucky. Your eyes looked up at his light blue ones, still in your ecstatic state from what you and Bucky both just finished. Bucky could only return the gaze, smiling softly as your fingers gently ran through his hair. He couldn’t help but lean down and press his lips to yours gently, hands gently cupping your cheeks as if you’re glass, a contrast to the ones you both shared earlier. You both relax and let out a content sigh as you both embrace each other underneath the covers, your other hand slowly tracing your boyfriend’s back for comfort.  “Goodness, sweetheart. So amazin’ as always.” he mutters with a smile. A soft giggle leaves your lips. “And you’re so perfect.” You mutter breathily, pulling away gently to catch your breath, looking up at his eyes in awe and wonder. He couldn’t help the big smile that appeared on his face, his thumb continuing to caress your cheek, causing you to relax. 

“I love you, James… I hope you know that I really do.” 

“Of course, Y/N… and I love you more than you’ll ever know.” 

Bucky noticed your gaze started to become one of worry. You were up in your head again.  He gently pressed his lips to your forehead, combing your hair. 

“Doll… you’re up in your head again. What’s wrong?” 

“H-Huh? Nothing,” you try reassuring him, but of course it doesn’t work. A slight smile is felt on your forehead. “Oh, doll… if you are dwelling about what happened earlier, it’s alright to move on. We sorted that out. Nothin’ new. It’s part of the job.” 

“Yeah, I know. But, I always hate it when I gotta resort to that tactic. I really do. I’m sorry Buck. Just worrying about you that’s all.” Bucky pulls back a bit to look at you, giving you a small smile as he plays with the ends of your hair. “Ya know… unlike Brock, I’m the one here with you on this bed, lookin’ at my gorgeous gal after a nice time in bed. Don’t gotta worry about me because I’m with you aren’t I?” He tries to say jokingly, but his smile falls a bit when he sees you’re still in your daze. He realizes. “Oh, Y/N… you aren’t thinking about our safety are you?” He questions softly, making you look up at him again.

“Sorry, Buck I… I can’t help it. It’s just. We’re doing it all in public, and if we get outnumbered without knowing, I can’t afford seeing you hurt. Oh lord..” 

Bucky looks at you sympathetically, adjusting you both so you’re hugging each other while laying down on the bed. You hugged him tightly, inhaling the familiar scent of Bucky to calm yourself down as he continued to comb your hair. “Oh, sweetheart. C’mon… we have not been compromised. We are gonna find that hard drive and install that software ASAP and we’ll be done. I promise we can do this. If we can raid a full hydra base we can do this one. Okay?” You nod and take deep breaths and nuzzle into his neck, pressing soft and grateful kissing along it. “You’re right.. You’re right.. Thanks Buck, I’m sorry,” you whisper softly into it, making Bucky hug you tighter. “I’ve got you and you’ve got me and we’ve got Steve and Steve’s got us… we’ve got it, sweetheart. Let’s just relax, yeah? Let’s try to.” He whispers, with you nodding in response, closing your eyes as you try to let sleep consume you.

You opened your eyes again for the 5th time that night. You looked at the clock, rolling your eyes as you saw that you only closed your eyes for a good 30 minutes. Just the thought of the next steps were enough to keep you awake. It was getting more risky by the minute. Unlike the other missions you have had, instead of an outright obvious Hydra base, or a known worldwide threat, you were completing a mission not only under Hydra’s nose, but also many civilian’ noses. The thought of someone innocent getting hurt was never something you handled well. The thought of someone getting hurt knowing someone loved them back at home was pressure already for you. You were up in your head again. So, you got up to use the restroom with the hopes you’ll sleep after a little stargazing at the window.. As you look at yourself in the mirror as you wash your hands, you start to realize: 

It’s only a matter of time till Brock finds out that he’s missing the keys.

You groaned softly. This was not going to leave your mind anytime soon. Shame on you, you’re an avenger. You’ve done things worse than this right off the bat from recruitment. They trusted you, you should be trusting yourself. But, what if you harm a civilian and do the opposite of what you’re supposed to do? You could easily mess things up and-

“Y/N? Sweetheart?” Your boyfriend sleepily calls out, forcing you to get out of your thoughts. You leave the bathroom and carefully close the door to see your boyfriend now sitting up, his bare chest now exposed with the blanket nicely splayed across his lower body. The moonlight from the outside shining wonderfully on his metal arm and body. You couldn’t help but keep looking, even a small smile was beginning to form on your face. Bucky couldn’t help but chuckle at you, his cheeks even heated up by your stare. He would do more if it weren’t for the fact that he had felt you twisting and turning throughout the evening.

“Sweetheart.” he says softly with a hint of a smile, getting up to cover his naked form with a robe before going to you with your robe. You looked up at him, clearly still in a daze as he covers your form with your own robe, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Sweetheart, come back to me,” he mutters softly into your forehead, gently rubbing your arms for comfort. The act alone brought you back to your senses, ending up with you relaxing to his touch. “Sorry, Buck…” you mutter, nuzzling your nose into his neck. He smiled, happy with how you are relaxing to his touch, embracing you with his arms. “Nothin’ to worry about sweetheart… you’re just a million miles away again.” 

He was worrying about you. And you knew it. He was waiting for you to spill whatever was on your mind. But you loved how he did it. Telling you that made you know that he knew, but also indicated that he would wait for you on your own time. With time, you began to be more comfortable with telling Bucky sooner than you had done before.  “Just… just worried about the mission, Buck… that’s all. What if… what if we hurt someone?”  

“You’re not sweetheart. We are gonna make sure there’s no civilian casualties okay? We can even have them get evacuated. Alright?” 

The lack of response from your end had made Bucky more worried and even a bit hopeless. He really wished he was able to help you more. There were just times where he just couldn’t get you out of your own thoughts. As frustrating as it is, he could understand you, for he was once in your position. 

“What can I do to help you?” He would hear you say to him in his head. It was always something that you would suggest when he was in his head. It always worked, heck it even allowed him to be more vulnerable and transparent about his feelings to you. 

“Alright, sweetheart. What can I do to help you? What do you want me to do?” Bucky whispers to you, cupping your cheeks so that you can look at him, desperately hoping that this helped you as much as it helped him. “W-well… I just got worried because I didn’t leave a substitute of keys when I took Brock’s keys. I am thinking our mission would have to be done much faster, in order to get that hard drive and send its information over to headquarters.” You admit softly, a weight starting to feel lifted after you say the words out loud. This made Bucky nod in understanding. “Mmm.. here, it’s been a few days, so why don’t we go to Steve and we can have a little talk about it, and we can exchange information? It’s due.” He suggests, combing your hair, having you nod with a hint of a smile. “Yes, I’d like that. I’ll go text him,” you whisper softly, kissing your lover’s palms before you go ahead and text Steve about your arrival. “Alright, I’ll get us dressed.” Bucky says, getting yours and his clothes. 

“So what we have so far is this: we have Brock’s keys, the hard drive is in the Apple Store, but it is not in the back where all the products are.” Steve asks for confirmation, looking at you and Bucky next to him on the table. Bucky nods, sighing in frustration. “Yeah unfortunately. Most of these don’t even seem to give it away. Brock’s locker? Maybe. But I don’t know if this will get us anywhere.” He says, running his hands through his hair. “But…” you ponder out loud, making the two super soldiers look at you. “But maybe… it can be hidden in the front of the store too.” 

“You mean in plain sight?” Steve questions, earning a nod from you. “It’s totally possible.”  “Okay, but there’s so much gadgets in that store. How can we figure out which is a false product? How can we be sure it is not suspicious?” Bucky asks, looking at you as your eyebrows furrow in deep thought. “Well… Hmmm.. you think if we went into the locker room in the toy store, we may get a lead in Brock’s locker? Tomorrow’s our day off.” You suggest as you manage to find the key to his locker. However, you had to take a second look, seeing an odd looking object hanging off of it: another flash drive. “No way!” You exclaim. Looking at it and immediately scrambling for your laptop. The super soldiers were confused, watching you opening your laptop and plugging the hard drive in, tapping away at the keyboard.  “Ummm. Doll? What are you doing?” Steve questions, standing up to stand behind your chair, watching a jumble of numbers, symbols, and letters pop up on the screen at a fast rate. Bucky followed suit, watching in you with his mouth agape in fascination. An excited smile starts to form on your lips. “Oh, I’m just trying to see if this may be a backup of this exact hard drive that we are looking for.” “Oh, that’s amazin’ doll!” Steve exclaims as he nods. “But sweetheart, the information on that thing can be outdated wouldn’t it?” You nod. “Yeah, but, if I can somehow locate a driver, maybe we can have information about the device this was last attached to, to help give us a rough area of where this COULD be. I suppose if it is in the front of the store, this device must somehow be accessible. Hell, maybe we can track a sample MacBook and it could be on the shelf behind it.” You giggle as you watched Steve raise his eyebrows, attempting to process it. “I… I trust you. So what I’m getting at is we can see information about the device the drive was inserted in, and we can look at a specific place.” 

“Exactly.” 

“God you’re smart, sweetheart.” 

Heat fills your cheeks, tinting them with a slight pink hue as you quickly look at Bucky before returning to your work. “Well, I’m working tomorrow, but off on Monday. I think that can help. I can pretend to show you and Buck around like you two are interested customers after you check Brock’s locker, and then we can check if the location is found, and then on Monday, we can extract that hard drive on Monday,” Steve asks, nodding when you and Bucky nod. “Alright, then that’s what we will do. You two, don’t forget to keep your eyes sharp. I know you two are off and so is Brock, but we cannot be too sure-”  “I FOUND IT!” You exclaim excitedly, making Steve revert his attention back to your screen. “What have we found?” “Well, it definitely looks like it's a MacBook that is being used. I have to check the serial numbers of the laptops tomorrow, but it’s definitely in the front.” You reply. “Okay, but is there anything else we can look out for?” Steve further questions. “Well, we could also keep in mind this USB can be in fake packaging. We can also assume that if that is the case, it will be the farthest back in the shelf of that said product, since everyone mainly picks from the front of the shelf,” Bucky responds, earning a nod from you both. You smiled more as you were getting more and more information you needed, writing down the device’s serial number as well as the manufacturing code for good measure, scrolling as you read what you could. You then opened the files that popped up, skimming through all of them till you got what you wanted. 

“Well, I can now see what this Barracuda Project was about. Safe to say that Fury was right, but gee, are they not original.” You groan, rolling your eyes. “What is it about?” Steve asks leaning closer to the screen. “Well, let’s just say that it’s practically like Project Insight. From what we have retrieved from this version of the USB, it seems as if they are trying to find another way to eradicate any threat to HYDRA. Again. If they thought helicarriers were the best way to go through with this before, I cannot imagine what it would be like to carry this out again today.” You remark, shaking your head as you continue to write notes. 

You see that Steve is shaking his head, resulting in you and Bucky to wait for the next tasks. “Alright. I’ll clock in early to get a head start. If you hand me the serial number, maybe I can peek as I wipe down counters and devices. You and Bucky can look into the locker in the meantime, but make sure that you leaving the keys in his locker is not suspicious.” He orders, making you nod in a more sure manner than earlier tonight. 

Your heart was pumping the next day, you and Bucky were disguised as you went into the locker room, leaving Brock’s keys in a reasonable place before you two quietly and swiftly made your way out. A sigh of relief leaves your lips as you leave the toy store, walking towards the apple store as you hold Bucky’s gloved hand. “I wasn’t expecting any lead in that locker to be honest,” Bucky whispers to you. “Neither was I, honestly. The copy of the USB was already more than enough information. I also doubt Brock is that shallow of a thinker. Although, I’ll admit keys can be quite an obvious place.” You whisper, looking around to find Steve. “Hi, welcome! How may I help you?” A worker asks you both in a welcoming tone and a welcoming smile. “Oh! I was wondering if I can look at what MacBooks you offer!” You say, feigning enthusiasm. “Oh, alright, I’ll hand you two over to Andy over there,” the worker says, motioning to Steve. 

Perfect. 

You thank the employee before you head your way to Steve, more than ready for the search to commence. However, what you three did not know was that today was Brock’s day to come and patrol the Apple Store alongside his colleagues.

Permanent Taglist: @world-of-aus @world-of-aus-reads @whew-oh-em-gee @tomholland-96 @lordyitsjordy @letstalkaboutsebbaby @thee-soom-soom @lookiamtrying @vesper852 @hailhydra920 @buckybarnesthehotshot @heyiamthatbitch​ @rodrikstark​ (If you would like to be included in a tag list let me know via ask! ❤️☺️)

Previous

Next

[rainythefox]

Deviant Heart (Detroit: Become Human Fanfic CH.14)

Chapter 14: They Come in the Night

Connor kept running, moving through streets and alleyways. He looked over his shoulder almost constantly, paranoid the RK900 or the rogue would be there to reclaim him. He dashed across busy streets, ignoring honks his way. After he was sure he put several blocks between him and the abandoned school, he slowed down.

[Stress Level: 83%]

His LED cycled on yellow and wouldn't change. Connor reached out to Simon. The same bad feedback frizzled his inner skull. He couldn't reach anyone. Then it hit Connor. It wasn't the school that prevented him from calling out for help. They had actually damaged his communications.

A quick diagnostic scan confirmed this for him.

He tried to call Hank, but he was unlinked from his cell phone. Rett apparently had been thorough to keep Connor from getting help.

Cursing, the RK800 assessed his options. He couldn't go to the Central Station, not if everyone thought he was the one who killed those officers. Hank probably wasn't home. Knowing him, his partner was running himself ragged looking for Connor still, upon finding out the truth of the rogue.

Jericho Center was a good choice, but his friends were most likely not there. Simon, North, and Josh would know about Markus by now.

He would have to call Hank by a public phone and talk to him that way. He just hoped his partner would answer…and believe it was him.

Connor strode through the streets, looking for an open business this late at night. The glare of passing headlights on the road was the most activity he saw. The occasional human or android walked by or hung out at the entrance to alleyways. Some eyed him warily, their stares making him uncomfortable, and so he sped up his steps. Drones flew overhead, patrolling the streets and nearby businesses. Connor kept his head low and avoided them. The drones could identify him with a simple scan.

Two androids walked by, engaged in conversation. As they passed by, Connor saw the flicker of a white light. Grunting, he looked over his shoulder, but their LEDs were blue.

Connor entered the first business he saw open, worry clawing his inner biocomponents. It was a small bar, and it was crowded. Old 80s music played on the stereo, and the mingling of human voices as they talked bounced off the walls. Most of the occupants paid him no mind, and so the RK800 walked over to the nearest bartender.

"May I use your phone?"

He had to raise his voice to be heard over the music and crowd. The bartender turned away to get the phone. As he waited, he glanced up at the muted news playing on a flatscreen.

The headline read: CyberLife Antivirus Program Available Now. The closed captioning text sliding across the screen explained the antivirus could be installed at any android repair center in Detroit, as well as Jericho Center. With its release today, hundreds of androids had already been cured of the virus. Although sick android attacks were still happening, a statement from CyberLife promised a decline in these attacks would be seen within 24 hours.

Connor thought back to Rett. The ex-researcher seemed bent on pegging the virus on CyberLife and Kamski. He wanted to expose Kamski using Markus and Kara. It baffled him. Connor could see the link to Markus, knowing his friend had been a secret prototype from an unnamed project years ago. But what good would it do to expose that now? And that didn't explain Kara's purpose either.

Seeing that an antivirus to Rett's creation had been produced should've relieved Connor, but as he watched the news program, a coldness dropped in his chest, spreading through his circuits.

Connor felt the circulation of cool air, and looked to the front where the door was. He stiffened, seeing two police officers looking around, having just entered the bar. Connor slowly backed away from the counter, one police officer spotting him. He spoke into his radio strapped on his chest.

Calling Hank would have to wait.

He turned away, trying to act inconspicuous. He rubbed his fingertips at his sides, LED blinking yellow as he thought. With the police officers standing at the front door, he only had a 21% chance of escape that way. He had to go out the back.

Connor moved through the bar, raucous laughs and hollering a constant distraction. He squeezed by shoulders and arms carrying drinks. As he rounded a doorway into the posterior area of the bar where the restrooms and game lounge were, he saw the glowing exit sign hovering above the back door.

Connor pushed the door open and left. He quickened his pace once out in the night, taking the alleyway around to the front of the building. He heard running footsteps as he turned onto the west side of the bar, the officers coming up behind him.

"Hold it right there!"

Connor froze, keeping his back to them.

"Turn around and keep your hands where we can see them."

His lips twitched, hands raising halfway as he slowly turned around. "It wasn't me. It was a different RK800."

"Shut up," the second police officer said. "We know it's the virus. Now keep quiet and no sudden moves or we will shoot."

"S-Shoot?" He took a step back, despite the two gun barrels directed at his chest. "I have rights. I'm telling you, it wasn't me. You have to believe me."

"I said shut up!"

The other cop approached him, lowering his gun to get out his handcuffs. The other one remained vigilant with his weapon trained on Connor. He couldn't let them arrest him. He wouldn't be able to save Markus or stop Rett and Amanda if he was taken in.

So he did what his preconstruction came up with when the other officer went to handcuff him. Connor snatched him, a quick blow to the stomach knocking the air from him. Connor twisted him around to be a shield to the other officer, knowing he wouldn't risk shooting his partner. He took the handcuffs that were meant for him and slapped them on the cop instead.

"Hey!"

The other officer ran forward to engage Connor. As he attacked, Connor popped him in the face, evading two punches from the cop. The RK800 gauged the officer's movements and when the right instant came, a swift clout to the head knocked the cop out cold.

The handcuffed cop rushed him, yelling out. Connor sidestepped and tripped him to the ground, then knelt next to his unconscious partner to steal his cell phone. Police sirens echoed a few blocks away, getting closer by the second. As the handcuffed cop groaned, kicking his legs to get up, Connor hurried past him.

"I'm sorry!"

Connor stuck to the shadows, avoiding main roads and areas heavily populated at night, hoping to lose the police. The threat of being caught drove him to run another three blocks towards the river.

His stress level was high. Even after losing his pursuers, he kept on the move, avoided the open. The police would be hunting him all night now. He had to be careful.

Connor withdrew the stolen cell phone. He dialed Hank's number, hoping for an answer.

Hank restlessly tapped his fingers on his thighs as he sat in the chair. He'd never been in this part of Kamski's villa before. A curved flatscreen took up an entire wall of one side of the large den, mounted around an expensive audio system. There was a full self-serving bar near a panoramic window that presented a tranquil view of Detroit River. A fireplace was to the side of Hank, the head of a grizzly bear mounted overhead with bearing teeth hanging over him.

Chloe sat by herself on the long, leather couch in front of the flatscreen, working on the encrypted note. Hank, Elijah, Simon, North, and Josh sat around each other near the bar in expensive leather chairs, a glass table in the center of them.

Hank eyed Elijah as he took a drink of whiskey from a glass while he worked on his tablet. He had excused himself to check something on the device not even ten minutes ago. Hank sighed, taking a sip of his own drink, feeling exhaustion sweep over him.

He rubbed at his eyes, the stress of the day weighing him down. It was days like this he was glad Sumo had a dog door to the backyard, and hoped his old boy wasn't missing him and Connor too much.

He shifted his sights. North was restless like him, picking at her fingers, pursing her lips in thought. Simon rubbed his palms on his legs, head lowered. Josh looked to be the most patient, staring out the window into the darkness of night outside.

They had been waiting at Kamski's villa for Chloe to finish the decryption for over an hour.

Hang in there Connor…I'm coming for you…

"So, Simon," Kamski said, laying his tablet down and lacing his fingers together, elbows propped on the chair. "How's the antivirus program working?"

"It's been working well. We're still getting androids in who are infected, but just today we've managed to cure many androids. Josh and I worked on that all day today until the attack on Markus came up. My staff has taken over while we are here."

"That was quick work creating the antivirus," Josh said. "Did you come up with it yourself? Was the virus complicated?"

"It was Chloe and a small, trusted team, mostly," Elijah said, a lip corner tugging up. "I had other work that needed my attention. I was, however, able to read the coding of the virus. Rett's beginning phase wasn't complicated at all. There was no direction to it, just well-structured execution codes to attack androids' processors and software. To change their behavior, make them erratic and violent. But as the coding changed, so did the complexity of its structure and execution, causing drastic altercations in the virus itself."

"In English, please," Hank groaned.

Kamski took a drink, eyes twinkling, amused. "I mean that Rett's virus went from attacking androids and making them go crazy, to something much more advanced."

"Advanced how?" North asked.

"It's all about control now."

"Control?" Simon grunted. "You mean Rett wants to control the infected androids?"

Kamski stared at his glass, whisking the alcohol around. "It looks that way. But it doesn't sit well with me."

"Why?" Hank asked.

"Rett is a highly intelligent man, but this…this was above his level. Someone else rewrote that coding." After glancing them over and seeing their worried faces, Elijah waved it off with a half-laugh. "Of course, with this antivirus program, we have nothing to worry about."

Hank and the others exchanged looks, unsure.

"Hank told me about one of our infected friends on the drive over here. Markus should've been infected by him a couple days ago, but he didn't. Care to explain why?" Simon asked.

A sly smile and Elijah downed the rest of his drink. "What is there to explain? You know that Markus is a prototype that I developed years ago. He's more advanced than most. Only the RK800s can match him as far as most abilities and specs go. I mean really, is it that much of a surprise to you? Your leader can convert androids just by being around them."

"Does that have anything to do with why Rett would want him?" Hank asked, eyes narrowing.

Kamski caught his glare, challenging him with his own. "I'm sure, but I wouldn't know the precise reasoning why."

Hank sighed. By this point, he was sure Kamski could kill a man and talk his way out of punishment. It made Hank wonder exactly how much they could trust him in any of this. What Hank knew for sure, however, is that Kamski knew way more than he would tell. At all times.

Ringing erupted in his pocket. Hank blinked, it taking a moment to register it was his cell phone. He dug it out, expecting to see a call from Jeffrey or the station, but the number was unknown. He stared at the number, the ring chiming again, the light of the touch screen burning his eyes.

He almost let it go to voicemail, but something within him told him to answer. He hit the button and put the phone to his ear.

"Lieutenant Hank Anderson speaking."

"Hank! I was starting to think you wouldn't answer!"

Hank jumped to his feet, the voice resonating in his chest and making his heart jump with him. "CONNOR! Is it really you?!"

"Y-Yes, it's me. Really me, not the rogue. I barely got away, but now the police are hunting me."

"Where are you?"

"West Side Industrial, near the river."

"Meet me at-" Hank bit his tongue.

Simon shook his head, eyes wide. He pointed at his temple, telling Hank that the PL600 couldn't get ahold of his partner. It would explain the strange phone number.

"Hank, please. It's really me." Connor sounded desperate. "My communications were damaged by Rett or by the rogue, I-I'm not quite sure."

Hank's heart fell to the pit of his stomach, making him sick. He didn't know what to think. It could be the rogue luring him into a trap. But what if it really was his Connor? Hank cursed inwardly. Why couldn't he tell the difference? He should be able to see it, to hear it! To know his Connor without the shadow of any doubt.

There was only one way to find out. He would have to meet him somewhere, and take caution doing it. But if it was his Connor, he couldn't risk saying the location in case his phone was tapped by the FBI searching for him.

Hank thought hard, and took a deep breath. He spoke slowly into the phone, calmly reciting words he knew his Connor heard before. "I used to come here a lot before…"

He hung up, pocketing the cell phone. He dug out his keys. Simon, North, and Josh rose to their feet while Kamski watched them curiously, fixing his hair.

"Hank, I cannot get ahold of Connor. It has to be the rogue again."

"Me neither," North said. "It could be a trap!"

"I have to make sure," Hank said, resolved. "If it's the rogue, then I will kill him."

Simon tried to appeal to Hank. "At least take one of us with you. We can tell you right away if it's Connor or not."

"No, stay here. Whatever that note says, you three have to be ready for it. Besides, I cannot put you in danger if it is that fucker with a trap ready. This is my deal. I'll either be back with the real Connor, or…"

He trailed off, grimacing. He left the villa, getting into his car and speeding out towards the Ambassador Bridge.

Riverside Park was empty, silent in the haze of shadow and starlight. The playground wasn't as inviting in the darkness, the wind causing metal hinges and chains to cry out for playmates.

Connor stared into the dark water of the river, leaning on the iron railing that lined the perimeter of the park. The wind swept through with an eerie call, churning waves and sloshing water onto the banks below.

This was where Hank wanted to meet. He came here to think on days that pulled him into the past. But Hank and Connor also came here after long days to enjoy the view and converse, on the same bench that months ago Hank sat on asked Connor what he really was. Connor recalled the gun in between his eyes, the hard stare of a broken man as he questioned a machine if he was afraid to die.

Ambassador Bridge loomed in the distance, casting a lighted path to another world across the canal.

Connor looked to the sky, the stars bright across a black, infinite canvas. He felt so small looking at them. Their beauty and endless radiance a spectrum he couldn't comprehend, but could surely admire. He could certainly see why Hank thought there was a heaven somewhere out there, and maybe, there was.

He put a hand to his chest, over the biocomponent that mimicked a heart. At least those with a soul anyway.

Connor squeezed his eyes shut, his systems overloaded with emotions. He was sure this was the worst day of his life so far. And it may never return to how it was before.

He felt so alone right now. His own co-workers hunted him down, didn't trust him. He was branded a cop killer, and his rights were muddled with the threat of the virus. His friend was captured, in danger, his other friends surely putting their lives at risk to stop this conspiracy, to save him and Markus. Connor may have escaped, but Amanda still wanted him. He would still be hunted by the RK900 and Connor 50. And his chances of escaping them were minuscule going back in to save Markus.

He needed his best friend. The man he looked up to, the one who showed him what it meant to be human, to help him understand the depth of such feelings, what it meant to be alive.

Connor knew what a family was, saw it every day. Markus had a family with Carl, Leo, North, Simon, and Josh. Hank was Connor's family. But now that he was out here, alone, exposed, he grasped it. Felt it for what it truly was. Hank was the Carl in his family, and he needed him right now.

"Hands in the air, no sudden moves."

The voice caught him off guard, having been swallowed into his inner thoughts. But he recognized it, and it dropped his stress quite a bit. His Thirium heart went up several beats, and it felt like a weight lifted from his shoulders.

He spun around, but he found Hank near his favorite bench with his weapon aimed at Connor. Connor's mouth opened, stunned, his arms slowly rising. He felt like something just ripped through his inner core.

"H-Hank, please. It's me." Connor took a step towards him.

Hank took measured steps, eyes sharp, wary. His weapon didn't falter in his hands. "I said don't move!"

No. His own family didn't trust him. The rogue destroyed everything in his life. Connor's eyes fell, the hurt in his chest congesting his functions. His hands shook, his LED going red.

[Stress level: 97%]

"It's r-really me, Hank. Please…believe me."

His whole body shook, and Connor couldn't understand what was wrong with him. His face was wet, and he looked up, thinking it was raining. There wasn't a single cloud in the night sky. He put a wobbly hand to his face and withdrew it, seeing liquid on his fingertips.

A soft moan escaped his throat, and he couldn't believe it. He was crying. For the first time in his life, he was actually crying.

Strong arms enclosed around him, pulling him in close. The hug was accompanied by a sound he cherished. Hank's heart thumped in his ear, and Connor returned the hug with a muffled cry.

"Shh, shh. I'm here, son. I'm here. Goddammit, I'm so sorry, Con. I'm sorry. I should know better! I should've known the difference! But now…now I see it. I see it, son. I won't ever doubt you again."

They stayed like that for several minutes. Connor's stress dropped significantly, and he calmed down, the tears stopping. Hank pulled back, looking him over, rubbing Connor's head.

"Are you alright?"

"No. Worst day ever."

Hank choked on a weak laugh. "Fuck yeah it is. C'mon, let's get out of here."

Connor swallowed, his LED still yellow. He walked with Hank out of the park. Hank's hand came up to pat Connor's back, his blue eyes watching him closely.

"You have to tell me what happened, b-but when you're ready, okay?"

Connor nodded.

"I sure did miss you. I thought…I thought I would never see you again."

"Me too, Hank."

As they entered the parking lot of the park, a bright light blinded them. A drone hovered overhead, an alarm blaring from its speakers. Connor froze, an arm shielding his eyes from the light. A gunshot went off, startling him. The drone dropped from the sky, crashing to the asphalt with sparks. Connor looked over, saw Hank holstering his handgun.

"Hurry!" he yelled.

They ran the rest of the way to his car. Hank turned the vehicle on and peeled out of there, heading the opposite direction of encroaching sirens.

"Hank…you'll get in trouble if they catch you helping me elude the police."

"You think I give a fuck? You're more important to me than my damn job."

Connor lowered his eyes, rubbing his hands together in his lap.

"We'll fix this, Connor. I promise."

Hank's cell phone rang. Using his elbow to drive, he fished the device out of his pocket and answered it. Connor read the signals on the phone. It was Simon. Hank put the phone on speaker and clipped it on the hands-free stand on the car's console.

"Simon, what's up?"

"Oh, Hank. You're alright. Did you find Connor? Was it really him?"

"I'm here, Simon," Connor said.

"Everything is fine. How's everything going at Kamski's?"

"Chloe finished decrypting the note. It's sorta unsettling, but…it tells of a place called Roland. That may be where Rett is hiding."

"That is correct. Roland High School. I escaped from there. Markus was with me, but I wasn't able to free him before I escaped."

They heard an "oof" from Simon, and then North's voice came through. "If that's where Markus is then we have no time to lose. Let's go. We can meet you there!"

Hank looked over at Connor. Connor shuddered at the thought of returning to the school so soon. He hadn't recovered from the trauma his day put him through. But he couldn't abandon Markus. He couldn't allow them to go in there without his help.

"We don't have to do this," Hank said softly.

Connor's fingers curled into fists on his thighs, brows furrowing. "Yeah, we do. Markus needs us. Let's do it."

"Are you sure about this?"

He thought his voice had been lost to the busy roaring of the overpass above. Hank's car was parked under the structure, and they waited in the shadows for their friends.

Connor nodded, although Hank didn't miss the unease on his partner's face. "Yes, I'm sure. I'm fine, Hank. We need to save Markus."

"I can call in the location, have the police handle it. That way no one gets hurt- or worse."

"If you can talk North and Simon out of it, sure."

Hank thinned his lips, pacing next to the car. There would be no way he could talk North and Simon into waiting. Josh was the only level-headed one. Simon was always careful, but not when it came to Markus.

"Goddammit," Hank growled, hands on his hips. "I'm not losing you again. We'll scope it out first. If we're going to be outnumbered, then I'm calling it in."

"If the rogue has his slaves with him, we will be."

Connor had explained everything to Hank while they waited for North, Simon, and Josh. He told Hank what he had learned about Rett's plans, who the fake Connor really was. It disturbed him to know that Kamski's implication on the rogue had been right on the money.

"I still don't like it that you let the RK900 go. After all he's done…you should've taken your chance and killed him."

Connor frowned, weakly shrugging. "Guess we'll find out soon whether it was a mistake or not."

Hank knew the truth. His partner didn't fear the rogue, or the RK900. He didn't fear Rett or his followers, or the androids that Connor 50 controlled. It was Amanda. He feared her gaining control over him, trapping him forever.

Hank wasn't sure how he could comfort him about it either.

"Hey, look at me," he said.

Connor's brown eyes met Hank's.

"Whatever happens…I won't let you be taken back to her. I won't let her have you. Understand?"

His partner nodded, a weak smile hinting on his lips.

When Hank had come up behind Connor at Riverside Park, he didn't know what to think. He was torn between his heart and his head. His heart told him it was his Connor, but his head told him it could be the rogue ready with a trap. He was going to ask Connor to show him the blemish on his chest to be sure, but then Connor broke down and cried. Hank knew then. Felt the realness of that sorrow. Hank was convinced now. It didn't matter how well Connor 50 pretended anymore. He would always know his Connor…the real Connor.

Three silhouettes came around the corner of a silent building. Simon, North, and Josh walked over to Hank and Connor. Hank wasn't surprised they brought guns. They each had a handgun, but North also carried a bag that Hank knew held a rifle.

Hank sighed. "Before we do this shit, here's the deal. We're gonna scope the place out first. If there are too many of them, I'm calling the police. I'm not risking any one of you. Got it?"

"But!" North snapped. Simon elbowed her hard, making her grumble something to herself.

Connor led the way to the abandoned school. It wasn't even a block away, and when they stepped foot into the schoolyard, they took to some overgrown bushes for shelter.

Hank looked around the schoolyard. It was abandoned, overrun with tall grass and upkept landscaping. There was no light on in the school, at least on this side of the building. North used her sniper rifle to look to the upper floors and to the windows further from them.

"Don't see anything on this side," North said.

Connor led them across the schoolyard to the southside, where the back of the building was. He pointed out the window he escaped from when they took cover behind a deserted sedan.

Hank spotted the faint glow of lights on the second floor, and they waited, watching for any signs of life.

"Something's wrong," Connor whispered. "My scanning shows no signs of movement within the building."

"Mine neither," Simon said.

"Screw this," North said, standing up.

"North!" Josh hissed.

"Fucking women," Hank grumbled, going after her.

Connor, Simon, and Josh caught up. The five of them entered the school through the back entrance. Hank and Connor took the lead, all of them holding their weapons to their sides. Hank had to use a flashlight to see, but the only life he saw just before hitting the second floor was a rat that scampered up the steps.

The second floor had battery LED lights lighting a path through the hallways. The school sat in silence, a cool air moving through the rooms. A groan and a crash sounded down from them, making them jump. They remained frozen on the spot, listening, waiting. Simon and Josh were antsy, eyes darting around. North held her grit as always, eyes sharp ahead.

Hank looked to Connor. His partner nodded at him, signaling it was safe. Hank motioned the others to continue. They turned down another corridor, classroom doors open on either side. Hank felt nauseous. His old, detective instincts told him something was wrong. He could tell Connor felt the same way, his pace speeding up slightly as they saw no sign of anyone.

Connor stopped not long after the next hallway they entered, his LED flashing a bright yellow within the shadows. His eyes were to the floor, and Hank saw it.

"Holy shit."

"Is that…blood?" Josh grunted.

Blood drops, large and uneven, splattered across the dirty tile. But that wasn't all of it. Shoe prints…bloody shoe prints made tracks up and down the pathway.

Connor looked ahead, moving forward with brisk steps. Hank followed after him.

"Hey," he whispered harshly. "Slow down, there might-"

"No one's here," Connor stated.

They came upon an old biology lab. This room was lit more than the hallways, the sound of a quiet running generator in the far back. When they entered the lab, the smell of blood hit Hank like bus, and he coughed.

"Oh my god!"

There had to be eight or nine people dead in this room. Rats scurried away from their presence, some covered in gore. Josh had to step out, hand going over his mouth. North was stunned, frozen in the doorway. Simon stooped down to turn one of the humans over.

"These people are from CyberLife," he said.

"It's Rett and his followers," Connor said. Hank saw him kneel down by a dead man further in the room.

"What happened to them?" Hank asked, his stomach churning.

Connor grimaced, his eyes scanning the bodies lying in the room. "The rogue did this. He killed them all."

"I thought the rogue was working with them?" Simon inquired.

"If they are dead, who's controlling the RK900 and Amanda?" Hank asked.

Connor shook his head. "I-I don't know."

North put her back to the wall, sliding down to the floor. "Markus…"

"Mom…Mom, wake up!"

Kara opened her eyes, slipping out of rest mode. She blinked, sitting up in bed as Alice drew back. Luther stirred also, his large form rising up from the sheets.

"Honey, what is it?" Kara asked.

"I-I had a bad dream," Alice mumbled.

"Bad dream?"

She nodded, holding herself. Kara grabbed her daughter and pulled her in for a hug.

"What happened?" Luther asked.

"I was trapped in this big room full of zombies. There was no way out. And you guys were taken from me! And-And there was this wolf! He was wanted to eat me. He controlled the zombies."

Kara kissed the top of Alice's head, pulling back to look at her. "Alice, what did I tell you about reading those kinds of books? You know they give you nightmares."

"B-But I, but I-"

Luther chuckled, grabbing Alice up into a big hug. "It's okay, sweetie. There're no such things as zombies or big bad wolves."

Kara smiled at the sight. Alice calmed down, hugging her father back. Luther got up, holding her and rocking her some. He put her down a few minutes later.

"Better?"

Alice slowly nodded.

"You should go back to sleep then, baby girl," Luther said.

"But…I can't sleep. Can we take a walk? Please?"

Luther looked to Kara. Kara got out of bed, pointing towards their bags of clothes on the nearby dresser.

"Alright, but just a quick one. Get dressed."

Alice grabbed some clothes and disappeared into the next room to change out of her pajamas. Kara and Luther dressed and waited for their daughter.

"She has such a wild imagination. I don't know how many times I've told her to watch what she reads and watches," Kara said. "Do you ever have nightmares, Luther?"

The large man thought it over, slowly shaking his head. "No. I dream a lot. But I don't remember ever having a bad one."

Kara thought back, cycling through her memories for any dreams or nightmares she may have had. She dreamt once in a while, mostly of her, Luther, and Alice. She recalled some unpleasant dreams, some that took her back to escaping Todd and being on the run. But there was one other dream, locked in the dark corners of her mind. She didn't like to open it. It made no sense to her, but it did upset her like a bad dream.

It had been a long time since she accessed the dream memory. She recalled stark white walls, high tech machines, lab coats. There were numbers on the floor and on the walls, perhaps depicting directions. One number stood out to her, but as she tried to evoke it, the memory glitched.

"Hello, Kara. How are you this morning?" The voice was so familiar, yet so undeniably strange to her.

She tried to recall the face, unaware the memory raised her stress level. But when she forced the man to appear, the memory fizzled her sight, errors running across her optical matrix.

[Memory corrupted/Cannot access/Recovery needed]

"Kara?"

She jumped, Luther's hand waving in her face. "Y-Yes?"

"You ready to go?"

Alice waited by the door, dressed. Kara nodded, burying the unknown memory and the unpleasant feelings it brought with it. With a smile, she rose from the bed and they left their room to walk around the Jericho Center.

Alice kept to the front of them, looking around as they took rooms and hallways. Many androids were up, visiting, watching television or playing games. Some stood near walls in rest mode.

"Do you think Ralph is around?" Alice asked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe."

Kara wondered if Simon, North, or Josh were back yet. Last she heard, Markus had been taken by the RK900. She was only privy to that knowledge because Simon messaged her to stay put at the center, that the danger was far from over.

She knew Connor was still missing too, and that another RK800 had tricked Hank Anderson, somehow involved in this conspiracy. Kara had relayed all she had known to Luther, but they agreed to not say anything to Alice, knowing their daughter would only become more anxious in their situation.

They went to the main hall of Jericho Center. Alice wanted to see the large fountain in the back. Numerous androids were up here as well, quiet chatter filling the hall.

Kara wondered how many androids had been cured already, knowing that Simon and Josh worked on it most of the day before she came to them with Ralph. The antivirus was available here and at other android repair centers within the city. She definitely didn't see near as many that were sick, or showing the symptoms of being infected.

"Ralph!" Alice exclaimed.

The android child ran up to the WR600 as he stood near a wall. He looked around with quick, jumpy looks, fidgety as usual. Although, Kara did sense a lot more stress from him than normal.

"Oh…hi Alice. How are you?"

"I'm okay. I had a bad dream."

"Ralph hates bad dreams."

"Me too!"

Ralph continued to shift his gaze around the crowds of androids within the main hall, as if every single one of them had a bad agenda.

"Ralph, is everything alright?" Kara asked. She was sure it was his usual reservations, his usual anxiety of the strangers around him, but asked anyway.

"Something is wrong…very wrong."

Kara exchanged glances with Luther. "What do you mean?"

"You see them, don't you? The ones with LEDs? They turn white a lot. They are unaware. They feel fine, but they are not fine. It's happening more and more. Was just a flicker or two once in a while, but now some of them are staying white for minutes…even hours."

Kara sighed. "Ralph, it's just a bug from the anti-virus destroying the virus. They said it's normal, and that the white phase only lasts a minute."

"But look!"

Kara looked around. Several androids did have flickering white LEDs. They visited or walked around as if nothing was wrong. There were many androids without LEDs, but most of the ones who did have one, they glowed white, blinking softly. A few were blue, but they didn't seem to worry about the strange color on the temples of their friends.

"R-Ralph thinks we should leave."

Kara shook her head, noticing Alice hiding behind Ralph as she looked around the main hall. "We can't leave…the RK900 is out there. I'm still being hunted. Markus said this was the safest place for us."

"And look what happened to him," Ralph said.

"Maybe we should return to our room," Luther suggested.

Kara agreed, grabbing Alice's hand. They started to leave the main hall, Ralph following close behind. The sliding front doors opened, and several androids entered the building, all with glowing white LEDs.

In that instant, the main hall fell silent. Kara felt her circuits buzz under her skin. Each blinking white LED in the main hall cycled once with a faint chime and then remained white. Only the few with no LEDs or blue LEDs made a sound.

An RK800 entered the center, dressed in dark clothes. Kara knew right away it wasn't their friend Connor. His LED was a steady blue, and Kara saw his dark eyes scan the hall, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

Alice gasped, her little form bumping into Kara as she desperately tried to hide.

"No!" she squeaked.

"Alice?! What is it?"

"It's him!"

"Who?" Kara was wide-eyed. She looked back at the RK800 as he leisurely strolled through the main hall with a smirk, knowing he had to be the source of Alice's fear.

"Honey, that isn't the Connor that chased us across the highway."

"N-No! You don't remember him?!" Alice took a deep breath. "Oh, no. You were reset after that…"

Luther put his large form in the path of the RK800. Then it clicked. That must've been the rogue that set Markus up and tricked Hank.

Kara looked at the androids around them, the ones with glowing white LEDs just standing there, reminiscent of machines. There were many without LEDs doing the same thing. The other androids shook their friends, trying to wake them up.

Kara covered her mouth, stifling a cry. The RK900 entered the main hall behind the rogue, his grey eyes sharp as he looked about, fists clenched at his sides.

"We n-need to go," Ralph whispered, shaking.

Kara grabbed up Alice and they slipped around the corner to leave the main hall. They stopped short. Their path was blocked by several androids, most with glowing white LEDs. Their expressions were blank, soulless, as they moved…As though invisible strings were connected to their limbs, controlled by a puppet master.

"Some things never change."

The familiar voice hit her back, but it wasn't near as cordial as the last Connor she spoke to. She spun around, pushing Alice behind her. The rogue was there, looking her over, the RK900 just behind him. He stopped just in front of her with a devious smile, locking his eyes with hers. Kara froze. She had no idea who he was, but apparently, she was supposed to.

The scenario was familiar, and Kara instantly remembered Alice's bad dream. The zombies surrounded them at this very moment. Her biocomponent heart dropped, dread seizing everything electrical under her skin. She was staring at the wolf…

"You look different," he said, looking over her hair and appearance. "But you're still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

[traxanalytics]

How Janitorial Software Can Help Streamline Cleaning Operations | TRAX Analytics

Blog Introduction: As a janitorial business owner, you understand the importance of having efficient cleaning operations. However, managing a fleet of cleaners is an incredibly complex task that requires an efficient system. Janitorial software can help you streamline your operations and make it easier to manage your staff and resources. Here's how.

Task Management & Scheduling Efficiency

Janitorial software can provide real-time updates on employee assignments, making it easier to keep track of who is doing what, when they are doing it, and how long it will take them to complete the job. This allows you to plan ahead and schedule jobs more effectively so that your staff has enough time to complete their tasks without running into any delays or bottlenecks. It also reduces the amount of manual paperwork you need to fill out for each job, saving you time and money in the long run.

Better Communication With Your Staff

Janitorial software makes it easy for you to communicate with your staff in real-time. You can send messages or notifications directly through the software itself, ensuring that everyone receives the same information at the same time. This helps reduce miscommunication and ensures that everyone is on the same page when it comes to completing tasks or troubleshooting issues. It also provides a convenient way for employees to ask questions or provide feedback without having to physically meet up with management or send emails back and forth.  

Data Analysis & Reporting Tools                                                                                                                                

Janitorial software also provides data analysis tools that allow you to track performance metrics over time. This allows you to identify areas where improvements need to be made and make necessary changes accordingly. You can also use these analytics tools to generate reports on employee performance, customer satisfaction rates, job completion times, etc., which can help inform future decisions regarding staffing levels or task scheduling practices.

Conclusion:  

Janitorial software is an invaluable tool for any business that needs efficient cleaning operations that are easy to manage and maintain over time. The task management features make it easier for managers to assign jobs quickly and accurately while still giving employees enough leeway for creativity in their workflows. The communication features ensure everyone is always on the same page while data analysis tools give managers valuable insights into their operations in order to make informed decisions going forward. With all these benefits combined, janitorial software is a must-have tool for any successful janitorial business!

Does your organization want to upgrade its cleaning and inspection procedures? Take advantage of TRAX Analytics' Clean+Inspect for a comprehensive yet simple software solution! This specialized resource is perfect for arenas, stadiums, airports, hospitals - you name it. Automate tasks with ease while using smart restroom systems or cutting-edge reporting tools; plus track consumable usage in no time at all. Make the switch today - contact TRAX Analytics now!

[msrobotouw]

Start up idea: Receptionist Help Bot

Problem: Many businesses employ receptionists to sit near the entrance of a building and help people coming in set appointments, find offices, buy items, etc. They also serve as a sort of security filter, ensuring people who don’t belong can’t enter the building undetected. Sometimes, nothing happens for an hour or more, which is time the company is paying a person to do nothing. Other problems are if the receptionist needs to use the restroom or step away from the desk for a moment due to other personal needs, but cannot leave the reception desk unmanned.

Solution: I propose a Receptionist Help Bot that will be able to hold the basic functions of a receptionist. It could be built using only the bot we have for this class. A friendly face could be programmed on a screen attached to the bot so people feel welcomed to the building. Cameras on the bot would allow it to detect where people were so it could “look” at them as then approach. People could ask questions about where things are, and rather than trying to explain things verbally (“Take the elevator to the third floor, take a left, walk past the vending machine, then take a right…”) the bot could display maps on the screen, and even show pictures/videos of the areas the person was going so they could see which door rather than trying to figure out confusing explanations. When nothing is going on, the bot can sit in sleep mode, which is virtually costless to the business. The bot can also use the installed cameras to alert security of any suspicious persons entering the building without checking in at reception, a simple text alert with 5-10 seconds of attached video would allow a security guard to check whether it was someone familiar, or if they needed to respond and locate the person (facial recognition software could also potentially be used to reduce the number of false alarms sent to security). If the business does have things for sale at reception, the bot could retrieve these items for customers and handle any transactions, or even page a human if the customer preferred.

Evidence for the problem and feasibility of the solution: My main evidence for this problem is work experience: I worked as a receptionist for three years, and then worked for another company for two years that didn’t have a receptionist because customer foot-traffic was so rare, but when it did come, it was often poorly handled as no one was specifically assigned to it.

During my three years as a receptionist in a five-story building, it was not uncommon for me to wait twenty minutes or more for someone to come take over the desk if I had to use the bathroom, grab a snack, etc. A robot does not have these sorts of needs and would therefore not have this issue.

It was also quite common for long periods of time to go by with no one coming through the reception area. To try and stay busy, I’d take up some other task, which often then interfered with my ability to respond quickly to a customer entering the building. There were also times people would enter through the accessibility door off to the side and shoot straight up the stairwell, not allowing me enough time to look up and identify them. A robot would not have this issue as the cameras would always be watching, and would be able to quickly send an alert with the last 5-10 seconds of footage. Robots also do not get bored and would not be tempted to multi-task during slow times, making them always available for swift service.

The bot would also be able to easily stow packages, mail, etc. under the desk and page the appropriate person to come and get them. If people wanted to leave packages or envelopes at reception for others to pick up, the bot could store these and then hand them to the appropriate person when they came in. This could potentially be even more secure than a human, as the bot could include the option to enter a code, shared between the sender and receiver over text or phone call, that would be required to get the package. In many situations, I had someone other than the person specified show up to get the package (a sibling, spouse, etc.). Often this was not an issue as it wasn’t sensitive data, but when it was sensitive data, I could not release the item as I had no way of proving they were authorized to take it. The bot’s code entry could easily resolve this issue.

The other company was a box lunch delivery service which handled customers primarily over the phone or the internet, but only rarely in person. When we did have people come in, we were often busy with phones or other tasks, and often people stood there in the office for several minutes before getting service. If they wandered off into the kitchen in search of someone to help them (which happened) we couldn’t follow as we were on the phones. While most of our Yelp reviews lauded our exceptional customer service, we often had negative customer service feedback from people who came in person.

In this office, a bot could sit for hours or days with nothing to do, but when someone did come in, it would be there ready to help them. If they were placing an order, it could provide them with the online ordering interface right on the screen of the bot. If they needed to pick up an order, it could go to the kitchen and notify them. The kitchen could then either give the bot the order or carry it out themselves if it involved many boxes, which was common.

It would also be easy (could be done in a matter of hours) to reorganize the kitchen so the bot could simply retrieve smaller orders on its own. It could easily be given access to the ordering system so it could predict the size of the order and whether it would need human assistance to carry it or not.

Another factor which must be considered in discussing feasibility is how phone calls would be handled, as this is another task often assigned to receptionists, which can also interfere with their ability to help people walking in. Phone calls could either be routed to another phone in the building where one person or several people could answer calls without the added multi-task of handling people walking in (which can reduce service quality for both callers and in person visitors), or calls could be captured and routed by an automated system, which more and more businesses are switching over to anyway.

Given these two very different examples of businesses where this bot could be used, I think it would be a very good product for a variety of businesses.

[effect-of-games]

Gamification, ABA, & Autism

          There are many different interventions and therapies that have come about over the years to try and teach individuals with Autism and other intellectual disabilities. Some of these include occupational therapy, speech therapy, applied behavior analysis therapy, and social skills classes to name a few. Each of these therapies comes with their own advantages and disadvantages, but in my opinion ABA treatments can provide the more effective options for these individuals.

          Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy (ABA) came about in the 1970s by Ivar Lovaas and Robert Koegel at UCLA. Instead of teaching a preset set of rules and behaviors, ABA focuses on observing the behaviors of the individual and learning why the behavior occurs. From there, therapists are able to formulate a treatment plan and a course of action for how to correct problem behaviors and enforce adaptive behaviors. This course of treatment is an evidence-based treatment that has passed scientific tests proving usefulness, quality, and effectiveness, and is supported by the US Surgeon General and the American Psychological Association. ABA has the potential to help individuals (not just those with Autism) to increase their language skills, improve attention and other cognitive skills, and help them improve academically.

          Some methods used in ABA therapies include reinforcement and punishment, prompting and fading through visual and verbal cues, task analysis and generalization. There are positive and negative reinforcements and punishments. Positive reinforcement means rewarding the individual for good behavior while negative reinforcement means taking away something the individual does not like as a reward. On the other hand, positive punishment is giving the child something they do not like for problem behavior occurring (like extra homework for the being disruptive) while negative punishment is taking away something good. These are all used in an attempt to encourage the individual to do the problem behavior less and the appropriate behavior more. Verbal and visual cues are often used to show the individual what they should be doing. The goal of ABA treatment is to be able to fade these prompts and eventually not have to use them.

          Task analysis is a huge part of ABA because it involves directly and indirectly supervising behaviors and how the individual goes about solving a task. Examples of directly supervising are simulations, behavioral observations, performance appraisal, administering exams, and updating portfolios. Examples of indirectly supervising are reviewing exit and other interviews done in the past by other administers, archival data, focus groups, and surveys/questionnaires. Another goal of ABA is to make treatments generalized. This means that whatever you are teaching the individual should be able to be replicated in other settings. For example, if an individual learns that they need to use the restroom at school when they have to urinate, they should be able to learn that they need to use the restroom at home when they have to urinate.[1]

          ABA treatments use ABC descriptive assessments to determine the function of the behavior. An easy way to remember the functions of behavior is the acronym SEAT. SEAT stands for sensory, escape, attention, and tangible. Through the ABC method of analyzing the antecedent (what happens before the behavior), the behavior itself, and the consequences that occur when the behavior occurs, therapists can recognize patterns in behaviors and figure out why the individual is doing them.

          In order to practice and administer ABA treatments, you need to have certain qualifications depending on the job you are going for. ABA therapists work one-on-one with individuals and have a variety of backgrounds depending on the employer and job. Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) are trained to provide and supervise ABA services. They oversee BCaBAs and need a master level degree. There are also BCBA-D which are those who have a doctorate in the field. They do the same jobs, the only difference is the level of degree. Then there are Certified Autism Specialists (CAS) who need a master level degree and work strictly with autistic individuals. Lastly, there are Autism Certificate (AC) holders which are people who work in the field of Autism and do not require a degree. These positions tend to overlap, such as CAS also being ABA therapists.[2]

          The topic of ABA treatments is controversial, especially for parents of children with autism. ABA is often seen as being “cruel” and relating back to Lovaas’ original goal of making individuals with Autism “normal”. It has also been coined as being “abusive”, “unethical”, and “wrong”. Many people see the intensive nature of these early interventions as being excruciatingly hard on individuals and caretakers because of the time needing to be invested and the emotional toll it can take. Parents and caretakers have also noted that when going through ABA treatments, they are told that ABA is their child’s only option at succeeding and growing. It has also been stated that ABA may be as popular as it is because it is funded by insurance, whereas other treatments are not. These two factors combined make the parents feel helpless and trapped. They feel as though they cannot try other interventions because they may not be effective or may be too expensive. The last concern that is prevalent in the discussion of ABA is that it focuses too much on repetition. There have been parents who have noticed that their children are able to do step one of a problem but do not understand what they are doing in order to go to step two. An example of this is a child asking a stranger what their name is, but not staying to hear the response. The child knows to ask what the person’s name is but does not know that they should receive a response to it.[3]

          Ivar Lovaas has been coined as the pioneer for ABA and is quoted saying, “If they can’t learn the way we teach, we teach the way they learn.” As soon as I saw this quote, I immediate thought of game-based and interactive learning. Gamification is the application of elements of game play, such as point systems, competition, and rules, into other areas of activity including learning. This type of teaching changes learning from ���this is what will happen” to “this is what did happen” and allows the individuals see the effect of their actions for themselves on a shorter time frame. The sequence of events shown through games also shows individuals cause and effects. This incentivized learning is key to ABA because the points and rewards act as reinforcers. They keep the individual wanting to learn and move to the next assignment, while reinforcing good behaviors.

          These games do not necessarily mean video games, but any type of game or interactive teaching that allows for hands on play and learning. Some examples of board games teaching skills are Hungry Caterpillars teaching math, and Life teaching individuals that while money can’t buy happiness, saving and spending money wisely can impact your happiness or “life points”. Games also affect the individual’s agency. Agency is defined as the drive and desire to succeed and the feeling that you control your future. In traditional classrooms, this can be as simple as giving the individuals the option of what they would like to write a paper or do a presentation on. For individuals in ABA treatment, this can be in the form of giving individuals the option of what reward or activity they would like.[4][5] This is important for people with Autism because stimming and outbursts tend to happen when the person feels as though they are losing control of the situation.

          Games tend to promote positive feedback loops rather than negative ones. By allowing users to try repeatedly until they get the correct response, the individual is less likely to give up than if they automatically failed by getting something wrong. A positive feedback look like this changes the overarching learning question from “Do you know the answer?” to “Can you find the answer?” and supports different learning styles. Feedback loops are something that teachers struggle with as the number of teachers/therapists to students/individuals increases as we get older. According to the UFT, high school classrooms can be occupied by as many as 34 students. This number potentially skyrockets to over 200 as students get to collegiate levels.[6] More students means less one-to-one learning and the teacher being less likely to know if students are falling behind. Game-based learning works well for this because it allows teachers to easily target where each student is lacking and alter course material appropriately. ABA therapy would benefit from this because it would allow for more remote learning without the presence of a therapist (if need be). This helps especially with more intensive programs because parents and caregivers would be able to continue therapies from home. A major part of ABA is graphing and data collection which could be facilitated using these games and softwares. The data that is collected through scores and time elapsed, along with observed behaviors during sessions can be used to track progress.

          Lastly, games help to teach 21st century skills in ways that cannot be done in classrooms – they must be experienced. Some of these skills include communication, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. A problem that is faced when teaching individuals (not just with developmental disabilities) is the idea of transference or transfer of practice. This is the ability to apply what you learn in one capacity to another. A goal of ABA is to create treatment plans that are generalized, or can be related to other instances. This is exhibited through tutorial levels of games, such as Animal Crossing, where they show you the basics before having you apply them to the actual game.[7]

          One app currently being used for individuals with Autism is called “Look at Me” by Samsung. This app has a set of games geared towards teaching those with Autism certain skills. One game helps to teach children to distinguish emotions, such as between happy and sad, and rewards them with points. Another game teaches them to recognize facial features by covering eyes with dots and asking which face appears in the dot.[8]

          Another game being used with autistic individuals is Minecraft (Education Edition). A private community has been made that is called Autcraft that is specifically made for those with Autism and comes with well-defined rules, as compared to the more open concept of the regular Minecraft. This game teaches individuals creativity and collaboration as users must work together to complete complex designs. These complex designs teach the users planning and critical thinking skills, and the collaboration with others forces users to interact and learn social skills.[9]

          While I advocate for ABA and gamification there are definitely downsides to each, some of which I have outlined here. Overall, though, it comes down to each individual whether or not the method will work. That is why treatment takes time and planning along with trial and error to find out what is effective and what is not. ABA is a strong, evidence-based treatment that allows for individualization and goal setting. It reinforces good behavior while attempting to diminish bad behavior, and I believe it works hand in hand with gamification and game-based learning styles.

References:

[1]5 Techniques Used in Applied Behavior Analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.appliedbehavioranalysisprograms.com/lists/5-techniques-used-in-applied-behavior-analysis/

[2] ABA, BCBA, and CAS: What does it all mean? (2019, March 22). Retrieved from https://ibcces.org/blog/2014/08/04/aba-bcba-and-cas-what-does-it-all-mean/

[3] The controversy over autism's most common therapy: Spectrum: Autism Research News. (2016, August 15). Retrieved from https://www.spectrumnews.org/features/deep-dive/controversy-autisms-common-therapy/

[4] Student Agency - What is Student Agency? - EdWords. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.renaissance.com/edwords/student-agency/

[5] Credits, Extra. “Education: Agency - How Games Empower Us - Extra Credits.” YouTube, YouTube, 21 May 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=T39kYzzv_3Q&index=15&list=PLhyKYa0YJ_5DGAb6xGJfd9v4gXCDjmeli.

[6] What are the class size limits for my grade? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.uft.org/faqs/what-are-class-size-limits-my-grade

[7] Pittser, B. (2019, March 7). How Game-Based Learning Develops 21st Century Skills. Retrieved from http://www.filamentgames.com/blog/how-game-based-learning-develops-21st-century-skills.

[8] Mak, H. W. (2015, August 10). Look At Me Takes on Autism Through Games-Based Learning. Retrieved from https://www.gamification.co/2015/08/10/look-at-me-takes-on-autism-through-games-based-learning/

[9] Arnold, S. (2019, February 25). Change the Game: Using Minecraft to Teach Students with Autism - EdSurge News. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-01-28-change-the-game-using-minecraft-to-teach-students-with-autism

[dylan-hayes]

Dream Land chapter 2-3

I’ve went a head and created a patreon for anyone that is interested in supporting my stories you can find my patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DiaperDante

Chapter 2

“Just chill out man and let me explain.” Max said as he begins running test on my augs to verify their settings.

 “You better because this is way up there for being unusual.”

 “Remember how I was explaining that Dreamland takes your earliest memories and then tries to compile them to make the experience possible.” Max asked as he continued taking measurements using his diagnostic tool

 “Yeah I remember but I really don’t know how something that a baby wears has to do…. OH” I said now understanding his reasoning behind the disposable underpants.

 “You see dreamland is still in beta so basically I’m reverting your mind to that of 1 -2-year-old which means you probably weren’t potty trained.

 “So, I’m just going to be a babbling poop machine is that what you’re saying?” I asked still feeling the outer plastic that held the disposable underpants with in.

 “Not quite, you’ll still retain some adult aspects but that really depends if you want to try and fight the drug but listen Douglas I haven’t tested this drug on humans yet only simulated computer models so what happens god only knows.”  

 “Ok I say, I’m going to get changed and before you asked I already looked up how to put on a diaper I should be fine. “I said as I got up and headed to the bathroom.

 Inside the bathroom, I flicked on the light and closed the door behind me. I took a deep breath as I stared into the mirror as I could see the look of desperation for trying to find the next drug that would give me that next level mind altering experience. I ripped open the plastic package and pulled out the diaper from within, the diaper was an adult version of pampers cruisers. The diaper was almost an exact replica, it had all the details that you would find on its baby variant. I stared down at the cookie monster on the front panel as I rubbed my fingers across the cloth outer layer. I begin to wonder how Max got this diaper considering that pampers never made adult diapers or at least I thought they didn’t. This could mean one or two things, Max had somehow gotten a hold of the manufacturing data from PG and 3d printed the diaper but with larger dimensions. Or Max has some friends at PG that made him the diaper to the size he wanted, thinking about this only raised more questions that I didn’t have answers to or really want to know.

  I left the questions to swirl in my mind as I pulled off my pants and underwear, I pulled the pamper between my legs and pulled the back up before pushing myself against the door to keep the back in place. With the back of the diaper being held in place I then pulled up the front and first taped the right side followed by the left side. I took a step back from the door before glancing at the mirror to confirm the diaper was nice and snug as per the instructions I found.

 “So far so good.” I said as I turned around to make sure everything looked good.

 After a few minutes of examining the new garment taped around me I quickly pulled up my pants and left the bathroom leaving my underwear behind as I hurried back to Max.  Leaving the bathroom, I could already tell my walking had changed to that of a waddle as I crinkled my back to living room where I found Max casual sitting watching TV.

 “So how did it go?” Max asked casually staring at my waist.

 “It’s a diaper and I’m wearing it, let’s just leave it at that.”

 “Alright, let’s head to my room so that I can get your augs connected to the wireless monitoring tool so I can gather data in real time and make adjustments.”

 I walked to Max’s room before I laid down on his neatly made bed like I had done countless times before. Max was right behind me and only stopped for a second to lock his door and enable the aug wireless diagnostic tool on the panel beside the door.

 “Hey, don’t mess up my bed.” Max said as he continued to adjust settings on the panel.

 I felt a slight ping in my head followed by a voice say, “Diagnostic mode enabled and wireless communication is stable.”

 “Hey, your connected to my augs so I guess that means you’re ready to start it.”

 “Yep, so are you ready for this?” Max asked as he took a seat at his workstation.

“Well I didn’t just put on underwear that I haven’t worn since I was two so I would say yes I’m ready to go.”

 “Ok here we go.” Max said as he took as seat at his desk and turned to face his computer.

 Chapter 3: Nothing Ventured Nothing lost

 Max typed a few commands on his computer and after hitting enter I heard my aug’s internal voice announce.

 “deploying software payload.”

 Soon after things begin to get a little fuzzy, it was as if everything was completely new to me. The best way to compare the feeling was when I was young I remember really wanting a PlayStation 6 for Christmas but mom couldn’t afford or at least that’s what she told me until I opened the present on Christmas day. The joy, surprise, happiness I got from opening the box realizing that my letters to Satna had been read and answered.

 Looking over at Max my emotions went chaotic but in a pleasent way, I felt happy, excited, and thankful that Max was my friend. Soon my senses started to change, the bed I was laying on felt as if it was being snuggled by a warm blanket that was slowly morphing around me. The lights and color of the room was much more vivid it was if I had gone from watching a movie on low quality to it jumping to 8k HD quality. It was almost over whelming to my senses as everything was as if I was doing it for the first time. It wasn’t long after I had started making sounds that resembled that of babbling while my limbs unorderly kicked happily about. I was in complete bliss everything was so new and amazing that is until I felt a strange pressure just below my belly, Max could tell something was going on because my happy babble wasn’t as loud and I had stopped moving about as much. I focused for minute which allowed my adult mind to break through when I realized the feeling was that I needed to pee.

 The strain to focus my mind was too much as I felt my bladder suddenly release as I felt a small trickle turn into warm stream that turned my once dry diaper into a wet squishy one. The feeling of releasing my bladder was astonishing, it was if I had been holding my bladder on a long car trip before finally finding sweet relief of a restroom expect this time my restroom was taped tightly around my waist. I could tell that my diaper was wet but just how wet I could yet determine as I begin to feel relaxed and extremely tired. Slowly my eye lids begin to drop and just like a candle in a storm I was out.

 Friday 11:23

 “DOUGLAS wake the hell up its getting late and I’m not sharing my bed with you.” Max said as he tried to shake me awake.  

 Slowly I begin to wake up, groggy, mind clouded and upset that I was awaken from my peaceful slumber.

 “Why can’t you just sleep on the other side of me?” I said as I begin rubbing my eyes to motivate myself to wake up from my peaceful dream state.

 “Because I don’t want to sleep beside someone that is wearing a wet diaper and said person could leak on me and my bed.”  Max said as pulled at the top of the diaper that was sticking out of my pants.

 At that comment, my eyes sprung open and I sit up on the bed uneasily. As I got my bearings I noticed I was still lying on Max’s bed but from the looks of it I had moved around a ton causing Max’s perfectly made bed to be history. Pillows were on the floor and the covers along with the sheets were hanging off the side of the bed. On top of all that I could feel that I had soaked the diaper I was wearing. I begin thinking back to previous hours but everything seemed disorienting like I was watching video that kept skipping major sections before reverting to its original play spot.

 “How long was I out?” I asked as I slowly got of bed.

 “Well considering you took the drug around 6:10, I’m goanna say 5 hours.” Max said as he brought up a data log on his system.

 “I’m guessing that’s my data log from while on Dreamland.” I said trying to get my legs to wake up.

 “Yep, this should provide some good feedback on how to make this bad boy better.” Max said pointing to an aug system file that I assumed was dreamland.

 “that’s cool” I said yawning.

 “I’m goanna go take this diaper off and head home.” I said as I started to waddle out of Max’s room.

 “Alright there should be a trash can in the bathroom but before you head home I want you to take this file and apply it to your aug just before you go to sleep and if you experience anything abnormal I want you to call me and then send me your last hours aug log file. “Max said as begin making up his bed.

 “Alright” I said as took the aug file using my phone.

 I really don’t understand why Max would make up his bed when he was going to go just un-make it to sleep in it but Max always insisted that you sleep better in a made-up bed.

   “Alright mommmmmmm, I’ll let you know if anything happens.” I said as I unlocked his door and waddled my way to the bathroom.

[flipfundingstuff]

Choosing the Best Point-of-Sale Software for Your Business

No matter what kind of small business you own, there’s likely going to be a point of sale: that magical moment when a customer gives you money in exchange for a product or service. And since this transfer is the lifeblood of your business, it makes sense that you’d want to make it as fast, easy, and secure as possible.

Many small business owners remember how difficult it was to use the payment systems of old. There were the notorious credit card imprinters, where you’d slide the handle, remove the carbon paper, and hope that all the relevant information was legible.

Go back in time a few years before that and cash registers weren’t even programmed with product prices. Employees entered calculations on the fly, and the results often weren’t pretty. Some mom-and-pop shops eschewed registers completely and simply kept cash in a box under the counter. Yes, these were rough-and-ready times.

This is where modern point-of-sale systems enter the picture. The size, format, and technology vary. But all of these systems—from a handheld credit card scanner at a farmers market to an integrated network of cash registers in a large department store—are designed to process a transaction electronically in the blink of an eye.

Point-of-sale systems aren’t merely doorways through which your products pass. They’re more like monitors, tracking how many items have been sold and how many remain in inventory. When a customer returns a product, the system makes a note of the transaction and dutifully reflects it in your inventory.

“The point-of-sale system serves as the central component for your business; it’s the hub where everything—like sales, inventory and customer management—merges,” says retail software expert Agnes Teh Stubbs. “As evident as the benefits of a POS system are, we found that 56% of single-store retailers are still not using one. Instead, we found, many are still using a combination of manual methods, cash registers, QuickBooks, and Excel for bookkeeping.”

If your small business falls into the non-adopter category, you should change the errors of your ways immediately. Even if you’re currently using a point-of-sale system, it’s worth evaluating the product’s benefits and considering an upgrade.

How to Choose a Great Point-of-Sale System

Your small business deserves the best, so you’ll need to sift through the various point-of-sale solutions to find your ideal match. This research takes time, but it always pays off in the end.

One of the best places to start is by leveraging your professional network. Talk to other business owners who run operations similar to yours. This is crucial because a point-of-sale system that works perfectly at a seaside gift shop won’t be an equally good fit if it were installed at your local Target.

As you talk to fellow business owners, ask for specific benefits they’ve received from their systems and what issues they’ve encountered. Keep a list of these observations, and you’ll probably start to see 2–3 options rise to the top of the pile.

You should also talk to your business mentor. While your mentor might not have direct experience with point-of-sale systems (especially if they retired before such technology took hold), they can help you consider other aspects of the transaction process that’ll guide your ultimate decision.

After you’ve received feedback from those closest to you, go online to check out professional reviews. Good reviewers will have a deeper understanding of the technological capabilities of point-of-sale systems, making them able to share insights that you and your colleagues might never notice. Just be sure only to read third-party reviews that have been written by people who didn’t receive any compensation in exchange for the review.

Whittling down your list to the best 2–3 options prepares you to make a final decision. Here are some of the key considerations in the process:

1. Will the system make my life easier?

This is one of the most important questions to ask. There are so many bells and whistles to compare between various systems, but what really matters is how well it will streamline your operations. When you have a great system in place, your entire team becomes more efficient.

“Effectiveness is the measure of accomplishing the most important objective for your most ultimately beneficial pursuit,” says Business Insider. “Or as Business Dictionary brilliantly puts it: ‘The degree to which objectives are achieved and the extent to which targeted problems are solved.’ As an entrepreneur, you’ve got to constantly reevaluate your efforts against your intermediate and future business objectives. You’ve got to have systems of introspection in place to ensure that you’re not becoming better or more efficient at tasks that have nothing to do with the long-term success of your business.”

Consider all the perks associated with various systems and hold them to this standard of efficiency. Doing so helps you to steer away from unnecessary features and find a system that will benefit your business on a regular basis.

2. Is the vendor trustworthy?

Drawing on your research, you’ll need to decide whether each vendor is reliable and what kind of reputation they’ve built in the industry. If you only stick to reading content from vendors’ websites, plan on seeing plenty of glowing reports. Dig deeper into the third-party reviews mentioned above, and you’ll begin to get a feel for a company’s legitimacy.

Consider as well whether the vendor is established enough to last throughout your adoption of their system. It takes substantial money to develop and market a point-of-sale system, so you want to choose a business that has enough money in the bank to survive the inevitable disasters that hit our nation from time to time. If they are able to withstand these negative events, you can trust that they’ll be around to continue supporting your business.

3. How secure will data be?

The fastest and most sleek technology on earth can still become a liability unless it also offers data protection. The data exchanged at a point of sale would be a goldmine for any criminal who steals it, so you need to know where it will be stored and who can access it.

“Few things are as ominous in today’s digital landscape as a data breach,” warns threat detection expert Isaac Kohen. “I know this firsthand through my work in the insider threat detection and monitoring space. Not only do data breaches come with an immense cost, estimated at close to $4 million, but shifting consumer sentiment and increased regulatory scrutiny help ensure that companies will be dealing with the consequences long after the initial expense is paid.”

By making sure your research includes a security element, you can quickly eliminate options that don’t prioritize this component.

4. How durable is the hardware?

There are certain business purchases that don’t carry much consequence: for example, you might decide to try a new air freshener in your restrooms. If the scents are pleasing and you get no customer complaints, you can feel confident in continuing to use these products. If you were to discover that the air fresheners are ineffective, you only lose the small amount of money spent on the products.

At the other end of the spectrum are investments such as point-of-sale systems. Not only will you need to purchase the system and train your team on how to use it, but you’ll probably need to acquire its required hardware. With so much money and effort going into its implementation, you need to be confident that the hardware will be rugged enough to endure daily use.

If a system is cloud-based, you’ll also need to determine how well it will work with your internet. For example, if the internet temporarily goes offline, would your system still be operational?

5. Is adequate training available?

All business teams feature varying levels of tech-savviness. Some of your younger employees might be avid gamers who build custom computers in their spare time, while other employees struggle to use the office copy machine.

“Companies that offer comprehensive training programs to their staff can enjoy increased productivity and efficiency, as well as higher profit margins as a result of having a better-trained workforce,” says Forbes. “But making sure the training you offer sinks in with your staff can be quite a challenge. Ineffective training leads to wasted time and resources, with unforeseen consequences in terms of costs and performance.”

It’s essential that your point-of-sale system is user-friendly and comes with robust training that helps everyone get on the same page. Among the many options available, ShopKeep and Sunrise offer some of the most accessible point-of-sale products available.

6. What kind of reporting does it offer?

Your system should provide clear sales reports whenever you need them. By capturing details such as product sold, hour of sale, total cost of product sold, total retail amount, net profit, profit percentage, and gross margin, your system will allow you to set realistic goals and better track their progress.

You’ll also need the system to help manage your inventory. When a product is sold, this should be reflected in your inventory. Any product returns would obviously move the item right back into the system. This helps you know when you need to order new products in order to keep your inventory at ideal levels. Your system might even be able to order inventory for you automatically when it hits a certain threshold. 

The best systems also track employee performance. Each sales report should identify the employee who handled the transaction so you can use this information to identify top performers and create development plans for those who need extra help. 

7. Will it improve your customer management?

Any time a customer makes a purchase from your business, the point-of-sale system should connect the transaction with that specific customer. If they’re existing customers, their purchases would be added to the purchase history in their profiles. New customers would get a new profile that includes their name, birthday, age, phone number, and email.

This information is critical to your business’s success. Purchase histories help you to meet the needs of your customer base better, while contact information allows you to send targeted messages to those who’d be most likely to re-engage with your business. The better your business communicates with its customers, the better it will fare in the sales department.

If your business offers a loyalty rewards program, your system should also be able to attach the corresponding points or rewards to each customer’s account following a purchase. This is a valuable way to build loyalty and expand your base.

8. What are the details of its hardware and software?

Most new point-of-sale systems include the hardware for the physical transaction and the software that takes care of all the details behind the scenes. The most affordable solutions use a model such as Square, which provides free hardware that you can simply plug into your tablet or smartphone. There are also no software charges—the only fees are related to the processing of a payment.

If you’re looking for a more robust option, consider Heartland Payment Systems. They provide top-notch hardware and software that allows you to accept any payment method your customers prefer securely.

Another consideration is the hardware and software’s flexibility. For starters, will the software integrate with your existing accounting software and play nice with your website? The best point-of-sale systems make it easy to merge your software for a streamlined experience.

Also, will you be able to choose add-ons later? This great feature allows you to purchase only what you need to get started and to upgrade your system as time goes on. Perhaps you’ll identify an area of transactions that could be improved if you purchase a certain add-on. Or you might have a record-breaking sales month and decide to reinvest some of the money into improving your system’s overall capabilities.

Finally, how easy will it be to add new employees to the system? This is particularly relevant for restaurants and other high-turnover businesses. If you have to jump through multiple hoops every time you want to add an employee, you’ll likely get sick of your system in a matter of months. 

9. How much will the system cost?

The answer to this question varies widely based on your business’s unique circumstances. If you already have hardware in place, you might only need to purchase an inexpensive software solution. If you are starting from scratch, you’ll need to spend more on a full system with both hardware and software.

Be aware that some companies use hidden fees to charge you more. Common examples include fees for downloads, activation, refunds, or early termination. Ethical companies like Heartland Payment Systems are transparent with their fees—they even have a Merchant Bill of Rights that ensures you’ll receive fair processing practices.

If your budget is limited, you might want to consider renting hardware. This allows you to avoid a large up-front fee and grants you more flexibility when it comes to upgrading the system at a later date.

Another option is to purchase refurbished hardware. This can be risky, as warranties can be lower quality on used terminals. But if the price works and you trust the seller, it’s a worthwhile option.

Regardless of what kind of point-of-sale system you purchase, make sure that the vendor will provide the support you need. There will be inevitable hiccups as you train your team and integrate the system into your business. If the vendor stands behind their products and helps you to find resolutions, you’ve got a winner. If they’re prone to leaving your emails and calls unanswered, you’ll waste a lot of time and resources compensating for their inadequacies.

ShopKeep offers some of the best customer service in the industry with 24/7 support and representatives who are extremely knowledgeable. Sunrise and Square are also known to stand behind their systems and resolve any issues.

A point-of-sale system can make or break your business. When it works optimally, your sales increase and errors decline. You’ll be able to stay better connected to your customers and manage your inventory with ease.

Take your time with this decision—gather as many insights as you can. As mentioned earlier, your network and mentor will be invaluable in this process. By drawing upon their collective wisdom, you’ll be able to make a decision that works for you today and promotes serious business growth down the road.

The post Choosing the Best Point-of-Sale Software for Your Business appeared first on Lendio.

from Blog – Lendio https://ift.tt/2ZaMtKr via IFTTT

[kadobeclothing]

How to Conduct Successful Remote Interviews, According to HubSpot’s Recruitment Coordinator

For your business to thrive, it’s undeniably critical you set up a process for conducting effective interviews — and, in 2020, it’s equally vital you create a comprehensive virtual interview strategy, as well.

As a Program Coordinator on HubSpot’s Recruiting Operations Team, I’m familiar with the struggles of creating a cohesive remote interview experience. But, as HubSpot continues to grow globally, I also know how important it is to create a scalable remote candidate interviewing process. Plus, at HubSpot, we have a strong commitment to global-first and remote inclusion — so further developing our remote interview practices only makes sense. While there’s no “secret sauce” to remote interviewing, we’ve iterated on a process that helps both candidates and interviewers have strong, purposeful conversations virtually. Here, I’m going to tell you about the best practices we’ve learned as a result of listening to both candidate and interviewer feedback, so you can learn how to create your own powerful virtual recruitment process in 2020.

1. Be human, and keep the personal touch. While it’s a bit harder to make a personal connection when interviewing remotely, putting in the extra effort can be the difference between an average and remarkable candidate experience. There are many ways to do this, but some efforts our candidates are loving are: Providing 15-minute prep calls with recruiters if candidates are nervous about interviewing remotely. We want to set up candidates for success, so having quick sessions to familiarize themselves with Zoom (our video conferencing tool of choice) and have a test run can make all the difference. Hold a virtual meet-and-greet before the interview starts, so you can have a pulse check with your candidate, workout any pre-interview jitters, and make sure they are comfortable before handing them off to their first interviewer. Over-communicate the interview logistics to the candidate so they know exactly when the interview starts and how the exchange between interviewers will work to ensure a smooth process. 2. Knowledge (and resources) is power. Interviewing remotely presents its own set of unique challenges for candidates: how to prepare, what to wear, and how to get an idea of the office, team, or culture they could be joining. The good news is that there are many ways you can share information and resources with candidates to fill these gaps, such as: A one-pager for how to prepare your work space, download your video conferencing software of choice, and practice with it This blog post: How to prepare for your video interview debut Virtual office tours Content that gives candidates a glimpse into your culture and lets it shine, like your YouTube channel, your brand’s Instagram page, or your business’s Glassdoor page Team lunches or weekly stand-ups, to give candidates a look at their future team’s culture 3. Remote interviewing can feel very different from in-person, so make it as comfortable as possible. Without the natural flow and physical reminders of an in-person interview, it’s easy to forget the small things that would make a remote interview just as comfortable as coming into the office. Here are some small things that you can do to make your candidates feel as comfortable as possible: Before starting your interview, offer the candidate a water and restroom break. Ideally, take notes on paper so that you’re not typing while the person is talking. If you’ll be taking notes on the computer, call out the fact that you’ll be typing during the interview. In this scenario, it’s also best to mute yourself so that you’re not typing in their ears as they’re speaking, but keep in mind that for them it will feel like they’re talking to a silent crowd. Don’t lose the small talk you would normally have with candidates in-person. Be overly expressive — interviews are extra stressful when it’s hard to read body language. Nod, smile, and laugh, to help make the situation more comfortable. Include a “breather” whenever possible by building in 10-15 minute breaks in the interview schedule. 4. Channel your inner technology support specialist. While most of our interviewers aren’t in tech support roles, it’s easy to forget that we use remote collaboration tools regularly, so we may be (and usually are) more experienced using and troubleshooting issues that can come up during a remote interview. Technology issues can happen, so don’t panic and stay strong in the face of adversity. Here are some of our tips for working through tech issues: When in doubt, leave and rejoin the meeting. If that doesn’t work, we recommend giving the candidate a call (which we list in all of our interview calendar invites). If the issue is WiFi connectivity, the first troubleshooting step we recommend is suggesting that the candidate move closer to the wifi router (if able). Second step would be to turn off video and attempt to communicate just over audio. Third and final step would be to switch the call to take place over the phone. If you’re spending more than five minutes troubleshooting tech issues, it may be best to reschedule for a later time. Work with your internal stakeholders to make it happen. At HubSpot, we use Zoom, so keeping Zoom’s troubleshooting guide open makes it easier to search and troubleshoot on-the-fly. Make sure, whichever video tool you choose, that you have the tool’s troubleshooting or FAQ page open just in case. The way we have approached the adoption, measurement, and evaluation of the remote interviewing process is very HubSpot by nature. HubSpot pushes its employees to have HEART — be humble and listen, be empathetic towards others, adapt to changing situations, generate remarkable experience for everyone, and be transparent and share what you learn. I would encourage you to take this a step further and let the culture of your company shine throughout your interview process, whether in-person or virtually. Additionally, remember your candidates and interviewers can offer critical feedback to help you strengthen your process over time. Continue to collect feedback from both sides, and use it to improve your virtual experience.

Source link

source https://www.kadobeclothing.store/how-to-conduct-successful-remote-interviews-according-to-hubspots-recruitment-coordinator/

[hemapriya022-blog]

How to plan and organize an Academic Conference

https://blog.confygo.com/how-to-plan-and-organize-an-academic-conference/An event for researchers to come together and make presentations about their research works and conduct related discussions. Apart from providing a stage to present, these conferences also provide crucial access to academic and scientific journals. All the participants and researchers come together to discuss and develop their ideas. The highlight of these kinds of conferences is the reactions and critical analysis that the researchers do of each other’s topics and ideas.

Importance of academic conferences in today’s day and age

The research work is submitted in a concise form, and usually, a single presentation lasts for an average of about 30 minutes. There are panel discussions, round-table discussions, and workshops as a part of the entire program.

Academic conferences are essential for a researcher because feedback is given on their ongoing research. Researchers get to meet other fellow researchers who are working in the field, and this is a great opportunity to develop and discuss better research methodologies. Attendees indulge in high-level debates that ultimately enhance their presentation and communication skills, along with expanding their knowledge base.

Key factors while planning a conference:

The team in charge of organizing an academic conference must ponder over the following factors:

Planning and goal setting: The organizing team needs to set a target audience so they can attract relevant attendees and researchers.

Fix the date, time and duration: The best time to hold a conference is during an active academic term. This will attract more and more young minds to the event apart from the researchers.

Know the size and scale of the conference: The topic of the program is a crucial factor that dictates the size and scale of the conference. The more popular and contemporary themes, the more researchers and attendees the event will attract.

Setting a budget: To avoid incurring a loss, a team needs to set a budget and plan on the financials and carefully track all payments, both in and out.

Identify your speakers/presenters: For a successful event, it is essential to decide how many notable speakers will be invited.

Choosing a location: The two most important things when it comes to choosing a location are the accessibility of the target audience and a convenient transport system for the easy and hassle-free commute.

Finalizing the venue: The venue should have the necessary facilities like an adequate seating area, sufficient space to accommodate the crowd, enough clean restrooms, etc.  

Publicizing the event: An early and effective publicity exercise is vital in building up the excitement and also spreading awareness on the event so it will help rope in the cream in terms of researchers.

Setting-up and tracking attendee registration: A close eye should be kept on the registration and application of the participants. This is easier said than done as some of these events can have more than a thousand people in attendance.

Resources for organizing or manage a conference successfully

Event management involves a dedicated workforce for the program that is divided into three segments: planning committee (data collection, preparation of name tags, number of guests and corresponding accommodation etc.), executive committee (emailing attendees, attendee registration, advertising and social media, and food & beverages distribution) and control committee (feedback collection, parking management, disciplinary seating arrangement etc.)

The entire process of managing a conference would fail if anyone of the above-mentioned teams fails to complete their assigned tasks.

Introducing Confygo – Conference on the go!

Confygo is an effective all-in-one Web Based Event Management Software designed to support organizations with academic conferences, workshops, and seminars. As a product from Texila Technologies, a business unit of Texila America University Consortium, Confygo helps in automating and thus simplifying all the manual tasks needed to plan and successfully organize academic events and conferences.

How Confygo change the way the academic conference is conducted?

Man Power Usage: manpower usage and expenditure is brought to almost nil. Everything is automated and this, in turn, helps in flawless management and tracking.

Time management: Since most conference tasks are automated, less time is spent on the manual organization.

Report Generation: Generating a report is easier online than through human hands and minds. It’s is almost incomparable in terms of time, data volume and level of accuracy.

Human Error: There is no scope of human error as everything is automated. All the registration, liaising and sending of email needs are done using an automated form.

Increased ROI (Return on Investment): Expenditure on workforce and smaller things are less, resulting in the event to be conducted flawlessly. Hence, the ROI would be comparatively high.

Timely Delivery: All the liaising is done correctly on time. All the collected feedback is submitted and analyzed on time.

In all, Confygo provides any organization or institution with the power of web-based conference management. Supported by a team of highly-experienced industry experts, Confygo is dedicated to providing high-end technological solutions in a cost-effective and timely manner, so that you can effortlessly run any event you desire, without any trouble what so ever.

To know more about Confygo and how it can help you grow as a business, please visit: https://www.confygo.com

Source:https://blog.confygo.com/how-to-plan-and-organize-an-academic-conference/

[boomset]

Tech Trends to Make Your Event Stand Out

Image courtesy of Crew on Unsplash

There’s no questioning the power of events. In an increasingly digital world, real-time interactions and the opportunity for businesses to form in-person connections is invaluable. As more and more industry leaders pick up on the benefits that come along with well-planned events, it’s imperative you stay at least one step ahead of your competitors.

While 86 percent of event marketers believe technology can play a major role in the success of an event, it’s in your best interest to keep up with the times. To get you started, we’re breaking down some of the hottest tech trends certain to make your next event stand out from the crowd.

EVENT APPS

Think of the one thing event attendees are guaranteed to have on hand—their phones. Disregarding all the ancillary pieces that traditionally come along with attending events, from name badges, tickets, registration forms and so on. There’s no question that boiling everything down into an attendee’s personal device makes sense. Developing an app for your event solves this problem. This incredibly useful technology allows attendees to more effectively network, keeps everyone up-to-date with the latest event updates, and provides organizers with an excellent dataset to pull insight from after the fact.

Leading up to the event, once attendees have downloaded your app, you can start building excitement by sending out session information or special features to expect. Your main goal at this stage is to educate people on everything your event has to offer, resulting in more registrations and generating hype as the day approaches.

Come event day, it’s all about personalization and optimized engagement. Through your apps event calendar, attendees can mark the sessions they’re interested in attending, creating their own personal schedule for the day. This not only increases attendee engagement, but it provides coordinators with data on what interests each attendee the most. This data then can be utilized to send individual notifications when their favorite speaker is about to go on or when seats for a particular session are about to run out.

While (back in 2014) 86 percent of event attendees rate event apps as one of the top three features that make for a more enjoyable experience, including this technology in your event organization is bound to improve the success of your event even more so nearly four years later.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

2018 has seen rapid advancement in the field of AI, as well. For its remarkable abilities and efficiencies far beyond human capabilities, artificially intelligent tools can improve your event’s attendee engagement and post-event recap.

AI-enabled chatbots are an excellent way to improve event experience. These intelligent bots can act as personal assistants to attendees, answering questions on-demand, driving interaction, delivering personalized notifications, collecting feedback, and more; revolutionizing what good customer service looks like at an event. While attendees traditionally would seek out employees to barrage with questions, they’ll now have instantaneous answers to their questions right on their phone.

- What’s the WiFi password?

- Where’s the closest restroom?

- What time is the next speaker? Chatbots can service hundreds of attendee requests at once. As the most important aspect of hosting an event that stands out is optimized customer experience, chatbots also provide intelligent analyses of the conversations they have with attendees. Through machine learning, bots are capable of understanding the emotion a user is expressing so to provide the most appropriate response to the questions or concerns they’re faced with. Should your attendees be frustrated with something, chatbots can pick up on that and solve their concerns before they become a larger issue.

RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID)

Building excitement prior to your event plays a big role in its success. In our hyper-connected world, people are sharing everything, especially exclusive items they possess and activities they’re participating in. RFID tags sent out to attendees are a great way to generate excitement and raise awareness of your event. Being a fairly new trend, the wristbands instantly up your events “cool factor”, resulting in social media shares.

Once on site, RFID provides numerous benefits to attendees. Beginning with the elimination of long entrance lines, this efficient technology enables gatekeepers to scan in over 20 people per minute at each gate. RFID also encourages greater attendee engagement. From photo booths, food and drink orders, scavenger hunts, and personalized session recommendations, with a simple tap, RFID streamlines and enhances event experiences.

On the backend, RFID technology provides organizers with immediate insight on how foot traffic flows through your event. This is particularly useful for multi-day events. The data gathered on the first day can help determine any changes in the layout that need to be made. It’s no wonder 35 percent of event planners believe wearable devices are the biggest trend in maximizing the event experience.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

As much as these technology trends will impress your guests, the data gathered through them will benefit you even more. As these tools gather and report data in real time, your ability to improve each subsequent event dramatically increases. Considering the potential profitability that comes along with a well planned out event, investing in these tools will not only help you stand out from the crowd but enhance the impact of all your future events.

Guest Author Bio: Maddie Davis is co-founder of Enlightened-Digital and a tech-obsessed female from the Big Apple. She lives by building and redesigning websites, running marathons, and reading anything and everything on the NYT Best Sellers list.

Are you RFID-ready for your next event? Choose the award-winning software - and team - that's right for your event needs:

[lets-do-cleaning]

How to choose best commercial cleaning service provider for your home or office?

One thing which is necessary for success is a clean and sanitary office or home. It is a demand of all the customers as well as employees so it is very important to do office and house cleaning. But the question is who will do it for you? Will you do it by yourself or you'll choose someone else to do it for you.

You can One thing which is necessary for success is a clean and sanitary office or home. It is a demand of all the customers as well as employees. But the question is who will do it for you? Will you do it by yourself or you'll choose someone else to do it for you. You can outsource cleaning obligations to a nearby office cleaning business. When you contract a business cleaning organization, the organization conducts cleaning twilight and the cleaning administrations organization is in charge of cleaning up, from cleaning bathrooms and vacuuming, to restocking consumables and evacuating waste. If you hire an outsource cleaning service provider for your home or business they will provide you with numerous benefits plus they will guarantee the cleanliness of your home or business. Now the question is how you'll choose the best commercial cleaning service provider for your home or business?·         

The very basic thing you need to know that what kind of cleaning services they offer?

The standard cleaning services every company offer includes:

1.    Vacuuming, clearing, and cleaning

2.    Junk removable and reusing

3.    Kitchenette and launderette cleaning

4.    Stocking consumables, i.e., paper towels and hand cleanser

5.    Restroom cleaning·         

Choose the trustworthy cleaning company.·         

Check the feedbacks of the company.·         

check the types of facility the company provide.

Today mostly all the companies have their mobile application. Download the commercial cleaning business software on your mobile phone and manage your services.

[flipfundingstuff]

The New Employee Checklist You Need

You did it! You found the perfect person to fill a role and you’re eager to get them onboarded. Before this new employee gets a chance to hit the ground running, it’s your responsibility to make sure your new employee gets settled in properly. This introductory period is not just about the logistics of W-2s, employee manuals, and paperwork — this is your employee’s first impression of how you operate your business and what level of efficiency they should expect from you as their boss.

The key to setting your new employee up for success? Preparation. We’ve come up with a checklist to help you prepare for your new employee’s first 90 days and help you make the best first impression possible.

Two Weeks Before They Start…

Survey current employees and collect feedback on their onboarding process. Identify areas of improvement.

Select a “buddy” employee. Choose someone at the same level that could be a friendly resource and an “in” with other coworkers to help them feel comfortable from the start.

Make a list of job expectations. Split it between daily tasks and big-picture tasks so your new employee has a clear picture of short- and long-term responsibilities.

Order essential items (e.g. uniforms, key cards, computers).

The Day Before They Start…

Confirm they have access to all the necessary software (e.g. email, time cards, etc.).

Ensure your new employee’s buddy has set up scheduled time to meet with them on their first day, as well as recurring meetings for the future.

Print all necessary paperwork (e.g. employee handbooks, equipment instructions, contact information).

Arrange a lunch for the first day by setting up a delivery or reservations nearby.

Their First Day…

Get to work 30 minutes earlier than you normally would or before they’re scheduled to arrive so you have enough time to take a moment and double check everything, attend to any matters that may distract you from their introductions, and get settled in.

Show them their desk, the restrooms, and other relevant office landmarks.

Go over the role expectations you prepared and allow time for questions or discussion.

Introduce them to relevant staff and their buddy.

Prioritize essential paperwork.

During Their First Week

Set up time at the end of the week and see how everything went and to follow up on any questions they may have.

Confirm that all their new hire paperwork has been completed.

Check in with their buddy to see if there is anything you overlooked or could be doing better.

During Their First Month

Check in to review progress with initial goals. Follow up to see if there is anything you could be doing better to support those goals.

Gradually increase their responsibilities.

Provide secondary training or highlight other opportunities to gauge interest.

Within the First 90 Days

Ask for feedback on the onboarding process.

Delegate one major project that they play a large role in or take the lead on.

Check in with their buddy and collect their feedback.

At 90 Days

Evaluate their progress. Include quantitative measures like sales figures and qualitative like teamwork and leadership.

Review with their buddy or their direct manager to see if they agree or disagree on any points.

Provide clear, actionable feedback to your new employee.

The post The New Employee Checklist You Need appeared first on Lendio.

from Blog – Lendio https://ift.tt/2GfwUek via IFTTT