If you happen to be in a service role or a business development role, then certain interruptions are “welcome,” and handling these interruptions is critical for your success. If your customer calls or sends an urgent e-mail while you are working on another matter, it is likely that handling this interruption is necessary or even desirable in order to increase customer satisfaction or close the next sizeable deal. By the way, this applies also to internal customers—people and groups within your organization who depend on your services.

While “some” of the customers’ interruptions are necessary and desirable, most are not. It is easy however to assume that “all” customer interruptions need to be attended to right away, especially if our customers are insistent or when we happen to “enjoy” being helpful and attending to the needs of others.

It is therefore crucial to create effective strategies for managing such interruptions and differentiate between the unwanted ones and the welcome ones. This might involve negotiating with our customers and setting their expectations. This could also involve having an agreed upon definition for what constitutes urgency and agreed upon response times for various types of issues.

Professional sales and customer service organizations tend to put serious effort in creating systems that rank and manage customer requests. But other individuals and groups still struggle with this issue. This includes administrative professionals, project managers, product and program managers, and many others. If you fall in this category, make it a priority to design and implement your own strategies. Here are some ideas:

• Work with your customers to jointly define what constitutes an urgency and how they can reach you when urgent issues come up. In addition, agree on response times for non-urgent issues.

• Develop Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) documents that are easily accessible so that customers can get answers on their own when they need them.

• Educate and train your customers ahead of time so they will have fewer questions later.

• Solve the source of the problems whenever possible. Periodically review the types of questions and requests that you are getting and determine if you can address the underlying issues.

• Qualify the requests before you spend time and energy on them. Consider automating the qualification process if possible, or maybe having the requests screened by someone within your group before you invest time in them.

• If you have several people in your group who are involved in handling similar requests, implement a “rotation” strategy, so that everyone gets their daily and/or weekly uninterrupted time.

What welcome and/or unwelcome interruptions do you face? And how do you handle them?

For additional resources on interruptions, check out the free Results Curve(tm) download.

In this video session at CBS Money Watch, we got to work at the whiteboard and discuss Google+ and Facebook and their usage in the workplace. As you know, I spend a lot of time researching and working with productivity tools, and tools impacting productivity, like the social media platforms. Naturally, I’ve played around with Google+, the new kid on the block. So in this white-boarding session, I got to discuss some of the key difference between Google+ and Facebook and the potential impact that these differences have in the workplace. Most importantly, I pointed out that neither Google+ nor Facebook are truly for the workplace. They are still public platforms and not appropriate for sharing internal information. I predicted that at some point, it is conceivable that an internal version of Google+ might be offered as part of Google Apps (however the recent release of Google+ in Google Apps was just the public Google+ that we all know—so we are not there yet!).

Watch the Google+ and Facebook in the Workplace video (3 min)

Additional Resources

Our tech blogger Steve Loosley has written dozenz of articles about Google+ and the Google technologies recently. Here are a few highlights:

• Google Plus: What does it mean for +You?

• Google+ Putting it to work

• Google+ Facebook, and Twitter: which is best? 

As we continue to explore the topic of productivity in the workplace and the various factors that impact our productivity, like people, process, and technology, I asked Deanna Moncrief, our faculty member at People-OnTheGo and the facilitator of the Eat Well to Work Well Workshop, a few questions about nuitrition and productivity:
 
Question 1: How would you describe the relationship between nutrition and productivity?
 
Deanna: There is a clear relationship between the two.  Poor nutrition habits such as fewer than 5 servings of fruits & vegetables per day; diets rich in refined, processed, pre-packaged foods; skipping breakfast; consumption of more than 12oz (1 can) of regular soda (not diet) per day; and not enough water, can lead to various ways our productivity is impacted.  One way this happens is that the body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs to function properly.  It’s like operating at 60% capacity.  We feel tired in the afternoon and productivity drops because we can’t concentrate, or we’re unable to efficiently handle the stress of our workday, or we have indigestion that is distracting us and preventing us from being in a good mood.  We know that a person’s health affects their productivity (and, by the way, likelihood of getting hired or promoted), and what a person eats affects their health.

Question 2: Do you think that the new digital age (where knowledge workers are tied to their computers a good part of the day) is impacting our nutritional habits and how?
 
Deanna: There have been many credible studies that show this is the case.  For example, those who are sedentary at work (any desk job), often choose low quality foods for various reasons, such as eating out of candy or snack jars for a quick pick-me-up, or they’re too busy to bring a healthy lunch or go out to get one, or even because their workplace culture isn’t big on “health food.”  As a result, putting on extra weight over time is very common.  Further, being overweight is now considered a causative factor for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), a common and painful condition for those in front of computers much of the day.  Extra body weight causes the heart to work harder to pump more blood to the extremities, and sometimes circulation isn’t as efficient as it should be.  Overweight individuals are more than 60% likely to develop CTS than people of normal weight.  Poor diets are also directly linked to diabetes and cancers of the breast and colon, even if body weight is normal.  These serious conditions can not only lead to lost productivity because the afflicted person doesn’t feel well, there is also lost time from work for medical appointments or hospital stays.

Question 3: What is your top 3 suggestions for improved nutrition? And how do you think these would translate to improved workplace productivity?
 
Deanna: Great question!  Workplace productivity has been shown to improve when certain things happen: consistently stable blood sugar, adequate hydration, and proper body functioning (also known as good digestion, nutrient absorption, and elimination, for health aficionados).  How does a person get to that point?  It’s really not that hard.  My suggestions, in this order, are:
 
First, eat a breakfast every day that contains protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fat.  This could be as simple as having a yogurt and a handful of walnuts.  Or an egg and a slice of toast with peanut butter.  We’re not talking three course meals here, just something to “break the fast” and get your blood sugar stabilized for the next 3-4 hours.  
 
Second, ditch the sodas, flavored sugar waters, vitamin waters, and anything over two cups of coffee and just drink water!  Our bodies are mostly water and the feeling of thirst is a sign that you’re already dehydrated.  Dehydration causes mental and physical fatigue, two definite productivity-zappers.  
 
Third, eat as many non-starchy vegetables as you can.  If you wait until dinner to have a salad or a side of asparagus, you’ll never make it.  Start at lunch and have a salad as a bare minimum.  Make it colorful with lots of beautiful foods like radishes, broccoli, beets, carrots, celery, tomatoes – even fruits like mandarin orange segments or diced apples.  Be careful not to drown it in creamy salad dressing, although salad dressing is hardly the culprit for our American obesity problem.  The important thing is to get at least 5 (though I’d recommend at least 9) servings of vegetables per day.

In conclusion, Deanna added 

Additional Resources

Guest blog article by Steve Loosley, Tech Blogger

Google Chromebooks fly under the banner “Nothing but the web.”

The tagline continues, “Chromebooks are built and optimized for the web, where you already spend most of your computing time. So you get a faster, simpler and more secure experience without all the headaches of ordinary computers.”

Is “Nothing but the web” the soul of Chromebooks? Is the heart and magic of Chromebooks a “faster, simpler and more secure [web] experience without all of the headaches”?

In what follows, I argue that the web experience is penultimate. Something more fundamental and deeper ultimately shapes the soul of Chromebooks.

The soul of Chromebooks is freedom.

Whether you were raised on Windows PCs, Macs, or flavors of Linux, the story is the same: the machines control the users; and the users serve the machines in order to have their needs met. Users install, troubleshoot, download, upgrade, repair, re-install, scan, and backup all in order to use the machines to accomplish tasks.

In the old way of computing, the machines control the users, and users serve the machines. Ironically, with control comes power and the power to create culture. Apple user groups, iPhone queue lines, and WWDC participants exemplify the power on an Operating System to create a culture where users are enslaved and controlled by machines.

Chromebooks unmask and upend this paradigm. With Chromebooks, the users control the machines, and the machines serve the users.

The machines upgrade, download, install, improve, and backup themselves. If machines need to be repaired, there’s nothing to reinstall: just power-up, log-in, and go to work. All of your settings are synced. All of your data is backed up.

Chromebooks transfer control to users. Users are set free to get on the web fast. Users retain power over their machines. Machines serve the users. Chromebooks create culture, but now the culture is centered around the interests of users, not the machines themselves. 

Chromebooks bring freedom. Users are set free from serving computers, free from updates and upgrades, backups and set-ups, repairs and restores, and viruses and malware. Users are set free from worry or concern if Chromebooks die or disappear.

“Nothing but the web” is penultimate. The web is the means, but not the soul of the Chromebook experience. Put an SSD (digital hard drive) in any laptop and you’ll get on the web fast in less than 30 seconds, but boot times alone are not enough. Fast on the web by itself will not transfer power and control back to users.

Chromebooks, unlike any other operating system, offer something more than fast web access. Chromebooks offer freedom.

The soul of Chromebooks is freedom.

Additional Resources

Google Chromebooks - Google Chromebook Website

Accomplishing More Virtually-in Second Life - Upcoming Popular People-OnTheGo webinar

People-OnTheGo Complete Webinars Schedule and Registration (Q4, 2011)

Guest blog article by Steve Loosley, Tech Blogger

If you’ve been with us, you’re an expert on Chromebooks, Google’s fast-on-the-web, super secure, continuously improving notebook computers. In this post, I want to help you make the move to a Chromebook, by showing you what I did.

Email

My first step to prepare for a Chomebook was moving my email to Gmail. Importing my Mac address book was straightforward, and to my surprise, I could even use a custom domain with Gmail. Today, I use Gmail in a web browser, along with its many features from labs to filters.

Images

Like many of you, I had a large library of photos, most of which were stored on my hard drive. I knew this had to change. After exploring many good options, I settled on SmugMug. I uploaded my entire library to SmugMug, where all of my images are now stored.

Documents

I began creating all new documents and spreadsheets in Google Docs, and over time, I created new web-versions of existing, highly used spreadsheets. Also, I uploaded my archive of old documents, which was a breeze thanks to recent enhancements in Google Docs.

Music

Coming from the Mac world, I had purchased music through iTunes. Although my music library wasn't large, I didn’t want to give it up, so I uploaded my music to Amazon Cloud Drive and to Google Music Beta.

I prefer Google Music because of the seamless integration. More recently, I’ve been testing web-streaming services, ranging from Pandora to Sky.fm, and from Grooveshark to Rdio, all of which I’ve come to enjoy.

Checkbook

One of the most difficult steps in my transition has been our personal checkbook. We had years of data stored in a desktop application. I found the online, cloud-checkbook services lacking, so imported the data into a Google Spreadsheet. Amazingly, I can sort and filter the 2,000 row spreadsheet with ease. Since we pay most of our bills online, we don’t need to print checks. Google Spreadsheets is more than adequate for our needs.

GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting, which requires Java, won’t run on a Chromebook. I tried running the service by accessing a desktop computer with LogMeIn and Teamviewer, but neither worked satisfactorily. Two weeks ago, Google introduced Google Remote Desktop beta, a cross-platform application that enables you to connect any two computers with a Chrome browser. I’m excited to report that this app looks especially promising, and now I can work around the Java limitation by connecting to a traditional computer.

Current Status: Continuous Improvement

Over the last 10 months, my experience with Chromebooks has been one of continuous improvement. The Chrome operating system is a hundred times better than it was when I first booted-up a Cr-48 pilot Chromebook, and I’ve learned to overcome the apparent limitations. Today, a Samsung Chromebook is my laptop of choice.

Is anything holding me back?

No, but. A Chromebook fits my needs, but .... It’s easier to review and comment on a long Word document with Microsoft Office than Google Docs. I haven’t figured out (yet) how to scan using a Chromebook. Although I can attend a GoToMeeting using Remote Desktop, to be honest, it’s easier on a traditional computer. (Hopefully, Citrix will abandon Java.) Lastly, I’m involved in a business that uses QuickBooks, and although QuickBooks offers a cloud version, the other users are reluctant to make the move.

Will I go back?

Nope. Not a chance! I’ve spent hours and hours updating, backing up, and restoring traditional computers. Chromebooks are a dream-come-true. Someone called them “throw-away computers.” One Google employee remarked that she’s literally given hers away when asked by a co-worker.

Chromebooks have changed my computing. Yesterday, the means was often the end: keeping computers working was the work. Today, Chromebooks are the means. Without the need to worry about updates, backups, and crashes, I can focus on my work, not on keeping my computer running. In short, I’m totally sold on Chromebooks.

Now that I’ve shared my story, I want to hear yours. Will a Chromebook work for you? What's holding you back?

Additional Resources

Google Chromebooks - Google Chromebook Website

Accomplishing More Virtually-in Second Life - Upcoming Popular People-OnTheGo webinar

People-OnTheGo Complete Webinars Schedule and Registration (Q4, 2011)

Guest blog article by Steve Loosley, Tech Blogger

In our first post, we said that a Google Chromebook is a fast, secure notebook computer that runs a Chrome web browser.

In this post, let’s contrast a traditional computer, whether Windows, Mac, or Linux, with the new Chromebook.

Overview: where's the action? 

Data Storage. On a traditional computer, the data, whether documents, spreadsheets, images, or MP3 files, is stored on your computer. On a Chromebook, the data is stored on the web, or as one person commented, "Google Docs is your hard drive."

Applications. On a traditional computer, you install and run applications on your computer. On a Chromebook, the only application that runs on your computer is a web browser. All other applications run on the web.

Maintenance. On a traditional computer, you maintain the software, and you backup your data. On a Chromebook, you sign-in and the web does the rest. The web updates your Chromebook, maintains your applications, and stores and protects your data.

iCloud vs. Chrombooks 

If you have an iPhone or Mac, you may be familiar with iCloud. iCloud keeps your data in-sync on your Apple mobile devices. iCloud does not make a Mac into a "cloud computer"; you must download documents to your hard drive in order to edit them. You cannot edit iCloud documents in a web browser, nor can you collaborate or share them with others. On a Chromebook, the data resides in the cloud where it can be viewed, edited, shared, and stored. 

SkyDrive vs. Chromebooks 

Microsoft's SkyDrive is similar to Google Docs; documents can be created and edited in a browser, and stored on the web. SkyDrive, however, differs from Google Docs, because documents can also be downloaded and edited in Microsoft Office on a user's computer. SkyDrive can also sync data stored in the cloud across multiple Windows devices. A Windows computer can function as a Chromebook-like cloud-computer, but fundamentally, it's a traditional computer. 

Security: is the web safe?

An interlocutor would relish the chance to ruin our fun by asking, “What about security? You want me to store my data on the web? Ha! Not a chance!”

Chromebooks use the principle of “defense in depth,” claims Google. Through sandboxing, verified boot, data encryption, recovery, and guest mode, Chromebooks are designed to be more secure than your present computer.

Hardware: who makes Chromebooks? 

Two vendors offer Chromebooks, Samsung and Acer, and both are similarly spec’d:

• dual-core Intel Atom N570 processor
• 2 GB RAM
• 16 GB SSD
• screen size - 12.1 in (Samsung) or 11.6 in (Acer)
• full-size keyboard
• WiFi only or WiFi + 3G

Chromebooks cost $300 to $500. Education and business users can lease Chromebooks for around $28 per month, which includes updates, tech support, and hardware replacements.

Do you think that a Chromebook would work for you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. 

Additional Resources

Google Chromebooks - Google Chromebook Website

Accomplishing More Virtually-in Second Life - Upcoming Popular People-OnTheGo webinar

People-OnTheGo Complete Webinars Schedule and Registration (Q4, 2011)