3 tech ideas that will put you in front

Making better use of mobile applications, embracing new payment technologies and managing data more effectively are helping to change the way organisations interact with their stakeholders.

Professor Simon Kaplan, from NICTA, Australia’s information, communications and technology research centre, looks at three technologies that could transform your organisation.

1. Payment technologies

More and more customers want to use credit cards for even the smallest transactions.

Not-for-profits can make it easy for people to give cashless donations on the spot, says Kaplan.

"They can use a smartphone or tablet to take payments wherever there is mobile service. There are small credit card readers for the iPhone, and EFTPOS apps where people just type in their credit card number."

2. Analysing big data

The term ‘big data’ describes a collection of many different databases, linked together to provide more information and profiles of individuals.

Obviously, organisations do better when they understand the person they are targeting, says Kaplan.

Analysing different pieces of information about one person can help to tailor marketing messages and provide more detail about donors’ or members’ habits.

It’s a way of effectively engaging with people, says Kaplan.

3. Apps for mobility

A web site alone is no longer enough as more and more Australians turn to their mobile phones for information.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority says 7.5 million Australians used the internet via their mobile phones during June 2013, an increase of 33 per cent compared to June 2012 and 510 per cent compared to June 2008.

Organisations increasingly need a presence on mobile devices to engage people, says Kaplan.