Tech Talk Down Under | January '24

Welcome back to our monthly newsletter. We bring you good reads from our regional blog, case studies from Aussie and Kiwi customers, and Zoho product updates.

Product training

Our in-house training teams regularly conduct both online and offline courses. Whether you're keen to get more out of your CRM or explore other Zoho products, these training sessions can help.

Zoho Community meetups

This summer, we're running free in-person workshops on Zoho One, CRM, and Desk. This is a great opportunity to meet fellow users and explore how these apps can work for your business. 

We'll be running meetups more frequently this year, and we'd love to hear your feedback and ideas. Come down and say g'day to the A/NZ team in Australia and New Zealand!

Product updates

Here's a full list of product updates we've made since our last newsletter.

How Australian Sports Camps beat customer expectations and doubled profitability

Australian Sports Camps (ASC) has been empowering youth sports for decades, but the organisation recently found itself racing to make an effective digital transition to support ongoing growth and ensure secure, efficient operations. 

"When I joined ASC, 70% of our marketing expense was traditional media. [...] We'd send out flyers and distribute them in schools. Only about 30% was digital marketing." - Scott Taylor, Managing Director, ASC

For over 40 years, ASC has run camps across the country for youngsters interested in all kinds of sports including AFL football, tennis, cricket, hockey, netball, and soccer.

When Taylor joined the company in 2016, he quickly realised that operational information was siloed and inefficiently stored. "There was an awful lot of information in people’s heads," he said. "If any of them were sick or injured, the business would have really struggled." Data integrity was also a concern: "Anyone could’ve downloaded customer details; they were all on a spreadsheet."

With help from Zoho Partner QL Tech, ASC started exploring Zoho CRM. When COVID-19 arrived in Australia, they utilised Zoho One to transition to an entirely remote environment. "We’ve had a 30% to 40% increase in participants, and we’re doing it with fewer people and more efficiently. And we couldn’t have done it without QL Tech's support," Taylor noted.

Learn more about how Australian Sports Camps uses Zoho One.

AI for business: Navigating privacy and security concerns

Although it's been around for some 60 years, artificial intelligence has recently emerged as a groundbreaking technology that can change the way we live—forever.

Despite this Powerball lotto-style promise, it will be difficult for companies using many AI tools to ensure they're maintaining compliance with rapidly evolving AI legislation. This could throw the door wide open for security and privacy violations if organisations are not careful.

There's no denying that AI is immensely valuable to businesses. But it also needs checks and balances. We examined some of the challenges of modern AI tools and compiled some strategies to mitigate the risks of using AI. Check it out.

A few of us in the A/NZ team were in south-east Queensland last December, and saw the devastation caused by floods, thunder storms, and hail. It wasn't a good start to 2024 for many across Queensland, Victoria, and southern WA. Our thoughts are with those affected by the floods and fires, and we'd encourage you to consider your next holiday in one of these areas. They sure need our support and smiles.

Thanks for sticking through to the end. Catch you next time.