Insights
Pragmatic advice and insights from Further’s experts on subjects most relevant to modern business and technology leaders
Will you Raise a Glass to Embedded Banking?
You don’t have to be a bank to offer banking services anymore. The rise of embedded banking means new opportunities – and new risks – for those companies considering how to best take advantage.
It’s the End of the Old ERP System as We Know It, and I Feel Fine
Every modernization effort causes disruption. Transforming your ERP system involves a unique level of upheaval and stress across an organization – but it doesn’t have to feel like the end of the world
The Ultimate Go-to-Market Challenge
A new father-to-be offers perspective on the intersection of parenting and business, pointing out that many of the lessons learned from transforming from a person into a parent also apply to a successful go-to-market strategy.
Cows, Consulting, and Clickbait
TikTok often sends us down interesting rabbit holes. Sometimes when you come back out, you realize you gain a new perspective. In this case, the practice of cow hoof trimming created a surprising connection.
The Interim Executive is in Demand
Whether it’s due to a tight labor market, an increase in program-based work, more generous family leave policies, or growth-driven need for a bigger C-suite, companies are turning to the “interim executive” to fill key roles in leadership. The key is knowing what to look for.
Customer Personas: How to Activate for Success and Avoid Pitfalls
Customer Personas are extremely valuable tools worth your organization’s investment – when they’re wielded correctly. Without stakeholder understanding, a good persona can morph into an organizational albatross or gather dust on the shelf.
Five Takeaways from the 2023 TRANSACT Conference
TRANSACT is one of those must-attend events for payments industry leaders. Our partner, Eric Deraspe, offers 5 takeaways from his recent visit.
ChatGPT for Marketing: The Good, the Bad, and the Inevitable
ChatGPT will revolutionize the way we market products and services – but it’s not going to take over (yet). Here’s how to put it to good use, and why it’s no substitute for good old-fashioned human creativity.
The Next Battle for Your Digital Wallet
A group of large banks is launching a new digital wallet. Can they break through and compete with already entrenched technology?
Consulting… a Piece of Cake?
Things don’t always go to plan. A key element of consulting success is the ability to quickly adapt to the situation and still deliver results, with a happy client being the icing on the cake.
Let the World In. Challenge Your Status Quo.
Proactively seeking differing points of view, strategies, and ideas promotes the innovation and relevance needed for businesses to thrive. So let the world in. Invite change and challenge your status quo.
Cheers to Good Decisions and Looking Forward
The right choice isn’t always the obvious one. Here’s to taking chances and surrounding yourself with the best people. Cheers …and many thanks!
Looking Back on 22 Years in Marketing
Marketing continues to rapidly evolve. After offering consulting services and thought leadership in the field of marketing for more than two decades, what lessons have been learned? Here are three that will undoubtedly stand the test of time.
Venmo, Amazon, and the Future of Interchange
With Amazon and Venmo announcing a partnership to offer Venmo as a payment option for purchases, what does this mean for interchange and card payments more broadly?
No One Wants to Work (Like That) Anymore
Employers who go the extra mile to offer a variety of working options will attract an enormous, untapped group of highly skilled employees – and their clients will benefit.
The Ephemeral Engineering of Burning Man
Sometimes the infrastructure and technology you create to solve a problem can be short-lived… and that’s not always a bad thing.
Fall Flat, Stay Sharp, Act Natural, Keep Playing
We consultants sometimes like to think of ourselves as rock stars, but there are absolutely parallels between the two professions! Here are some keys to finding joy and success in consulting …and on stage.
It’s Time to Evolve Your PMO
In its heyday in the 90s, project management was all about execution. There were many boxes checked, many reports filed, and many celebratory plaques distributed… and many important things ignored.
It’s All Going to be OKR
We make aspirational goals all the time, whether in our profession or in our personal lives. We may not always achieve them, but setting lofty objectives makes for a much more rewarding journey.
Modernizing Your Technology Delivery Model
Companies everywhere are aspiring to “transform” their delivery models. To do this successfully, leaders must focus not just on adopting modern methodologies, but redrawing the lines within their organization as well.
For Your Customers, “Good Enough” is Often Best
It’s not hard to find people who talk about the criticality and importance of customer experience. And they’re not wrong! But there are occasions when the best customer experience is actually none at all.
The Evolution of KYC: Trends to Watch
For FIs, the discipline around “Knowing Your Customer” is critical. Single mistakes can have very large implications. We’ve observed several trends for evolving and maturing their KYC practice… and keeping up with the competition.
What Businesses Can Learn from a Scout Hike
For many of us, the time spent in Scouts is where valuable traits such as leadership, planning, and communications were first rooted. Now in the business world, we find ourselves still drawing upon those early lessons learned.
Managing the Risks of AI
If there’s anything science fiction movies have taught us, it’s to stay one step ahead of the robots. So how do you help ensure your company’s AI experience is less SkyNet and more WALL-E?
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) Just Got Serious
BNPL is getting a lot of buzz these days. And for banks and other financial institutions who haven’t invested in BNPL solutions yet, they have some catching up to do.
Big Banks & FinTechs: A Winning Combination… if Done Right
These days, banks are not running against or away from fintechs, but rather toward them in an effort to partner for growth, drive customer acquisition, and even create new revenue streams that didn’t exist before.
It’s not Sales, it’s Marketing
Don’t short-change marketing! With greater emphasis on digital and the availability of capabilities to track customer interest at all steps of the acquisition journey, marketing is an investment that pays.
Left Behind in Agile Transformation: Your Architecture Practice
If you are transforming your organization to agile delivery, you may be overlooking a secret weapon – your architects. This should be a concern for any executive in the midst of such a transformation, as the successful result will be an agile business, not just agile delivery.
Applying Right Brain Thinking in Today’s Business
Some say right-brainers will “rule the world.” Eh, probably not. But they possess characteristics that are increasingly valuable, especially as the business world evolves from the proverbial information age to a new era that values creativity and collaboration.
COVID, QR Codes, and Mobile Payments
The pandemic has accelerated the return of QR codes, especially at the physical point of sale, but are they here to stay? We look at some recent developments and what they mean for consumers.
AI Innovation vs. Regulation
Will the regulators ever be able to keep pace with AI innovation? It will likely always be a struggle, so perhaps the better answer is not in new laws, but new principles for artificial intelligence.
Will you Raise a Glass to Embedded Banking?
You don’t have to be a bank to offer banking services anymore. The rise of embedded banking means new opportunities – and new risks – for those companies considering how to best take advantage.
It’s the End of the Old ERP System as We Know It, and I Feel Fine
Every modernization effort causes disruption. Transforming your ERP system involves a unique level of upheaval and stress across an organization – but it doesn’t have to feel like the end of the world
The Ultimate Go-to-Market Challenge
A new father-to-be offers perspective on the intersection of parenting and business, pointing out that many of the lessons learned from transforming from a person into a parent also apply to a successful go-to-market strategy.
Cows, Consulting, and Clickbait
TikTok often sends us down interesting rabbit holes. Sometimes when you come back out, you realize you gain a new perspective. In this case, the practice of cow hoof trimming created a surprising connection.
The Interim Executive is in Demand
Whether it’s due to a tight labor market, an increase in program-based work, more generous family leave policies, or growth-driven need for a bigger C-suite, companies are turning to the “interim executive” to fill key roles in leadership. The key is knowing what to look for.
Customer Personas: How to Activate for Success and Avoid Pitfalls
Customer Personas are extremely valuable tools worth your organization’s investment – when they’re wielded correctly. Without stakeholder understanding, a good persona can morph into an organizational albatross or gather dust on the shelf.
Five Takeaways from the 2023 TRANSACT Conference
TRANSACT is one of those must-attend events for payments industry leaders. Our partner, Eric Deraspe, offers 5 takeaways from his recent visit.
ChatGPT for Marketing: The Good, the Bad, and the Inevitable
ChatGPT will revolutionize the way we market products and services – but it’s not going to take over (yet). Here’s how to put it to good use, and why it’s no substitute for good old-fashioned human creativity.
The Next Battle for Your Digital Wallet
A group of large banks is launching a new digital wallet. Can they break through and compete with already entrenched technology?
Consulting… a Piece of Cake?
Things don’t always go to plan. A key element of consulting success is the ability to quickly adapt to the situation and still deliver results, with a happy client being the icing on the cake.
Let the World In. Challenge Your Status Quo.
Proactively seeking differing points of view, strategies, and ideas promotes the innovation and relevance needed for businesses to thrive. So let the world in. Invite change and challenge your status quo.
Cheers to Good Decisions and Looking Forward
The right choice isn’t always the obvious one. Here’s to taking chances and surrounding yourself with the best people. Cheers …and many thanks!
Looking Back on 22 Years in Marketing
Marketing continues to rapidly evolve. After offering consulting services and thought leadership in the field of marketing for more than two decades, what lessons have been learned? Here are three that will undoubtedly stand the test of time.
Venmo, Amazon, and the Future of Interchange
With Amazon and Venmo announcing a partnership to offer Venmo as a payment option for purchases, what does this mean for interchange and card payments more broadly?
No One Wants to Work (Like That) Anymore
Employers who go the extra mile to offer a variety of working options will attract an enormous, untapped group of highly skilled employees – and their clients will benefit.
The Ephemeral Engineering of Burning Man
Sometimes the infrastructure and technology you create to solve a problem can be short-lived… and that’s not always a bad thing.
Fall Flat, Stay Sharp, Act Natural, Keep Playing
We consultants sometimes like to think of ourselves as rock stars, but there are absolutely parallels between the two professions! Here are some keys to finding joy and success in consulting …and on stage.
It’s Time to Evolve Your PMO
In its heyday in the 90s, project management was all about execution. There were many boxes checked, many reports filed, and many celebratory plaques distributed… and many important things ignored.
It’s All Going to be OKR
We make aspirational goals all the time, whether in our profession or in our personal lives. We may not always achieve them, but setting lofty objectives makes for a much more rewarding journey.
Modernizing Your Technology Delivery Model
Companies everywhere are aspiring to “transform” their delivery models. To do this successfully, leaders must focus not just on adopting modern methodologies, but redrawing the lines within their organization as well.
For Your Customers, “Good Enough” is Often Best
It’s not hard to find people who talk about the criticality and importance of customer experience. And they’re not wrong! But there are occasions when the best customer experience is actually none at all.
The Evolution of KYC: Trends to Watch
For FIs, the discipline around “Knowing Your Customer” is critical. Single mistakes can have very large implications. We’ve observed several trends for evolving and maturing their KYC practice… and keeping up with the competition.
What Businesses Can Learn from a Scout Hike
For many of us, the time spent in Scouts is where valuable traits such as leadership, planning, and communications were first rooted. Now in the business world, we find ourselves still drawing upon those early lessons learned.
Managing the Risks of AI
If there’s anything science fiction movies have taught us, it’s to stay one step ahead of the robots. So how do you help ensure your company’s AI experience is less SkyNet and more WALL-E?
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) Just Got Serious
BNPL is getting a lot of buzz these days. And for banks and other financial institutions who haven’t invested in BNPL solutions yet, they have some catching up to do.
Big Banks & FinTechs: A Winning Combination… if Done Right
These days, banks are not running against or away from fintechs, but rather toward them in an effort to partner for growth, drive customer acquisition, and even create new revenue streams that didn’t exist before.
It’s not Sales, it’s Marketing
Don’t short-change marketing! With greater emphasis on digital and the availability of capabilities to track customer interest at all steps of the acquisition journey, marketing is an investment that pays.
Left Behind in Agile Transformation: Your Architecture Practice
If you are transforming your organization to agile delivery, you may be overlooking a secret weapon – your architects. This should be a concern for any executive in the midst of such a transformation, as the successful result will be an agile business, not just agile delivery.
Applying Right Brain Thinking in Today’s Business
Some say right-brainers will “rule the world.” Eh, probably not. But they possess characteristics that are increasingly valuable, especially as the business world evolves from the proverbial information age to a new era that values creativity and collaboration.
COVID, QR Codes, and Mobile Payments
The pandemic has accelerated the return of QR codes, especially at the physical point of sale, but are they here to stay? We look at some recent developments and what they mean for consumers.
AI Innovation vs. Regulation
Will the regulators ever be able to keep pace with AI innovation? It will likely always be a struggle, so perhaps the better answer is not in new laws, but new principles for artificial intelligence.