Versatile small footprint A4 desktop scanners

Epson has launched two new compact desktop scanners, the ES-C320W and the ES-C380W, to support the digitalisation process and address new office challenges associated with hybrid working – in particular shared workspaces, smaller offices and reduced desk space.

These new scanners give users the versatility to choose the most suitable media path, and by featuring an intuitive design and exceptional flexibility boast a new footprint that saves 60 percent of desk space1. This means users can easily conquer clutter and reclaim space with scanners specifically designed for productivity and peace of mind.

ES-C320W

To enhance workflow efficiency, there is easy wireless scanning with the ES-C320W and the ES-C380W. Then the inclusion of Epson ScanWay® with the ES-C380W means users can also use the product as a standalone solution, scanning and selecting workflows from its bright 2.4″ LCD touchscreen, removing the need for a PC. Users can also scan to popular cloud-based services, including OneDrive®, Sharepoint® online and Microsoft Teams® using Epson Connect®2.

ES-C380W

With two-sided scanning, and a 20-sheet auto document feeder, the new scanners can efficiently handle stacks of paper in one fast pass at speeds up to 30 ppm/60 ipm.3 The flexible scan path provides remarkable versatility and the ability to scan most document types, from standard paper to invoices, greeting cards, business cards and passports.4

ES-C380W


Both models include a range of image and text enhancement technologies, including OCR (optical character recognition) processing, automatic cropping, paper skew correction and Epson ScanSmart® Software.5 These features help ensure excellent image quality and enable users to preview and email scans as well as save valuable time with automatic file name suggestion for streamlined file management.

ZOOM HAS HEARD THE REQUESTS OF AUSSIE BUSINESSES

Zoom held its inaugural CX summit in Asia Pacific (APAC), exploring how organisations can move beyond buzzwords to unlock the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping the customer journey. The event featured keynotes from Ricky Kapur, Head of APAC at ZoomChris Morrissey, Head of Zoom Contact CenterSimon Kriss, Asia’s leading voice on AI in CX, as well as perspectives from the industry, including representatives from Lenskart and Iress.

Key takeaways from the event include:

Transforming businesses with superior CX

●      In his keynote, Ricky Kapur emphasised the rapid evolution of customer experience (CX). Customers are now seeking differentiated experiences from brands, not just products or services. Personalisation, swift issue resolutions, and genuine empathy at every touchpoint are crucial to building customer trust and loyalty.  

●      With almost 60% of customers willing to leave a brand just after one or two negative support experiences, every interaction shapes brand perception. The stakes are now higher than ever.

●      Legacy solutions cannot solve modern customer expectations and customer service teams must be equipped with the right tools to enable seamless experiences and real-time engagement. Many organisations are looking to AI not just to address customer pain points but to help their agents become more productive and empowered with the right information to solve issues.

○      In fact, Frost and Sullivan projects that investment is expected to increase to over 70% across all AI areas in the next two years.

●      Organisations need a single platform that provides a consistent and seamless experience – both internally for collaboration, and externally for customer interactions. By doing so, businesses can create more demand, increase customer loyalty, and accelerate revenue.

Advancing innovation in CX with AI

●      AI-powered customer service can benefit every aspect of an operation, from delivering exceptional user experiences for customers and agents to creating more cost-effective, efficient workflows.

○      In his keynote, Simon Kriss highlighted several use cases of AI that has transformed CX in APAC, including:

■      Real-time translation between call centre agents and customers, especially in a region as diverse in languages as Asia – helps customer service teams to respond promptly regardless of the language used, resulting in enhanced customer satisfaction while reducing the need to hire language specialists.

■      Automated post-call summaries not only save time for human agents but provide more consistently formatted summaries that can be more easily analysed at a later stage.

●      Zoom Contact Center is the first video-optimised omnichannel contact centre in the market, offering over 700 features designed to elevate customer experiences. Recently introduced AI innovations include:

○      AI Companion for Contact Center, which provides live transcription, summarises calls, and even generates follow-up tasks for agents in real-time.

○      AI Expert Assist, an intelligent feature that transforms customer interactions by analysing conversations on the fly and provides agents with information they need – right when they need it.

○      Zoom Workforce Engagement Management, which harnesses AI-generated insights to forecast staffing needs, automate scheduling, and plan agent workload.

●      “Organisations today strive to provide a connected, unified experience for everyone that interacts with the brand, be it an agent, an employee, or a customer. In order to do so, there needs to be a change in technology capabilities, particularly by harnessing a modern AI-powered CX platform like Zoom that looks at CX and employee experience as one,”  said Chris Morrissey, head of Zoom Contact Center.

Building customer trust through AI-powered CX

●      The event also featured a customer panel discussion with Lenskart, Asia’s largest eyewear company serving 40 million people, with more than 1,500 omnichannel stores across 175 cities in India, Singapore and Dubai, and Iress, a global provider of financial services software.

●      The panel explored the evolving role of AI in shaping customer experiences and agent engagement, and how organisations can strike the delicate balance between technology, efficiency, and human connection.

●      The panellists agreed that humans must be put at the centre of AI implementation. With the right tools and training, customer success teams can leverage insights to make data-driven decisions for better business outcomes.

○      Rahul Rupani, Product Owner at Lenskart said that a significant challenge they faced was managing the uneven distribution of optometrists across different regions in India. To address this, Lenskart turned to Zoom Contact Center which enabled optometrists to carry out remote eye tests for customers via video. Rahul added that the company is also planning to utilise AI features in Zoom Contact Center to enhance CX outcomes while scaling their services. By analysing data from these remote interactions, his team will be able to quickly identify areas of improvement such as whether optometrists are following the guidelines of an eye test.

○               Kelly Fisk, Chief Corporate Affairs and Marketing Officer, Iress, highlighted that the true power of AI is to free the human up for higher-value work,  such as building relationships and making informed decisions. This is how Iress has leveraged Zoom Contact Center for its support teams. Large amounts of data from customer engagements are analysed with AI and fed back to product and customer support teams. This has helped drive quality control and coaching for employee development and has empowered team leaders to manage customer queues and resourcing more effectively, ultimately resulting in more positive CX outcomes.

Secret weapon for SMB growth Social Media

In today’s dynamic business landscape, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for success. As consumer trends evolve and industries adapt, one area that shouldn’t be overlooked is social media. Whether a business is already well-established or it’s the beginning of a side hustle, social media is one of the most effective low-cost ways to market a brand.

For SMBs, social media can serve a variety of purposes, such as boosting brand visibility, establishing credibility, generating good word-of-mouth, or deepening connections with existing customers. Whatever the objective, understanding how to harness its power is essential for growth and success in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Small business owners should begin by understanding exactly how social media can benefit their business. Here are a few things to keep in mind when learning the ropes and developing an online presence.

The cost-effective social media advantage

One of the most compelling aspects of social media for SMBs is its cost-effectiveness. Unlike traditional forms of advertising, such as print or television ads, social media platforms offer a range of tools and features that allow businesses to reach their target audience at a fraction of the cost. Social media allows SMBs to stay true to their brand, providing an accessible medium for customers to learn their unique story. The opportunities granted by social media enable the customers to stay connected and engaged with frequent posts and messaging.

Whether it’s purely organic content or running targeted paid ads, social media allows SMBs to stretch their marketing budget further and achieve larger results – which is particularly beneficial for those without the time or budget for a well-executed marketing plan. Jennifer Lay Lash Supplies is an Australian owned SMB using their Instagram page to drive customer engagement and loyalty. They recently hosted an Instagram giveaway, requiring customers to follow and tag friends to enter the competition. Customers were given a strong incentive to return to the page and business while Jennifer Lay Lash Supplies grew their follower base and brand loyalty.

Most major platforms have different strengths, so it’s important for SMBs to find the network that’s best for their brand. Instead of spreading resources thin across multiple channels, brands might want to focus on one or two social platforms to devote more time to that offer the best fit and potential for customers. By researching where their target audience spends their time, what kind of content they consume and share, and how they interact with brands can help determine which ones are most appropriate. If an SMB feels they will benefit from a presence across multiple social channels, they can use Vista’s free graphic design tool, VistaCreate, to repurpose content for each relevant platform.

Craft compelling content to build trust and credibility

Content is the core of all social media marketing, and it should be relevant, useful, and engaging for potential customers. Quality content has the power to build trust, credibility, and loyalty while simultaneously expanding reach and visibility across platforms. Melbourne SMB owner, Shelby Sherritt, showcases this through her extremely successful TikTok and Instagram accounts for her ceramic business. With 1.9M followers on TikTok and 340k on Instagram, Shelby films herself making her products from scratch and talking through the process – from mugs and bowls to ornaments and vases. A brilliant example of fostering trust and personal connections with customers, her brand has benefitted from the human-touch behind her brand, storytelling, and regular content that builds a sense of intimacy with her followers.

To create valuable content that engages an audience, it’s essential to gain a deeper understanding of points, needs, and interests. In doing so, SMBs can tailor content to address these, whether it’s products providing practical solutions, offering industry insights, or simply entertaining and inspiring, content that speaks directly to the audience can foster a sense of connection and affinity with the brand.

In essence, building a community and fostering brand loyalty through content creation is a multifaceted venture that requires understanding of the target audience, platform-specific strategies, and compelling visuals. What’s more – using VistaCreate’s Brand Kit tool makes it easy to keep all brand elements and templates in one place, such as consistency with logos, fonts, and colours when creating visuals. By utilising this to deliver relevant, useful, and engaging content, SMBs can cultivate a loyal following, expand their reach, and drive meaningful interactions that contribute to long-term success.

The power of social media commerce

In today’s digital age, the integration of social commerce has revolutionised the way businesses can engage with customers and drive sales. Social media platforms have evolved beyond networking and marketing channels, now serving as powerful e-commerce platforms where SMBs can showcase products and facilitate transactions directly within platforms.

By leveraging features such as shoppable posts, product tagging, and in-app checkouts, businesses can provide a frictionless shopping experience that encourages customers to make purchases on the spot – enabling SMBs to capitalise on impulse buying and spontaneous decision-making. Moreover, by facilitating direct engagement with customers on platforms, social commerce creates an opportunity for personalised interactions, product recommendations, and post-purchase support – further enhancing brand loyalty.

The impact of influencers and authentic online endorsements

One of the other great benefits of social media is the ability to partner with influencers, a trend that continues to surge in popularity. Unlike traditional celebrities, influencers often cultivate highly engaged and loyal followings based on shared interests, passions, or expertise, making their recommendations and endorsements particularly impactful.

Partnering with influencers gives SMBs access to niche audiences that are aligned with their brand values which can help amplify their reach, drive brand awareness, and foster trust and credibility among their audience. Australian owned skincare and cosmetic brand, Esmi Skin Minerals, took advantage of this when they were established in 2017. They partnered with an array of influencers and users to share reviews, posts, and experiences with their products on Instagram. By 2020, the brand grew online revenue by 80 times and achieved an impressive 25% month-on-month revenue growth. This is one of many great examples of how a business can tap into social media, brand advocacy, and customer loyalty to great effect.

With majority of Australians active on social media, the power lies in not only its ability to reach and engage with audiences but also in its capacity to drive meaningful connections, foster brand loyalty, and fuel business growth. By embracing the multifaceted advantages of social media platforms, SMBs can position themselves for success in today’s competitive landscape to achieve their business goals efficiently and effectively.

Check out some more benefits of social media here alongside more of Vista’s tips here.

Contributed by Marcus Marchant, CEO of VistaPrint Australia and New Zealand

Shippit and eBay partner

Shippit, the last-mile delivery platform  across Australia, New Zealand and Asia, has announced a strategic partnership with eBay Australia, through which thousands of sellers on the platform will have access to best-in-class shipping and fulfilment solutions and services. 

The partnership will deliver optionality and deliverability for all customers, but for the first time the sellers with freight that is traditionally hard to handle will have the same shipping optionality as anyone else. Currently, eBay sellers can access a labels platform that enables them to quote, print and pay for labels for items up to 22kg. 

Through the new integration with Shippit, eBay sellers will be able to access a solution for heavier, bulkier items such as hardware, furniture and electronics. In the last financial year alone, 2.7 million deliveries – with a total value of over AUD$2billion – over 22kg were shipped through the Shippit platform. 

As consumer demand for quick, convenient and transparent delivery increases, the partnership with Shippit, enables eBay sellers to:
  • Ensure seamless post-purchase experiences with automated and reliable tracking notifications and dedicated delivery support;
  • Access flexible and fast fulfilment solutions to streamline pick and pack workflows and packaging decisions for consistent, error-free fulfilment;
  • Centralise controls and access to leading and specialised carriers plus exclusive delivery rates for flexible shipping options at checkout.

Shippit evolution

The integration continues a recent trend through which Shippit has been selected as a partner of choice and integrated into global eCommerce platforms including Wix and Shopline. Last year, meanwhile, Shippit announced a landmark partnership with Uber, through which thousands of retailers would have access to one-hour delivery.

“We’re incredibly excited to partner with eBay, bringing the power of Shippit’s last mile platform to its retailers who are looking to maximise their customers lifetime value, while not sacrificing operating margins” said Chris Weaver, Chief Commercial Officer at, Shippit. “Retailers, not just in Australia but across APAC, rely on Shippit daily to ensure that the delivery promises they make to their customers are kept. Shippit is a mission-critical part of the ecommerce tech stack for retailers, small, medium and large. Our data shows retailers with multiple carriers grow faster, and we’re excited to be able to provide those capabilities to eBay sellers in Australia, many of whom are small businesses.

“We’ve spent the last nearly-10 years building the industry’s most advanced shipping and fulfilment platform. But as the industry evolves, so too must Shippit. That’s why we invest heavily in research and development, and in partnerships and integrations. By investing in that, we’re investing in our customers and in our customers’ customers. Partnering with eBay today – as well as Wix, Shopline, Uber and all those that will follow – is an endorsement, from the industry, of our mission to shape the future of retail and bring retailers, carriers, and consumers closer together.”

“At eBay we are committed to delivering the most value possible to our sellers and that is why we selected Shippit to help power last mile delivery,” Marie Griffiths, Head of Shipping and Trust at eBay Australia, added. “Together with Shippit, our sellers are going to be able to build trust with their customers by meeting the delivery promises made – from the very first purchase. We can’t wait to see our sellers capitalising on this partnership as soon as possible.”

Over 100 million deliveries are booked through the Shippit platform every year. Since its launch in 2014, over $7.5bn worth of ecommerce orders have been fulfilled through Shippit’s platform, on behalf of thousands of retailers including Kmart, Cotton On, Woolworths, Total Tools, Temple & Webster.

For more information about Shippit and eBay’s integration, visit shippit.com/ebay

Aspera Mobile phone AS5 for $99

As the cost of living continues to rise and more and more people are looking for ways to lower their expenses, Australia’s Aspera Mobile has celebrated its 10-year anniversary by launching a new range of low cost, full featured phones. The first smartphone to be launched in the new range is the unlocked 4G AS5 which at just $99 includes face recognition, a 5-inch display and a removable 2000mAh battery.

The 4G AS5’s main features include:

  • Face recognition
  • Octa-Core 1.6GHz CPU
  • 2GB RAM + 32GB ROM plus up to 1GB additional virtual RAM allocated from unused ROM
  • 5-inch FWVGA display
  • 4G connectivity with VoLTE data calls improving voice quality
  • 5MP rear and 5MP front camera
  • 2000m Li-Ion removable battery
  • Micro USB, Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity
  • Dual 4G SIM slots
  • Android 13 (Go edition) 
  • 4G bands – 1/3/5/7/8/28a+b, 3G bands – 850/900/2100Mhz
  • 146.5mm*74mm*9.9mm in size

Aspera Mobile MD Allan Robertson explained, “We were delighted to celebrate our tenth year as a fully Australian owned and operated business this year. To mark the occasion we are launching our new range of phones starting with the AS5 4G smartphone for just $99. For the AS5 we are offering many of the features that are included on higher priced smartphones and thus by definition redefining what is possible at this price point. For example, the AS5 offers a 1.6GHz Octa-core processor, 2GB RAM plus 1GB virtual RAM and face recognition, which we believe is the first time this combination of features have been offered in Australia in an unlocked smartphone under $100. You will pay significantly more to see all of these features in other phones.”

Aspera has always tried to offer the best value for money in all of their phones. During Covid-19, the company saw increasing supply chain and logistics costs with the $99 price point for smartphones all but disappearing as a result. More recently, as these cost pressures eased, the company is now once again able to offer Australian consumers a highly featured smartphone for just $99.

Robertson continued, “The AS5 and the other phones we will launch this year set us apart from our competitors. The AS5 is a compact, well featured but lower cost smartphone aimed squarely at the younger audience, the budget conscious and indeed anyone who wants the power and versatility of a smartphone at a fraction of the cost of what you will pay from many other manufacturers. It has a quality feel, two good cameras and many other features which make it terrific value at just $99.”

The AS5 also brings more smarts to its memory use with its clever Octa-Core CPU and ability to re-assign any available ROM to create an additional 1GB of virtual RAM and help the OS and apps launch and run faster and more efficiently.

Robertson continued, “The AS5 is one of six new Australian designed models set to release in 2023. Our customer support centre is also based in Australia and as a result of our continued commitment to the Australian market, I’m delighted to say we recently notched up over one million phones sold and we have also continued to export products to the wider Oceanic region.”

Having made it through the many challenges presented by Covid-19 and now experiencing a robust and rapid expansion, Aspera’s new AS5 forms part of a wide range of products from the company which includes over 60 different models of featured, smart and rugged phones brought to market to date.

Allan Robertson concluded, “We are very proud of our 10 years of manufacturing good quality, reliable and low-cost phones. The AS5 very much embodies Aspera Mobile’s value for money ethos by delivering customers a lot of functionality and performance blended with good design and without the premium price tag. The AS5 essentially redefines Aspera’s value proposition at the entry level and also appeals to retailers who know their budget conscious customers want to stay well connected and have a great experience on their smartphone.”

The new Aspera Mobile AS5 4G smartphone is available now and can be purchased for just $99 at retailers including Big W, Ritchies IGA, Seasons IGA, Freedom Fuels, Trinity Petroleum, Mobiciti and Personal Digital.

For more information on the new 4G AS5 go to: https://asperamobile.com/phones/smart-phones/aspera-as5/

Digital identity pilot, exploring age verification

Mastercard is conducting a pilot with Service NSW and Tipple to allow consumers to verify their age securely and seamlessly in the digital and physical world. The pilot Mastercard’s digital identity service, ID, to verify their age when making an online liquor purchase at Tipple.

This latest pilot follows Mastercard’s accreditation under the Australian Government’s Trusted Digital Identity Framework (TDIF) and builds on previous pilots that explore how ID can securely connect and integrate with services from other identity providers.

Protecting consumers’ information through ID ensures that businesses have a convenient, secure and smart way of minimising security and fraud risk, instilling trust in their customer interactions without adding unnecessary friction or sacrificing a quality user experience. It can also reduce the likelihood of identity crime, which costs Australia upwards of $1.6 billion each year.

When making a purchase at Tipple, participants verify their identity by connecting to the Service NSW app which has been integrated with the Mastercard ID Network. The only information received by Tipple is a verification indicating the consumer is over 18 years of age. Consumers do not need to share their date of birth, identity document numbers, or copies of their documents. This approach ensures that only the minimum amount of information needed to complete their purchase is provided, helping to preserve the consumer’s privacy while streamlining the transaction.

“In today’s landscape, there needs to be a better way to provide quick and easy access to goods and services, without the hassle of sharing physical ID documents. Mastercard is working with the public and private sectors to build a national identity ecosystem where citizens can trust that their personal information is safe and secure. Connecting with trusted, innovative platforms like Service NSW and Tipple extends the value and use of ID to more providers and partner organisations in Mastercard’s network,” said Richard Wormald, Division President, Australasia, Mastercard.

“For digital identity adoption to become mainstream, it is critical that the customer has a seamless experience and the confidence that the information they are sharing with the provider is secure. By partnering with Mastercard for Service NSW, we’re providing our customers with market leading solutions from trusted providers. We are extremely excited and proud to be involved in the pilot,” said Ryan Barrington, Chief Executive Officer, Tipple.

Mastercard’s digital identity service was built with interoperability in mind and can connect existing identity providers with other organisations, like Service NSW, with verification facilitated by Mastercard’s highly secure network.

ID enables customers to create a convenient, safe, and reusable digital identity, allowing them to share verified information quickly and securely. Using data encryption and biometric authentication to protect personal identity information keeps consumers in control of their data and reduces fraud, enabling them to choose what information to provide, to which organisations, and when. Leveraging Mastercard’s global network and data privacy practices, ID offers a highly secure end-to-end solution for digitally creating, managing, and verifying identities.

Mastercard has been scaling ID in Australia since 2019, announcing partnerships with Optus, Samsung, and Microsoft. Mastercard will continue to roll out ID in other industries and verticals across Australia, helping businesses solve real-world problems, including reducing fraud and identity theft, while improving the consumer experience.

Please visit mastercard.com.au/id to learn more about Mastercard’s vision for digital identity.

Highest capacity drive ever 22TB My Book Desktop Hard Drive

To help small business preserve their ever-growing digital world, Western Digital’s WD® brand is expanding its trusted My Book™ Desktop Storage lineup. Built upon a legacy of technology innovation, the company has released its highest capacity drive ever with the 22TB My Book™ Desktop Hard Drive, giving people greater flexibility to store more of what they love.

“Small business continue generating data at a rapid pace. In 2022 alone, the average household worldwide generated more than 20TB of data1 and we expect this number to continue to rise as people continue to consume and create more data,” said John Rydning, research vice president, Global DataSphere at International Data Corporation (IDC), a global market intelligence firm. “While many people rely on the cloud, we know consumers are looking for local storage at their fingertips to help them preserve and readily control their growing amount of personal and business data.”

With more than ten connected devices in the average American household2, the new high-capacity solutions give people a significant amount of space to essentially help backup their personal devices— and even those of their small businesses as well. Whether it’s priceless photos and videos or a backup of their most important work files and applications, the WD brand seeks to offer people solutions that keep up with their evolving data storage needs.

“With multiple devices used in our everyday life, we have the ability to instantly create, consume and generate massive amounts of content,” said Susan Park, vice president of product management at Western Digital. “Our goal is to help people easily and reliably store it all.” 

The 22TB* My Book offers users the ability to backup and preserve thousands of documents, photos, videos, and other files from a variety of storage devices, including portable SSDs and HDDs, memory cards and USB flash drives, consolidating them into one organised and easy to access location. For those looking for more robust storage capabilities, the My Book Duo is also now available in a 44TB* capacity, equipped with RAID-optimised Western Digital® drives that are ready to perform at maximum speed and capacity right out of the box. My Book Duo can be reconfigured to RAID-1 for redundancy (data mirroring) or used as two independent drives (JBOD) with the included software.

CBA, Uber and Doshiidrive hospitality

Commonwealth Bank, Doshii and Uber have signed a multi-year partnership designed to drive efficiencies and increase revenue channels for Australian hospitality businesses, at a time the sector is grappling with rising costs and staff shortages.

As part of the agreement, Uber Eats and Australia’s largest hospitality integration platform Doshii will unite in a multi-year partnership to bring innovative technology to small business owners.

“This is a win for the Australian hospitality industry and makes it easier for businesses to efficiently and seamlessly manage their day-to-day payments operations,” said CBA general manager of merchant solutions, Karen Last. “By allowing restaurants and other hospitality venues to integrate Uber via Doshii, they will be able to manage food ordering, loyalty programs, reservations, online delivery services and point of sale payments into a single system. When coupled together with our forthcoming Smart hospitality app it provides the next level of experience for hospitality staff and their patrons alike.”

Under the arrangement, CommBank will work with Uber’s Australian delivery business to deploy Doshii’s technology across the nation.  

“It’s been a tough few years for the hospitality industry, with many venues still struggling to find staff and keep a lid on rising costs. With Uber Eats joining Doshii’s integrations marketplace, we’re excited to be able to help venues get orders out faster and serve more customers more efficiently by eliminating the need for staff to manually re-enter each Uber Eats order into their point-of-sale,” said Doshii CEO, Justin O’Donnell.

An Australian success story and backed by CommBank’s x15ventures, Doshii has already helped venues serve up close to 300 million orders to hungry and thirsty customers with point-of-sale (POS) partnerships covering approximately 80% of Australian hospitality venues. Uber Eats joins a fast-growing menu of hospitality apps and platforms able to be connected to a venue’s POS using the Doshii platform, including rostering, reservations and in-venue ordering solutions

In addition to the Doshii integration, the agreement will see Uber become CBA’s preferred rideshare provider for staff across Australia. 

“Uber remains laser focused on deploying our technology to unlock magical experiences for customers and merchants. This three way partnership will spark added convenience for thousands of small businesses, for millions of eaters and of course for Commonwealth Bank’s team through our Uber for Business product. This linkup is set to be an exciting development for shared customers across all companies,” said Senior Director, Head of APAC Marketing at Uber Lucinda Barlow, “We’re already engaging collaboratively with CommBank to make sure this partnership will unlock value across several key Uber properties – including our membership offering Uber One, which is a major focus for our business in 2023.” 

“As Australia’s leading bank, CommBank is constantly seeking to innovate for the benefit of its customers. In Uber we are confident that we have found a partner with a similar culture of innovation and leadership in its chosen fields and we are excited by the multiple ways in which this can drive value for our customers and people,” said Chris Austin, General Manager Group Business Development Partnerships.

The great game of business

The Brave Group Pty Ltd is now the official Australian office for The Great Game of Business (originated MO, USA) providing local support for Australian and New Zealand businesses. With Certified Coaches located across Australia, The Brave Group are experts in transformative cultural change typified by The Great Game. Each coach brings an average of 15 years playing the game and will focus on coaching local business to help them deliver rapid financial results and long-lasting cultural change.

The Great Game of Business opens the books and educates employees on business finance creating a culture where employees think, act and feel like business owners. The Great Game of Business focuses on the importance of engaging a team, of creating increased knowledge and financial understanding so that the culture of the business becomes the driving force behind success. Underpinning The Great Game, are the core beliefs that improving financial performance within any business can only occur if the people are part of, understand and drive, those changes. It links people and the business in a common goal. It is the only truly transparent business culture and is proven to be the differentiator in attracting and retaining people.

“I am thrilled that our organisation, The Brave Group, has been given the opportunity to be the official office for The Great Game of Business in Australia and New Zealand. Our team has firsthand experience in the financial and cultural benefits that the Great Game system brings to a company and its people, and we are passionate about creating a community of like-minded organisations here in this region” The Brave Group co-Founder Kelli Hayes.

Certified Great Game of Business Coaches; Kelli Hayes, Sue Robinson, Adam Nicholls, and Bianca Presutto, have firsthand experience playing the game for an Australian company that was a Great Game of Business All Star and also inducted into The Great Game of Business Hall of Fame.  With extensive coaching and consulting experience and a proven and practical approach to applying the game, each brings their own strengths to help like-minded businesses with a tailored approach – no matter where they are in their Great Game of Business journey 

The Brave Group is proud to officially represent The Great Game of Business in Australia.

Canva Workplace suite

Canva, the global visual communications platform, today announced a suite of new workplace products and features created to empower anyone to communicate visually, on any device, from anywhere in the world.

“Visual communication is becoming an increasingly critical skill for teams of every size across almost every industry,” said Canva co-founder and CEO, Melanie Perkins. “It has been incredible to see the continued growth of Canva over the last few years, as more and more people embrace the power of visual communication to unlock their creativity and achieve their goals. With the launch of our new Visual Worksuite, we’re bringing simple design products to the workplace to empower every employee, at every organization and on every device.”

Canva’s new visual worksuite comes as the company marks the milestone of more than 85 million global users, who produce more than 180 designs every second. As enterprise usage soars throughout a variety of professions and industries, Canva is rapidly becoming the design platform of choice in the workplace. This demand is evidenced by the more than 10,000 current jobs on LinkedIn listing Canva as a desired skill across many companies, including American Express, Amazon, TikTok, LEGO and Google.

From large organizations to small businesses, more than 4 million paying customers are embracing Canva for Teams – the company’s collaborative all-in-one design solution – to empower their workforce who have increasing needs to communicate visually. This has more than tripled in the last twelve months as companies such as Zoom, Salesforce, PayPal, Reddit, Sony Music and OrangeTheory replace legacy design tools with Canva’s all-in-one platform.

“Canva has been an invaluable tool for our business, transforming how our creative and social teams work with one another by making it easier for staff to create new designs in a way that maintains brand consistency,” says Marissa Kraines, Vice President of Social and Content Marketing at Salesforce. “It’s also enabled our team to scale best practices when it comes to visual communications across the company, ensuring that we can create compelling content across all of our social and owned channels.”

New worksuite: Docs, Whiteboards, Websites, Video, Data Visualisation and more

Canva Docs: Built with the modern workplace in mind, Canva Docs makes traditional text documents more visually captivating, while also including key collaboration features like comments and real time collaboration. Users can also access Canva’s 100 million+ library of design assets and embed them into their work for a personalized approach to document creation. Plus, in a world where presenting work is often not text based, Canva Docs can easily be turned into a fully fledged Canva Presentation with the simple click of a button.

Canva Websites: A new way to build simple websites for any occasion. Create visually appealing and interactive websites from any device without the technical skills needed to do so. With hundreds of responsive professional-level website templates, customizable domains and adjustable page heights, a highly secure and optionally password protected website can be created and published in minutes. Built to drive engagement, it also comes with Canva’s new Design Insights analytics feature, which sheds light on site visits and allows the builder to get a pulse on audience and interest.

Canva Whiteboards: Canva Whiteboards bring a fast and fresh approach to how teams shape and explore ideas together. Combining the simplicity of Canva’s editing experience with an infinite canvas, Canva Whiteboards comes with a range of features designed for brainstorming and team collaboration. From sticky notes to images and diagrams, synced timer to keep brainstorming on track, and more, this new product embraces the world of hybrid work to encourage collaboration and productivity in distributed teams.

Video Background Remover: One of Canva’s most popular features is now available as part of the Canva Video Suite, taking video creation to the next level. With one click, users can remove the background from any video making it faster and easier than ever to create professional-looking content without expansive budgets or complex software.

Expanding Canva Print: While much of visual communication is digital, when there is a need for a physical product, Canva Print makes the process simple, and approaches it in a sustainable way. As of today, anyone can print more than 35 products through Canva Print and have it delivered to their doorstep in record time. This includes everything from invitations to flyers, photo books and hoodies, mugs posters, and much more.

Committed to a sustainable future, Canva will plant a tree for every print order placed through its partnership One Print, One Tree reforestation program. As of today, more than 2.4 million trees have been planted with a further 5 million trees to be planted by the end of the year.

Data Visualization: Anyone can level up their data storytelling with Flourish, making it possible to turn dense data and statistics into simple, clear and easy to understand interactive data visualizations. With templates for almost any need – from animated bar races, to drill-down sunbursts – it’s easier than ever to make complex data accessible and meaningful to anyone, in any organization, in the workplace.

Remote Control for Presentations: Canva adds remote presentation control to its Presentation product, enabling multiple presenters to control the flow of their presentation from any device using a new virtual clicker