admin, Author at Akiri Consultants Inc.

Tech trends for a more resilient supply chain

More than ever before – during these last few months with the pandemic disrupting networks and consumer behaviours – supply chains have been challenged. The weakest links from supplier to customer were tested, and they often broke under repeated and intense pressure. Many supply chains have not yet recovered. How can technology help get us back on track and ensure our supply chains run smoothly – and are more resistant to disruption – in the future? Here are eight [...]

Eight important questions to ask a potential ERP solution vendor

An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system touches many different parts of the business such as R&D, Finance, Supply Chain, Sales & Marketing and HR so choosing the right one is very important. Most ERP solutions will cover 80% of what businesses need, but what about the unique requirements of each company? With so many ERP vendors on the market, how do you know which vendor will be the right fit for your organization? Sometimes, it is just knowing where [...]

Defining User Requirements? Think like a User!

Image from the Government of Canada. When developing a new product or solution, an often forgotten element is that a technology’s ascent to success strongly depends on its adoption and utilization. The Covid-19 Alert App is a great example of a product where user adoption depends on more than just the right technology. Since the benefits of this app positively correlates with the number of people who decide to install it, the user experience was put at the forefront of [...]

What will Cannabis 4.0 look like?

Imagine this: a greenhouse equipped with the latest HID lighting, automated irrigation & nutrient distribution systems, as well as sensors that can detect the humidity, the height of the plants and even cultivation readiness based on image recognition of the flower. All of these technologies exist today in different phases of maturity. Some of the larger cannabis licenced producers are already equipping their greenhouses and production spaces with them. So, have these companies already fully embraced Industry 4.0? Not yet! [...]

Technology for Surviving a Pandemic

Cannabis Retailing Innovations Accelerated by Covid-19 Copy of article published in Cannabis Retailer. In March 2020, some provinces deemed cannabis an essential service and allowed physical storefronts to continue operations. Other provinces closed their outlets and implemented temporary restrictions, such as mandating private retailers to conduct curbside pickup. For those retailers allowed to stay open or eventually re-open, physical distancing guidelines triggered several technology-enabled measures to reduce human contact to a minimum. The most significant shift observed was the increase [...]

Rachel Bachmann, GirlBoss

"I never thought I would become an entrepreneur. It took me a while to feel comfortable with the title. I just discovered that I loved what I was doing, but that I wanted a change of environment that allowed me to customize my approach and thrive. I defined myself as an entrepreneur afterwards and now I feel that I can own it." To celebrate all the women making their mark in the world of business and to help promote women [...]

Mapping your customer’s store experience

Article originally posted on cannabisretailer.ca August 2nd 2019, read an excerpt below: As a retailer, you have probably made hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions since the legalization of cannabis was announced. Where should I source my product? Where should I open my brick and mortar store(s)? What POS software should I use? With all these decisions, you may not have had the time to take a step back and ask yourself: What is my target customer experience? Once you [...]

Taking customer experience into account when prioritizing enterprise initiatives

Have you ever looked at your list of prioritized projects and felt like something is missing? Despite having used a solid and structured prioritization methodology that takes into account cost, benefits and risk of implementation, you may well have forgotten a key decision criterion: ability to deliver a better customer experience.The benefit of a positive customer experience on the bottom line has been documented many times in recent years, (see the HBR article: “The Value of Customer Experience, Quantified”). [...]

Are your IT Investments advancing your Corporate Strategy?

Are your IT investments being influenced by the executive who shouts the loudest? Are you unable to finish a single implementation project because of changing company priorities? When funds are limited, is your company unable to decide between replacing obsolete systems or enabling industry best practice capabilities via new technologies? If so, it’s likely that you need to better align your IT strategy with your overall corporate strategy. As Gartner puts it, “when enterprise strategy is unclear, or [...]