US worker resignations slowed last year from post-pandemic highs, indicating declining confidence in the labor market. Workers quit 5.6 million fewer jobs in the first 11 months of 2023 compared to a year earlier, a 12% drop, according to Labor Department data. Slowing resignations could stall wage growth, limiting pressure on companies to attract and retain workers despite historically low unemployment.
Proton.ai has created a conversational AI chatbot, Pronto, specifically designed to help distributors and customer relationship management customers. Pronto can provide analyst-grade answers on sales, products, customers, team performance and prospects while drafting customer emails and product descriptions. "Any user can ask a straightforward question in plain English and get an answer right away," said Proton founder and CEO Benj Cohen. "Whether it's a written response, a chart, or a graph, they get it in seconds."
Performance Food Group and Hershey announced the introduction of a line of co-branded products under PFG's Sweet Encore premium dessert banner. Selected Sweet Encore products will use Hershey ingredients such as Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Reese's Pieces and Heath Bar bits.
Smart warehouse technology can help businesses streamline internal processes, increasing efficiency, productivity, accuracy and customer satisfaction while reducing costs, paperwork and injuries, writes Newcastle Systems CEO John O'Kelly. Smart warehouses feature a robust warehouse management system with RFID tags, collaborative robots, internet of things sensors, wearables, AI and machine learning, automated picking tools, guided vehicles and storage and retrieval systems, O'Kelly writes.
United National Foods Inc. is using an AI-powered robotic system from Symbotic to automate a new 1.3-million-square-foot distribution center in Manchester, Pa., that will assemble customer order pallets of dry groceries in an effort to optimize customer receiving and replenishment. The Manchester warehouse will be the company's second to implement the Symbotic technology with the first center in Centralia, Wash., expected to be operational in the first half of this year.
Businesses need to have an understanding of customer behavior in order to expand sales, writes Jason Miller, CEO of the Strategic Advisor Board. Strategies companies should consider include sharing stories to connect emotionally with customers, managing online reputation and adapting to suit new behaviors, Miller writes.
Digital markets must find another way to collect customer data this year when Google finally kills cookies. Brave Ads offers these strategies: Privacy-preserving ads, zero-party data, first-party data, and native advertising.
Leaders can bring efficiency to their teams by breaking down big goals into manageable 21-day increments with a follow-up review of success and what needs adjusting to meet a team's capacity, writes executive coach Dave Coffaro. Ask yourself if you're working at optimal efficiency and how best to use your time to achieve your company's strategy and vision, Coffaro adds.
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