Column – MediaCatalyst

Managing Unplanned Expenses with an Instant Loan App

11Jan

By MediaCatalystNo Comments

Managing Unplanned Expenses with an Instant Loan App

In a rapidly evolving economy, expenditure patterns also evolve rapidly. Especially in today’s age, one that is increasingly dominated by millennial professionals. With the tremendous rise in the corporate culture (and rising costs of living) in all the metropolitans, unplanned and contingent expenses are off the roof. More than any time before, people want that dream vacation or the dream car or that spontaneous shopping plan or road trip. Millennials have been characteristized with that go-getter attitude - they need it all, sometimes without even having the saved up money for it. The need for money for unplanned expenses saw a further surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, where people suddenly saw unexpected medical expenses or even day-to-day expenses mounting up while the entire ec...

Fintech Industry – Observations & Learnings from 2020 and Opportunities in 2021

5Jan

By MediaCatalystNo Comments

Column

Fintech Industry – Observations & Learnings from 2020 and Opportunities in 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on most industries, but one sector that has fared comparatively better than most is fintech. According to a new study by The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), the World Bank Group, and the World Economic Forum, the fintech industry continued to grow, with firms reporting growth in transaction numbers and volumes of 13% and 11% respectively. Data gathered from 1,385 fintech firms in 169 jurisdictions revealed that 12 out of 13 fintech sectors reported year-on-year growth for the first half of 2020, compared to the same period the previous year. While it is undeniable that COVID-19 had an impact on fintech deal activity in H1’20, global VC investment in fintech remained robust, accounting for US$20 billion globally ...

Event Management Industry Pivoting through The Ongoing Pandemic

28Dec

By MediaCatalystNo Comments

Column

Event Management Industry Pivoting through The Ongoing Pandemic

The industry outlook for the event management industry, an industry that is reliant on social gatherings, seemed undecided when the pandemic has led the world to a standstill. But the innovative and buoyant, outdoor entertainment has now started retooling for the future. With the industry starting to slowly adapt itself to the new normal, the educational institutions imparting event management courses have taken a step ahead in innovation to tide over the crisis. Event management organizations across the country are offering training practices as per the socially distant knowledge while guaranteeing to keep it at par with the physical classroom experience. Going by various studies shown, about 94% of companies in the event industries are aiming at discovering the segment of digit...

9 Tips for Flexible Working Without Losing Productivity

18Dec

By MediaCatalystNo Comments

Column, Human Resources

9 Tips for Flexible Working Without Losing Productivity

The extended work from home amid COVID-19 has sparked a debate over flexible working worldwide. More and more organizations are warming up to the idea of flexible working through implementing flexible-timings, telecommuting, compressed workweek, and much more. According to a recent LinkedIn survey, 44% of employees preferred a flexible workweek. While flexible working allows employees to work from any time, anywhere according to their convenience, some of us are constantly juggling between work and household chores and struggling to be productive. Here are top tips to be productive during flexible working. Plan Your Day: Flexible working doesn’t mean that you forget your targets. Plan your day in the morning and make a to-do list of important tasks. It need not be an elaborate pr...

With COVID-19 Cases Still Rising, Should Schools Re-open?

18Nov

By MediaCatalystNo Comments

Column, Education

With COVID-19 Cases Still Rising, Should Schools Re-open?

More than half of the academic year has gone, the trade-off between access to education and safety during a pandemic is not an easy decision to make. With an increase and spike in cases in most parts of India, parents are worried about sending their children to school and this is very much evident by surveys conducted in multiple cities. The safety of our loved ones is paramount! Most parents believe that the winter smog would only make the current situation worse. According to a local survey conducted last month, more than 60% of parents were against sending their kids to school due to the current situation. Even though research has shown that children are not likely to spread the virus, many experts say that schools cannot safely reopen while community transmission is out of cont...

Time to Reimagine The Purpose of Education

11Nov

By MediaCatalystNo Comments

Column, Education

Time to Reimagine The Purpose of Education

This is a universal crisis and, for some children, the impact will be lifelong.-UNICEF With the COVID-19 pandemic onslaught across the globe, the closure of schools continues to ensure tremendous learning loss across the world. The UNESCO states that the education of nearly 1.6 billion pupils in 190 countries has so far been affected – which means roughly around 90% of the world’s school-age children! A recent World Bank report estimates that sans any drastic remedial action, there could be losses of $10 trillion in earnings overtime for this present generation of students. The report also stated that the impact of the pandemic could lead to countries being driven away from achieving their learning poverty goals. Closer home, the report states that South Asia alone could have close to ...

Growing Significance of Blended Learning and Teaching in the Post Covid-19 World

9Nov

By MediaCatalystNo Comments

Column, Education

Growing Significance of Blended Learning and Teaching in the Post Covid-19 World

Covid-19 has had a major impact on nearly all spheres of human life, and education too has witnessed a significant disruption. As per statistics put out by UNESCO on its website, over 190 countries faced disruption in formal learning and teaching impacting nearly 1.5 billion learners at one point. As per the same report about 320 million learners have been impacted in India alone. (*Source: https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse) However, quite commendably, despite the scale and impact of this pandemic, private education enterprises, as also Governments across the globe, were swift in putting out resources for the benefit of learners. In India, in addition to the efforts of all major education content and service providers, various Government initiatives such as ...

6Nov

By MediaCatalystNo Comments

Column

Safety Tips for Dogs on Diwali

The festive season, especially Diwali times can be difficult for dogs. While this year people are expecting a more subdued celebration due to the ongoing pandemic, one can never be sure. As a pattern, the festive season witnesses an increase in holiday-related emergencies, including fall injuries as a result of pets jumping from balconies, accidental injuries as animals attempt to escape noises from crackers and get hit by vehicles, burns, and wounds from fire and firecrackers, and cases of severe anxiety. Additionally, the number of pets that run away or get lost increases many folds during this time. Hence, it becomes important that as pet parent/s, one prepares for the onset of the festive season, so that one can decrease the chance of pet injury or panic. Enclosed are 6 th...

Fostering Your Child’s Mental Health During The Pandemic

28Oct

By MediaCatalystNo Comments

Column

Fostering Your Child’s Mental Health During The Pandemic

The Coronavirus pandemic has an everlasting impact on global health and economies. The societies across every nation are experiencing an impact on psychosocial well-being. The impacts of the crisis will be felt diversely among different age groups and amongst these, children will face added challenges to comprehend, absorb, and deal with the sudden fluctuations that the pandemic has brought to our world. In the present context of lockdown, being cocooned within the confines of home and restriction of movements, kids have inhibited access to socialization, absence of playtime, isolation, and lack of physical contact with peers. These aspects are vital for their psychosocial wellbeing and growth. School closures have further curbed children from access to face-to-face learning and have limi...

How a CRM Platform Streamlines Ticket Management Process & Automates Remote Work

23Oct

By MediaCatalystNo Comments

Column, Technology

How a CRM Platform Streamlines Ticket Management Process & Automates Remote Work

Customer support is no longer just about long telephone calls with unhappy customers. Time and technology have revolutionized how brands stay connected and serve their customers. High-quality customer support directly translates to high customer satisfaction rates, increased retention, and revenue. Recent research shows that customer-centric companies are 60% more profitable than companies that don’t focus on their customers. SaaS-based customer relationship management (CRM) solutions have been game-changers in the customer support sector. Businesses around the world are increasingly using CRM helpdesks to manage their sales and support processes remotely amid the ongoing widespread pandemic. A customer support automation platform can streamline and simplify the tic...