Now technology exists to offer quality financial advice to more astute prospects and clients.

Real Time Content (RTC) can deliver consistent personalized marketing videos tailored to audiences interested in financial services. This communication is via an actual person set in a virtual presenter experience.  With RTC, any company can call upon a virtual salesperson to reach an unlimited number of prospects, economically and effectively.

The online salesperson is not digitized, nor robotic, but an actual human being talking to the visitor or prospect. And because the financial services industry is so closely monitored, RTC can provide content perfectly scripted to fall within regulatory guidelines.

The virtual presenter leads prospects through the sales process, asking standard questions such as desired retirement age, risk tolerance, and how many dependents, as part of a structured dialogue. It is designed to answer intelligently, move through sales prompts, reply to objections and carry on a conversation just as a salesperson would, with the ultimate goal of shortening the sales cycle.

In fact, RTC could even offer real time pricing info, such as “if you had invested in NASDAQ five years ago, today it would be worth $…”

Offered by Randall-Reilly, RTC is data-driven, offering unique relevant content for each user that is consistent and scalable. Companies can retain and grow relationships by reaching any number of prospects virtually, whether one or 1,000.

This launch is in response to feedback from iPad users who wanted the interactive multimedia experience of Real Time Content (RTC), but in a mobile format.

In March, 2012 Randall-Reilly announced the launch of RTC, a data-driven customized approach to deliver personalized marketing video.  It was launched as a way for businesses to scale or grow by connecting with more prospects or clients via an actual person set in a virtual presenter experience. (Editor’s Note: To see a demo of Real Time Content, click here).

“RTC is changing the way businesses and media companies operate by creating highly engaging and utterly relevant video content in real time based on viewer profiles and selections,” says Dave Schwartz, Vice President, Sales and Marketing. “The result for our clients is increased sales, improved customer service, and immersive media experiences,” he adds.

The high demand for RTC led to the early adaptation of its capabilities to the mobile platform.  In addition, the removal of Flash Player for newer Android devices from the Google Play store on August 15^th spurred the beta launch.

“We’ve combined two unique elements to create this ground-breaking platform. Firstly, our presentation engine delivers the interactive interface and automatically switches between HTML5 or Flash depending on the viewer’s device capabilities,” explains Ian Cameron, the company’s Chief Technology Officer. Then our ‘adaptive media engine’ creates custom video content for each individual user, every time they visit,” he adds.

About Real Time Content:

Real Time Content is a Charlotte, N.C. based software company providing a data-driven personalized video marketing service. The company’s proprietary technology features a virtual presenter who delivers highly personalized video content to audiences with an endless variety of needs and interests. This technology empowers companies to retain and grow relationships by jumpstarting sales, improving service, training and educating, boosting recruitment and entertaining audiences. Individually customized, Real Time Content instantly creates and delivers unique, engaging information that is wholly relevant to each user. For more information and a demo, go to: myvideo.realtimecontent.com.

About Randall-Reilly

Founded in 1934, Randall-Reilly is the premier U.S. media and information company focused on the trucking and construction markets. Its diversified portfolio includes print and digital publications, custom media, websites, interactive media, data products, research and events. The company’s Custom Marketing Solutions, a new Center of Excellence, provides major corporations with comprehensive integrated workflow driven solutions.  Randall-Reilly has offices in Tuscaloosa, AL, Chicago, Charlotte, N.C., and New Berlin, WI.  For more information go to: www.randallreilly.com

Real Time Content, a division of Randall-Reilly Publishing Company, LLC. (RTC) delivers personalized recruiting video presentations directly to job applicants. The interactive online experiences can be designed to recruit and qualify applicants via an actual person set in a virtual presenter experience. This allows the virtual recruiter to reach an unlimited number of prospects, personally, economically and effectively.

Many carriers have also identified opportunities to leverage this technology to reduce costs and increase efficiencies associated with driver orientation and onboarding.

The virtual recruiter is not digitized, nor robotic, but an actual human being talking one-on-one with every candidate about their qualifications to determine if they meet the requirements for speaking with a live recruiter.  This way recruiters can focus on interviewing qualified applicants, automatically generated by RTC.

The virtual recruiter leads prospects through the interactive interview process. It is designed to move through qualifying and hiring prompts, answer questions and carry on a conversation, just as actual recruiters would … if they had unlimited hours in the day.

To experience RTC for yourself, click here or visit www.realtimecontent.com.

(Editor’s Note: To see a demo of Real Time Content, click here).

At that time, Dave Schwartz, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, was quoted as saying, “We believe the virtual presenter concept will be applied in ways we’ve just begun to imagine. Our customers are smart; they will show us what’s next as we continually evolve and improve our unparalleled virtual presenter tool.”

And that’s just what was set in motion when Dave Schwartz shared the concept of RTC with Jake Chaya of CAT Auction Services two years earlier. Although the time wasn’t right for them to work together, Chaya kept thinking about RTC and other applications it might have.

When Chaya’s world was turned upside down, it wasn’t long before his thoughts returned to RTC. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin Lymphoma in Feb. 2011. “Initially I was devastated and couldn’t think straight. Am I going to die? Is my will in order?” he explains.

Chaya’s wife, Beth was his caregiver. She found it overwhelming to source information on the web and to interpret what was meaningful and relevant. She got discouraged, but continued trying to help her husband by reaching out to other people.

By April 2011, Chaya was in intensive care with a global infection. When he came out, he hungered for information. He was dealing with uncertainty about his career, family and finances. He felt that he was seen as damaged goods and that his identity was slipping away.

As he went through the experience, he realized the need for connection and information, for himself, but ultimately for others. This is when Chaya’s thoughts returned to RTC. He realized it might be just the platform to offer support for people dealing with cancer.

Chaya envisioned an interactive care coach, supported by virtual interactive video and a document library. The virtual presenters would be a network of professionals providing personalized platforms to address the life issues facing survivors and caregivers.

He approached his oncologist, who thought it was a great idea, sharing that there are now 11 million cancer survivors, and support for them is not keeping up. 62% of all cancer survivors will live 5 years or longer. Their biggest fear is “cancer coming back.” He confirmed the need for information and professional help to care for these people.

Chaya called Schwartz at RTC to share his idea, explaining, “what we really need to do is help people regain hope.” He explained that RTC could create a unique tool to provide hope and help create a positive lifestyle for survivors’ futures.

Schwartz not only agreed to it, but immediately pulled together a team to get started. “We were excited by the challenge and the fact that we could demonstrate the flexibility of the technology,” he explains. RTC created a proof of concept at no cost to Chaya and the White Dove Foundation, the non-profit foundation he co-founded in 1997. RTC has also agreed to maintain the platform, called BridgePaths.

“The BridgePaths platform will help people make informed decisions. It’s a new approach to holistic healthcare. We’ll be able to provide trusted information and trusted advisors, from professionals with both capability and character,” says Chaya.

Bridgepaths will give the cancer survivor hope by providing one easy source to go to for an online guide and information, and providing a network of professionals from many advisory services if the survivor wishes to engage them. The care coach is met by the survivor/caregiver and is directed to videos and information online.

If the survivor/caregiver determines they need to meet with specialists and professional advisors, a network of professional advisors/organizations will be available. In fact, upon request, the survivor/caregiver is automatically connected with registered professionals in their local market for immediate, and relevant, assistance. In addition, BridgePaths envisions an interface which will allow the survivor/caregiver to share their voices and video, to support others who are either at the same stage, or in a different stage, of their journey, with the goal of helping to create hope, and a supportive, non-judgmental community.

Professionals are vetted by Chaya and his team. Upon selection, they will be trained, and these exclusive suppliers will pay a subscription fee to be included as virtual presenters.

BridgePaths link: http://bpvideo.whitedovefoundation.org

Behind this network will be a series of videos. The members of the professional advisor network would consist of attorneys; accountants; financial advisors; clergy, social service and healthcare agencies; Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare specialists, life, disability and long term care insurance providers, and others as needed. Users would pay no fee unless they chose to meet with one of the advisors in person.

The challenge now is funding. Chaya estimates needing $750,000 to $1 million to cover  start-up costs. Chaya has assembled a group of volunteers to develop the business plan to launch a pilot program. He is talking to nationwide organizations, everyone from insurance companies to medical providers, healthcare organizations, non-profits and entities promoting fitness. He sees how this application could serve those affected by diabetes, HIV/AIDS, drug addiction and heart attack, as well as other medical conditions.

The 10-year projections anticipate 18,000,000 cancer survivors in the U.S. BridgePaths may well be the platform of the future in scaling survivorship care.

About Real Time Content

Real Time Content is a Charlotte, N.C. based software company providing a data-driven personalized video marketing service. The company’s proprietary technology features a virtual presenter who delivers highly personalized video content to audiences with an endless variety of needs and interests. This technology empowers companies to retain and grow relationships by jumpstarting sales, improving service, training and educating, boosting recruitment and entertaining audiences. Individually customized, Real Time Content instantly creates and delivers unique, engaging information that is wholly relevant to each user. For more information and a demo, go to: http://myvideo.realtimecontent.com/media.

About Randall-Reilly

Founded in 1934, Randall-Reilly is the premier U.S. media and information company focused on the trucking and construction markets. Its diversified portfolio includes print and digital publications, custom media, websites, interactive media, data products, research and events. The company’s Custom Marketing Solutions, a new Center of Excellence, provides major corporations with comprehensive integrated workflow driven solutions. Randall-Reilly has offices in Tuscaloosa, AL, Chicago, Charlotte, N.C., and New Berlin, WI. For more information go to: www.randallreilly.com

(Editor’s Note: To see a demo of Real Time Content, click here.)

This virtual team of knowledgeable, personable and engaging presenters enables companies to save time and money, all while increasing productivity. The online salesperson is not digitized, nor robotic, but an actual human being talking to the visitor or prospect. RTC is designed to work in a variety of applications, including helping companies jumpstart sales, improve service, enhance training, boost recruitment and entertain and inform audiences.

At the core of RTC is the proprietary adaptive video experience offered by the virtual presenter. Customized to deliver highly personalized video content, each user always receives unique relevant information. By scaling the challenge of message distribution, RTC is the ultimate realtime communications solution for companies of all sizes. It empowers companies to retain and grow relationships by reaching any number of prospects virtually, whether one or 100, without adding staff.

“RTC is changing the way businesses operate. In any economy, the focus is on time and money. RTC’s custom personalization is unlike anything companies and their clients have seen,” says David Schwartz, Vice President, Sales and Marketing. “By personalized, it’s not just programming in the prospect’s name and some key facts. Sure we do that, and users are impressed, but not nearly as impressed as when they engage in a conversation that is interactive, meets their needs and saves them time. The real time integration with clients’ existing systems to automatically qualify prospects and drive workflows is where companies really recognize the value,” he adds.

Among its many uses, RTC is in great demand in sales organizations. In any economy, a company has a finite number of top salespeople as well as sales and marketing dollars. With RTC, any company can access a virtual salesperson to reach an unlimited number of prospects, economically and effectively. By accelerating the sales process, salespeople can focus on closing deals from qualified leads, automatically generated by RTC.

“RTC is what I’ve always dreamed of – an endless supply of great salespeople. It’s just the way we would deliver our messages if we had unlimited resources. Since we don’t, we’ve introduced RTC and now we feel as if we do,” explains Bill Ault, President of Equipment Data Associates.

The virtual presenter leads prospects through the sales process. It is designed to answer intelligently, move through sales prompts, reply to objections and carry on a conversation just as a salesperson would.

So whether it’s a repetitive message or a clean slate each time, a company’s messages remain consistent and focused. Companies may be selling a subscription software platform, heavy machinery or yachts, and each can benefit from having RTC do “the heavy lifting” and then transitioning to live representatives at the user’s request.

As each meaningful conversation is taking place, so are dozens or hundreds, or thousands just like it, with the message delivered consistently per the customers’ requirements and knowledge of what works for their audience. At the same time, based on a user’s behaviors and responses, the most qualified leads are being identified. Then after the prospect is educated and informed, their contact information is fed directly to the actual sales team for follow-up and to close the deal.

“We believe the virtual presenter concept will be applied in ways we’ve just begun to imagine. For now, we know RTC can’t be beat for sales, service, education and entertainment. We’re also experiencing strong interest as a recruiting solution. Our customers are smart; they will show us what’s next as we continually evolve and improve our unparalleled virtual presenter tool,” explains Schwartz.

CNC machine tool manufacturer Okuma America Corporation has introduced a new, interactive, web-based productivity tool designed to provide real-time manufacturing solutions and ideas to help companies increase productivity and improve the utilization of their CNC machines.

Viewers have the opportunity to identify the challenges that they face in their operations and receive information on easy-to-implement ways to help address those challenges. Challenges discussed include: perishable tooling costs, spindle utilization, labor costs, and more. Viewers can choose to complete the experience in one sitting or they can save and return at a later time. They have options to include various information, can choose from a short or long version and they can share the experience with a friend.

The solutions presented include ideas to improve CNC machine tool utilization and incorporate information about automation, gaging, high pressure coolant, tooling and other equipment to improve manufacturing efficiency. Viewers who have already used this tool have called it, “informative and easy-to-use”, “applicable to my business” and “extremely helpful and enlightening”.

Jim King, Okuma’s President and COO notes, “Okuma is the first company in our industry to utilize this cutting-edge technology. The information presented is useful and timely, but the ability to provide personal inputs and direct the presentation according to user needs makes it even more compelling. We have the ability to provide real manufacturing help and solutions en masse, but on a personal level.”
Visit mikedavis.okuma.com to experience this new tool for yourself.

About Okuma America Corporation:
Okuma America Corporation is the US based affiliate of Okuma Corporation, a world leader in the development of computer numeric controls (CNC) and machining technology, founded in 1898 in Nagoya, Japan. Known for its technology leadership and world-class manufacturing, product quality and dedication to customer service, Okuma strives to be the machine tool solution provider to manufacturers worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.okuma.com.

About Partners in THINC:
Partners in THINC is a unique facility and concept offering integrated solutions and a one-stop-shop designed to streamline current manufacturing processes, improve capabilities, or for exploring advanced manufacturing options. Each member of Partners in THINC brings specialized equipment, expertise and a commitment to provide the best possible integrated solutions to the end-user. For more information, visit http://www.partnersinthinc.com.

BidScout (www.BidScout.com) taps into an online database that tracks the spending activities of more than 89,000 government agencies, with thousands of new project leads added to the database every day. BidScout notifies subscribers of new business opportunities at the federal, state, and local level, including cities, counties, colleges, schools, universities and municipalities. Daily alerts include information on contracts, subcontracts, anticipated bids, solicitations, modifications, amendments, sources sought, and grant and award notices. In the last 30 days alone, BidScout has delivered more than 17,000 bids and RFPs.

“We’re excited to offer contractors, subcontractors, municipalities and materials producers a simple, low-cost way to tap into the lucrative government market,” says Dan Tidwell, Randall-Reilly’s senior vice president, construction. “Especially in this difficult economy, the construction industry needs new, innovative products – like BidScout – to help ensure future success.”

Those interested in viewing a demonstration of BidScout’s capabilities can do so during the upcoming CONEXPO-CON/AGG show in Las Vegas, March 22-26, 2011, at booth N-1265. Subscriptions to BidScout are $24.99 per month ($299.98 annually).

About Randall-Reilly
Founded in 1934, Randall-Reilly (www.randallreilly.com) is the premier U.S. media and information company focused on the trucking and construction markets. The company’s construction division covers the highway and heavy construction, road building, aggregates, landscaping and used equipment markets. Randall-Reilly’s trucking division serves the fleet, owner-operator, recruitment, truck stop, pre-owned truck and trailer, dealer and heavy-duty aftermarket segments. Randall-Reilly’s Equipment Data Associates business is an industry-leading collector and aggregator of equipment purchase and financing data, which it offers to its customers in industrial equipment end markets for sales lead generation and market intelligence. The company’s Custom Media Division provides major corporations with customized brand marketing programs. Randall-Reilly has offices in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Chicago, Charlotte, N.C., and New Berlin, Wis.

Until now, EDA had struggled to handle a 20 percent response rate to its direct marketing efforts, and the company faced an interesting dilemma – increase the size of its sales force or decrease the drop size of its direct mail campaigns. “We didn’t want to do either,” said David Schwartz, EDA vice president of sales and marketing. “We wanted to maximize the opportunity while minimizing the operational costs.” RTC’s personalized video technology was a way to maximize the success of its direct mail campaigns.

When a prospective client visits a personal URL (PURL) supplied through EDA’s direct mail campaign, RTC’s platform is able to create personalized video from that PURL that incorporates the visitor’s name, current date, location, and number of repeat visits. As a result, the entire experience, from the greeting through the sales presentation, is very real and very personal.

“We also know the type of business our prospects are in, whether they’re manufacturers, dealers, lenders or after-market providers,” added Schwartz. “The contents of what we’re delivering will always relate to their specific area of interest, which is pre-defined.”

By employing a personalized sales presentation, EDA prospective clients can educate themselves at their own pace and on their own schedule, as well as select the EDA product features of most interest to their businesses. One of the biggest benefits, however, is for EDA. “We’re taking the mechanical, routine portion of the sales presentation away from our sales staff, and giving them more opportunity to understand a client’s needs and demonstrate how our solution may be able to fulfill them,” said Schwartz.

EDA will debut its new virtual demo for the construction industry on August 15, 2009, following a targeted direct mail campaign to 2,000 prospective clients with a dimensional mailer and a personalized URL linking directly to the virtual demo. Additional video assets and content geared toward other industries – agriculture, trucking, lift trucks, machine tools, logging, printing, woodworking, medical, copiers, and financial services – will be added later.

Organic visitors to EDA’s site – those who have not received a direct mail invitation – can also learn about the benefits of EDA’s products and services by entering their profile information before viewing the personalized video.

“I haven’t seen any company in any industry use technology to do what we’re trying to do,” said Mike Reilly, Randall-Reilly Publishing President and CEO. “It’s fun, it’s inviting, it’s interactive, and the sheer volume of deliveries is going to be so much higher because we’re expanding the capabilities of our human resources.”

About EDA
Since 1988, Equipment Data Associates has improved the direct marketing effectiveness of its clients. Through a wide range of metrics and analytical tools, EDA provides accurate, equipment-based, market intelligence for a variety of industries including: agriculture, construction, copiers, finance, lift trucks, logging, machine tools, printing and woodworking. EDA is headquartered in Charlotte, NC and is a division of Randall-Reilly Publishing, LLC.. For more information, visit EDA online at edadata.com.