Tag: Macro 4

Digital customer interaction might need a longer term solution [Eh? Ed.]

Posted on April 22, 2021 by - Fun Stuff, News

While more than 64 percent of UK enterprises invested in improving digital customer interaction during the pandemic, over half believe their short-term fixes won’t be fit for the long term.

A survey of 100 enterprise IT leaders, commissioned by Macro 4, suggests the pandemic accelerated many organisations’ plans to improve their customer communications technology. But IT chiefs recognise that more work is needed.

Almost all of the sample believed that their organisation needs to improve how it communicates with customers. And 91 percent saw technology as the instrument.

Underlying the main findings, 81 percent of IT leaders agree that the need to react quickly to the pandemic has forced organisations to fast-track technology changes – but 72 percent feel that over the next year they will have to invest in upgrading or replacing some of that technology.

Macro 4 partners with Charta Porta

Posted on February 4, 2021 by - News

Macro 4, a division of UNICOM Global, and Charta Porta, a value-added consultancy which specialises in document automation technologies has signed a deal which marries AI-driven Natural Language Processing (NLP) with Macro 4’s enterprise information management (EIM) suite.

The idea is to create an automated answer to handling the influx of inbound email, SMS, social media and other digital correspondence that overwhelms many businesses.

Macro 4 thinks that by automating slow, manual processing, the solution can supercharge response rates, boost customer service and enhance the customer experience while driving back-office efficiencies. Personal or sensitive data within inbound correspondence is automatically identified, allowing the correct retention, security and access rights to be applied to individual messages, complete with data redaction, in line with data privacy regulations.

Connect to your mainframe with your smartphone

Posted on March 5, 2015 by - News

ibm-officeMacro 4 said it is now a piece of cake to connect via the web to your IBM mainframe -if you have one of those in your back room using a smartphone and a tablet.

The company has released a new version of Tubes for z/OS.

The software gives access to mainframe applications using a web browser on a smartphone or tablet.

The company claimed that the software avoids enterprises having to update web interfaces at some cost.

R&D manager Keith Banham said there is no development overhead at all, and you don’t need to run a computer running a terminal emulator.

The software avoids the need to buy 3270 emulation software to access mainframe applications, he said.

Macro 4 to host UK IBM mainframe open day

Posted on July 29, 2013 by - Events, News

ibm-officeSoftware and services company Macro 4 is hosting an open day for the UK’s IBM mainframe users to discuss plans for the next generation of users.

The open day will be held on 26 September, 2013, for mainframe customers looking to plan strategies around the next generation of mainframe development and support staff.

Panel sessions, demonstrations, workshops, and an IBM keynote are all planned, with Peter Siddell, IBM UK Technical Specialist for CICS Tools on z/OS CICS Tools Development and Dr. Herbert Daly, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science University of Bedfordshire both speaking.

In particular, the event will focus on alternatives to the 3270 green screen interfaces – with a view to making accessing the mainframe platform easier and more intuitive, especially considering how many were brought up on Microsoft and Apple GUIs.

Macro 4 plans to show off mainframe interfaces running on Eclipse IDE, especially looking at how Eclipse can feel more ‘modern’ to the latest crop of developers and support staff, as well as providing gains in productivity and usability compared to the conventional alternatives – for existing and new mainframe users.

The event will be held at Macro 4’s Crawley HQ, a short trip from Gatwick.

Macro 4’s commercial and technical director, Jim Allum, said a key focus for development over the last few years has been providing flexible access to mainframe products, and “in general to the mainframe environment in which they operate”.