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How Granny's Finest is leveraging new technology

How Granny's Finest is leveraging new technology

My first introduction to Granny's Finest was with founder Niek van Hengel, an inspired young man.

"He makes knitting grandmas hip"

Niek told how, when he was a student, he had asked his grandmother to knit a warm shawl for him. Later, when Niek was at his grandmother's nursing home talking to another elderly lady who was knitting, he noticed her loneliness. The lady was knitting for knitting's sake. Every time she finished she would pull the knitting apart and start over.

'Unfortunately, I have no one to knit for,' said the elderly lady.

That moved Niek.
Together with his friend Jip Pulles, the idea of a "social enterprise" was born. They won many prizes and awards and their story appeals to the imagination of many. Meanwhile Granny's Finest counts 17 'knitting-clubs' in the major cities of our country. Niek told me how he uses Google and Salesforce for the organization. He uses Salesforce.org with its favorable arrangements for nonprofit organizations.

Meanwhile, g-company has adopted Granny's Finest.

We help Granny's Finest with its goals of being a healthy business that puts the well-being of the elderly first. We use Salesforce and Social Collaboration Technologies like Chatter to stimulate the social well-being of the elderly. Grannies choose themselves, for example by means of an iPad which is present at the knitting club, from the knitting kits which are on the www.grannysfinest.com website.

The knit-kit is linked to the granny so that communication with the buyer and the granny is easier.

The presence of the grannies at the knitting clubs is kept up to date and the absence of a loyal visitor is thus immediately signaled. The coordinator of the knitting club will inquire after her and in case of illness, for example, a card is written or a visit is made.

 

This granny is trying Google Glass out. This application is something for the future although the ladies thought it was a pretty cool gadget!

Curious for more?

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