Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

• Should we cross-sell to customers during a welcome call?

  Should call center agents cross-sell to customers during a welcome call, or do they run the risk of losing customer trust? Find out in this expert tip from Don Peppers.  Continue Reading

• Creating customer loyalty reward programs that encourage future buying

  Expert Don Peppers gives tips for creating customer loyalty programs that encourage customers to buy more in the future.  Continue Reading

• How should a B2B company build customer value and customer trust?

  According to Don Peppers, B2B organizations should keep these seven principles in mind when creating customer value and building trust with B2B customers.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft eLearning courses for Dynamics CRM training

  Learn about Microsoft's eLearning options for users looking to get trained in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 in this expert tip.  Continue Reading

• Linking Microsoft Outlook contacts to Dynamics CRM

  Expert Richard Smith explains how users can link their Outlook contacts to CRM in just a few steps.  Continue Reading

• Developing a call center metrics strategy to reward call center agent performance

  Rewarding call center agent performance can really boost morale in the call center. In this expert tip, Lori Bocklund explains how a call center metrics strategy can be used to measure and reward call center agent performance.  Continue Reading

• Using call center quality metrics to measure email, chat and phone interactions

  Expert Lori Bocklund explains which call center quality metrics should be used to measure customer interactions in a mutli-channel call center.  Continue Reading

• SaaS CRM implementation best practices

  Implementing SaaS CRM comes with its share of challenges. Expert Bill Band discusses a few best practices organizations can utilize in this tip.  Continue Reading

• Customer life cycle management best practices

  Businesses need to find ways to fit themselves into their customer's life cycles, says Martha Rogers. Martha gives tips for adapting an organization's business model to match a customer's life cycle in this expert tip.  Continue Reading

• Is offering a price discount a good way to build customer worth?

  Many companies offer price discounts to as a way of luring customers to buy their products or services, but is a price discount useful for building long-term customer worth? Find out in this expert tip.  Continue Reading

• Customer lifetime value vs. current value

  Expert Martha Rogers explains why businesses need to focus on the lifetime value of a customer, not the value of the current transaction.  Continue Reading

• Does Oracle CRM integrate best with other Oracle applications?

  Expert Bill Band discusses integrating Oracle CRM products with other Oracle applications in this tip.  Continue Reading

• Finding remote call center agent jobs and opportunities

  In this expert answer, Donna Fluss gives tips for finding remote call center agent jobs and lists 16 things people should do to prepare for a job as a remote call center agent.  Continue Reading

• The chief customer officer and the customer experience

  Organizations everywhere are hiring chief customer officers to lead their customer experience initiatives. Expert Lior Arussy explains the role of a chief customer officer in this expert tip.  Continue Reading

• Training call center agents using bad customer service experiences

  Expert Lior Arussy explains whether or not call center managers should train their agents by using examples of bad customer experiences in this expert answer.  Continue Reading

• How can a call center offshore outsourcing firm attract new clients?

  It's difficult for call center outsourcing firms to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Donna Fluss gives tips for call center outsourcers looking to attract new business in this expert tip.  Continue Reading

• Can interactive voice response systems recognize abandoned calls?

  Learn how to use your interactive voice response system to get metrics on abandoned calls in this expert tip.  Continue Reading

• Measuring chat session average handle time (AHT)

  It is possible to measure average handle time (AHT) for online chat sessions, says Lori Bocklund. Lori explains how to go about measuring AHT online in this expert tip.  Continue Reading

• Sales tips and techniques for building customer trust

  Don Peppers gives some tips for developing personal selling skills and using them during face-to-face interactions with customers.  Continue Reading

• Two main factors to building trust with customers

  Don Peppers explains the two factors that influence a customer's trust in a company.  Continue Reading

• Do outsourced call center agents negatively impact customer trust?

  Don Peppers discusses whether or not outsourced call center agents negatively impact customer trust in this expert response.  Continue Reading

• Volume metrics vs. call center performance metrics

  Not sure if you should use volume metrics or performance metrics in the call center? Lori Bocklund discusses which type is best in this expert tip.  Continue Reading

• CRM failure: The top six reasons CRM programs fail

  Lior Arussy gives the top six reasons CRM programs fail in this expert tip.  Continue Reading

• How do cross-selling and up-selling impact customer satisfaction?

  Cross-selling and up-selling are great ways to build customer profitability, but how do they impact customer satisfaction? Martha Rogers gives tips for up-selling in this expert tip.  Continue Reading

• Treating customers as individuals in the call center

  Expert Martha Rogers explains how one company is making it a practice to treat every customer as an individual.  Continue Reading

• Measuring individual employee performance in the call center

  Expert Lori Bocklund gives tips for measuring individual employee performance in the call center in order to meet targeted service levels.  Continue Reading

• Using the SAP CRM Internet sales feature in CRM 2007

  Expert Srini Katta explains how SAP CRM's Internet sales functionality has been modified in SAP CRM 2007.  Continue Reading

• The advantages of Microsoft CRM Online: Support, flexibility and cost

  In this expert tip, Richard Smith discusses the standout features in Microsoft CRM Online and explains how Microsoft is directly competing with Salesforce.com  Continue Reading

• Oracle acquisitions: Is Oracle interested in Salesforce.com?

  Expert Bill Band discusses Oracle's place in the SaaS CRM market and whether or not the software giant is looking to acquire Salesforce.com.  Continue Reading

• Oracle CRM On Demand: Improvements and Web 2.0 functionality

  Learn about the new usability, productivity and social networking features in Oracle CRM On Demand.  Continue Reading

• Call center rules and regulations: Why are they so strict?

  Learn the purpose of call center rules and regulations in this tip from Donna Fluss, including how and why call center managers control the number of scheduled agents according to the forecasted call volume, using workforce management (WFM) ...  Continue Reading

• What does Salesforce.com's partnership with Google mean for SaaS CRM?

  Expert Denis Pombriant explains how Salesforce.com's partnership with Google will affect the SaaS CRM market and Salesforce.com's competition.  Continue Reading

• Identifying customer needs to create customer value

  Understanding and identifying customer needs is a complex but necessary process for creating value for your company. Expert Don Peppers gives tips for understanding and acting on customer needs in the expert response.  Continue Reading

• Customer complaints handling in the call center

  Expert Don Peppers suggests three books call center managers can use to train agents on customer complaints handling in the call center.  Continue Reading

• Tracking consumer purchase behavior with third-party data

  Get tips for understanding and tracking customer buying behavior in this expert Q&A with Don Peppers.  Continue Reading

• Customer complaint handling and resolution policies

  Expert Don Peppers urges businesses to adopt formal customer compalint handling and resolution policies and work to uncover unvoiced customer complaints.  Continue Reading

• What CRM architecture is similar to Vantive software?

  Expert Paul Greenberg answers a reader's question about migrating to a CRM architecture that is similar to Vantive software.  Continue Reading

• How to select the right CRM system

  Selecting the right CRM solution for your business requires extensive planning and evaulation. Expert Paul Greenberg discusses some of the information businesses should know before they select a CRM system.  Continue Reading

• Phone sales techniques: Keeping customers on the line

  Many outbound call center agents struggle with keeping customers on the phone. Donna Fluss explains some phone sales techniques in this expert Q&A.  Continue Reading

• Managing call routing technology in the call center

  Expert Lori Bocklund gives best practices for managing call routing in the call center and explains how to develop a call routing strategy.  Continue Reading

• What's the best ratio of employees to supervisor in the call center?

  Lori Bocklund discusses the best ratio of employees to supervisor in a large call center.  Continue Reading

• How to win back customers and regain customer trust

  Winning back lost customers isn't easy. Martha Rogers explains how to win back customers in B2C and B2B settings.  Continue Reading

• Increasing shareholder value through customers

  Expert Martha Rogers emphasizes the importance of building shareholder value through customer trust and customer loyalty.  Continue Reading

• Converting and linking leads in Microsoft Dynamics CRM

  Expert Richard Smith explains the process of converting and linking leads in Microsoft Dynamics CRM.  Continue Reading

• Technology requirements for a Dynamics CRM installation

  Expert Richard Smith discusses the key technologies required for a Dynamics CRM installation.  Continue Reading

• Why do call centers use courtesy calls?

  Learn the three types of courtesy calls and why call centers use them in this expert response.  Continue Reading

• Call center seating: Keeping track of vacant workstations

  Donna Fluss names two vendors who provide software solutions for tracking and managing workstation utilization in the call center.  Continue Reading

• How does SAP CRM integrate with SAP ERP?

  Expert Srini Katta discusses integration between SAP CRM and SAP ERP.  Continue Reading

• SAP CRM 2007: Usability and new features

  SAP CRM 2007's new user interface (UI) is discussed in this expert response.  Continue Reading

• Defining and delivering a great customer experience

  Defining what a great customer experience is for your customers is no easy task. Lior Arussy gives tips for delivering valuable and profitable customer experiences.  Continue Reading

• Monitoring the customer experience in the call center

  Expert Lior Arussy explains why call centers cannot measure customer experiences in real time.  Continue Reading

• When is call blocking acceptable in the call center?

  Expert Lori Bocklund explains when call blocking is acceptable and gives examples of how some call centers use blocking.  Continue Reading

• What factors impact call center average handle time?

  Expert Lori Bocklund explains why call centers need to adjust handling times depending on the time of day, week or year.  Continue Reading

• Call center forecasting: How can we predict call volume?

  In this expert resonse, Lori Bocklund gives tips for predicting call volume in a new call center.  Continue Reading

• Tips for starting a home-based call center

  Expert Donna Fluss gives tips for starting a home-based call center and managing remote call center agents.  Continue Reading

• Is CMO turnover related to a lack of interest in long-term customer value?

  Should CMOs focus on long-term customer value? Don Peppers discusses CMO turnover and customer value in this expert response.  Continue Reading

• How do we recognize the value of customers with growth potential?

  Expert Don Peppers gives tips for recognizing the value of customers with growth potential.  Continue Reading

• Customer value and successful marketing: How are marketing trends changing?

  Expert Don Peppers discusses the impact customer value has on marketing efforts.  Continue Reading

• How can we motivate our call center agents to up-sell?

  Get tips for training call center agents to up-sell and cross-sell in this expert response.  Continue Reading

• Training for quality assurance analysts: What topics should we cover?

  Expert Donna Fluss answers a question about training for quality assurance analysts and gives tips for topics to cover.  Continue Reading

• Service level in the call center: How does it impact utilization and costs?

  Expert Lori Bocklund explains sevice level in the call center and its effect on utilization and costs.  Continue Reading

• Why do we look at the annual attrition rate in the call center?

  Learn the value of looking at monthly and annual attrition rates in this expert response.  Continue Reading

• What are the basic needs of customers?

  Lior Arussy explains the basic needs of customers in this expert response.  Continue Reading

• Becoming a Siebel partner: What are the benefits?

  Learn the benefits of becoming a Siebel partner in this expert response.  Continue Reading

• Running a customer loyalty program in an indirect sales channel

  Expert Michael Lowenstein answers a question about running a customer loyalty program in an indirect sales channel.  Continue Reading

• Coalition loyalty programs: How can SMBs benefit?

  Expert Michael Lowenstein explains coalition loyalty programs and how SMBs can benefit from them.  Continue Reading

• Customer worth and customer lifetime value: What's the difference?

  Expert Martha Rogers defines customer worth and customer lifetime value and explains how they are different.  Continue Reading

• How to alert call center agents when high-value customers call

  Expert Martha Rogers gives tips for alerting call center agents when high-value customers call.  Continue Reading

• Measuring customer worth in the financial services industry

  Experts Peppers and Rogers discuss how some financial services companies are measuring and predicting customer worth.  Continue Reading

• Lowering average handle time for the help desk

  In this expert response, Donna Fluss explains how to streamline the communication process between call center agents and the help desk.  Continue Reading

• Tips for ensuring high quality and productivity without burning out call center agents

  Expert Donna Fluss gives tips for achieving high productivity from call center agents while keeping them satisfied and motivated.  Continue Reading

• Where can I find an independent CRM consultant?

  Expert Paul Greenberg reveals the best places to find an independent CRM consultant.  Continue Reading

• Choosing a CRM product: Does the industry and type of business matter?

  Making a CRM software decision? Learn how the industry and type of business you are in can affect your decision in this expert response.  Continue Reading

• Multi-language deployments of Microsoft CRM

  Microsoft CRM expert Richard Smith discusses Microsoft CRM's multi-language capabilities in this expert response.  Continue Reading

• How does Microsoft CRM 4.0 integrate with Microsoft Office?

  Expert Richard Smith lists the Microsoft Office integration enhancements in Microsoft CRM 4.0.  Continue Reading

• When opening a 24-hour call center, how should we handle scheduling?

  Expert Donna Fluss discusses how to handle scheduling and shift creation when opening a 24-hour call center.  Continue Reading

• Call monitoring best practices: Is there any industry standard?

  Learn the best approach to monitoring call center agent's calls with expert Lori Bocklund.  Continue Reading

• Preparing for help desk consolidation: What metrics should we use?

  Expert Lori Bocklund explains how to prepare for help desk consolidation using key call center metrics.  Continue Reading

• Is calculating average speed of answer the same as average speed of delay?

  Expert Lori Bocklund discusses average speed of answer (ASA) and how it can be measured.  Continue Reading

• How to increase market share and maintain customer trust

  Experts Don Peppers and Martha Rogers give tips for increasing market share while maintaining customer trust and putting out high quality products and services.  Continue Reading

• Where can I find SAP CRM technical resources?

  Expert Srinivasa Katta gives tips on where to find technical information on SAP CRM.  Continue Reading

• How can our employees engage customers emotionally?

  Experts Don Peppers and Martha Rogers give tips on how to get customer service representatives to engage customers emotionally.  Continue Reading

• Customer lifetime value in the entertainment industry

  Experts Don Peppers and Martha Rogers explain how to calculate customer lifetime value (CLV) in the entertainment industry.  Continue Reading

• Are there call recording tools for monitoring remote agents?

  Expert Donna Fluss gives an overview of the technology available to monitor, coach and support remote call center agents.  Continue Reading

• Quality monitoring in the call center: What to measure

  Expert Donna Fluss gives advice on what to focus on when conducting a quality monitoring review in the call center.  Continue Reading

• Best practices for hiring call center agents

  Expert Donna Fluss gives tips for call center managers looking to streamline the hiring process in the call center.  Continue Reading

• Are there security risks associated with SaaS CRM?

  Expert Denis Pombriant discusses some of the security risks associated with SaaS CRM.  Continue Reading

• Estimating Microsoft CRM customization or configuration costs

  Expert Richard Smith gives tips for estimating the cost of a Microsoft CRM customization.  Continue Reading

• Is Microsoft Retail Management System (RMS) integrated with Dynamics CRM?

  Expert Richard Smith discusses whether or not RMS interfaces with Dynamics CRM.  Continue Reading

• The unsatisfied customer: How to turn a bad situation into a great one

  Expert Martha Rogers gives advice on approaching an unsatisfied customer and preventing the situation altogether.  Continue Reading

• How to write a customer satisfaction survey: What questions to ask

  Expert Martha Rogers gives advice on creating a customer satisfaction survey that will capture your customer's true feelings.  Continue Reading

• How would you define the perfect customer experience?

  Expert Martha Rogers gives examples of excellent customer experiences and advises companies to show they care about their customers.  Continue Reading

• Building a call center: Where do I start?

  Expert Lori Bocklund gives advice on building out a call center for a small business.  Continue Reading

• How to calculate service levels in call center settings

  Expert Lori Bocklund discusses factors that impact service levels in a call center.  Continue Reading

• How to calculate staffing needs for a new call center

  Expert Lori Bocklund details what to consider when calculating staffing needs for a new call center.  Continue Reading

• CEM software: How does it compare to CRM software?

  Expert Lior Arussy explains the difference between CRM and CEM systems and gives tips on how to determine which is right for your business.  Continue Reading

• How are current trends affecting marketing strategies?

  Expert Lior Arussy discusses how businesses are adapting their marketing strategies to meet their customer's changing expectations.  Continue Reading

• Are B2B loyalty programs useful?

  Expert Michael Lowenstein discusses B2B loyalty programs and their effectiveness.  Continue Reading

• Tips for migrating from Salesforce.com to Microsoft CRM

  When migrating from Salesforce.com to Microsoft CRM, it is important to consider data cleansing and conversion, application configuration, customization and reporting.  Continue Reading

• What's the difference between NPV and IRR?

  Looking for a definition of IRR and ROI? Read advice from ROI expert Tom Pisello on how these two different metrics can be used to measure ROI for a CRM project.  Continue Reading