Features

Features

• Experts weigh in on the future of blockchain CRM technology

  As blockchain technology makes its way into more industries, how will it affect CRM? We asked three experts what they foresee for blockchain CRM.  Continue Reading

• Consultant's 15 Salesforce certifications about more than pay

  Chris Gardner has 15 certifications and plans on getting more. While that's paying off for his bottom line, he says, they can also help give clients peace of mind.  Continue Reading

• CRM system comparison: How the 'big four' CRM providers stack up

  What differentiates the 'big four' CRM providers? Explore the advantages and disadvantages of Salesforce, Oracle, Microsoft and SAP with this CRM comparison.  Continue Reading

• How training, seven Salesforce certifications helped reboot a career

  John Coppedge became a Salesforce admin almost by accident -- and then he got laid off. Seven Salesforce certifications later, he's on a different career path.  Continue Reading

• Salesforce vs. Dynamics 365: What to look for when choosing sides

  Whether choosing between Salesforce and Dynamics 365 for an initial install or a migration from one to the other, match the pros and cons to your organizational needs.  Continue Reading

• Automation features help settle CRM migration quandary for one office

  Insightly CRM for G Suite or Salesforce? One of a manufacturing company's 72 offices takes the road less traveled.  Continue Reading

• Third-party tools can help build the right marketing tech stack

  With nearly 7,000 martech tools available, narrowing the choices to the few apps you need for marketing automation can be daunting. Here's advice from the pros.  Continue Reading

• The leading CRM tools offer a full range of functionality

  Choosing the right CRM suite requires meticulous planning, careful consideration of your organization's needs and requirements, and attention to detail.  Continue Reading

• Predictive analytics improve customer experience journey

  Azumi Mobile, a smartphone manufacturer, takes advantage of software from DeviceBits to merge AI, machine learning and predictive analytics to overhaul its customer experience journey.  Continue Reading

• Call center automation advances, but only as far as NLP can take it

  Contact center voice technologies with natural language processing improve CRM and speech analytics for better customer service, but blind spots hold up progress.  Continue Reading

• Salesforce Architect Certifications pay off for Nashville developer

  A slew of Salesforce certifications have given Doug Ayers a leg up: He earns more and reaps recognition. Learn more about his journey to become a Salesforce certified architect.  Continue Reading

• How the role of a CMO has evolved to include analytics and data

  When navigating the ever-changing marketing technology landscape, Emarsys CMO Allen Nance first asks how emerging technology can help customers.  Continue Reading

• Comparison of the top CRM platforms and marketing automation tools

  There are many CRM products to choose from, each offering a broad range of functionality. Here, we've simplified the buying process by comparing the leading CRM products.  Continue Reading

• CRM, martech stack helping customers hear Sprint now

  Sprint CMO Roger Sole shares his company's reboot story and explains how technology is radically changing his department's approach to marketing.  Continue Reading

• The science vs. the art of predictive analytics techniques

  Organizations can benefit greatly from applying predictive analytics to contact center data. Here's a look at four areas ripe for upgrades in those workflows.  Continue Reading

• Customer data mining needs a governance plan to propel sales

  The difference between traditional data governance and rules surrounding the mining of customer data is an extra layer to prevent the 'stalker effect' that turns away business.  Continue Reading

• Customer data governance policies: Stop stalking, start selling

  Customer data governance policies differ from traditional data governance in several ways. Finding that line between building trust among customers and stalking them is a start.  Continue Reading

• Salesforce partner integration enables passwordless login

  Tempe's private tech university added passwordless authentication via QR codes to ease Salesforce logins and add a layer of security.  Continue Reading

• Demandware helps Salesforce go from B2B to B2C

  Amid a flurry of acquisitions, Salesforce signaled its intention to expand customer management into retail, where e-commerce functionality from Demandware can strengthen service.  Continue Reading

• Tips for evaluating CRM platforms and marketing tools

  The right CRM platform and marketing automation tools can give your organization a boost, not just in sales and marketing, but in every area of your customer engagement strategy.  Continue Reading

• The benefits of CRM tools go beyond traditional customer engagement

  By implementing customer relationship management tools, organizations have the potential to make significant improvements in marketing efficiency, sales and customer service.  Continue Reading

• Top five benefits of speech analytics tools for contact centers

  Learn the top benefits of speech analytics technology for contact centers, and how speech analytics tools can lead to a better customer experience.  Continue Reading

• Customer relationship management tools revolutionize engagement

  Changing customer habits and technology usage spur a whole new set of customer relationship management tools that can provide faster access to information.  Continue Reading

• Einstein-Watson merger seen enhancing AI, customer sentiment analysis

  IBM's helping hand to Salesforce by sharing its Watson AI platform in the cloud can give CRM customers the best of both worlds in functionality and mining deep behavioral insights.  Continue Reading

• Businesses need to adapt to reap the benefits of AI products

  Enough data and organizational hurdles are among the reasons businesses fall short when using artificial intelligence tools in their processes.  Continue Reading

• Are businesses ready for AI applications?

  As the amount of data grows exponentially and computing power strengthens, now is the time for business applications to get a boost from artificial intelligence.  Continue Reading

• CPQ tools market gains traction in front office

  While the CPQ market is consolidating, its importance in expediting front-office processes and enhancing the customer experience is growing.  Continue Reading

• Which track on the Salesforce certifications list is right for you?

  The Salesforce certification list seems long and complicated. But it's not -- if you break it down into tracks and look at salary data for ROI on training.  Continue Reading

• What can social CRM software help your business accomplish?

  Fully understanding what social CRM software helps you accomplish is key to choosing the best platform for you. Learn what key functions you should look for in a social CRM tool.  Continue Reading

• Salesforce automation connects sales, service data for manufacturer

  Heavy equipment manufacturer Rotobec finds Salesforce Desk integration gives service staff the ability to aid sales efforts across 35 countries.  Continue Reading

• Three ways Salesforce Einstein can enhance workplace analytics

  Smart cloud analytics platforms such as Salesforce Einstein play well as flashy demos, but they can have a substantive impact on day-to-day work in the enterprise.  Continue Reading

• How to get the most out of social CRM software

  Social CRM software requires a commitment of time and money. Consider the pros and cons and ask these important questions before choosing a social CRM platform.  Continue Reading

• How analytics in marketing can transform organizations

  Marketing is second only to sales in terms of analytics application -- and it's where the odds of business success can most effectively be changed for the better.  Continue Reading

• Why you should embrace sales analytics tools

  Many sales reps still take a traditional approach to sales, and they reject sales data. But here's how sales analytics can make organizations more efficient and improve sales.  Continue Reading

• Horizontal CRM vs. vertical CRM: What do you really need?

  Cloud-based computing is making it easier to customize CRM applications for vertical industries -- but would a horizontal CRM app work just as well for you?  Continue Reading

• Choosing tools for your sales strategy plan can be challenging

  Don't let your sales reps be victims of 'paralysis of analysis' -- know what to look for when shopping for sales tools and applications.  Continue Reading

• Why you need a marketing software tools strategy

  New software alone probably won't help your organization address its marketing woes. You're going to need to develop a marketing software strategy.  Continue Reading

• Manage your content with the IBM Digital Experience WCM platform

  IBM Digital Experience is a WCM platform that offers users features for creating and managing digital content that can be optimized for viewing on a wide range of devices.  Continue Reading

• Demandbase moves account-based marketing forward

  Demandbase integrates data from multiple sources and enlists artificial intelligence to help companies identify the highest-value sales opportunities.  Continue Reading

• Social CRM software is more than just a spin on traditional CRM

  Social CRM software is more than just the latest trend in the CRM world. With it, enterprises can intimately engage with their customers and build valuable business relationships.  Continue Reading

• Navigate the challenges of location-based technologies

  Location data is used to not only provide navigation, but also to enhance customer engagement and improve marketing. But the path to success with location technologies can have bumps.  Continue Reading

• Salesforce Einstein still on its way to personalization perfection

  The artificial intelligence platform Einstein can help organizations mine data for leads and direct targeted marketing at customers. But there are some things it can't do yet.  Continue Reading

• Mastering descriptive data analysis yields better predictions

  Descriptive and predictive analytics methodologies can be mutually beneficial weapons in the battle to gain a competitive edge and convert prospects into customers.  Continue Reading

• Companies still struggle to unlock customer data analytics insight

  Companies today know they may relinquish their competitive edge without a customer data analytics strategy.  Continue Reading

• Customer insight at center of positive customer experience

  Creating a unified multichannel customer experience is a top priority, according to a recent survey. But real-time decision making from multiple sources can still be a challenge.  Continue Reading

• Accenture serves up data for all via Salesforce Wave analytics

  Accenture rolled out Wave analytics along with other Salesforce tools to 25,000 users within five months. Though the project moved quickly, it's also being done carefully.  Continue Reading

• Salesforce marketing automation makes one-to-one marketing a reality

  Salesforce marketing automation is helping companies make communications less brute force, more personalized. But there are still kinks in the chain.  Continue Reading

• CRM gets smart with artificial intelligence technologies

  Moving away from legacy CRM to cloud-based systems that can integrate big data and machine learning should be a top priority for businesses, say CRM professionals.  Continue Reading

• Mobile LBS poses challenge for companies, consumers alike

  Mobile location-based services have the potential to give companies serious consumer insight, but ethical issues abound.  Continue Reading

• Mobile location-based services teeter on ethical line

  Mobile location-based services can yield information about customers, but companies need to travel a careful line with the information they gather.  Continue Reading

• Lattice Engines enlists buying signals for strategic selling

  Gone are the days when reps wade through white noise to find prospective buyers. Lattice identifies buying signals and customers.  Continue Reading

• How to break down silos with Salesforce

  From Maryville University to Xtreme Lashes, organizations are trying to get beyond data islands to better serve customers.  Continue Reading

• Conversica cloud AI software tackles sales leads

  The artificial intelligence assistant from Conversica helps sales representatives initiate leads, follow up with potential customers and focus on closing deals.  Continue Reading

• Tactics for fixing the sales funnel and finding ROI

  If the sales funnel at your organization is lackluster, here are some insights into how predictive analytics can help you achieve a return on investment.  Continue Reading

• Mobile, social CRM table stakes for customer engagement strategy

  Mobile and social CRM have reshaped the customer experience, creating two-way conversations and multichannel endeavors.  Continue Reading

• The pros and cons of Salesforce Sales Cloud

  Sales Cloud targets sales reps focused on action, not details. While the app has dominated CRM, there are some areas of needed improvement, such as mobile.  Continue Reading

• Predictive marketing tools trump old-fashioned gut feel

  As customer data volumes grow, more marketers rely on predictive analytics software to zero in on their highest value customers, and it's working -- in spades.  Continue Reading

• Is user adoption of Salesforce Analytics Cloud the next wave?

  Salesforce Wave filled an analytics void when it was released -- but there are caveats. Learn more about the benefits and challenges of moving to Salesforce Analytics Cloud.  Continue Reading

• Mobile consumer behavior reshaping digital commerce

  Mobile consumers will account for nearly half of all e-commerce transactions in a couple of years. Find out what sets them apart from traditional digital e-commerce users.  Continue Reading

• How marketers are reining in the sales funnel process

  The sales process, captured by the sales funnel, is no longer as linear as it once was. How can marketing teams use sales funnel management to gain control of the customer journey?  Continue Reading

• Is account-based marketing right for your company?

  Account-based marketing, a term with hype in the industry, promises to coordinate marketing across an entire account to increase sales success. But is it right for your company?  Continue Reading

• Determining the best CRM software for your organization

  Whether you're a large enterprise or an SMB, we've narrowed your search for the best CRM software by comparing both on-premises and SaaS offerings from the top 11 vendors.  Continue Reading

• Customer communities aren't credible without legwork

  Customer communities can't be credible sources of customer support if companies don't do the up-front work to make the information authoritative.  Continue Reading

• Examining the platforms available in the Oracle CX Cloud

  The Oracle CX Cloud provides large enterprises with platforms that offer customer engagement tools to support and enhance their sales, marketing and customer interaction needs.  Continue Reading

• Examining the SAP CEC suite

  The SAP CEC suite of platforms provides large enterprises with omnichannel customer engagement tools to support and enhance their sales, marketing and customer interaction needs.  Continue Reading

• What to expect in the Act-On marketing automation platform

  The Act-On marketing automation platform provides SMBs with a number of tools to help them reach their sales and marketing goals, and enhance their customer engagement strategy.  Continue Reading

• Zendesk customer service software expands client support

  Zendesk customer service software provides users with tools to help manage and improve their customer engagement strategies and customer support services goals.  Continue Reading

• What to expect from the Salesforce Sales Cloud platform

  Salesforce Sales Cloud is a CRM platform featuring a number of sales and CRM tools, which help businesses of all sizes manage their B2B and B2C engagement and sales strategies.  Continue Reading

• LBS powers personalized intranet design

  Frustrated by its needle-in-a-haystack approach to locating pertinent corporate info, Citrix geared its intranet to specific employee needs worldwide.  Continue Reading

• Cubs merch store homers with location-based mobile marketing

  Sports World Chicago got a boost by targeting a captive audience of potential merchandise buyers near Wrigley Field.  Continue Reading

• Location-based apps hit the streets, the seats and everywhere else

  New technologies are helping companies reach customers more effectively by targeting constituents' locations alongside other customer data. But it's still the early days for location-based services.  Continue Reading

• What to expect from the HubSpot CRM platform

  HubSpot CRM is a free platform aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses that offers both basic and enhanced CRM tools to customer relations teams.  Continue Reading

• Customer data silos continue to hobble the omnichannel experience

  The omnichannel mandate of creating a seamless omnichannel experience for customers regardless of whether they're online or in-store remains a distant goal for enterprises.  Continue Reading

• Considerations for buying the right CRM tool

  By identifying your must-have features, you can select the right CRM tool you'll need in order to build your customer engagement strategy.  Continue Reading

• What to expect from Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015

  Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 is a CRM platform that can be used by businesses of all sizes to manage all aspects of their B2B and B2C engagement strategies.  Continue Reading

• Salesforce Lightning strikes with app development for business users

  When Salesforce rolled out its development platform, Salesforce Lightning, it showed promise. But what are the real-world applications of it today?  Continue Reading

• Cloud-based CRM enters new territory for Salesforce partners

  Channel partners are pursuing increasingly sophisticated Salesforce implementation projects, helping customers integrate and optimize complex systems.  Continue Reading

• Zoho CRM platform overview

  Zoho's cloud-based CRM platform helps businesses manage the key aspects of their customer engagement strategies.  Continue Reading

• Adobe Marketing Cloud CRM platform overview

  Adobe's CRM platform, Marketing Cloud, aims to help users drive and manage the sales, marketing and customer support facets of their business.  Continue Reading

• What to expect in the Sugar CRM platform

  Sugar, the latest CRM platform from SugarCRM, marries B2B and B2C engagement strategies using a single appliance.  Continue Reading

• Making CRM part of your customer engagement strategy

  One of the best ways to justify the purchase of CRM software is to explore how other organizations use it in their customer engagement strategies.  Continue Reading

• Mobile, multichannel are key CRM trends

  Multichannel strategies and mobile technologies were just a few of the CRM topics that weighed heavily on the decisions of companies over the past year.  Continue Reading

• What to expect in the Infusionsoft CRM platform

  Infusionsoft's CRM platform helps small businesses manage the key aspects of their B2B and B2C customer engagement strategies.  Continue Reading

• Using the secret sauce of mobile location-based services

  Location-based services offer a powerful new way to deepen customer loyalty and up-sell to consumers. But companies still have a distance to travel with LBS.  Continue Reading

• Cloud-based marketing tools need integration to work

  When companies don't integrate their cloud-based marketing tools, customer data can easily become out-of-date and out-of-sync among various systems.  Continue Reading

• Improving customer engagement strategies with CRM tools

  There are several different types of CRM tools that can be used to improve your customer engagement strategies.  Continue Reading

• Don't get tangled in marketing metrics

  Marketers can get too caught up in measuring everything. They need to find the right KPIs to track performance and drive revenue.  Continue Reading

• Sales is still about data standardization

  Sales practices at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt were all over the place just a few years ago. But unifying teams and digitizing processes helped the publisher gain visibility into customer data.  Continue Reading

• Who will buy? Data-driven sales teams aim to know

  A handful of companies are giving reps analytics tools to chase down promising leads, diagnose sales performance and forecast business opportunities.  Continue Reading

• Ten leadership tips for contact center managers

  A contact center manager shares guidelines of how fellow leaders can get the most out of their agents when inheriting or 'rebooting' a center.  Continue Reading

• Customer personalization brings intelligence to sales and marketing

  Generic messages to customers and prospects are losing their effectiveness. Today, tailoring interactions to individuals is crucial to make the sale.  Continue Reading

• Omnichannel customer experience doomed without clear goals

  Companies miss the boat in building an omnichannel customer experience if they focus first on technology. They need to start with business objectives.  Continue Reading

• Enterprises see the light on marrying front- and back-office systems

  Marrying front- and back-office data is becoming increasingly important to all sorts of business operations.  Continue Reading

• Mobile payment technologies met with interest -- and caution

  While mobile payment systems have piqued the public's interest, a fragmented market and a cautious consumer base have constrained adoption.  Continue Reading

• Why CRM data silos hobble a 360-degree customer view

  For companies trying to serve customers in multiple channels and get a full picture of customers, data silos can get in the way.  Continue Reading

• Security is a sticking point for mobile payment adoption

  Companies jumping on the mobile payment bandwagon need to tread carefully as consumers are still skeptical about the security of their data.  Continue Reading

• Best practices for upgrading contact center technology

  Various contact center technologies and strategies can help your company run more efficiently and enhance the customer experience.”  Continue Reading

• Contact center knowledge management gives agents clickable intel

  Contact center agents are supposed to help customers with issue resolution. But that's tough when agents lack good working knowledge of products.  Continue Reading

• Multimedia-based multichannel CRM still faces uphill battle

  Today's customer service requires that companies use the channels customers prefer. But customers still eye new channels like video chat suspiciously.  Continue Reading

• Can online self-service make contact centers more efficient?

  Companies can use online self-service tools to ease the burden on contact center agents. But phone calls are still critical to multichannel service.  Continue Reading