News

News

• September 20, 2018 20 Sep'18

  New HubSpot products strategy, CMS updates from Inbound

  At Inbound 2018, HubSpot unveiled a new enterprise product line. It also introduced the flywheel, a circular metaphor for the customer relationship with sales, marketing and service.

• September 19, 2018 19 Sep'18

  Microsoft Dynamics 365 AI going hard after Salesforce

  Microsoft hammers Salesforce by launching low-code, AI-based virtual agents for customer service. Also: New tools for sales and marketing add automated insights to Dynamics 365.

• September 18, 2018 18 Sep'18

  Dreamforce brings Salesforce products upgrades

  More than 150,000 attendees are expected at Dreamforce in San Francisco, where Salesforce will show how recent acquisitions fit into its product platform.

• September 14, 2018 14 Sep'18

  Adobe acquisition of Marketo could shake up industry

  Adobe looking to acquire Marketo could also be a ploy to incite a bidding war for Marketo from its holding company, Vista Equity, according to an analyst.

• September 07, 2018 07 Sep'18

  HubSpot products expand reach into enterprise

  HubSpot's VP of products details the newest HubSpot enterprise-level offerings, as well as HubSpot's new video tool. Also: A glimpse of what's on the future roadmap.

• Sponsored News

  • How to build an agile support team

    Sponsored by Zendesk - With the world changing at lightning speed, agile support teams are finding ways to quickly adapt to the changing needs of their customers and their agents. See More

  • Agility starts with self-service

    Sponsored by Zendesk - Agile companies are pouring resources into online health centers, and with good reason. Anticipating and answering your customers’ most common questions helps to tame spiking tickets when teams are inundated or when staffing levels are low. More than 60 percent of agile companies (those who have kept resolution times stable, despite a surge in tickets) in our Zendesk Benchmark dataset have added new articles in recent months, while 15 percent have increased their staffing to ensure that content reflects the changing needs of their customer base. See More

  • Prioritizing fast responses with live channels

    Sponsored by Zendesk - There’s no magic formula for agility. What works for your team (and your customers!), may not work for everyone else. But for teams that have continued to respond to customers just as quickly as they did before the pandemic, one clear strategy has emerged: agile companies are prioritizing speed above all else. And they’re using live channels to do so. See More

  • Customers are turning to messaging. Why aren’t agile companies doing the same?

    Sponsored by Zendesk - If 2020 had a breakout star, messaging would be it. Usage of channels like WhatsApp and SMS (text) has grown faster than any other this year. And increasingly, customers are signaling that they want the convenience and familiarity of channels they already use in their personal lives. See More

  View All Sponsored News
• September 06, 2018 06 Sep'18

  HubSpot enterprise edition unveiled

  In addition to releasing enterprise-level systems, HubSpot unveiled a CMS tool for companies to build and customize websites, and a video tool to help create content.

• August 29, 2018 29 Aug'18

  Add web content personalization to your marketing strategy

  Josh Mueller, global head of marketing at Dun & Bradstreet, talks about how quality data drives innovative marketing solutions such as web content personalization and AI chatbots.

• August 21, 2018 21 Aug'18

  HubSpot Conversations adds chatbots, collaborative inbox

  HubSpot sales, marketing and service hubs get new features with Conversations, previewed last year and going live this month.

• August 15, 2018 15 Aug'18

  LinkedIn Sales Navigator refresh adds deals pipeline

  LinkedIn overhauls Sales Navigator with deals management, Adobe Sign and Office 365 integrations, new search tools and mobile deal pages and direct connection to product team.

• August 13, 2018 13 Aug'18

  Revenue ops main theme at Ramp by InsightSquared conference

  Beyond recapping the Ramp by InsightSquared conference and some of the keynote speakers, the Pipeline podcast looks back at other favorite guest speakers at conferences.

• August 10, 2018 10 Aug'18

  Microsoft Dynamics 365 updates add AI features to CRM

  Microsoft has introduced new updates to its Dynamics 365 CRM platform, including AI-driven business intelligence tools for sales, marketing and service.

• August 07, 2018 07 Aug'18

  InsightSquared unveils marketing analytics tools

  At Ramp 2018, marketing technology vendor InsightSquared unveiled new software modules for gauging the effectiveness of marketing and sales efforts.

• August 03, 2018 03 Aug'18

  Google Contact Center AI makes early inroads in industry

  Prospective users are already interested in Google's recently unveiled Contact Center AI system, and Google partners are avidly trying to sell it. But some in industry urge caution

• July 26, 2018 26 Jul'18

  OpenText-Salesforce integration gaining momentum

  An Australian life insurance company, given an opportunity to start anew with IT, chooses Salesforce as interface to deep OpenText content repository.

• July 20, 2018 20 Jul'18

  Salesforce Datorama acquisition to bolster Marketing Cloud

  Salesforce continues piecing together its Marketing Cloud -- this time with the $800 million acquisition of Datorama, an AI marketing software company.

• July 18, 2018 18 Jul'18

  Salesforce's Marc Benioff calls for a national privacy law

  After Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff's call for a national data privacy law, Salesforce's chief privacy officer responds to questions about the Salesforce privacy stance.

• June 27, 2018 27 Jun'18

  AppExchange in Salesforce a slam-dunk for Detroit Pistons' workflow

  The Detroit Pistons needed help getting the most out of Salesforce, so they turned to AppExchange -- although the abundance of choices is sometimes a challenge.

• June 26, 2018 26 Jun'18

  SAP C/4HANA, Pega Infinity ramp up the CRM market

  The Pipeline podcast duo discusses the CRM market after the unveiling of Pega Infinity and SAP C/4HANA, as well as technology news from Uber about detecting drunk passengers.

• June 21, 2018 21 Jun'18

  Banking blockchain part of Pega Infinity platform reboot

  This Pipeline podcast features a not-so-serious Q&A with Pegasystems CMO Tom Libretto covering Journey albums, blockchain hype and what happens at a user conference.

• June 20, 2018 20 Jun'18

  Adobe-Microsoft partnership adds key integrations

  Adobe brings its Document Cloud to Microsoft Office 365 and Dynamics 365, making it easier for licensees of both to quickly convert files into PDFs and into Acrobat.

• June 19, 2018 19 Jun'18

  Data migration software coming for SAP CRM

  At Sapphire Now, SAP unveiled C/4HANA, a suite of applications that brings together ERP and CRM. To make it easier to switch, migration tools can be added to the suite.

• June 13, 2018 13 Jun'18

  Salesforce Interaction Studio unveiled at Connections 2018

  At Salesforce Connections, Salesforce builds off its Google partnership announced at Dreamforce by releasing new integrations between Marketing Cloud and Google Analytics 360.

• June 07, 2018 07 Jun'18

  SAP e-commerce extends to Azure, other new features added

  Artificial Christmas tree manufacturer Balsam Brands uses Hybris to expand internationally, allowing for dynamic pricing and product catalogs, depending on the country.

• June 04, 2018 04 Jun'18

  Pega Infinity upgrades include marketing AI tools, blockchain support

  Pega Infinity adds new digital transformation tools for low-code app development, bot libraries and AI that can optimize apps and assist with marketing campaigns.

• June 01, 2018 01 Jun'18

  Call center artificial intelligence trends drive chat, decision-making

  ICMI's Brad Cleveland has seen call centers integrate email, chat, IVR -- automated FAQ answering -- and social media. None reduced call volume. Chatbot tech may bring similar results.

• May 29, 2018 29 May'18

  Call center chatbots draw skepticism from leaders

  Call centers must live up to demanding quality and performance standards. Until artificial intelligence chatbots can meet those expectations, they don't stand a chance.

• May 23, 2018 23 May'18

  Adobe acquisition of Magento puts Salesforce in its sights

  Adobe looks to challenge Salesforce by adding e-commerce capabilities into its CX suite of products, just months after Salesforce doubled down on e-commerce with CloudCraze purchase.

• May 18, 2018 18 May'18

  Customer behavior analytics brings marketing, analytics together

  If you want better, more timely access to customers, consider customer behavior analytics, which is driven by the combination of marketing and data analytics.

• May 15, 2018 15 May'18

  HubSpot customer service tool Service Hub aims to transform SMBs

  HubSpot's Service Hub, the new customer service product, aims at helping small and medium businesses complete the view of the customer, combined with the company's sales and marketing products.

• May 14, 2018 14 May'18

  Recapping Oracle Modern CX: CX execs share challenges

  What's on the minds of customer experience execs right now? This Pipeline podcast breaks down grumblings and rumblings from Oracle's Modern CX show.

• May 10, 2018 10 May'18

  Clari AI for sales helps to enhance Salesforce

  One company found that when using a variety of different vendors, a third-party AI product was more beneficial than a core vendor's AI offering.

• April 23, 2018 23 Apr'18

  What Salesforce's CloudCraze acquisition means for customers

  CloudCraze president calls the acquisition by Salesforce 'a huge win' for its customers and for Commerce Cloud customers, with the capability of selling B2C and B2B on one platform.

• April 19, 2018 19 Apr'18

  Salesforce Field Service Lightning gets appointment, scheduling upgrades

  While the new Field Service Lightning features will help Salesforce users connect customers to their service needs, it lacks any of that Einstein touch of other Salesforce products.

• April 13, 2018 13 Apr'18

  Measure your digital marketing ROI, keep your job

  Oracle customers weigh in on executive's hypothesis that analytics can now prove ROI of the martech stack -- or soon will -- and make marketing a revenue center just like sales.

• April 12, 2018 12 Apr'18

  Salesforce World Tour Boston talks Integration Cloud, Social Studio

  Salesforce World Tour sessions included dives into Philanthropy Cloud, integrated surveys and Salesforce's new Integration Cloud.

• April 10, 2018 10 Apr'18

  Oracle CX Cloud adds AI tools for B2C, B2B customers

  Oracle announces infusion of its Adaptive Intelligent apps into several CX Cloud products and promises more to come, with sales, marketing and service all getting upgrades.

• April 09, 2018 09 Apr'18

  Importance of customer experience highlighted at Adobe Summit

  The Pipeline podcast looks back at the Adobe Summit and the conference's main themes. Listen in as our team discusses how the NFL uses Adobe to better personalize customer campaigns.

• April 06, 2018 06 Apr'18

  Using Salesforce Social Studio, Harvard saw power of social media

  By looking at its social media data with Salesforce, Harvard Graduate School of Education saw more than 65% of article traffic generated through social media.

• April 06, 2018 06 Apr'18

  Adobe DMP a touchdown for NFL's data-driven marketing strategy

  Heading into the 2017 season, the NFL made a concentrated effort to better understand its data and its audience. It turned to data governance and Adobe Audience Manager.

• March 30, 2018 30 Mar'18

  Customer personalization takes center stage for 24 Hour Fitness

  When it came time to engage more effectively with customers, 24 Hour Fitness looked to industry leaders in customer personalization for inspiration.

• March 28, 2018 28 Mar'18

  Adobe Experience Cloud to aid company digital transformation

  Products are no longer the focus, according to Adobe. The customer experience is where it's at -- and Coca-Cola agrees, as the company executes its digital transformation process.

• March 23, 2018 23 Mar'18

  Salesforce acquisitions reach new heights with MuleSoft purchase

  The intrepid Pipeline podcasters break down the MuleSoft acquisition, which enables hybrid cloud/on-premises CRM. Also: Salesforce Essentials replaces Desk.com and SalesforceIQ.

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  Salesforce-MuleSoft deal focuses on data integration

  Beyond producing a hybrid cloud product with its new Integration Cloud, Salesforce now has capabilities for customers to build microservices with MuleSoft's technology.

• March 16, 2018 16 Mar'18

  Salesforce small business tools get major refresh

  Emphasizing the 'S' in 'SMB,' Salesforce goes after companies with 20 employees or less with Salesforce Essentials -- with hooks into Trailhead's free training.

• March 15, 2018 15 Mar'18

  Salesforce e-commerce gets B2B boost with CloudCraze purchase

  To improve its e-commerce offerings, the CRM company bought B2B commerce product CloudCraze for an undisclosed amount. The purchase will add B2B functionality.

• March 07, 2018 07 Mar'18

  How a millennial workforce benefits sales teams, CRM

  Millennials bring more than just their iPhones to the conference table. Here's why you need to stop dumping on your millennial sales force and embrace their tech-savvy ways.

• March 06, 2018 06 Mar'18

  Why improving social media customer service is important

  By having a social media strategy in place, companies can quickly respond to customers' concerns through social media.

• March 02, 2018 02 Mar'18

  When selling on social media, marketers weigh chatbots vs. humans

  Marketers interested in social selling need to weigh whether to use chatbots or deploy actual customer service agents. The decision depends on a number of variables.

• February 28, 2018 28 Feb'18

  IT Priorities survey: CRM trends indicate move to the cloud

  Hybrid cloud and on-premises IT should remain the norm for years. But more respondents to TechTarget's late 2017 survey indicate more cloud CRM and social media monitoring.

• February 28, 2018 28 Feb'18

  Salesforce certification salary data: Admin, dev in demand

  The 2018 Mason Frank International Salesforce Salary Survey's bumper sticker: The talent's holding the cards as employers increase bids for their services.

• February 05, 2018 05 Feb'18

  Salesforce buys Attic Labs, adding to Quip capabilities

  Quip receives back-end capabilities with open source database after Salesforce purchase of Attic Labs.

• January 23, 2018 23 Jan'18

  Salesforce-Oracle breakup on the horizon? Some say it's possible

  Whether or not Salesforce is building out its own infrastructure is the first big CRM story in 2018, but it won't be the only one.

• January 23, 2018 23 Jan'18

  Salesforce Trailhead gets social boost for admins, developers

  Salesforce might not own LinkedIn, but it's creating a similar online social network of certified professionals via Trailhead, complete with vanity URLs and more detailed profiles.

• January 18, 2018 18 Jan'18

  Salesforce databases remain Oracle, for now

  Oracle and Salesforce executives deny reports of Salesforce moving on from Oracle infrastructure.

• December 08, 2017 08 Dec'17

  Salesforce Quip gets a facelift

  At Dreamforce, Salesforce launched a major update to its Quip collaboration environment that enables employees and users to customize the collaboration interface.

• December 07, 2017 07 Dec'17

  Salesforce small-business CRM customers can tap into AI, too

  Salesforce small-business faces heavy competition from more nimble, agile, less expensive boutique CRM vendors. Yet, the largest CRM platform woos SMBs like it does bigger fish with features for AI.

• December 06, 2017 06 Dec'17

  Einstein AI drills deeper into Salesforce clouds

  Einstein AI tools show great promise and are expanding deeper into the Salesforce clouds. Many smaller companies still need some convincing, but have high hopes for the future.

• November 29, 2017 29 Nov'17

  Eight must-have call center systems for customer service

  It can be challenging to pick a call center technology, implement it and optimize it for the best results. Here are the top eight call center tools to deliver the best customer experience.

• November 16, 2017 16 Nov'17

  Salesforce-Google integration bolsters CRM, analytics functionality

  Offering an alternative to AWS, Salesforce chooses Google Cloud as its potentially cheaper public cloud option for international customers.

• November 10, 2017 10 Nov'17

  Pipeline podcast: Salesforce SMB customers to benefit from Google deal

  Salesforce executives at Dreamforce discuss the impact of the new partnership with Google on Salesforce SMB customers, who'll be able to tap into Google Analytics and more.

• November 09, 2017 09 Nov'17

  By aligning sales and marketing, Mizuho OSI could sell faster

  By implementing Salesforce CRM and Pardot and aligning sales and marketing, Mizuho OSI shortened the time it takes for prospects to become customers, leading to quicker sales.

• November 07, 2017 07 Nov'17

  Experts: Time is nigh for a Salesforce Lightning migration

  'Everything forward will be Lightning,' was advice from one analyst at Dreamforce 2017. CommScope's experience proves a move to Salesforce Lightning may be easier than you think.

• November 07, 2017 07 Nov'17

  Salesforce-Google partnership brings cloud, AI enhancements

  Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff revealed a massive cloud partnership with Google to expand globally and give the company's customers access to Google Analytics and other tools.

• November 06, 2017 06 Nov'17

  At Dreamforce, Salesforce applications take center stage

  Quip is expected to become the new Salesforce collaboration standard in Dreamforce unveiling; AppExchange and Einstein announcements reveal push into new markets.

• November 03, 2017 03 Nov'17

  Dreamforce 2017 conference coverage

  The Dreamforce 2017 conference took place in San Francisco on Nov. 6-9.

• October 27, 2017 27 Oct'17

  Salesforce Lead Analytics for Facebook analyzes B2B sales cycle

  The recently released Salesforce offering is the latest in a line of social selling tools meant to help customers identify which ads are working on Facebook and which are not.

• October 19, 2017 19 Oct'17

  Experts: Website redesign must enhance digital customer experience

  Gone are the days of a quick website launch. According to speakers at the Acquia Engage conference, redesigning a website is now a companywide digital customer experience project.

• October 13, 2017 13 Oct'17

  Facebook Messenger chatbots follow HubSpot Motion AI acquisition

  The focus at the recent HubSpot conference turned to the marketing potential of AI-powered chatbots engaging customers. This Pipeline Podcast looks back at Inbound.

• October 06, 2017 06 Oct'17

  AI among new Dynamics 365 features, Microsoft Teams top news from Ignite

  Discussing the top news stories coming out of the newly combined Microsoft Ignite and Envision conferences on the latest Pipeline podcast episode.

• October 05, 2017 05 Oct'17

  How to best manage your martech stack: A Q&A with Scott Brinker

  SearchCRM talks with ChiefMarTec co-founder Scott Brinker about the growing tech landscape, tips for controlling a martech stack and his new role at HubSpot.

• October 02, 2017 02 Oct'17

  Dynamics 365 CRM can help drive the digital transformation process

  At Ignite, Microsoft predicts the future -- and it's one that centers on Dynamics 365, artificial intelligence and digital transformation.

• September 27, 2017 27 Sep'17

  New Dynamics 365 features take center stage during Ignite keynote

  Dynamics 365 and the future direction of Microsoft products were given center stage during the Ignite keynote delivered by Satya Nadella.

• September 26, 2017 26 Sep'17

  Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM takes center stage at Ignite 2017

  Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella kicks off Microsoft Ignite with talk of future products, use cases for AI and continued bundling of Microsoft products.

• September 19, 2017 19 Sep'17

  Salesforce Einstein AI expands reach as Dreamforce approaches

  Salesforce Analytics extended to data sources outside the platform. Salesforce Einstein AI adds forecasting, email insights and opportunity scoring features for Sales Cloud users.

• September 13, 2017 13 Sep'17

  How enterprises can take advantage of social media mapping

  If your company wants to tap into the emotion and sentiment customers display on social media, social media mapping may be the answer. Learn about one company's approach.

• September 08, 2017 08 Sep'17

  Adobe Sign, Microsoft Teams integrations expand partnership

  The first of several planned 'joint solutions' expands Adobe Sign into Office 365; Microsoft Teams integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud; Adobe Stock to speed reviews and approvals.

• September 06, 2017 06 Sep'17

  On tap for Microsoft Ignite conference: Adobe, Dynamics 365, LinkedIn

  New Adobe integrations and further integrations of existing products are possible announcements from Microsoft Ignite 2017.

• August 31, 2017 31 Aug'17

  Salesforce unveils image recognition technology for Social Studio

  Salesforce's Einstein Vision for Social Studio currently only works with Twitter, but other integrations are expected.

• August 10, 2017 10 Aug'17

  Humanitarian company uses Dynamics 365 for Talent for quicker deployment

  Chemonics upgraded its technological process from telex-era capabilities to cloud-based software for its worldwide projects.

• August 04, 2017 04 Aug'17

  Will new Salesforce Lightning features convince customers to migrate?

  Salesforce hopes new Lightning upgrades convince customers who haven't migrated to the new UI to do so, but analysts remain skeptical.

• July 27, 2017 27 Jul'17

  Service Cloud Lightning upgrades give agents improved UI, mobile app

  With the latest upgrades, Service Cloud Lightning enables easier contact center customization and provides a mobile app for agents.

• July 21, 2017 21 Jul'17

  Upgrades to Salesforce PRM app target high-tech, manufacturing

  By upgrading its Sales Cloud PRM capabilities, users can now easily deploy partner channel processes, including discounting and website branding.

• June 19, 2017 19 Jun'17

  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.

• June 19, 2017 19 Jun'17

  CRM AI is the top topic at PegaWorld 2017

  Large enterprise customers demonstrate novel uses of Pegasystems' CRM platform for business process management as Pega leadership, users mull the potential of CRM AI.

• June 09, 2017 09 Jun'17

  Salesforce enters account-based marketing space with Einstein ABM

  While Salesforce's ABM offering has integration and first-party data advantages, it can still benefit from third-party data augmentation providers.

• June 08, 2017 08 Jun'17

  AI, IoT and Trailhead were main themes at Salesforce World Tour Boston

  In the second taping of The Pipeline podcast, we discuss the customer stories mentioned at the Boston event, the tight security and Salesforce's push of Trailhead.

• June 07, 2017 07 Jun'17

  GDPR and marketing: Keep an eye on European regulations in the works

  Companies selling to 27 European Union nations must monitor how the GDPR will affect marketing, as the EU creates new guidelines for CRM use of customer data.

• June 07, 2017 07 Jun'17

  Customer data mining rules changing in Trump's corporations-first era

  As Trump negates regulations against mining of customer data, consumers are mixed when it comes to trusting AI to act on those insights, Pegasystems research shows.

• June 07, 2017 07 Jun'17

  To update its insurance agency software, Farmers went with Salesforce

  When looking to upgrade its decades of legacy systems, Farmers Insurance turned to Salesforce and its bundle of products, leading to increased customer satisfaction.

• June 07, 2017 07 Jun'17

  Three execs discuss using -- not abusing -- customer contact channels

  Customer contact channels offer many potential touchpoints, but customers don't want to hear from you that often. Three executives share strategies for balanced customer contacts.

• June 06, 2017 06 Jun'17

  The major themes from SiriusDecisions Summit 2017

  Winning martech strategies highlighted the recent three-day conference, as well as SiriusDecisions keynotes and product showcases.

• June 06, 2017 06 Jun'17

  Pegasystems turns up heat on Salesforce Einstein CRM AI

  AI in CRM holds promise, but Pegasystems' CEO warns business users not to believe the hype -- especially around Salesforce and Oracle AI.

• May 25, 2017 25 May'17

  Personalized marketing a step closer with weather data

  By partnering with multiple data monetization companies, The Weather Company is providing more data points to marketers and advertisers.

• May 18, 2017 18 May'17

  Build a martech stack beginning with CRM, marketing automation and CMS

  There are about 5,000 vendors in the marketing technology space, but you may need only about three for a complete martech stack. Here's how to choose the right ones.

• May 10, 2017 10 May'17

  Salesforce AppExchange releases vendor-facing upgrades

  The improvements to the Salesforce AppExchange benefit companies and ISVs building on AppExchange, with lower pricing and more tools.

• May 02, 2017 02 May'17

  Oracle, Pegasystems CRM add Alexa, Facebook Messenger APIs and more

  In strikingly similar moves, CRM rivals Oracle and Pegasystems provide support for new Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Facebook Messenger channels driven by AI, APIs.

• April 25, 2017 25 Apr'17

  Customer experience technology vital for CMO role

  The changing technology landscape has reshaped the role of CMO to be not only a demand generator but also a revenue driver.

• April 21, 2017 21 Apr'17

  Business analytics tools help music-identifying app uncover insights

  After tiring from limited and ineffective Excel reports, app company Shazam turned to Salesforce Wave Analytics to quickly extract insights and create actionable reports from data.

• April 20, 2017 20 Apr'17

  Industry-specific CRM systems still on the rise

  Certain segments, such as real estate or the cannabis industry, have unique regulations and specific customers that benefit from specialized CRM.

• April 14, 2017 14 Apr'17

  Adobe and Microsoft strengthen partnership, integrate products

  By partnering, two tech giants are able to fill the gaps they have in their customer experience platform.