News

News

• April 11, 2019 11 Apr'19

  Google Cloud for Retail debuts, Contact Center AI makes inroads

  Google takes on cloud competitors by making an AI-rich home for online and bricks retailers with new suite. Also: Google Call Center AI extends to Genesys, Avaya, Salesforce, more.

• April 10, 2019 10 Apr'19

  Reimagined customer experience mobile apps driving new sales

  Mobile and lightweight web apps aren't new. But digital teams driving demand generation is new, thanks to marketing automation platforms that can personalize the pitch.

• April 08, 2019 08 Apr'19

  Microsoft releases Dynamics 365 Nonprofit Accelerator update

  A newly released second version of Dynamics 365 Nonprofit Accelerator doubles the size of the CDM and allows better management of all user data for nonprofits.

• April 05, 2019 05 Apr'19

  Salesforce Classic nearing end of life, but not dead yet

  Salesforce's Lightning UI debuted three years ago, and the vendor stopped adding features to its predecessor, Classic. Customers cling to Classic, despite a big push for Lightning.

• April 05, 2019 05 Apr'19

  LogMeIn Bold360 updates improve chatbot customer experience

  LogMeIn Bold360 features new tools that will improve customer experience by streamlining communication, allowing agents to solve problems quickly, and managing bot involvement.

• Sponsored News

  • Deliver Improved Customer and Employee Experience with Insights and Intelligence from Dynamics 365

    Sponsored by Microsoft - The ability to quickly and accurately leverage insights and intelligence is becoming more and more critical for organizations looking to create personalized and differentiated experiences for customers, employees and everyone else across their supply chains and ecosystems. See More

  • 6 Success Stories in CX Transformation

    Sponsored by Microsoft - With Microsoft Dynamics 365, organizations can leverage an integrated portfolio of business applications designed to work together to seamlessly transform and modernize customer experience (CX) and engagement. See More

  • Empowering Customer Service From Anywhere

    Sponsored by Microsoft - Customer service is often the most important factor in determining brand loyalty, customer satisfaction and long-term customer relationships. Globally, 90% of consumers believe customer service is important in the choice of a brand, and 58% say they will sever a relationship with a business due to poor customer service, according to Microsoft research. See More

  • Overview: What You Need in a Platform to Drive Customer Experience Transformation

    Sponsored by Microsoft - In today’s world of ubiquitous, always-on, always-available digital connectivity, nothing is more critical than customer experience (CX). If you are not meeting the needs of customers, they can do a quick search and be engaged with a competitor in minutes. If that competitor is more adept at fulfilling—and anticipating—customer needs, you risk not only losing the immediate business but, worse, the ongoing customer relationship. See More

  View All Sponsored News
• March 29, 2019 29 Mar'19

  Adobe-Microsoft-SAP Open Data Initiative gains momentum

  It wasn't a marketing scam announced last year: An alliance takes clearer shape, as Adobe, Microsoft and SAP cooperate on a common data model for ERP, CRM and marketing automation.

• March 29, 2019 29 Mar'19

  New Oracle Eloqua features, integrations collect actionable CX data

  New integrations and updates for Eloqua, Oracle's B2B marketing tool, emphasize the importance of actionable data in delivering a positive customer experience.

• March 27, 2019 27 Mar'19

  6 must-know customer experience technology trends

  Our customer experience technology trends survey of 250 North American tech buyers and influencers reveals that the CRM to CX migration is well underway.

• March 27, 2019 27 Mar'19

  Relax, Adobe Marketo still plans to support Salesforce customers

  Marketo VP Matt Zilli discusses what's next for the marketing automation platform, especially in regard to what devoted Marketo customers who use Salesforce CRM can expect.

• March 27, 2019 27 Mar'19

  Adobe Experience Platform unites Magento, Marketo, customer data

  Adobe makes a play for customer experience leadership by adding Magento- and Marketo-based clouds and building it on the Adobe Experience Platform foundation to unify the data.

• March 22, 2019 22 Mar'19

  AWS DCX Competency vets cloud customer experience partners

  The AWS Digital Customer Experience Competency for content management, e-commerce, service and marketing automation certifies partners for infrastructure and security to create cloud CX.

• March 21, 2019 21 Mar'19

  Adobe Experience Platform likely to get boost, Adoption Scoring debuts

  Adobe Experience Platform (formerly Adobe Cloud Platform) focus of Summit, as analytics, AI and open-data initiatives with Microsoft and SAP converge.

• March 15, 2019 15 Mar'19

  Microsoft Government Community Cloud adds Teams, Dynamics 365

  U.S. government agencies are undergoing a digital transformation, and Microsoft hopes that upgrades to its Government Cloud lineup will make its platform part of that change.

• March 12, 2019 12 Mar'19

  Salesforce strategy focuses on integration, customer data

  Salesforce's strategy for 2019 and beyond includes better data integration and more plans for MuleSoft, Customer 360 and Salesforce Essentials.

• March 06, 2019 06 Mar'19

  SurveyMonkey acquisition of Usabilla adds website feedback

  SurveyMonkey, by adding website and app feedback capabilities from Usabilla to its survey software platform, now has a more robust offering for enterprise customers.

• March 01, 2019 01 Mar'19

  Microsoft mixed reality software comes to smartphones

  Microsoft is adding mixed reality capabilities for sales departments and for customer service, extending the features beyond their HoloLens headset and onto smartphones.

• February 20, 2019 20 Feb'19

  How Salesforce Einstein machine learning makes AI practical

  As it evolves, Salesforce's Einstein AI serves the needs of a growing number of organizations and takes the guesswork out of why certain decisions are made.

• February 11, 2019 11 Feb'19

  Verint acquisition of ForeSee gives VOC software an upgrade

  By combining Verint and ForeSee, users can capture customer interactions through SMS and customer surveys, as well as through online traffic and digital channels.

• January 28, 2019 28 Jan'19

  Adobe Magento Commerce Cloud adds progressive web apps

  Adobe is upgrading its e-commerce product by adding AI-fueled image-search capabilities and progressive web application building tools to Magento Commerce Cloud.

• January 18, 2019 18 Jan'19

  AI-fueled Verizon Digital CX targets virtual contact centers

  Telecom giant Verizon is boosting its software business with an AI-based CX system for contact centers, with tools for virtual and live agents, authoring and social engagement.

• January 15, 2019 15 Jan'19

  CX strategy a vital part of modernizing a business

  Consumers are providing retailers with more data than ever before, with expectations that they will receive a personalized experience. But that can be challenging for retailers.

• January 14, 2019 14 Jan'19

  Salesforce e-commerce upgrades put focus on mobile

  Salesforce Commerce Cloud mobile-centric, consumer-focused upgrade unveiled at NRF 2019 conference, including Einstein Visual Search and Einstein Recommendations.

• January 07, 2019 07 Jan'19

  Salesforce High Velocity Sales boosts inside sales

  High Velocity Sales includes Salesforce tools, such as Einstein Lead Scoring, Lightning Email, Sales Cadences and Work Queues, with more features expected in later 2019 releases.

• January 07, 2019 07 Jan'19

  HubSpot Ventures to strategically fund friendly startups

  HubSpot remembers the financial backing it received as a new company and creates its own $30 million venture fund to invest in startups that align with the HubSpot mission.

• January 04, 2019 04 Jan'19

  Salesforce Lightning Web Components adds JavaScript model

  By moving toward a standard-based JavaScript model, Salesforce is appealing to millions of JavaScript developers by making it easier to build custom apps on Salesforce Lightning.

• December 24, 2018 24 Dec'18

  2018 in review: CRM morphs into CX software

  Acquisitions and new products marked a busy 2018, with vendors like Salesforce, Adobe and SAP making splashy acquisitions while refocusing on customer experience.

• December 20, 2018 20 Dec'18

  Salesforce CX, AI, integration tools are 2019 trends to watch

  As the world pivots from CRM to customer experience management, Salesforce makes its own moves with research showing millennials value CX over the actual goods or services received.

• December 17, 2018 17 Dec'18

  Salesforce acquisitions a big part of CRM vendor's busy 2018

  Again, 2018 showed how important acquisitions are to Salesforce's growth and expansion into markets such as AI, e-commerce, integration and collaboration.

• November 29, 2018 29 Nov'18

  Managers learn AI basics with Salesforce Einstein Discovery

  With many successes and failures, companies create their own AI apps with the use of Einstein Discovery. Users discuss their experiences along the way.

• November 19, 2018 19 Nov'18

  Zendesk CRM moves beyond customer service into CX

  Zendesk moves on from focusing solely on customer service by adding analytics, sales force automation and CRM capabilities, while also providing third-party integrations on AWS.

• November 16, 2018 16 Nov'18

  Zoho CRM Plus gets AI boost, aims to connect departments

  Zoho's new CRM release may help bring departments together, but it's unclear if the flood of AI tools and more data sharing will differentiate the vendor in the robust CRM market.

• November 13, 2018 13 Nov'18

  SAP CX move with Qualtrics challenges Salesforce, Oracle

  By acquiring Qualtrics, SAP is expanding beyond ERP and entering the CX space, challenging market leaders Salesforce, Oracle and Adobe. It also is expanding its HR tech suite.

• November 09, 2018 09 Nov'18

  Cloud e-commerce IT battle pits content management vs. CRM

  ERP-based and stand-alone e-commerce systems dominate the market. As more companies go to the cloud, CRM and CMS vie to be the next foundation of e-commerce.

• October 25, 2018 25 Oct'18

  Adobe Magento Commerce Cloud brings e-commerce muscle

  After acquiring Magento for $1.7 billion earlier this year, Adobe has integrated its commerce product into Adobe Experience Cloud for both enterprises and SMBs.

• October 23, 2018 23 Oct'18

  Oracle CX Unity unveiled at OpenWorld

  In an attempt to compete with Salesforce, Oracle unveils Subscription Management, a software tool to help users manage the growing number of consumer-facing subscription products.

• October 22, 2018 22 Oct'18

  FinancialForce adds Einstein Analytics to back office

  FinancialForce added an analytics layer to its Professional Services Automation product to help its users find better insights in their back-office applications.

• October 17, 2018 17 Oct'18

  Pipeline podcast ranges over Dreamforce news

  Einstein Voice, Customer 360, Salesforce partners and all things Dreamforce. The Pipeline podcast takes on these developments and takes an inside look at Salesforce Tower, too.

• October 10, 2018 10 Oct'18

  Google Analytics for Salesforce helps users scour web data

  Salesforce will sell Google Marketing Platform products on its own site in North America, strengthening the partnership between the two software giants.

• September 26, 2018 26 Sep'18

  Salesforce Einstein Voice, Customer 360 data sharing on deck

  Salesforce users to benefit from new and extended partnerships with Apple, AWS and IBM, the upcoming Customer 360 integration tool and Einstein Voice.

• September 26, 2018 26 Sep'18

  Salesforce Health Cloud roadmap boasts payer tools, CX, AI

  Salesforce users in healthcare get tools that bring membership and benefits data and insurance utilization and claims data analysis tools into Health Cloud.

• September 26, 2018 26 Sep'18

  Clicks-and-bricks one-up online companies with behavioral data

  Physical stores and banks are closing, losing ground to more agile online competitors. Technology and data can help them fight back.

• September 25, 2018 25 Sep'18

  Salesforce AI users reveal pros and cons

  Salesforce Einstein users shared their experiences with the AI tools, including the challenges of getting the C-suite to buy in.

• September 24, 2018 24 Sep'18

  Open data, customer experience AI the focus for retail automation

  AI is infusing the customer experience not only online, but in stores. At Ignite, SAP, Adobe and Microsoft joined forces for the common goal of sharing data to push AI even further.

• 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.

• 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.