News
News
- September 30, 2015
30 Sep'15
IoT data governance challenges discussed at Dreamforce
As Salesforce pushes its IoT Cloud, companies must be ready and willing to properly handle the massive influx of device data coming their way.
- September 30, 2015
30 Sep'15
Despite Salesforce push, IoT adoption slow to take hold
Cost and long implementation cycles are hindering IoT adoption, but companies such as Salesforce are trying to address user concerns.
- September 29, 2015
29 Sep'15
Salesforce lays out startup strategy at Dreamforce
Salesforce's strategy for startups includes ushering them through the technological challenges that fledgling companies face.
-
- September 28, 2015
28 Sep'15
Salesforce outlines what to expect from IoT Cloud
Salesforce's Dylan Steele discusses how data is transferred and used in the new IoT Cloud, as well as how it can adapt for the future.
- September 25, 2015
25 Sep'15
Cloud-based financial apps no longer a brain twister for CFOs
CFOs are warming to the idea of storing financial data in the cloud, says Jeremy Roche, CEO of FinancialForce.com.
- September 25, 2015
25 Sep'15
Salesforce discusses impact of Wave, Lightning on Sales Cloud
Could Sales Cloud offer better insight into the sales pipeline and support team performance management? Salesforce's Sara Varni explores how in this video.
- September 21, 2015
21 Sep'15
Salesforce Wave can yield results -- when your house is in order
Getting analytics applications like Salesforce Wave ready to yield insight to adjust business behavior can be challenging. You need to get some foundational issues in place.
- September 21, 2015
21 Sep'15
Dreamforce 2015 conference coverage
Salesforce continued to tout products such as Wave and Lightning at Dreamforce 2015 while also introducing users to new ones like its IoT and Health Clouds.
- September 21, 2015
21 Sep'15
Airline personalizes the customer journey with Salesforce
Membership-based airline Surf Air wanted to better tailor its upselling and marketing to its customers, so it turned to Salesforce.
- September 18, 2015
18 Sep'15
Microsoft-Salesforce partnership paves way for Salesforce IoT Cloud
The Microsoft-Salesforce partnership, which integrates Lightning with Office 365, is paving the way for a much bigger deal: IoT Cloud.
-
- September 14, 2015
14 Sep'15
Will Salesforce Wave Analytics' upgrade be persuasive for users?
After a year on the market, Salesforce Wave, the BI platform, gets an upgrade. But there are continuing question marks about its value.
- September 04, 2015
04 Sep'15
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?
- September 01, 2015
01 Sep'15
Salesforce launches Service Cloud Lightning Console on eve of Dreamforce 2015
With Dreamforce 2015 approaching, Salesforce is applying its new Lightning application to customer service, with the Service Cloud Lightning Console.
- September 01, 2015
01 Sep'15
FinancialForce project management tool boosts Lexmark's ECM services
When Lexmark took on FinancialForce to manage its technology services projects, its ability to provide services blossomed
- August 25, 2015
25 Aug'15
Salesforce launches Lightning Experience
Salesforce Lightning gets a facelift; Oracle Marketing Cloud buys Maxymiser.
- August 13, 2015
13 Aug'15
Salesforce Community Cloud adds Buy button for e-commerce options
In an effort to make sales even easier, Salesforce has incorporated a Buy button into its Community Cloud.
- July 24, 2015
24 Jul'15
Oracle Sales Cloud update aims to boost sales, efficiency
Oracle updates its Sales Cloud to increase sales; Infer announces new lead gen product; and Xactly Strategic Services aims to drive workforce management.
- July 17, 2015
17 Jul'15
CRM in marketing success hinges on emotional connections
In this book excerpt, consultant David Forbes advocates that companies focus on understanding what motivates consumers when marketing their products.
- July 01, 2015
01 Jul'15
The death of the mall could spell rise of mobile retail economy
While malls are dying, lifestyle centers could signal the next chapter for retail -- aided by mobile technologies.
- July 01, 2015
01 Jul'15
Service for Apps brings in-app support to Salesforce Service Cloud
Service for Apps allows Salesforce Service Cloud users to embed live agent support and a knowledge base within their applications and other CRM news.
- June 18, 2015
18 Jun'15
Salesforce releases Wave Analytics Apps and Sales Wave Analytics
Wave Analytics Apps, the latest offering from Salesforce, makes crunching the numbers easier through tighter integration with Salesforce 1.
- June 17, 2015
17 Jun'15
Salesforce updates Marketing Cloud with new Journey Builder
Salesforce has released a new version of the Marketing Cloud, with a spruced-up Journey Builder, enabling marketers to tailor interactions with customers based on real-time behavior.
- June 12, 2015
12 Jun'15
Customer identity management still thorn in side of e-commerce
As mobile e-commerce gathers steam, companies are struggling to make it a frictionless reality for customers and pain-free for themselves.
- June 08, 2015
08 Jun'15
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.
- June 04, 2015
04 Jun'15
Goldmine CRM software wins with desktop as a service
Goldmine CRM Software turns to desktops as a service (DaaS) model to update existing applications to the cloud, saving itself from irrelevancy in an ever-growing field of competitors.
- May 28, 2015
28 May'15
Salesforce ties Wave analytics tool to big data platforms
Salesforce is getting more involved in big data analytics, with new partnerships that open up its cloud-based Wave analytics technology to Hadoop and other big data systems.
- May 22, 2015
22 May'15
Cloud telephony, omnichannel service main trends at ICMI Expo
At the ICMI Contact Center Expo, users were interested in how to make their centers more efficient while serving customers in whatever channel they choose.
- May 14, 2015
14 May'15
Nordstrom mines Beacon benefits in personalized customer service
Nordstrom is trying to bridge the gap between online and physical shopping experiences for its customers through Beacon technology.
- May 11, 2015
11 May'15
Contact center analytics still an afterthought for many
Analytics tools have been incorporated into various enterprise departments. So why are contact center analytics still considered novel rather than vital?
- May 08, 2015
08 May'15
Entrepreneur takes road less traveled in technology-driven business
Ken Kelly didn't plan on taking over his father's company. But a few classes in Microsoft Office paved the way to a multimillion-dollar small business.
- May 07, 2015
07 May'15
When startup success is built on startup failure
A startup that launched to great fanfare and venture capital attention started to crumble less than two years later. How did the CEO pick up the pieces?
- April 30, 2015
30 Apr'15
Adaptive expands CPM offer; Salesforce in HCM market
Adaptive Insights offers new templates for corporate goals, sales and finance; fast integration with Salesforce for analytics.
- April 30, 2015
30 Apr'15
Could Oracle, Microsoft, or IBM buy Salesforce?
Only a few companies could afford to buy Salesforce.com. Is a buyout on the horizon, though?
- April 17, 2015
17 Apr'15
Customer self-service a must-have for Oracle Collaborate attendees
Companies now see online self-service options as a must-have for customer experience strategy.
- April 13, 2015
13 Apr'15
Microsoft Convergence focuses on analytics, cloud
Microsoft Convergence attendees explored the new cloud-based Power BI analytics tool at the conference.
- April 13, 2015
13 Apr'15
Salesforce aims to increase number of Salesforce consultants, SIs
In this Q&A, Salesforce channel chiefs Tyler Prince and Neeracha Taychakhoonavudh reveal the vendor's strategy for growing its consultants/system integrator channel.
- April 08, 2015
08 Apr'15
Bouquet Training hones contact center agent skills
Bouquet Training, a module in the Bouquet CDM platform, enables managers to customize contact center agent training courses based on customer feedback.
- April 01, 2015
01 Apr'15
New digital marketing trends for 2015 emerge with full force
Companies are enlisting a variety of data, such as consumer location and demographics to join digital marketing with in-store, physical experiences.
- March 24, 2015
24 Mar'15
Has Microsoft cloud strategy evolved?
Microsoft is trying to lead customers to the cloud with hybrid offerings, such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM. But will that succeed?
- March 19, 2015
19 Mar'15
Philadelphia chief customer service officer honed skills in private sector
To clean up Philadelphia, Rosetta Lue uses technology to be responsive to citizens -- and customer experience principles to treat residents like VIPs.
- March 11, 2015
11 Mar'15
Pet supply company furthers multichannel strategy by moving to cloud
Pet Supplies Plus needed to consolidate a handful of legacy systems and move to the cloud to better serve its customers in a multichannel fashion.
- March 09, 2015
09 Mar'15
Personalized marketing and customer trust go hand in hand
Marketers strive to provide personalized experiences to their customers. But customers will only reveal personal information in exchange for trust.
- March 03, 2015
03 Mar'15
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.
- March 02, 2015
02 Mar'15
Cultivate art and science in your sales management strategy
Mark Roberge, chief revenue officer at HubSpot, uses serious data analysis when hiring sales staff. But science doesn't crowd out instinct.
- March 02, 2015
02 Mar'15
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.
- March 02, 2015
02 Mar'15
Mobile customer service gives citizens a voice with government
Philly 311, a new mobile customer service app for the city of Philadelphia, helps citizens report neighborhood incidents and engage more deeply with city government.
- February 10, 2015
10 Feb'15
Customer data becomes the turf for companies' competitive advantage
Corporations are using customer data to gain a competitive edge in the market, but new analytics technologies pose privacy downsides.
- February 06, 2015
06 Feb'15
Salesforce Partner Program for Consulting Partners redesigned
In channel news this week, Salesforce made changes to its partner program for consultants; Infinio launched its first partner program; Kaminario updated the Accelerate Partner Program; and more.
- January 20, 2015
20 Jan'15
Sales management strategies: Leading from the trenches
Russ Hearl built a sales team from three 'lone wolves' to a fleet of 40-plus reps. How? By taking a Henry Ford approach to sales management strategy.
- January 13, 2015
13 Jan'15
Adobe Campaign pushes consumer personalization further
Adobe Campaign, the marketing automation tool in the Adobe Marketing Cloud suite, enables companies to use customer data to tailor marketing efforts.
- January 12, 2015
12 Jan'15
Customer personalization now part of closing the deal
Companies want to use data to personalize customer interaction and boost sales. But data silos have left some adrift.
- January 08, 2015
08 Jan'15
Social engagement opportunities about more than selling
In this book excerpt, thought leader and author David Giannetto discusses ways companies can cost-effectively identify and gain customers.
- October 16, 2014
16 Oct'14
How to clean dirty data before it sinks your sales strategy
Dirty data is undercutting sales -- miring business units in the act of chasing down better information rather than cultivating customers.
- October 15, 2014
15 Oct'14
Best-kept secrets of large-scale Salesforce implementations
Global enterprises say that while large Salesforce implementations are challenging, there are best practices to observe along the way.
- October 14, 2014
14 Oct'14
Digital transaction management: The 'last mile' in paperless business
Companies often regress to paper processes because they aren't ready to digitize the 'last mile' of signature. Enter digital transaction management.
- October 03, 2014
03 Oct'14
Is self-service sales hacking the traditional model?
Collaboration software company Atlassian acquired 40,000 customers -- with no sales team. It uses self-service to hack into the traditional sales model.
- December 24, 2013
24 Dec'13
Target data breach creates poor retail customer experience
Target's security breach damaged more than wallets; poor retail experience hurts relationships with customers.
- May 15, 2012
15 May'12
Call center agents’ behavior should be focus -- not clunky metrics
A consultant at the recent ACCE call center expo urged call centers to drop the glut of performance metrics and favor a human approach.
- May 02, 2012
02 May'12
IBM’s plans are in Tealeaf with purchase of CEM analytics firm
IBM is strengthening its CRM footing with the acquisition of Tealeaf Technology.
- April 02, 2012
02 Apr'12
Gartner: Companies must master Master Data Management best practices
Companies should put aside internal differences to get handle on MDM, a Gartner researcher says at the group’s CRM conference.
- March 29, 2012
29 Mar'12
Cross-channel communication CEM support: A work in progress
Industry experts say companies need to step up plans for cross-channel customer service or risk damaging customer experience management strategies.
- January 05, 2012
05 Jan'12
Employee focus transforms customer experience management strategies
CEM initiatives suffer when employees can’t provide their perspectives on customer concerns.
- January 03, 2012
03 Jan'12
Planning and allocating resources for customer experience management
Customer experience management (CEM) crosses multiple departments and IT systems. How should organizations tackle the enormous task of mapping out a CEM transformation?
- November 29, 2011
29 Nov'11
Customer experience analytics: Separating hype from fact
SearchCRM expert Donna Fluss compares the latest types of customer experience analytics applications.
- September 28, 2011
28 Sep'11
Experts say CEM technology can build single view of customer
Communicating with customers through multiple channels is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Find out how companies use CEM technology to craft a single view of the customer across channels.
- July 11, 2011
11 Jul'11
Red Cross boosts donor relationships with new CRM system
The American Red Cross hopes to infuse new life into its donor marketing program with an overhaul of its CRM and call center operations.
- July 05, 2011
05 Jul'11
Front-office technologies in CRM: the new rule of three
Technology has come to the front office in more ways than one. In fact, three front-office technologies -- social media, analytics and video -- are reshaping the landscape.
- March 22, 2011
22 Mar'11
PCI DSS offers call center PCI compliance tips
The payment card industry compliance standards body has released a new document to help contact centers protect sensitive customer data.
- August 26, 2010
26 Aug'10
Running customer service on Facebook takes tools and training
Rosetta Stone has launched a program to use Facebook as a customer service channel. It’s all part of a company-wide initiative to be more social.
- April 26, 2010
26 Apr'10
Switching your focus from B2B to B2C with social media and CRM
Getting the word out to your customers isn’t just a matter of buying simple advertising anymore -- it’s about engaging with them socially. Denis Pombriant explains the ideas behind this new trend.
- January 27, 2010
27 Jan'10
10 steps to a practical social media business strategy
Leveraging social media is an increasingly important -- and rewarding -- project, but it takes careful planning. Columnist Allen Bonde explains.
- January 18, 2010
18 Jan'10
SAP demos new Twitter integration
Like many in the CRM market, SAP is seeking to tie emerging social media networks into its CRM software. In this video demonstration, SAP shows off its Twitter integration.
- December 14, 2009
14 Dec'09
The five dimensions of a social media persona
Taking a "persona" view toward social media channels can help marketers build campaigns and craft the right tone for their message.
- November 10, 2009
10 Nov'09
Social media and CRM -- The marketing perspective
In his first article evaluating the marketing side of social CRM, Allen Bonde offers up some definitions and a framework for discussion.
- October 28, 2009
28 Oct'09
ERP customer relationship management guide
ERP CRM modules can help manufacturers with customer MDM across the enterprise, including sales, marketing and services. Discover the features of CRM software in the ERP customer relationship management guide.
- October 20, 2009
20 Oct'09
Siemens’ long journey to CRM: Custom to SAP to Oracle and more
At one point, Siemens had 500 CRM systems across the company. It has tried custom development, SAP and now Oracle CRM in an attempt to standardize.
- June 23, 2009
23 Jun'09
Tips for customer service and sales to build customer trust
Get tips to improve customer interaction and build customer trust in this podcast. Learn how to train employees on the importance of trust and how to measure the effectiveness of customer service initiatives.
- June 10, 2009
10 Jun'09
Using Web 2.0 technology to build customer loyalty
Web 2.0 technologies are changing the way companies build customer loyalty and customer satisfaction. In this podcast, Don Peppers talks about Web 2.0 technology must-haves, how to use social networks to improve customer satisfaction and how ...
- June 04, 2009
04 Jun'09
The executive's guide to contact center technology planning
According to some experts, there are six contact center technology trends that will have significant implications for your business in the coming years. In this article, find out about those trends and newer call center software options like Web 2.0...
- May 14, 2009
14 May'09
New SAP CRM ordering system helps Coke roll out new dispenser
A new beverage dispenser designed to revolutionize Coke's distribution system demanded a new way for the soda giant to service customers.
- September 08, 2008
08 Sep'08
Gartner: Measuring the customer experience takes more than one metric
At its annual CRM Summit, Gartner detailed seven projects that will improve the customer experience.
- June 03, 2008
03 Jun'08
Chief customer officers need patience, energy
Chief customer officers require a specific skill set that demands communication, energy and patience, according to Forrester Research.
- May 05, 2008
05 May'08
The ROI of speech analytics for the call center
Because speech analytics is new and relatively unknown both within the call center and across the enterprise, it can be perceived as a risky investment. But early adopters have found that speech analytics has a rapid three- to 12-month payback, high...
- March 25, 2008
25 Mar'08
Designing a call center metrics strategy
In this podcast, get advice from Lori Bocklund and Steve Suhn of Strategic Contact on the top 10 metrics to consider in the call center.
- March 21, 2008
21 Mar'08
Understanding call center schedule adherence
Learn how call center schedule adherence should be measured in this podcast and discover why it is important for call center scheduling and staffing.
- March 21, 2008
21 Mar'08
Understanding blocking rate for the call center
In this brief podcast, hear a definition of blocking rate in the call center and learn how to incorporate this metric into your call center strategy.
- January 22, 2008
22 Jan'08
Creating Customer Value: A series with Peppers and Rogers
Customer strategists Don Peppers and Martha Rogers offer expert advice in these podcasts. Listen on your computer or download for quick tips on long-term and short-term customer equity and building trust with customer strategy.
- October 08, 2007
08 Oct'07
Call center centralization vs. decentralization analytic framework
Call center centralization can be cost-effective for centers of a certain size. In her latest column, Donna Fluss outlines a framework for call center managers who are considering call center consolidation.
- August 28, 2007
28 Aug'07
CRM will disappoint without an honest self-assessment
Launching a new CRM program or jump-starting an existing one requires a careful self-assessment of processes and technology, according to a recent report.
- May 07, 2007
07 May'07
Managing remote call center agents: 14 best practices
Many organizations are embracing the concept of remote call center agents, but the most significant concern is how to manage these agents without personal contact from the call center supervisor. In her latest column, Donna Fluss outlines best ...
- April 26, 2007
26 Apr'07
Improving the customer experience: Call centers making an emotional connection
Call centers are seeking to improve the customer experience by identifying and measuring customer emotions. Call center agent training and carefully crafted customer surveys can improve the emotional connection with customers, but the business is ...
- April 12, 2007
12 Apr'07
Single-instance or multiple-instance CRM deployment -- Which is right for you?
Microsoft is planning to offer on-site, multi-tenant CRM hosting, and Gartner is predicting that companies will move between single- and multiple-instance CRM architectures.
- January 03, 2007
03 Jan'07
CRM success relies on managing a project post-implementation
CRM managers need to monitor and steer a CRM project after the implementation to ensure success, according to Gartner.
- November 21, 2006
21 Nov'06
Customers make great marketers
Customers aren't just a focus at KarmaLoop, an online apparel retailer; they market and sell the product as well.
- November 09, 2006
09 Nov'06
Call center agents -- six simple steps to help motivation
Managers can keep agents motivated by starting off right with hiring, putting trust in agents and sharing budget concerns with call center workers.
- April 28, 2006
28 Apr'06
NICE buys IEX, Performix
NICE Systems made a significant move into the contact center workforce management market today, announcing plans to acquire two leading vendors.
- August 04, 2005
04 Aug'05
SSA Global buys into CRM with Epiphany acquisition
SSA Global will initially focus on selling Epiphany CRM to its existing customer base and that could spell bad news for Epiphany customers, according to one analyst.
- July 12, 2005
12 Jul'05
Chrysler gives self-service a tune-up
A self-service portal helps technicians for the automotive giant solve problems themselves before calling for support.
- May 23, 2005
23 May'05
Philips keeps reins on CRM
When venturing into direct-to-consumer online sales, an SAP CRM project threatened to spin out of control, but a focus on goals led to success.
- December 30, 2004
30 Dec'04
The principles of performance management
Performance management is more than just monitoring employees or technology -- it's about a culture of "continuous improvement."