Podcasts

How a punk rocker would go about simplifying CX

When the tech stack and measurement metrics overcomplicate CX, destroy it like a punk rocker, U.K. author Adrian Swinscoe suggests in this 'Pipeline' podcast interview.
Replacing contact center platforms poses big dilemma

CX expert Scott Sachs discusses the various dilemmas posed by migrating legacy on-premises contact center platforms to the cloud.

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.
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.
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.
How enterprises use dynamic pricing algorithms with AI, CRM

Born out of the '80s era of airline deregulation, dynamic pricing finds new life and popularity when mixed with AI. In this Pipeline podcast, we talk with Ulrich von Beck of Pros.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Don't let customer service automation override customer experience

CRM expert Jay Baer, author of NYT bestseller 'Hug Your Haters,' joins the Pipeline podcast and answers host Don Fluckinger's litany of personal experience CRM complaints.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Social media customer care important to brands, experts say

In this Pipeline podcast, we discuss what was a primary topic at Social Media Marketing World: how companies should interact with customers through social media.
Inside sales strategy, millennials highlight Accelerate 2018

Learn what happens when a SearchCRM editor joins a panel as the paid skeptic to discuss whether AI technologies provide real value for helping businesses increase revenue.
Expert: Boring retail is dying as tech gains importance

Technologies such as augmented reality and AI in retail are becoming more important for brands looking to gain a selling edge. Tune in to the latest Pipeline podcast to learn more.
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.
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.
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.
Pipeline podcast: Exploring the growth of the martech stack

The marketing technology field has exploded, as have ways to organize a martech stack. This episode of the Pipeline podcast recaps highlights from the MarTech Conference.
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.
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.
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.
Chatbots creeping into omnichannel strategy for CRM

Siri, home voice assistants, we're talking to you. We discuss how companies are using the voice channel for CRM in these early adoption days.
CRM machine learning leaps forward, assisting process automation

AI, analytics and machine learning -- once separate technologies -- are now integrating into powerful new combinations for customer retention and service.
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.
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.
The major themes from SiriusDecisions Summit 2017

Winning martech strategies highlighted the recent three-day conference, as well as SiriusDecisions keynotes and product showcases.
Make your CRM more impactful than the latest tweets from Trump

Twitter and other social media sites are powerful communication channels. But CRM should be a two-way conversation, not one-way, like the latest Trump tweets.
Enterprise AI to target attention deficit-addled customers

AI will define the next 12 months, says consultant Brent Leary, because it can help capture the consideration of attention-taxed customers, and can put companies a cut above their competition.
Flurry of technology M&A foreshadows 2017 trends

As the market continues to undergo a series of major mergers and acquisitions, some observers say to expect more technology M&A in 2017.
New e-commerce technologies set to change customer experience

With the recent emergence of e-commerce technologies like Amazon Go and Commerce Cloud, customer experience has greater potential, but it also poses security issues.
Enterprise AI skyrockets -- IoT doesn't: More 2017 technology trends

Enterprise AI and market consolidation will continue to cast their shadows unabated in 2017.
Three key 2017 technology trends to know

Predictive analytics, voice-activated devices and artificial intelligence will take shape as significant technology trends in 2017. Some still await further maturity.
Why has the Microsoft-Salesforce partnership soured?

While the Microsoft-Salesforce partnership was touted with great fanfare just two years ago, the relationship has since soured.
Will Salesforce Einstein eat Microsoft AI for breakfast?

Though Microsoft has been at it for a while, Salesforce may win the artificial intelligence market war with Einstein, which is well integrated with its other products and easy to use.
Intelligent systems now table stakes for customer experience

All of the leading vendors are building intelligence into their application platforms for sales, marketing and service. Why are intelligent systems so critical to company survival?
Microsoft Dynamics 365 forges data integration with CRM, ERP

By combining CRM and ERP data in the new service of Dynamics 365, Microsoft aims to help companies follow the elusive 360-degree customer view.
Salesforce acquisition spree continues unabated

Salesforce has been on a fast and furious buying spree since December 2015 with no sign of a letup.
NetSuite acquisition may fill out pieces of CRM puzzle for Oracle

The CRM market has undergone another shift with Oracle's acquisition of NetSuite. Whither NetSuite's fate?
Multichannel customer experience turf on which companies now spar

Companies have come to recognize that providing stellar customer service in just one channel will quickly fall apart if multichannel customer experience is poor.
Customer experience gathers steam with IoT analytics

Companies are moving from gut feel to rely on scientific tools, such as IoT analytics data, to develop customer experience strategy.
LinkedIn purchase may signal new era of open APIs

Microsoft's LinkedIn purchase may open up APIs and enable new competitors to take advantage of the treasure trove of social CRM data in LinkedIn.
Microsoft buys LinkedIn database for treasure trove of CRM contacts

Microsoft bought the LinkedIn database. How will the professional contacts data enhance existing information in Dynamics CRM?
CRM news: Salesforce gets a black eye with outage; buys Demandware

In recent CRM news, cloud-based CRM provider Salesforce suffered an outage, but also made a deal with Amazon and purchased Demandware. And after years of independence, Marketo got purchased.
Predictive analytics as a sales intelligence tool

The capabilities brought about by predictive analytics have helped sales intelligence tools evolve. Find out how your organization can benefit from them in this podcast.
Getting customer personalization right

Companies are resorting to blunt force marketing tactics. An online retailer says that customer personalization requires more nuance -- and reality-testing.
Social media monitoring tools rarely used to full potential

Social media monitoring tools burst onto the market with the promise of serving up valuable data on potential customers, but hurdles tripped up users and stalled the market.
Why is customer personalization still tone-deaf?

While companies say they want to deepen relationships with their customers and prospects, tone-deaf personalization efforts are keeping relations strained.
IT trends for 2016: Why IoT devices have a way to go

While technologies like the Internet of Things are beginning to make their mark, they are still in the 'formative stages,' says an expert.
Marketing automation adoption takes off: 2016 technology trends

As we look ahead to the 2016 IT trends to watch, one key CRM theme is marketing automation adoption, which is poised to grow, says an expert.
Old-school technology companies getting left behind in cloud disruption?

Larry Ellison fired a shot across the bow, saying traditional companies like IBM and SAP are no longer competition for Oracle. An expert discusses cloud disruption in this podcast.
Is SalesforceIQ viable CRM software for small business?

An expert says that SalesforceIQ finally gives SMBs a viable CRM-software-for-small-business alternative to costly enterprise editions of Salesforce.
IoT Cloud will hinge on Salesforce partnerships

Salesforce, the CRM provider, is tapping key partners to pilot IoT, and the success of the IoT Cloud may turn on the partner ecosystem.
Challenges hinder Salesforce Lightning, Wave adoption

One year after they were released, users are looking before they leap into Salesforce Lightning and Salesforce Wave. What is crimping adoption?
Social customer service needs to be integrated with larger business

For social customer service to be effective, it needs to be integrated with other aspects of the business, including sales, marketing and product development.
Location-based service apps yield trove of information

When customers come into a store with offers from location-based service apps, like mobile wallets, it indicates a new level of buying intention greater than just window shopping.
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.
Is the outsourced contact center dying?

Outsourcing operations to overseas contact centers, once a popular practice, is receiving pushback from customers and companies alike.
For contact centers, cutting costs comes with risks, rewards

Contact centers are always trying to cut operational costs. But they can't let those tantalizing benefits make them blind to various perils.
Microsoft Convergence focuses on analytics, cloud

Microsoft Convergence attendees explored the new cloud-based Power BI analytics tool at the conference.
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.
Big data CRM impossible without data integration, quality

Companies looking to invest in big data initiatives for CRM need to ensure that their data houses are in order first.
The double-edged sword of location-based technologies

Location-based technologies like personalization are yielding valuable consumer data, but companies need to be careful stewards of the information.
Are customer service video, live chat burgeoning channels?

An expert says that avenues like video and live chat can provide competitive advantage in customer service -- if companies get it right.
Hurdles still abound for multichannel contact centers

Companies still struggle to provide good multichannel customer service. But there are technologies and strategies to help that common painpoint.
BPM backbone builds new paths to customer engagement

Pega, a business process management software forerunner, is using BPM to deliver new customer engagement and CRM software for its customers.
Mobile, wearables key trends in CRM for 2015

Mobile and wearable technologies will continue to change the way companies crunch data and serve customers in 2015.
Mobile-first strategy key CRM trend in 2015

To provide effective personalized and multichannel service to consumers, companies have to have a mobile-first mentality in 2015.
Subscriptions, data-driven business models are CRM trends in 2015

New data-driven models could be a key CRM trend in 2015 as companies try to find new ways to solidify customer relationships.
CRM 2015 trends put customers, data at forefront

CRM 2015 trends include a continued importance for customer data analytics, as well as customer engagement and experience.
Inbound vs. outbound marketing is a false choice

Companies trying to hone their marketing strategies shouldn't choose between inbound and outbound marketing strategies. They need both.
Dreamforce 2014 conference highlights: Themes to watch

Salesforce.com's Dreamforce conference emphasized a mobile-first business strategy and user-friendly applications.
Are social CRM tools just plain old CRM?

Social CRM tools have become must-haves in CRM platforms. So is there a difference between social tools and CRM platforms more generally?
Mobile geofencing: The good, the bad and the ugly

Companies have brought out the pom-poms for geofencing, but this method of customer targeting doesn't always translate into good customer experience.
Before diving into multichannel strategies, get your house in order

Companies that don't develop processes and internal structures for handling their multichannel strategy can fall short on serving customers through multiple communication channels.
Are subscription models the new normal?

Customers are driving a shift away from ownership and toward subscription models. Can companies benefit?
Omnichannel customer service more fiction than reality?

It's received wisdom that customers should get service wherever they are -- email, social platforms and so on. So, why is that so tough to achieve?
Mobile CRM software seems like a no-brainer; but is it?

Mobile customer relationship management software can benefit a variety of workers and industries. So, why is mobile CRM slow to take off?
CRM development: Building apps on top of CRM systems

Companies are turning to CRM to build new customer-facing applications. Does this kind of CRM development save time and money?
Lead-scoring models to generate better sales information

Lead-scoring models help sales comb through data to generate better, more qualified and more mature leads.
CRM software subscription models: Do they make sense?

Cloud trends have made the software subscription model attractive to companies rather than paying a lump-sum up-front cost.
Community forums become customer support software

Customer support software exploits community forums to address customer support issues in a low-cost way.
Creating customer loyalty for small businesses

Creating customer loyalty doesn't have to be a daunting prospect for small businesses. Brent Leary reveals his favorite tips for SMBs.
The link between employee engagement and customer experience

Some experts argue that good customer experience hinges on engaged employees -- and that means all employees, not just those in contact centers.
CRM trends 2014: Insights from the ICMI

ICMI's Sarah Stealey Reed offers her insights about CRM trends in 2014, including emerging channels and the importance of getting the right data.
The future of consumer mobile applications

Consumer mobile applications are poised to change customer habits.
Customer data analysis isn't reserved just for marketing in 2014

More key roles in the enterprise, besides marketing, are choosing to use data analysis to gain insight into customers.
The year of CRM governance, risk and compliance

In 2014, we can expect that CRM governance, risk and compliance will heat up, predicts an expert.
Dayna Steele: Let customer service representatives be people

Scripting and strict rules won't help customer service reps provide good service -- letting them be human will, says consultant Dayna Steele.
Relationship rock stars: Customer experience best practices revealed

Consultant Dayna Steele explains how effective CRM and being a rock star have a lot in common.
Social media for B2Bs finds engaged, focused customers

Listen as social media expert Paul Gillin offers tips for using social media in B2B settings.
Best practices for a CRM integration strategy

It's not always easy to integrate CRM with other applications, but Jill Dyche says it's worth it. Learn more from this podcast on CRM integration.
Best practices for quality monitoring in the contact center

Get advice and tips on quality monitoring of calls and learn more about analyzing the monitoring data from Deelee Freeman of The Call Center School.

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