CRM Buyer: CRM News and Information for System Purchasers

Speak to Me: Natural Language and CRM Applications

Friday - May 9, 2008

If you could clone your best agent hundreds or thousands of times over, you could ensure that each and every customer calling your contact center receives the same high-quality, friendly and informed response. In reality, natural language speech self-service is probably the closest and best alternative to delivering cost-effective and customer-friendly service -- especially when the product or services mix is complex. When properly designed and implemented, natural language speech recognition can reinforce your brand message and help lock in customer loyalty. [More...]

EXPERT ADVICE
Optimizing the Contact Center as a Profit Center

Thursday - May 8, 2008

Traditionally, the contact center has been a cost center. However, with the contact center transforming into a profit center, the selling of products and services has emerged as an opportunity for the center to improve agent and customer interaction. Yet the challenge will be balancing customer satisfaction goals and driving profits. [More...]

The Forces Driving Financial Services to Sharpen CRM

Thursday - May 8, 2008

CDC Software calls itself a "customer-driven company," and its product line reflects this. They offer solutions that help companies "understand, attract and keep valuable customers," which, of course, is the goal of business -- or should be, anyway. CDC has made a number of acquisitions in the past several years, most notably CRM solutions provider Saratoga Systems in April 2007. [More...]

TECH BLOG
SAP Pushes Business Model Innovation With New BPM Tools

Wednesday - May 7, 2008

SAP will offer new business process and rules management capabilities for its NetWeaver service-oriented architecture platform. NetWeaver Business Process Management and NetWeaver Business Rules Management will allow companies to build or change business processes and rules without coding. [More...]

INSIGHTS
The Dawn of Social Networking 2.0

Wednesday - May 7, 2008

I have been investigating the possibility that social networking is something that can be used inside an organization -- "intra-organizationally," as my bureaucratic friends might say. That should really be no surprise -- the entire employee base is a natural community. [More...]

CRM BLOG SAFARI
SAP's Mobile Awakening

Tuesday - May 6, 2008

SAP and Research In Motion announced last week that they were partnering to develop a native BlackBerry client to link to SAP CRM, and then, eventually, to the firm's other business applications. The move is a no brainer for SAP, writes Vinnie Mirchandani, an ex-Gartner analyst and founder of the advisory firm Deal Architect. [More...]

CEOs: Change Will Be Permanent in Future Enterprise

Tuesday - May 6, 2008

Chief executive officers worldwide believe major change is coming to the global economy and their businesses, according to IBM's biennial study of CEOs. The executives are are also eager to find ways to keep happy consumers who are increasingly information-savvy and who expect the businesses they buy from to be more socially responsible and green. [More...]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Loopt's Brian Knapp: Mapping Out a Proactive Privacy Strategy

Tuesday - May 6, 2008

Loopt has taken friend connections to a new level. The startup's mobile social mapping application not only allows users to see where their friends are on a map, but also lets them text each other within the app and share photos. Since Loopt's beginnings, the company has been proactive in setting high standards for user privacy. [More...]

Confessions of a (Former) IT Scoundrel

Tuesday - May 6, 2008

Thinking of doing business with my company? You should proceed with caution. I've made mistakes, and some of my clients have suffered because of them. My 10-person firm sells popular business software and then provides services such as consulting, training, support and customizations. We have more than 500 clients. Most are happy, but some are not. The unhappy ones are not to blame. [More...]

BI: Transforming Data Into Usable Information

Monday - May 5, 2008

"Too much information is a dangerous thing" -- how often have we all heard that expression? Maybe it should be "too much inaccurate information is a catastrophic thing." Never has so much data been collected and stored within organizations. Smart organizations want to make use of this data, not only to keep the organization going, but also to gain competitive advantage. [More...]

EXPERT ADVICE
Meltdown to Breakout: Financial Services Overhaul Customer Service

Sunday - May 4, 2008

Who would have thought the meltdown in financial services could fuel the overhaul of the industry's customer service departments? Actually, it's just one of several factors driving companies to put customer service initiatives on the fast track in pursuit of compelling business advantage. [More...]

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