CRM News: Call Centers

CRM Conference to Showcase the Retail Experience
May 14, 2012

CRM Conference is being held May 29 to 31 at the Chicago Hyatt Regency. This annual event offers a unique agenda for retailers, said Devon Wylie, CEO of CRMC. "It's specifically focused on case studies from topnotch multinational retailers. With this approach, attendees can get actionable learnings they can take home with them."

Making Customers the Object of Devotion
May 07, 2012

The proliferation of customer service channels can be both a blessing and a curse. It can be a blessing in that companies now have more ways than ever to address customer needs and resolve customer issues, potentially leading to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention. At the same time, the proliferation of customer service channels can be a curse.

Kicking Off CRM Idol - Season 2
May 01, 2012

Small CRM players have a chance to get their names out in the market if they win top spot at the second annual CRM Idol competition, which kicked off Monday. Hopefuls have until 6 p.m. Pacific time on May 25 to file their submissions. Contestants will be assigned a mentor to help them prepare the briefing or demo.

Social Dynamx Turns CSRs Into Rock Stars
April 30, 2012

Social Dynamx has just launched a new enterprise-class social customer care platform that will allow customer support and community management teams to identify, prioritize and handle millions of one-on-one customer social media conversations daily. As a subscription-based platform, it is designed to quickly identify relevant conversations and intelligently route them to the appropriate customer service agents.

inContact Smooths the Way for Better Customer Interactions
April 09, 2012

Cloud contact center provider inContact has released the first of what will be three major upgrades to its flagship product this year. New features in the release touch upon many areas, from agent scripting to a Web-connect module, new unified agent desktop tools and an expanded blended dialer. Most intriguing of all the new features, though, is a CRM plug-in agent, which offers a new streamlined interface for agents.

New Avaya Service Allows Selective Outsourcing of Communications Ops
March 16, 2012

Avaya is formalizing an outsourcing service it has been offering select clients for the past year. The service, Avaya Communications Outsourcing Solutions, manages all of a company's communications operations, regardless of age, location or vendor. It is part of the company's portfolio of Managed Services. "This is a custom managed service targeted at companies in the enterprise space as opposed to the mid- sized space," said Avaya's Ed Nalbandian.

CallCopy Scores With Columbus Blue Jackets
March 09, 2012

The Columbus Blue Jackets are a team in the National Hockey League, which means their revenue stream thrives -- or dies -- on how well they can sell tickets. The team has an extensive and sophisticated sales operation that fields nearly 300 calls per day. However, the team wanted tech support for its operations -- specifically a new call-recording technology that was flexible and customizable enough to back up its own sales methodology and ongoing training requirement.

Think Bigger
February 22, 2012

I spent the best part of last week cruising up and down Silicon Valley, checking in with customers and would-be clients. The consensus from this non-scientific survey is that business is better than OK, and most people are expecting this year to be the best in a while. Of course, there is a cloud -- literal and figuratively -- to go with that silver lining.

CRM Players' Accolades and Upgrades
February 06, 2012

TeleTech has been placed in the "Leaders" quadrant of Gartner's Magic Quadrant: Customer Management Contact Center BPO, Worldwide, 2011, and Yesmail has announced the release of its "Look Book" in celebration of its recent awards for mobile-scalable email design. Meanwhile, West Interactive and VBrick Systems have released major upgrades.

3 Painfully Common Misuses of CRM
February 02, 2012

Every tool has a purpose. That's never more clear than when you see a neophyte do-it-yourselfer trying to use a tool for a purpose other than what it was designed for. For instance, anyone wielding a hammer while trying to fix a car's engine is probably not going to succeed.

Open Source: Not Just for Tech Anymore
January 10, 2012

Amid the many predictions for 2012 regarding Linux and open source software, including my own forecast of Linux domination, there is a larger, wider embrace of open source software taking place not only in the technology and other industries, not only in North America, Europe, Australia, Asia and South America -- but all over the globe in new corners and facets of our society.

The Role of CRM in Logistics Companies' IT Strategies, Part 3
December 19, 2011

The logistics industry is facing challenges in adopting a sustainable and profitable CRM strategy, and there is inertia when it comes to replacing or augmenting disparate CRM solutions adopted by different business units, like retail, as well as various channels, like phone, Web, email, etc.

The Role of CRM in Logistics Companies' IT Strategies, Part 2
December 12, 2011

The mainframe application forms the core of the system where the bulk of the order processing takes place. The traditional mainframe UI in, say, SCOBOL (Screen COBOL) is being augmented/replaced through the front-ending applications built in VB, ASP, .Net, etc. The front-end screens fetch the customer account and order data from the mainframe database through custom connectors built in Java J2EE.

Results Software Strengthens Bonds With SMB Apps
November 18, 2011

Results Software has rolled out the latest iteration of its longstanding CRM business suite product. In this version, it builds on its recent three-way integration with QuickBooks, Outlook and SmartVault. That integration with three applications widely used by small- and medium-sized companies is what President and Founder Naseem Saab says is the application's secret sauce.

LeadLife Gives Marketing Automation Web 2.0 Chops
November 07, 2011

LeadLife Solutions has released a second-generation marketing automation product that combines a Web 2.0 user interface with a visual campaign builder designed to make marketing automation easier for companies. The new solution provides an easy-to-use alternative to complex marketing automation offerings, the company said.

The Advent of Digital Customer Relationships
October 31, 2011

The explosive adoption of the Internet has created a new kind of Web-savvy customer who expects a rich, efficient, personalized online user experience that's accessible 24/7 via any online access point -- Web, mobile device or social media -- and that provides consistent engagement across multiple channels. In order to succeed in today's online-centric world, you have to create positive digital customer relationships.

Predictive Analytics Digs Deeper Into CRM
October 24, 2011

Predixion Software has introduced Predixion Insight 2.0, the latest version of its collaborative predictive analytics solution. The new release includes enterprise collaboration features, interactive visualizations and automated workflow capabilities, as well as an on-premises version of its predictive analytics solution.

SMBs and the Cloud: Size Does Not Matter
October 17, 2011

As customers become more digital, social and mobile, SMBs have significant opportunity to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty through a differentiated customer experience, just like their enterprise competitors. However, those who are unwilling to invest in solutions that embrace the needs of today's marketplace will most certainly be left behind.