CRM News: Financial Services

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. I recently got a chance to speak with Jason Rushforth, global vice president of financial services for CDC Software, about the direction the company is headed in the future. [More...]

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...]

Better Banking Through Technology

Saturday - May 3, 2008

Teller-line capture. Customer relationship management software. Real-time alerts. Threat detection and recovery, branch automation, in all its flavors, is here to stay, and community bankers are increasingly embracing it. Atlantic Southern Bank, decided to automate the way it reviewed its financial numbers by signing on with Banker's Dashboard. The results were immediate. [More...]

Fed Proposes New Credit Card Rules to Protect Consumers

Friday - May 2, 2008

The Federal Reserve and other regulators are moving Friday to crack down on "unfair and deceptive" practices in the credit card industry that have added billions in debt to people already struggling to cope with the economic downturn. It is the most far-reaching crackdown on the credit industry in decades. [More...]

Lawmakers Push for Fee-Free E-Filing

Tuesday - April 15, 2008

Ten years after the Internal Revenue Service first flipped the switch on electronic tax filing, key lawmakers said the time has come to make e-filing free for all taxpayers. Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, and Sen. Daniel Akaka, a Democrat from Hawaii, plan to introduce a bill that would eliminate fees that taxpayers currently pay to third-party software firms and others who handle the e-filing transactions. [More...]

Customer Survey: Banks Getting Online Operations Right

Tuesday - April 15, 2008

Banks have been disappointing customers many ways lately -- tightening mortgage lending standards, paring back home-equity and credit card lines and lowering savings interest rates -- but they're receiving higher marks for at least one thing: their Web sites. Customer satisfaction with online banking sites has risen significantly over the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday by ForeSee Results. [More...]

Skybus Customers Seeking Refunds Put Strain on Banks

Wednesday - April 9, 2008

Jilted Skybus Airlines passengers clogged the phone lines of banks and credit unions this week as they attempted to secure refunds for their airline tickets to nowhere. Thousands of travelers sought reimbursement yesterday from their card issuers on the first business day after the startup Columbus, Ohio, airline went belly-up Friday evening. [More...]

DRM for Cars: No Pay, No Play

Saturday - April 5, 2008

When the light starts to flash, you had better have the cash. That's the reality for millions of subprime borrowers whose used car purchase is contingent upon having an unusual option: a little box mounted underneath the dashboard that forces them to make their payments on time. [More...]

Zillow Lays Out Welcome Mat for Mortgage Shoppers

Thursday - April 3, 2008

Looking to fill what it says is a gap in the consumer's toolbox, real estate site Zillow.com has launched a marketplace to connect home buyers with mortgages. Seattle-based Zillow -- best known for its home-price comparison offerings -- is hoping to do for mortgages what the Web has already done for other financial services products, including life and auto insurance. [More...]

Training CSRs to Ease Customers' Pain

Saturday - March 29, 2008

Good customer service skills are always important, but never maybe more than when you're talking with someone who just suffered a loss. In many cases, that is when customer service reps at insurance agencies interact with customers, says Kathleen Lawler, education director at Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York, a statewide insurance professional trade group with 1,900 members. [More...]

Breaking Up With Your Bank Is Hard to Do

Monday - March 24, 2008

With their bank accounts tethered to online bill paying, automatic debits and direct deposits of paychecks, most consumers cringe at the thought of closing a bank account to move to another financial institution. "There is a lot of paperwork, and most consumers won't do it unless there is a good reason," said Kenneth H. Thomas, a Miami bank consultant. [More...]

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