CRM

Identifying a paradigm shift is most easily done in hindsight because separating a fad from a long term trend is something that requires a bit of historical perspective to get right. About the only professionals who make it a habit of prognosticating about changing trends are economists and, as the...

SSA has finished retooling its CRM suite -- one of the company's most significant steps since its acquisition of E.piphany last year -- with the release of its sales and services modules, SSA Sales 7.0 and SSA Service 7.0. The company released SSA Marketing 7.0 in April. The latest upgrades incorpor...

Choosing the right system in the first place is key to optimizing your investment in a customer relationship management system -- and that process can be strewn with potential pitfalls. While the selection process can be unnerving, implementation can be a downright nightmare -- and, in some cases, w...

Microsoft and partner company Panorama Software will develop more than two dozen industry-specific business intelligence applications based on Microsoft's product platform, including future releases such as the recently announced Microsoft Office PerformancePoint 2007. There has been a significant i...

In many companies, marketing is experiencing a resurgence and new relevance, a rejuvenation if you will towards aligning closer to customers than ever before. What's most encouraging about this is the fact that strategies based on dated cause-and-effect relationships with clients are, through the u...

Last week I mentioned a white paper I wrote a couple of years ago that addresses some of the changes we can expect to come from the on demand development and deployment paradigm and I thought it would be interesting to examine some of the main points here. The title of the piece is "The New Garage" ...

Onyx has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by M2M Holdings, a private equity firm jointly owned by Battery Ventures VI and Thoma Cressey Equity Partners, in an all-cash transaction for US$92 million, or $4.80 per share. Closing is anticipated in the third quarter, subject to approval by a...

Companies are still not fully utilizing one of their largest and most familiar IT investments -- their ERP systems -- suggests a new study by performance management firm Ventana Research. At face value, this may seem surprising; companies typically invest tens of millions of dollars in ERP systems t...

Even at post-tech bubble prices, adopting a CRM system requires a sizable commitment for any firm. Many of the companies making these investments, though, still are not realizing the maximum value for their money due to common missteps before and after the implementation. Some firms, for instance, a...

Microsoft is teaming up with CDC Software, which recently acquired partner company c360, to make inroads into the China market. The two companies are discussing plans to provide Microsoft Dynamics CRM on a hosted basis in China, Kevin Faulkner, product-marketing director for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, ...

More and more of the companies that are either piloting or actively pursuing Service-Oriented Architecture frameworks to support their business strategies are aiming to accentuate, strengthen and streamline selling and service strategies. Cutting the costs surrounding database and data warehouse con...

Earlier this week, RightNow Technologies announced its acquisition of Salesnet, an on-demand vendor known for its highly specialized sales methodologies. It was a coup for the Bozeman, Mont.-based vendor, says founder and CEO Greg Gianforte, for a number of reasons -- not least because it lopped a y...

Salesforce.com has released an application that is expected to build out and bolster its nascent reseller channel. Called "AppExchange OEM Edition," it is an on-demand platform that independent software vendors can use to develop applications to sell without a separate contract from Salesforce.com.

Remember demand? It was always seen with supply and it was used to make markets until some wise guys told us that the two could go their separate ways. If you keep all things constant except for supply you can run the table, or so they said. It reminds me of the old joke about the poet, the engin...

A PricewaterhouseCoopers' Management Barometer survey has identified CRM as one of the top drivers of change management initiatives among multinationals today. The typical company is currently using an average of five change strategies to achieve desired benefits, it said. Leadership training, at 77...