CRM

Too many companies take a very automated, ATM-like approach to the ROI they get from industry analyst organizations they work with. For all the cash these companies deposit, they expect only a quote from time to time from their industry analysts, hopefully generated with the same efficiency of a 24/...

After years of job losses due to the decline in the manufacturing and lumber industries, the Pacific Northwest may be seeing a bright spot for growth as call centers target the region. Oregon seems to have more pull when it comes to new centers being put in. Recently, Royal Caribbean chose the state...

Micro marketing, one-to-one marketing, niche marketing. Whatever buzzwords are used to define it, the trend driving businesses today and tomorrow is the need to profitably serve smaller and smaller audiences. This focus on knowing thy customer on a one-to-one basis is fueled by advances in technolog...

With the recent release of Summer 04 and positive earnings news, Salesforce.com seems poised to capture more of the enterprise market, including larger companies that it has not targeted in the past. Founded in 1999 by a former Oracle executive, Salesforce.com provides customizable CRM applications ...

Think of this scenario: You're shopping for a new home and instead of guiding you into a single-digit fixed-rate mortgage, lenders try to persuade you that an adjustable mortgage indexed to your income makes more sense. Structuring mortgages like that makes no sense, and it's making less and less se...

Strategic Distribution, a provider of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) supply chain management services, today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, with revenues down 26.4 percent. Revenues for the second quarter of 2004 were $27.4 million, compared to $37.4 millio...

Oracle today announced release of the latest version of its sales-side customer relationship management (CRM) applications designed to help companies grow revenue by paving the way for effective enterprise selling. The new versions of Oracle Sales, Oracle Marketing, Oracle Partner Relationship Manag...

You have to love the irony. Manufacturing companies spend months and thousands of dollars to select a channel management application that will cure many of the ills that years of neglect have created. These manufacturers -- fighting with inconsistency of policies, lack of channel focus and leadershi...

Technology Solutions Company (TSC), a consulting company delivering business benefits through the application of information technology, and ZAMBA Solutions, a customer relationship management (CRM) services company, today announced that they have reached a deal for TSC to acquire ZAMBA. Under the t...

Internet automotive marketing services company Autobytel today announced that it has signed an agreement to provide a national online customer referral program for the Asbury Automotive Group, the fourth-largest auto retailer in the nation. The agreement, which encompasses all 139 of Asbury's franch...

Entellium Asia, the Asian arm of the second generation hosted CRM provider, yesterday announced the set-up of its regional operations in Singapore. The company originally started operations in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, in May 2000, but closed its sales operation in Asia in 2002 and shifted its corporat...

It's that time again; the earnings calls for CRM, ERP, hardware and services vendors are being scheduled, rehearsed and delivered to shareholders, industry and financial analysts. What's common across the more than two dozen calls I've listened to that span CRM, ERP and SCM software, hardware and se...

With facilities in 25 states and the District of Columbia, Beverly Enterprises is among the largest providers of eldercare in the U.S. Through its Beverly Healthcare division, it provides 367 skilled nursing homes and 19 assisted living facilities. Ninety of its facilities have Alzheimer's Disease c...

IBM has signed an agreement to acquire Alphablox Corporation, a privately held company based in Mountain View, California. The acquisition is expected to close later this month, but financial details were not disclosed. According to the companies, Alphablox's operations will be integrated into IBM's...

Look long enough at any company's Web site, C-level presentations, earnings conference calls or marketing efforts, and you'll find the phrases like, "customer-centered," "The customer comes first always," and "The customer is the center of the business." They are all noble thoughts to be sure, but t...