Enterprise Apps

Pluris, a provider of multichannel marketing applications, has added a fourth product to its lineup with the release of its Marketing Optimization and Recommendation Engine. MORE packages advanced analytics, a recommendation engine and an optimization engine that allows users to make tailored produc...

On Wednesday, CentricCRM, a developer of open source CRM software, will announce it is rebranding its application after revamping it and adding new functionality. The company also is changing its name to "Concursive." Now called "Concourse," suite 5.0 offers an integrated CRM, Web site creation, con...

One of the most complex areas of online advertising -- what happens when a prospective customer clicks on an ad -- ironically happens almost entirely outside of the customer's awareness. The ubiquitous dancing Santa, robot or alien that we see on so many mortgage refinancing ads actually is only the...

Sales 2.0 is a big deal both because it is causing us all to take a new look at selling -- along with all of the social networking ideas and technology that is changing our work habits -- as well as for what it says about marketing. To be frank, Sales 2.0 is actually more about marketing than sellin...

SAP rolled out a new version of its SAP CRM application -- its first major release in a year. Significant changes to the platform include a new user interface that allows business managers to make changes that previously would have required more extensive customization and new functionality in a num...

Amdocs has rolled out Smart Agent Desktop, a new product that gives contact center agents visibility into back-end applications and provides guidance on decision making processes related to calls. It is the combination of both factors in one product that makes this rollout unique in the industry, Ho...

Trust plays an important role in interpersonal relationships. The same can be said of business relationships. In both cases, trust means a willingness on the part of each partner to assume a certain amount of risk. In an interpersonal relationship, the risk may be that a partner will act unfaithful ...

It happens all the time: Customers with complaints pick up the phone to call centers about a service problem. However, what if the service provider can pinpoint network problems before they occur? That way, customer service reps can resolve issues before disgruntled callers reach for the phone. That...

All company executives believe that having loyal customers is a key to business success. However, what are executives really doing about it? Most will point to their customer care training or CRM system and say, "That's how we take care of loyalty here." Some will also point to their monthly newslet...

The trend toward environmentally friendly, or green, business practices is permeating just about every industry and, at a more granular level, specific operations within particular segments -- from high-tech server options to green building. The supply chain is no exception, according to a new surv...

They pulled out all the stops at Oracle Open World last week to unveil a whole lot of advanced and interesting business technology. It was the 30th anniversary show, but the emphasis was clearly about the future -- not the past. There was lots that was not CRM related -- though from my provincial pe...

Today, there are 165 agents in Capgemini's new 610-seat Customer Care & Intelligence center in Junction City, Kan., using Google Apps as part of their customer care activities. Corporations' use of Google Apps have come a long way, considering that when Google Apps was first introduced it was la...

With holiday season promotions escalating into top gear, the term "free shipping" is popping up on many e-commerce sites. While the promotions do attract the attention of consumers, the meaning of the term and the impact of such promotions on retailers' sales are decidedly mixed at this stage. Ship...

When you're making a large investment in software, you want to be sure that you're buying from a reputable company that will be there to support you long-term. Getting a short list of happy customers that your vendor has helped -- some references -- is a common part of most companies' buying process...

OpenSpan, a Microsoft partner, rolled out an application integration platform that allows users of Microsoft's Customer Care Framework 2008 -- which was also introduced Wednesday -- to link together older applications and custom-built systems with the front-end agent desktop. Built on the Microsoft ...