Recent Articles and News
Leaders of the On-Demand CRM Revolution
Oct. 4, 2004--CRMGuru has used the LSEDIT (Let Someone Else Do IT) strategy to grow into the world's largest CRM community. Now the idea of paying as you go for IT resources is catching on with companies small to large. CRMGuru founder Bob Thompson provides a perspective on the state of the on-demand CRM market, profiles his picks for the top four leaders (salesforce.com, RightNow, NetSuite and Siebel) and shares some unconventional wisdom about this fast-growing segment.
All Gossip Aside, a Seismic Change Is in the Works
Oct. 4, 2004--There's a significant change in the vendor world, writes Paul Greenberg, who predicts the change will affect customers and the CRM industry as a whole. What's the cataclysmic event? Vendors are beginning to realize that we live in a world that is defined by customers, not companies, and they are adjusting the way they do their technology business--and their strategies--accordingly.
As Sales Turns Tougher, the Tough Go Virtual
Oct. 1, 2004--Selling continues to be tougher than ever before. One positive way sales officers are responding to the heightened challenge is by leveraging technology to provide virtual sales support. Jim Dickie gives an overview of the emerging virtual products in the marketplace.
How Do You Improve Your Knowledge Base? Make It Evolve
Oct. 4, 2004--Are you considering a hosted CRM solution? Imagine two customer service reps at the same technology company fielding a similar question. At many companies, both reps would wind up doing the same research and spending precious time on the question. Wouldn't it save time if you could cut out the duplication? That's one way Knowledge-Centered Support or KCS can help most businesses. KCS is at the heart of the focus of the Consortium for Service Innovation, a non-profit alliance of support organizations. Its board members come from such heavy hitters as Cisco, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Novell, Oracle and VeriSign.
Planning To Implement? Build a Process First
Oct. 2, 2004--Think of your CRM strategy as akin to building a new house. Without an architect's plans, the best tools money can buy won't build the house you want. Like a house, writes Russ Lombardo, a business is best built with a good upfront plan and a strong foundation. Although some people still think CRM refers to business software, technology is only the mechanism--or tool--for carrying out your business process.
Where's the Value in Customer Contact?
Sept. 20, 2004--For years, customer service was considered a necessary evil or even a way to shunt unwanted customers away. But the new paradigm says contact centers can add value to your business, either in real money through targeted marketing or in making that contact a positive experience. And changes in contact, from technology to outsourcing, mean you can manage the time and money spent in customer contact better. CRMGuru invited three industry leaders to discuss the latest changes in contact centers and businesses' approach to customer care.
Harness "What Our Customers Are Saying"
Sept. 20, 2004--Whenever Bill Price, Amazon.com's first global vice president of Customer Service, starts a new project, he tries to get as close to the customer as possible, to discover "what our customers are saying" (WOCAS). Better than garnering data, he says, is going where the action is by sitting next to agents for a couple of hours at a time.
Find Out What the Customer Wants, First
Sept. 20, 2004--It was only through market research that Cadillac found out that customers wanted to see a few mars in the leather--to make sure it really was leather, says Chris Stiehl, who formerly worked at Cadillac and now instructs companies to listen to the Voice of the Customer.
You Have To Gain the Customer's Trust
Sept. 17, 2004--In today's competitive business climate, says Tony Procops, organizations must gain customers' trust by attending to their needs in a personalized, caring manner. Failure to listen to them will eventually result in reduced service levels and declining margins.
The Virtual Contact Center: Alleviating the Burn From the Churn
Sept. 17, 2004--By its very nature, the brick-and-mortar call center is a pressurized work environment, writes Bruce McCracken. Technology has advanced sufficiently to offer an alternative--telecommuting. With the virtual call center, a company can save the infrastructure cost of providing a seat for the agent; the agent enjoys a far more pleasant work environment; and the turnover rate can drop to below 10 percent.
A One-Size-Fits-All Approach to CRM Won't Work
Sept. 17, 2004--In the last century, CRM vendors and consultants offered products and services that helped companies identify and win new customers. The challenge in recent years has been not only obtaining new customers but also keeping existing ones, by constantly providing them with exceptional customer care. This is the only way to assure the ongoing business relationships with your customers and keeping the revenue stream constant, says Paul Tenberg.
Knowledge Is Power--If You Can Figure Out How To Access It
Sept. 17, 2004--Companies are drowning in data but are dying of thirst for insightful actionable information, says CRM guru Barry Trailer.
Intelligence Sells
Sept. 8, 2004--After more than 12 years in the enterprise software industry delivering CRM solutions to companies in various industries, Julian Cook of Vecta Software argues that standard SFA does not deliver significant improvements in sales effectiveness or performance within manufacturing, distribution and wholesale industries.
No Call Center, No Business. Really
Sept. 8, 2004--A large assembly of your customers is forming right now, every day, in your contact center. And if your contact center is typical, writes Natalie L. Petouhoff, you've put the least educated, lowest paid, most dissatisfied employees in charge.
Re-assessing the Need for Channel Integration
Sept. 8, 2004--Andrew Greenyer has seen too many CRM projects lose sight of their main object: to deliver additional business. Part of the reason is that over the past decade, marketing theory has been dominated by ideas about long-term customer development, a reaction to the previous culture of "pile them high, sell them cheap." It is now arguable that the reaction has been too extreme.
Customers Shouldn't Have To Think About Speech Recognition
Sept. 2, 2004--CRM guru Donna Fluss has seen speech recognition run the gamut in terms of implementation. In the worst cases, she says, businesses have ignored the customer and wind up with a tool no one uses. In the best scenarios, customers find a system so easy to use, they barely think about it. To that end, Fluss has developed a list of speech recognition best practices.
Multi-Channel Call Centers: Equip Agents With the "Right" Skills
Sept. 3, 2004--Today, the multiple-channel call-center agent is increasingly the "front line." But, according to Jill Griffin, most firms pay too little attention to how to handle the people resources--specifically, hiring and training agents to field more than just phone calls.
Service Optimization: How to Get the Repair Folks to Your House on Time
Sept. 3, 2004--Have you ever considered what happens behind the scenes when your dishwasher conks out and you phone for a repair? Moshe BenBassat, Ph.D., the founder and CEO of ClickSoftware, built a business out of automating those logistics for service organizations. Gwynne Young, CRMGuru.com managing editor, interviewed BenBassat on Aug. 6, 2004.
Often the Best Service Is Self-Service
Sept. 3, 2004--A recent report argued that economic prosperity in the 20th century owed its origin to one overriding development--the introduction of self-service in almost every area of our life. While self-service technology is now widely taken for granted, it has transformed the way business operates. John Hughes, founder and executive vice president, Marketing and Business Development for Netonomy, says that both the supplier and the customer stand to gain from a self-service initiative.
I Dream of Web Sites That Actually Understand Customers
Sept. 3, 2004--"I expect companies all over the world to rid their sites of a tab, button or link that says, 'Solutions' (unless you sell scientifically formulated liquid products). I expect to be asked whether I want your email newsletter rather than having you assume I want it. I expect your newsletter to contain something of value to me." So says Jim Sterne, Internet marketing strategist and CRM guru, who has been surfing the web since before the term was coined. He has advised hundreds of companies on how they communicate with their customers online. Here's his list of expectations he has for business web sites. It's a primer, if you will, for any business seeking to be customer-centric.
How Can You Tell If Your Email Newsletters Are Having an Effect?
Sept. 3, 2004--How do you measure the contributions of email newsletters? Katie Cole, director of Data Analysis and Learning at Quris, an integrated email solutions agency for Fortune 1,000 companies, explains how to quantify the impact of your email communication, to justify and refine programs and increase customer satisfaction and retention.
The Loyalty Momentum Effect
Sept. 3, 2004--Andy Wood, managing director of the database marketing company, Total DM, examines how value derived from loyalty programs escalates, gathering at an increased pace as the effort that is devoted to making the scheme a success increases. It is a phenomenon his company has termed the Loyalty Momentum Effect.
Leverage Your Mid-Market CRM System With Third-Party Products
Sept. 3, 2004--The CRM industry continues to mature along with many third-party products that can take your system to a new level of efficiency and productivity. Before embarking on an expensive search and replacement of your existing system because of existing limitations, your organization should take the time to investigate third-party solutions that will address your requirements.
The Burgeoning China Market Still Doesn't Quite Grasp CRM
Aug. 9, 2004--Sampson Lee, CRM guru and founder of GreaterChinaCRM, takes a critical view of the changing face of Greater China. There has been progress, but there is a long way to go, he reports.
CRM Around the Globe: It Has Yet To Fly
Aug. 9, 2004--In India, a company whose mission is to distribute hot lunches to workers, is practicing customer relationship management in a big way. In China, the one shining example of CRM is Haier Group, maker of household appliances. In the United Kingdom, Tesco continues to stand out. Yet, a brief survey of gurus whose work takes them outside the United States shows that those are the rare exceptions that prove the rule: CRM has yet to really take off worldwide.
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