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Call Centers
CRM Players' Accolades and Upgrades
February 06, 2012
TeleTech has been placed in the "Leaders" quadrant of Gartner's Magic Quadrant: Customer Management Contact Center BPO, Worldwide, 2011, and Yesmail has announced the release of its "Look Book" in celebration of its recent awards for mobile-scalable email design. Meanwhile, West Interactive and VBrick Systems have released major upgrades.
3 Painfully Common Misuses of CRM
February 02, 2012
Every tool has a purpose. That's never more clear than when you see a neophyte do-it-yourselfer trying to use a tool for a purpose other than what it was designed for. For instance, anyone wielding a hammer while trying to fix a car's engine is probably not going to succeed.

Open Source: Not Just for Tech Anymore
January 10, 2012
Amid the many predictions for 2012 regarding Linux and open source software, including my own forecast of Linux domination, there is a larger, wider embrace of open source software taking place not only in the technology and other industries, not only in North America, Europe, Australia, Asia and South America -- but all over the globe in new corners and facets of our society.
The Role of CRM in Logistics Companies' IT Strategies, Part 3
December 19, 2011
The logistics industry is facing challenges in adopting a sustainable and profitable CRM strategy, and there is inertia when it comes to replacing or augmenting disparate CRM solutions adopted by different business units, like retail, as well as various channels, like phone, Web, email, etc.
The Role of CRM in Logistics Companies' IT Strategies, Part 2
December 12, 2011
The mainframe application forms the core of the system where the bulk of the order processing takes place. The traditional mainframe UI in, say, SCOBOL (Screen COBOL) is being augmented/replaced through the front-ending applications built in VB, ASP, .Net, etc. The front-end screens fetch the customer account and order data from the mainframe database through custom connectors built in Java J2EE.
Results Software Strengthens Bonds With SMB Apps
November 18, 2011
Results Software has rolled out the latest iteration of its longstanding CRM business suite product. In this version, it builds on its recent three-way integration with QuickBooks, Outlook and SmartVault. That integration with three applications widely used by small- and medium-sized companies is what President and Founder Naseem Saab says is the application's secret sauce.

LeadLife Gives Marketing Automation Web 2.0 Chops
November 07, 2011
LeadLife Solutions has released a second-generation marketing automation product that combines a Web 2.0 user interface with a visual campaign builder designed to make marketing automation easier for companies. The new solution provides an easy-to-use alternative to complex marketing automation offerings, the company said.
The Advent of Digital Customer Relationships
October 31, 2011
The explosive adoption of the Internet has created a new kind of Web-savvy customer who expects a rich, efficient, personalized online user experience that's accessible 24/7 via any online access point -- Web, mobile device or social media -- and that provides consistent engagement across multiple channels. In order to succeed in today's online-centric world, you have to create positive digital customer relationships.

Predictive Analytics Digs Deeper Into CRM
October 24, 2011
Predixion Software has introduced Predixion Insight 2.0, the latest version of its collaborative predictive analytics solution. The new release includes enterprise collaboration features, interactive visualizations and automated workflow capabilities, as well as an on-premises version of its predictive analytics solution.
SMBs and the Cloud: Size Does Not Matter
October 17, 2011
As customers become more digital, social and mobile, SMBs have significant opportunity to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty through a differentiated customer experience, just like their enterprise competitors. However, those who are unwilling to invest in solutions that embrace the needs of today's marketplace will most certainly be left behind.

Forging Strong Links in Your Customer Interaction Chains
October 13, 2011
What's the ultimate goal of CRM? As much as I and others of my ilk might talk about the positive interactions, good feelings and peer-to-peer relationships that result when CRM is done well, they're just happy means to an end. The end is, and always will be, inflating the bottom line.
CRM's Place in IT Spending Plans
October 10, 2011
Half of U.S. companies plan to invest more on IT resources in 2012 than in 2011. In fact, 10 percent of the companies recently surveyed were planning an increase of 10 percent or greater; only one out of 10 planned to decrease spending next year. "Our survey shows that companies view technology investments as a means to drive efficiencies and make existing employees more productive," said Nucleus Research VP Rebecca Wettemann.

Workforce Management Gets Intelligence Boost
September 26, 2011
Customer interaction analytics specialist Nexidia has announced a new integration partnership with Teleopti, a provider of strategic workforce management solutions. The aim of the partnership is to enhance agent performance management by linking Nexidia's performance measuring applications with Teleopti's skills-based contact center agent forecasting and scheduling.
The Automation Revelation
August 29, 2011
A UK-based managed service provider is on a journey to provide better information and services for its network, voice, VoIP, data and storage customers. The network management and productivity benefits have come from an alignment of many service management products into an automated lifecycle approach to overall network operations.

New CRM Chat Tools Give Instant Gratification
August 15, 2011
Recent announcements in the CRM space have been all about crossing bridges to streamline customer contact functions and making customer service representatives' lives easier and more productive. And all it's taking is a click of the mouse. LiveChat, a developer of real-time software and Web analytics tools for e-commerce sales and support teams, has given word that it is rolling out a new Facebook Connect integration capability.
Keeping It Real With Multimedia Live Engagement
August 04, 2011
By this point in the evolution of e-commerce, most e-tailers know the benefits of live engagement. Website visitors are three times more likely to make a purchase when they have the support of a sales representative. Just as in brick-and-mortar stores, interacting with a knowledgeable person in real-time creates a connection to the customer that increases profits.

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