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Fast Implementation Is Key: Q&A With Amdocs Strategy VP Dana Porter February 09, 2009 
For the last few years, Amdocs has been introducing modules, or "packs," to customers. These are packaged applications that are equipped with features that address a specific task or functional area and are designed for fast implementation. This strategy was on display last week when Amdocs rolled out its E-Billing Start Pack.
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The Crucial Difference Between Contact Management and CRM January 29, 2009 
The budget cuts and spending freezes resulting from the current economic downturn have reduced the number of legitimate opportunities for sales representatives; therefore, organizations are placing a renewed emphasis on cutting costs and customer retention to combat certain economic realities.
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SaaS Integration Woes and Other Things to Look Forward To in 2009 January 19, 2009 
Finding business value in Software as a Service implementations is a perennial topic of discussion, no matter how established the SaaS business model becomes. In part, that's because it's more a business than a tech issue, and companies tend to focus more on features and functionality during the procurement process.
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The Dark Side of the Cloud, Part 1 January 15, 2009 
There are plenty of figures to show the efficiencies and cost savings that cloud computing can deliver, but here's one you're unlikely to hear during a sales pitch: The benefits of cloud computing are not linear with a project's progress. That means if you only complete about 80 percent of the project, you can't expect 80 percent of the expected benefits.
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Bundled Service, Unbundled Customer Service December 30, 2008 
Memo to telecom service providers: "We never thanked you, but you did a great job offering us consolidated billing. It is hard to remember now, as for the last few years you have been so aggressive in promoting bundled services, but five years ago, this was a major pain point. Three bills for ISP, cable and telephone, and usually three different due dates as well."
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3 Low-Cost or No-Cost Customer Management Tips for Uncertain Times December 26, 2008 
There is little doubt that these are increasingly uncertain times for managers. In 2008, U.S. businesses cut nearly 2 million jobs -- amounting to 11 straight months of shrinking payrolls -- and some economists predict that we could lose another 3 million jobs in the next two years. In the past four months, we've seen continued triple-digit fluctuations in the Dow.
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Closing the Sale With Live Video Chat December 22, 2008 
The Internet provides opportunities for businesses to interact with customers in new ways. As innovations in social media appear, enterprises slowly adopt those same trends to offer alternatives for making the sale online. Some companies are attracting potential new clients through live video streaming or open chat channels.
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Loyalty Lab: The Key Is to Keep Adapting November 11, 2008 
Five years ago, Mark Goldstein and three partners recognized that loyalty programs were becoming a cottage industry. Coming up with the right way to manage those programs, he believed, would be a neat trick. So would finding an effective way to lure in customers. "The toughest part of the business is the selling," Goldstein, founder of San Francisco-based Loyalty Lab, told CRM Buyer.
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Social Networking: Still Challenged by Enterprise Complexity October 20, 2008 
Despite how quickly social networking is becoming integrated in enterprises, it still isn't scaling to meet the most complex problems faced today. The well-known success stories of customer service being made more accountable and responsive are emanating out of how @ComCastCares, @JetBlue, @SouthwestAir and other companies are using Twitter as a means to better solve customer problems.
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The 5 Things Your ERP Sales Rep Doesn't Want You to Know October 13, 2008 
Enterprise Resource Planning systems have become the core platform for both internal and cross-company business processes. By integrating business functions, data and interfaces, they can bring many benefits, process efficiencies, improve customer service and -- if coupled with the right business strategy -- amplify business advantage.
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Online Customer Service: Mixing Live Talk With Automated Tech October 07, 2008 
Last year's online shopping season surpassed $29 billion in sales, up a full 20 percent from the previous holiday. More consumers did their shopping online than any holiday season before, due to the convenience and increasing popularity of the Internet as a way to get too many things done in too little time.
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Oracle's OpenWorld Revolution October 01, 2008 
Sometimes you walk away from a user group meeting concluding that the company didn't introduce much that was really new. You might get the usual product announcements or the dot-version releases and you may take a course that makes you a little smarter about the fine points of some esoteric feature that helps you to do your job.
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Adobe Systems' Kumar Vora on Empowering Customers October 01, 2008 
Web 2.0 technologies offer more opportunities than just sharing information with friends and family on Facebook or uploading user-generated videos on YouTube. The tools that help enable conversations between people on the Internet can also help corporations get closer to their customers.
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Trimming Budgets Through Alternative Online Payments September 29, 2008 
The U.S. economy has entered a vicious cycle where housing, employment and financial troubles are forcing consumers to tighten their purse strings and closely evaluate their every purchase. Retailers are also feeling the grip of a tightening economy as they compete aggressively for a diminishing number of buyers' dollars.
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The Social Media Puzzle September 24, 2008 
The other day I had a conversation with some nice people from the market research company Coleman Parkes Research. They wanted to tell me about a study they have recently concluded about social networking. What was interesting to me is the evidence they turn up about adoption and how the adoption of social media to date by companies follows an early adopter pattern.
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The Quest for a One-Stop On-Demand Web App Shop September 12, 2008 
In some respects, the market for Web-based applications resembles a crowded, noisy and confused bazaar. It's difficult to get a good wide-angle view of all available options. Those there to sell wares often have a hard time finding and securing the best place to set up shop.
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