Most Active Articles 2009-11-24T04:17:58.410-05:00 Business Exchange Business_Exchange@businessweek.com urn:com:businessweek:bx:topic:most-active:customer-relationship-management John A. Byrne jbyrne076 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:111677931114445019-e74c44e50883efa4d3180bcda8f55fcd 2009-11-16T17:13:21.003-05:00

The return on Investment of a CRM system is a tricky thing to measure with so many factors involved. This research highlights the key areas where return can be measured Return on Investment for...

The return on Investment of a CRM system is a tricky thing to measure with so many factors involved. This research highlights the key areas where return can be measured Return on Investment for... http://www.focus.com/ugr/research/crm/how-measure-return-investment-roi-crm-system/ Trevor Usken tusken827 22 22 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:5600825692603367584-d99336b00ad5dd5dbd15848dc0ff9c7e 2009-11-18T10:47:41.270-05:00

Looking back at October 2008, who could have predicted the destruction that would come about from the gale-force events that ripped across Wall Street only a month earlier? Despite the chaos of the past 12 months, these 11 lessons can help you weather the storm.

Looking back at October 2008, who could have predicted the destruction that would come about from the gale-force events that ripped across Wall Street only a month earlier? Despite the chaos of the past 12 months, these 11 lessons can help you weather the storm. http://www.fuelnet.com/daily/getting_new_customers/keep-the-wind-at-your-back/ Ken Beaulieu kbeaulieu381 7 7 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:618081894357856331-085119ae24d7856b6f681c96a6f25916 2009-11-17T14:04:36.659-05:00

As the culmination of Helpstream's ongoing series on Social CRM, the company is announcing the release of a free eBook titled "A Social CRM Manifesto: How to Succeed With the Social CRM Virtuous Cycle."

As the culmination of Helpstream's ongoing series on Social CRM, the company is announcing the release of a free eBook titled "A Social CRM Manifesto: How to Succeed With the Social CRM Virtuous Cycle." http://corpblog.helpstream.com/helpstream-blog/2009/11/17/helpstream-releases-free-ebook-a-social-crm-manifesto-how-to.html Bob Warfield bwarfield273 9 9 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:10910497730365436729-68d408a0f09db23db1dfa51deffd29cb 2009-11-18T00:46:15.161-05:00

Forrester's annual survey on customer experience strategy and spending.

Forrester's annual survey on customer experience strategy and spending. http://experiencematters.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/participate-in-forresters-q4-2009-survey/ Bruce Temkin btemkin340 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:16784506616055919170-67fc928cd2279992af77ba16c5a7b4ab 2009-11-16T11:20:17.337-05:00

FuelNet presents a case study on how one growing business attracted new customers and promoted sustainable living through a partnership with local farmers.

FuelNet presents a case study on how one growing business attracted new customers and promoted sustainable living through a partnership with local farmers. http://www.fuelnet.com/daily/getting_new_customers/a-proven-growth-strategy/ Ken Beaulieu kbeaulieu381 4 4 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:5445610723026156700-5023c7336e75aefcaf3d82ee2662a69f 2009-11-16T02:33:02.002-05:00

I recently published a report called Sixteen Voice Of The Customer Recommendations. To uncover this advice, I analyzed the 40 nominations submitted for Forrester’s Voice Of The Customer (VoC) Award from earlier this year. I examined responses to the...

I recently published a report called Sixteen Voice Of The Customer Recommendations. To uncover this advice, I analyzed the 40 nominations submitted for Forrester’s Voice Of The Customer (VoC) Award from earlier this year. I examined responses to the... http://experiencematters.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/16-voice-of-the-customer-recommendations/ Bruce Temkin btemkin340 5 5 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:9085485958813501064-6f30ab7340670d163c6eec852040b27e 2009-11-11T12:17:15.337-05:00

Most executives talk about the importance of customer service, but far fewer are able to succinctly describe what they mean. It can easily become an empty cliché rather than a strategy for growth. Yet customer service can be as important for product...

Most executives talk about the importance of customer service, but far fewer are able to succinctly describe what they mean. It can easily become an empty cliché rather than a strategy for growth. Yet customer service can be as important for product... http://blogs.bnet.com/customer-service/?p=587&tag=nl.e808 Eric Tsai etsai275 15 15 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:11128550166890053614-52913342b4d24c711fc5619dcbadf1f3 2009-11-09T10:24:53.971-05:00

According to Guy Maser, senior VP of marketing for GlobalSpec, it takes more than a good product or service to ensure a successful customer retention program and foster healthy long-term customer relationships. You must also pay attention to your customers’ needs and meet them. Remember, customers will jump ship given any slight, perceived or real. Maser offers these five tips to help minimize the chances of that happening.

According to Guy Maser, senior VP of marketing for GlobalSpec, it takes more than a good product or service to ensure a successful customer retention program and foster healthy long-term customer relationships. You must also pay attention to your customers’ needs and meet them. Remember, customers will jump ship given any slight, perceived or real. Maser offers these five tips to help minimize the chances of that happening. http://www.fuelnet.com/daily/customer_retention_strategy/earn-lasting-loyalty/ Ken Beaulieu kbeaulieu381 19 19 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:5634224701832354024-a872c8804d16b67ee99e062cd7db8c91 2009-11-09T07:26:10.285-05:00

I just read an interesting interview in Forbes with Simon Cooper, president of the Ritz-Carlton, who provides some insight into Ritz-Carlton’s customer-centric culture. Here are some of Cooper’s remarks: We focus on three fundamentals.

I just read an interesting interview in Forbes with Simon Cooper, president of the Ritz-Carlton, who provides some insight into Ritz-Carlton’s customer-centric culture. Here are some of Cooper’s remarks: We focus on three fundamentals. http://experiencematters.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/inside-ritz-carltons-customer-centric-culture/ Bruce Temkin btemkin340 9 9 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:6196967950092169068-0d602e5e1ea80a2017ac8584e31211c8 2009-11-02T10:44:24.968-05:00

Surveying customers after they’ve made a purchase — or signed a service engagement or support contact — is one of the best ways to identify which customers you might be in danger of losing. According to Jeffrey Henning, founder of Vovici, which offers comprehensive survey software, panel management, and online community solutions, there are four key areas a survey should take into consideration:

Surveying customers after they’ve made a purchase — or signed a service engagement or support contact — is one of the best ways to identify which customers you might be in danger of losing. According to Jeffrey Henning, founder of Vovici, which offers comprehensive survey software, panel management, and online community solutions, there are four key areas a survey should take into consideration: http://www.fuelnet.com/daily/customer_satisfaction_research/identifying-loyal-customers/ Ken Beaulieu kbeaulieu381 20 20 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:17296472398432311519-4bd4da47b4a0bf5de41c3967729a2204 2009-11-09T20:44:41.295-05:00

The founder of Standout Jobs writes that surprise is an underused element in business. Read a list of 10 small businesses that use it well.

The founder of Standout Jobs writes that surprise is an underused element in business. Read a list of 10 small businesses that use it well. http://blog.winningworkplaces.org/blog/winning-workplaces/0/0/10-small-businesses-that-surprise-and-profit-from-it Mark Harbeke mharbeke724 5 5 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:9507379797979130035-5d1c8a54af85996940b1bbfd1719a426 2009-11-02T10:46:10.675-05:00

There’s never been a more important time to be flexible and nimble in your business development strategy. It may be the most important thing a company can do, contends L. Drew Gerber, CEO of Blue Kangaroo and creator of PitchRate.com. “Uncertain economic times compel us to look at everything we do with a fresh set of eyes,” he notes. Here are some tips to help growing businesses stay relevant.

There’s never been a more important time to be flexible and nimble in your business development strategy. It may be the most important thing a company can do, contends L. Drew Gerber, CEO of Blue Kangaroo and creator of PitchRate.com. “Uncertain economic times compel us to look at everything we do with a fresh set of eyes,” he notes. Here are some tips to help growing businesses stay relevant. http://www.fuelnet.com/daily/getting_new_customers/stay-relevant/ Ken Beaulieu kbeaulieu381 13 13 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:4235179217745229432-eb4fff6c43592b7641a264fc2f2af569 2009-10-29T08:57:32.432-04:00

It's the Me-conomy stupid. And so sums up in just four words the feeling a lot of us have as consumers as yet again we encounter another average service experience with a company we have provided our custom, our dollars and our time, often over many...

It's the Me-conomy stupid. And so sums up in just four words the feeling a lot of us have as consumers as yet again we encounter another average service experience with a company we have provided our custom, our dollars and our time, often over many... http://www.business-strategy-innovation.com/2009/10/planning-and-designing-excellent.html Braden Kelley bkelley034 19 19 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:3191508206500530332-01d677ec524a4b0b901452a86cc950f3 2009-11-09T10:16:14.187-05:00

According to Tom Northup, author of Five Hidden Mistakes CEOs Make, business owners must understand the key success factors that drive their marketplace, and develop those into core competencies as part of the business development process. “It’s also important to set achievable goals meant to improve your processes and the things your people do to succeed,” he says. “Then make sure you hold yourself and your team accountable for meeting those goals.” Here are three other points to consider.

According to Tom Northup, author of Five Hidden Mistakes CEOs Make, business owners must understand the key success factors that drive their marketplace, and develop those into core competencies as part of the business development process. “It’s also important to set achievable goals meant to improve your processes and the things your people do to succeed,” he says. “Then make sure you hold yourself and your team accountable for meeting those goals.” Here are three other points to consider. http://www.fuelnet.com/daily/getting_new_customers/growth-spurt/ Ken Beaulieu kbeaulieu381 1 1 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:16331370045770139649-ef284e3940188c7379620511af022480 2009-11-06T20:25:12.277-05:00

It is often said that a company stands or falls on the quality of its communications. This can range from its ability to communicate effectively internally, across multiple locations, with employees working at remote locations (e.g. at home), with customers, and with partners, to the actual content of those interactions. Read more at http://www.ventanaresearch.com/blog/commentblog.aspx?id=3360

It is often said that a company stands or falls on the quality of its communications. This can range from its ability to communicate effectively internally, across multiple locations, with employees working at remote locations (e.g. at home), with customers, and with partners, to the actual content of those interactions. Read more at http://www.ventanaresearch.com/blog/commentblog.aspx?id=3360 http://www.ventanaresearch.com/blog/commentblog.aspx?id=3360 Ventana Research vresearch293 2 2 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:908523631626960208-c4505a01f272485e977b7c6350dd9e1f 2009-11-05T08:41:18.968-05:00

I’ve been helping several executive teams chart their customer experience journeys. The work typically centers around strategy, culture, organization, processes, and leadership. So I am almost always discussing the role of the executive team; which...

I’ve been helping several executive teams chart their customer experience journeys. The work typically centers around strategy, culture, organization, processes, and leadership. So I am almost always discussing the role of the executive team; which... http://experiencematters.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/the-8-signs-of-executive-commitment/ Bruce Temkin btemkin340 2 2 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:13976519673114509327-6e6882ba23fefc3a2b7a6689a77e6c2b 2009-11-06T20:20:06.286-05:00

A lot of things in contact centres have outlived their ’sell-by dates’. Richard Snow takes us through his wish list of things that he would like to see banished from the call centre.

A lot of things in contact centres have outlived their ’sell-by dates’. Richard Snow takes us through his wish list of things that he would like to see banished from the call centre. http://www.callcentrehelper.com/six-things-to-banish-from-your-contact-centre-6725.htm Ventana Research vresearch293 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:6520032358073924514-03b412096bd143f5d054f9165d10b0dd 2009-10-19T10:24:21.095-04:00

In their new book, Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship, Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig offers many salient points on customer relationship building. Here are 10 worth heeding.

In their new book, Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship, Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig offers many salient points on customer relationship building. Here are 10 worth heeding. http://www.fuelnet.com/daily/customer_relationship_marketing/time-to-get-real/ Ken Beaulieu kbeaulieu381 20 20 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:9340734963022601526-652456261e331e2e61d77d43c42f448c 2009-10-28T16:35:21.686-04:00

Those silly, disadvantaged monkeys... Shut Up In many cases, it’s not the means that count but the results. Social, telephonic, snail mail or pigeon carrier. Companies simply can’t afford to turn a deaf ear to constructive customer feedback, irrespective of the outlet or channel from which the feedback originates.

Those silly, disadvantaged monkeys... Shut Up In many cases, it’s not the means that count but the results. Social, telephonic, snail mail or pigeon carrier. Companies simply can’t afford to turn a deaf ear to constructive customer feedback, irrespective of the outlet or channel from which the feedback originates. http://insightsandingenuity.com/2009/10/19/is-social-feedback-less-valuable-than-traditional-feedback/ Heather Rast hrast757 8 7 0 1 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:3289462343409035264-7489e60220446bd8462fe57c4b04be4c 2009-10-12T20:58:31.990-04:00

Dell and Salesforce.com are teaming up to offer a cloud-based CRM solution for Small to Medium Businesses. Subscriptions for the Dell-Salesforce.com solution will start at $9 per user, per month and are being billed by the two companies as an out-of-the-box integration.

Dell and Salesforce.com are teaming up to offer a cloud-based CRM solution for Small to Medium Businesses. Subscriptions for the Dell-Salesforce.com solution will start at $9 per user, per month and are being billed by the two companies as an out-of-the-box integration. http://www.crn.com/software/220600376;jsessionid=P0BCNQFIYMPPPQE1GHRSKHWATMY32JVN Thomas Huynh thuynh381 11 9 0 2 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:14792262448482225898-dbf03572b0170be4040cde911b592c51 2009-10-14T20:18:21.378-04:00

http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/bregman/2009/10/the-price-of-a-poor-experience.html Chada Washington cwashington542 6 4 1 1 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:7959979243863953564-9d9f3ba5662167c9446c405939a5bc06 2009-10-29T15:14:18.311-04:00

At its user conference in Colorado Springs, RightNow Technologies announced a new mission: To rid the world of bad experiences. CEO Greg Gianforte unveiled the mission along with its three pillars: Invest in its solution to help RightNow clients...

At its user conference in Colorado Springs, RightNow Technologies announced a new mission: To rid the world of bad experiences. CEO Greg Gianforte unveiled the mission along with its three pillars: Invest in its solution to help RightNow clients... http://experiencematters.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/exterminate-bad-experiences-rightnow/ Bruce Temkin btemkin340 3 3 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:16330890421957345289-1764a53e561c07a58315cdf00ea178b9 2009-11-01T18:11:49.765-05:00

All of a sudden speech analytics has become a very hot topic (See: “Does Your Customer Voice Matter”) (http://www.ventanaresearch.com/blog/commentblog.aspx?id=3001) , and Nexidia (www.nexidia.com) has just made the space red-hot with the release of its latest products (http://nexidia.com/about_us/news_and_events/news/nexidia_introduces_esimonitor_and_agent_assist_for_realtime_agent_support_in_contact_centers). This takes the company into the realms of real-time speech capture and analytics, and has enabled it to offer a unique pre-built application. Read more at http://www.ventanaresearch.com/blog/commentblog.aspx?id=3346

All of a sudden speech analytics has become a very hot topic (See: “Does Your Customer Voice Matter”) (http://www.ventanaresearch.com/blog/commentblog.aspx?id=3001) , and Nexidia (www.nexidia.com) has just made the space red-hot with the release of its latest products (http://nexidia.com/about_us/news_and_events/news/nexidia_introduces_esimonitor_and_agent_assist_for_realtime_agent_support_in_contact_centers). This takes the company into the realms of real-time speech capture and analytics, and has enabled it to offer a unique pre-built application. Read more at http://www.ventanaresearch.com/blog/commentblog.aspx?id=3346 http://www.ventanaresearch.com/blog/commentblog.aspx?id=3346 Ventana Research vresearch293 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:16330410798067121614-cbe4b05689f175d8c11d6373dd627455 2009-10-09T19:36:47.334-04:00

Over five years ago I carried out what I can now see was the first benchmark research into the maturity of contact centers that I had seen. The whole idea was to take a look at the people, processes, information, and technology used by companies to operate their contact centers and to then classify the results into four levels of maturity: Tactical, Advanced, Strategic and Innovative.

Over five years ago I carried out what I can now see was the first benchmark research into the maturity of contact centers that I had seen. The whole idea was to take a look at the people, processes, information, and technology used by companies to operate their contact centers and to then classify the results into four levels of maturity: Tactical, Advanced, Strategic and Innovative. http://www.ventanaresearch.com/blog/commentblog.aspx?id=3327 Ventana Research vresearch293 4 3 1 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:314753695180218559-1d91a4e4a32fd4d55a5ada4a99d201aa 2009-10-23T09:52:12.333-04:00

The customer may always be right, but are they the right customers? One of the customer’s of my company (Actinic) was incredibly picky about how their business wanted to use our software. We are a mass market, low price supplier and we’ve sold tens...

The customer may always be right, but are they the right customers? One of the customer’s of my company (Actinic) was incredibly picky about how their business wanted to use our software. We are a mass market, low price supplier and we’ve sold tens... http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/blog/2009/10/customers-who-wants-them Marketing Donut mdonut591 6 5 0 1