The integration with ShareFile provides Results CRM users with an innovative and effective in-the-cloud document management solution-in addition to the existing Results document management options. Results CRM users can easily scan, upload, and attach documents to any Results CRM contact , activity, sales opportunity, and project. This allows Results users to access those attached documents from within Results or directly from ShareFile. ShareFile also enables the creation of a custom-branded, password-protected space where users can exchange business files with clients easily and securely. ShareFile supports the ability to send large files by email, conduct a secure file transfer, or use a shared online space where project-related files can be posted.
"We are very pleased to deliver CRM and Business Management functionality to ShareFile users, so that the files that they store can now be saved and retrieved in context of the Contact or Project that the file belongs to." said Sam Saab, President and Founder of Results Software.
"The integration delivers a seamless experience that creates increased productivity by providing access to important documents anytime, anywhere. We're excited to have an integration with an award-winning provider of Customer Relationship and Business Management Solutions, creating an effective cloud document management solution for all businesses," said Cat Allday Senior Director, Product Management SaaS at Citrix ShareFile.
The Results-ShareFile Integration module is currently shipping and is included at no additional charge in all Results QuickStart Bundles.
About Results Software
Founded in 1985, Results Software provides Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Business Management Solutions to a diverse client base. The Results family of products helps organizations of all sizes and within multiple industries streamline operations, improve efficiencies, and increase performance with its award-winning software and services. Results Software also offers a comprehensive line of professional services focused on helping clients grow their businesses-including consulting, systems analysis, custom programming, data conversion, custom reports, and training. Results has earned top honors from Intuit as a QuickBooks Gold Certified Developer, is a Microsoft? Certified Partner, and has won both a K2 Enterprises Quality Award and the prestigious Awesome QuickBooks Add-on Award from The Sleeter Group.
About Results CRM
Results CRM delivers a complete and flexible approach to business information management and business process automation for sales and marketing, service delivery, customer service, order tracking, project management, time-billing, invoicing, purchase orders, and inventory control. Results CRM provides seamless bi-directional integration with QuickBooks?, Outlook?, Constant Contact?, SmartVault?, Citrix ShareFile?, XpandedReports, and SharePoint?. Results CRM is proudly 100% designed, developed, and supported in the United States.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Game's Make CRM Fun and Boost Usage
The intent of the Zurmo CRM application, according to the organization, is both to encourage user adoption and, in its words, to make "a lackluster category of software more appealing to users." Several of the Zurmo developers have backgrounds working with SugarCRM.
Zurmo cofounder and Community Manager Ray Stoeckicht said in a statement that one of the main goals is "making CRM fun," encouraging instead of forcing usage.
"The lack of intrinsic motivation to use CRM systems is a major failure in our industry that we intend to fix," he said.
To do so, gamelike elements are included throughout the app. There are points awarded to CRM users for every action performed, rewarding use of the system and business best practices.
Badges are delivered for accomplishing specific milestones, such as establishing more leads or winning more opportunities, or for system use, such as login frequency.
Points lead to higher levels, which are available both as general levels and as category-specific ones. Categories include New Business Sales, Account Management, Time Management, and Communication. A leaderboard shows top performers.
There's also the gamelike tension of Challenges. Users and managers can challenge each other to accomplish specific tasks, and bonus points are available for challenge completion or when a higher category has been obtained.
In addition to the game elements, the new release includes a new user interface, designed by Theresa Neil, author of the book Designing Web Interfaces. Zurmo cofounder and Lead Architect Jason Green told news media that the intent was to develop an intuitive interface that "reduces clicks and is also beautiful."
Key CRM functionality includes contact management, deal tracking and activity management. The organization says that it doesn't intend to fight and win a features war, but that the goal is "a high-quality sales force automation tool."
On its Web site at zurmo.org, the organization acknowledges that there are already many CRM applications. But, it says, "we still see companies struggling to implement a CRM application."
Zurmo is being built using three development frameworks -- Yii, RedBeanPHP, and jQuery -- and it's available under the GPLv3 open-source license. The intent is to deliver an open-source product with all features at no charge, instead of the "freemium" model of a basic version with additional premium features at various prices.
Zurmo is still determining its business model, which might include fee-based support, customization, and hosting. The organization expects a release candidate to be available by July, and a "general audience" release by September.
Zurmo cofounder and Community Manager Ray Stoeckicht said in a statement that one of the main goals is "making CRM fun," encouraging instead of forcing usage.
"The lack of intrinsic motivation to use CRM systems is a major failure in our industry that we intend to fix," he said.
To do so, gamelike elements are included throughout the app. There are points awarded to CRM users for every action performed, rewarding use of the system and business best practices.
Badges are delivered for accomplishing specific milestones, such as establishing more leads or winning more opportunities, or for system use, such as login frequency.
Points lead to higher levels, which are available both as general levels and as category-specific ones. Categories include New Business Sales, Account Management, Time Management, and Communication. A leaderboard shows top performers.
There's also the gamelike tension of Challenges. Users and managers can challenge each other to accomplish specific tasks, and bonus points are available for challenge completion or when a higher category has been obtained.
In addition to the game elements, the new release includes a new user interface, designed by Theresa Neil, author of the book Designing Web Interfaces. Zurmo cofounder and Lead Architect Jason Green told news media that the intent was to develop an intuitive interface that "reduces clicks and is also beautiful."
Key CRM functionality includes contact management, deal tracking and activity management. The organization says that it doesn't intend to fight and win a features war, but that the goal is "a high-quality sales force automation tool."
On its Web site at zurmo.org, the organization acknowledges that there are already many CRM applications. But, it says, "we still see companies struggling to implement a CRM application."
Zurmo is being built using three development frameworks -- Yii, RedBeanPHP, and jQuery -- and it's available under the GPLv3 open-source license. The intent is to deliver an open-source product with all features at no charge, instead of the "freemium" model of a basic version with additional premium features at various prices.
Zurmo is still determining its business model, which might include fee-based support, customization, and hosting. The organization expects a release candidate to be available by July, and a "general audience" release by September.
New Public Cloud by Oracle
The new Oracle Cloud, presented at the company's headquarters in Redwood Shores, Calif., provides platform-as-a-service access to the company's key products.
Virtual Machines
The new service will feature subscription access to Fusion CRM , the Oracle Social Network, Fusion human capital management, the Oracle Database Service, and the Oracle Java Cloud Service. The Oracle Social Network is a suite of collaboration tools and services that is intended to compete with the variety of cloud-based social business apps being released by competitors, notably Salesforce.
Oracle had previously launched its Public Cloud in October at the Oracle OpenWorld conference as an integrated set of apps and infrastructure, but this announcement raises the bar and offers subscription-based access to the company's suite of products. Ellison said the new cloud provides everything a client would need for platform, application, custom infrastructure or social business.
As Oracle moves to compete with Microsoft, SAP, Salesforce, IBM, Google, Amazon and others, CEO Larry Ellison has said that one of its competitive advantages will be that each enterprise customer will have a virtual machine instead of a multi-tenant architecture , providing more flexibility and security .
He told a technology conference last week that customers of the Oracle Cloud "will be more secure , more in control and have a much more modern version of the cloud."
Ellison's position represents a turnaround for the high-profile executive, who had previously badmouthed cloud-based computing on more than one occasion.
Now, he says he thought it was "ridiculously hyped," and that his problem with it had been the hype, not the promise. Ellison current position is that cloud-based software offers a "charismatic brand for the next version of computing."
Another attraction is that, according to comments made to news media by Oracle Chief Financial Officer Safra Catz, operating margins for the Oracle Cloud could top 50 percent. But, as with Microsoft and others, the risk to Oracle is that it could hurt its regular sales by making its crown jewels available online.
Oracle has been acquiring companies recently that have major online components and has been retooling its software, in order to get ready for this day. Such acquisitions have included human resources software company Taleo, customer service provider RightNow Technologies, social media analytics firm Collective Intellect, social marketing firm Virtue, and data management company Endeca.
Other companies previously acquired by Oracle include Siebel Systems, JD Edwards, Hyperion and PeopleSoft.
Of course, key rival SAP has not been sitting on its hands, having announced its own cloud-based service in May and having also been on a buying spree. Last month it made an offer for cloud-based commerce network provider Ariba, and it recently purchased human resources software provider SuccessFactors.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
CEO of business endorse Salesforce Chatter iPad App
Salesforce says it created Chatter for iPad to take advantage of the iPad's unique capabilities while keeping users connected to the people and the records that matter most, whether they are working in the office or on the road. "The biggest thing I see in Chatter is it clearly starts driving down the volume of e-mail traffic," says Enrique, president and CEO of security software maker Symantec. "It's information being sent to people who need it."
"Wherever I am," Salem elaborates, "I can now very effectively communicate with the 18,000 people at our company. I would tell you, the biggest game-changer over the next five years in business productivity will be how companies use social media and we've chosen to use Chatter."
Driving Innovation
Chatter for iPad lets users view updates about the people, groups, and records they follow. It also lets users view documents and links shared by others, and find and follow people in their organization. Chatter sets the stage for collaboration . The free mobile app lets users find and join groups within an organization, view coworker profiles, e-mail them directly, and more.
Essentially, Chatter for iPad leverages the social features made popular by Facebook and Twitter -- such as profiles, status updates, and real-time feeds. Salesforce.com characterizes Chatter as a Cloud 2.0 app. Cloud 2 came onto the scene with consumer social-networking sites like Facebook and Twitter that people use every day to connect and collaborate with friends and family.
Lord Rothemore, chairman of publishing house DMGT (Daily Mail and General Trust), credits Chatter with bringing in more innovative ideas from employees in the last three months than he had seen the previous 12 years. He said he sees his company embracing tools like Chatter and using them to drive their top line and relationships with customers and staff.
"Companies that don't use social collaboration internally will find it harder to recruit talent and will lose significant competitive advantage," Rothemore said.
Cutting-Edge Companies
Any Salesforce user can invite any colleague -- even those who aren't Salesforce users -- to collaborate with Chatter. The goal is to create a network effect, as the pool of Chatter users widens and deepens across a company. Salesforce.com pointed to the security of Chatter Free, noting that because it's built on the Force.com platform, enterprises are assured employees only see what they are authorized to see.
Bob Beauchamp, Chairman and CEO of business-app maker BMC Software, remembers the first time Salesforce.com CEO Mark Benioff talked to him about Chatter. Intuitively, he thought it was a great idea.
"It's obvious that this is a change that's going to last forever. This way of doing business just makes sense," Beauchamp said. "I want BMC to be a company where the employees feel like they are working for a cutting-edge company that's setting the pace -- not a follower but a leader."
"The biggest difference between CRM on premises and CRM in the cloud comes down to where the server resides. On premises CRM means that the server is in your office," Smith wrote in a blog post on CRM Software Blog.
"And if you choose CRM in the cloud? Well, the server could be almost anywhere, and I can't tell you where 'anywhere' is because that depends on your cloud provider. But I can tell where 'anywhere' is NOT. It's NOT hanging over your head in a mass of white cotton outlined against a blue sky."
"Wherever I am," Salem elaborates, "I can now very effectively communicate with the 18,000 people at our company. I would tell you, the biggest game-changer over the next five years in business productivity will be how companies use social media and we've chosen to use Chatter."
Driving Innovation
Chatter for iPad lets users view updates about the people, groups, and records they follow. It also lets users view documents and links shared by others, and find and follow people in their organization. Chatter sets the stage for collaboration . The free mobile app lets users find and join groups within an organization, view coworker profiles, e-mail them directly, and more.
Essentially, Chatter for iPad leverages the social features made popular by Facebook and Twitter -- such as profiles, status updates, and real-time feeds. Salesforce.com characterizes Chatter as a Cloud 2.0 app. Cloud 2 came onto the scene with consumer social-networking sites like Facebook and Twitter that people use every day to connect and collaborate with friends and family.
Lord Rothemore, chairman of publishing house DMGT (Daily Mail and General Trust), credits Chatter with bringing in more innovative ideas from employees in the last three months than he had seen the previous 12 years. He said he sees his company embracing tools like Chatter and using them to drive their top line and relationships with customers and staff.
"Companies that don't use social collaboration internally will find it harder to recruit talent and will lose significant competitive advantage," Rothemore said.
Cutting-Edge Companies
Any Salesforce user can invite any colleague -- even those who aren't Salesforce users -- to collaborate with Chatter. The goal is to create a network effect, as the pool of Chatter users widens and deepens across a company. Salesforce.com pointed to the security of Chatter Free, noting that because it's built on the Force.com platform, enterprises are assured employees only see what they are authorized to see.
Bob Beauchamp, Chairman and CEO of business-app maker BMC Software, remembers the first time Salesforce.com CEO Mark Benioff talked to him about Chatter. Intuitively, he thought it was a great idea.
"It's obvious that this is a change that's going to last forever. This way of doing business just makes sense," Beauchamp said. "I want BMC to be a company where the employees feel like they are working for a cutting-edge company that's setting the pace -- not a follower but a leader."
"The biggest difference between CRM on premises and CRM in the cloud comes down to where the server resides. On premises CRM means that the server is in your office," Smith wrote in a blog post on CRM Software Blog.
"And if you choose CRM in the cloud? Well, the server could be almost anywhere, and I can't tell you where 'anywhere' is because that depends on your cloud provider. But I can tell where 'anywhere' is NOT. It's NOT hanging over your head in a mass of white cotton outlined against a blue sky."
Monday, March 12, 2012
Consumer satisfaction continues to increase for ecommerce companies
The customer satisfaction score of the embattled video rental company fell 15% in the last year, says the American Customer Satisfaction Index annual eCommerce report released today. It's one of the largest drops in the indexs history.
The index, founded at the University of Michigan but now run as a privately held company, measures customer evaluations of products and services for 250 companies in 47 industries in the U.S., based on a 100-point scale. Customer satisfaction with e-commerce Web sites inched up 1% to 80.
Consumer expectation continues to increase for ecommerce companies, says Larry Freed, author of the report and CEO of consulting firm ForeSee. However, When you walk into a retail store, you don't expect to get better service, he says.
Total e-commerce sales rose 16% to $194.3 billion in 2011, say data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Amazon remains the top online retailer in customer service, though its overall score dropped slightly. The company invests heavily in subsidizing the cost of shipping and new technology, such as its e-readers, to keep consumer prices low. "It's the gold standard for e-commerce in many different ways," says Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst at Forrester Research.
Netflix's score reflects the turbulent changes it introduced last year by raising prices and announcing a plan, which it eventually dropped, to split its DVD and streaming rental services. Netflix shot themselves in the foot, Mulpuru says.
Newegg, an online retailer that specializes in electronics, registered the fastest rate of growth in satisfaction scores.
Online travel agencies' average score, at 78, was slightly lower than retailers. But the sluggish economy has unleashed a flood of deals and new Web features to attract more customers, says Douglas Quinby of PhoCusWright, a travel technology research firm.
Travelocity tops the category, replacing last year's leader, Expedia. Priceline, which has moved beyond its auction model to traditional travel agency businesses, registered the biggest increase in customer satisfaction among travel companies.
Customer satisfaction with online brokerages fell 3% to 76. Fidelity, Charles Schwab and E-Trade tied for the lead in the sector.
The index, founded at the University of Michigan but now run as a privately held company, measures customer evaluations of products and services for 250 companies in 47 industries in the U.S., based on a 100-point scale. Customer satisfaction with e-commerce Web sites inched up 1% to 80.
Consumer expectation continues to increase for ecommerce companies, says Larry Freed, author of the report and CEO of consulting firm ForeSee. However, When you walk into a retail store, you don't expect to get better service, he says.
Total e-commerce sales rose 16% to $194.3 billion in 2011, say data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Amazon remains the top online retailer in customer service, though its overall score dropped slightly. The company invests heavily in subsidizing the cost of shipping and new technology, such as its e-readers, to keep consumer prices low. "It's the gold standard for e-commerce in many different ways," says Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst at Forrester Research.
Netflix's score reflects the turbulent changes it introduced last year by raising prices and announcing a plan, which it eventually dropped, to split its DVD and streaming rental services. Netflix shot themselves in the foot, Mulpuru says.
Newegg, an online retailer that specializes in electronics, registered the fastest rate of growth in satisfaction scores.
Online travel agencies' average score, at 78, was slightly lower than retailers. But the sluggish economy has unleashed a flood of deals and new Web features to attract more customers, says Douglas Quinby of PhoCusWright, a travel technology research firm.
Travelocity tops the category, replacing last year's leader, Expedia. Priceline, which has moved beyond its auction model to traditional travel agency businesses, registered the biggest increase in customer satisfaction among travel companies.
Customer satisfaction with online brokerages fell 3% to 76. Fidelity, Charles Schwab and E-Trade tied for the lead in the sector.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Mobile Social Cloud CRM for smaill business
Mobile Social Cloud CRM for smaill business , allows any business to interact with customers on any major social network , via a mobile device. The company said in a statement that the service is "so simple that any company, even one without an IT staff, can get up and running over a weekend."
With nearly a quarter of all time spent online being spent on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, has become a leader in integrating social networks into its customer service offerings.
The company envisions a scenario such as a customer posting a critical comment on Facebook about its newly purchased widget. While a desktop-based customer service worker for the widget maker might be the first stop for responding to the comment, the actual resolution might be better handled by a technical service person, who could be out in the field.
With Desk.com, that ticket can then be picked up by the technical service employee, and resolved via a mobile device. The ticket can be reassigned, have its status or priority changed, or have its customer information modified.
Hes said that, according to its data , nearly three-quarters of small businesses use mobile applications in their daily operations. With Desk.com, SMBs can use a help desk that integrates social networks, e-mail, phone and other Web components, making social networks into what the company described as "first-class citizens along with traditional support channels."
Hourly for 'Casual' Reps
He runs on any smartphone that supports HTML 5, such as Android -based devices and Apple's iPhone. Reporting includes information on how many cases customer service agents have opened, resolved, replied to, reassigned, or reopened, and a dozen pre-built reports offer such data as handling time, time to first response, and first contact resolution rate.
CRM has priced the offering to appeal to SMBs. The first seat is free, and then it's $49 per agent per month. There's also an hourly model for what the company calls "casual" customer support reps, at $1 per hour.
He is based on the technology that yours obtained when it purchased social customer service startup Assistly last fall. Assistly's product allowed companies to organize customer conversations on social networks into a to-do list, and provided tools for support staff to respond, see customer histories, automate procedures and produce analytical reports.
Social, Mobile, Simple
In our interview with Alex Bard, vice president and general manager, Bard explained this service Cloud, a key part of its "social enterprise " efforts, had previously been optimized for the mid-market and large enterprises, but his extending the cloud toward the lower end of the market.
Bard said that, in researching smaller companies' needs, Sales "kept hearing three things -- it has to be social at its core, it needs to be mobile, and it needs to be simple." He added that thousands of Assistly customers have been moved to sale, and the response has been "overwhelmingly positive."
Laura DiDio, an analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Corp., said Desk.com represents "the ultimate in the consumerization of IT, and a recognition of how we're no longer tethered to an office with a traditional PC ."
She noted that Salesforce made "a pretty quick turnaround" in readying Assistly for the new product launch, adding that the model of customer support from virtually any mobile device "will absolutely become a standard."
With nearly a quarter of all time spent online being spent on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, has become a leader in integrating social networks into its customer service offerings.
The company envisions a scenario such as a customer posting a critical comment on Facebook about its newly purchased widget. While a desktop-based customer service worker for the widget maker might be the first stop for responding to the comment, the actual resolution might be better handled by a technical service person, who could be out in the field.
With Desk.com, that ticket can then be picked up by the technical service employee, and resolved via a mobile device. The ticket can be reassigned, have its status or priority changed, or have its customer information modified.
Hes said that, according to its data , nearly three-quarters of small businesses use mobile applications in their daily operations. With Desk.com, SMBs can use a help desk that integrates social networks, e-mail, phone and other Web components, making social networks into what the company described as "first-class citizens along with traditional support channels."
Hourly for 'Casual' Reps
He runs on any smartphone that supports HTML 5, such as Android -based devices and Apple's iPhone. Reporting includes information on how many cases customer service agents have opened, resolved, replied to, reassigned, or reopened, and a dozen pre-built reports offer such data as handling time, time to first response, and first contact resolution rate.
CRM has priced the offering to appeal to SMBs. The first seat is free, and then it's $49 per agent per month. There's also an hourly model for what the company calls "casual" customer support reps, at $1 per hour.
He is based on the technology that yours obtained when it purchased social customer service startup Assistly last fall. Assistly's product allowed companies to organize customer conversations on social networks into a to-do list, and provided tools for support staff to respond, see customer histories, automate procedures and produce analytical reports.
Social, Mobile, Simple
In our interview with Alex Bard, vice president and general manager, Bard explained this service Cloud, a key part of its "social enterprise " efforts, had previously been optimized for the mid-market and large enterprises, but his extending the cloud toward the lower end of the market.
Bard said that, in researching smaller companies' needs, Sales "kept hearing three things -- it has to be social at its core, it needs to be mobile, and it needs to be simple." He added that thousands of Assistly customers have been moved to sale, and the response has been "overwhelmingly positive."
Laura DiDio, an analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Corp., said Desk.com represents "the ultimate in the consumerization of IT, and a recognition of how we're no longer tethered to an office with a traditional PC ."
She noted that Salesforce made "a pretty quick turnaround" in readying Assistly for the new product launch, adding that the model of customer support from virtually any mobile device "will absolutely become a standard."
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Company Reimbursed Customers for Product Reviews of CRM
Online reviews of products and businesses should be taken with at least a few grains of salt, since it's usually not clear if real customers have actually posted their honest assessments. Now, a new report shows how one company compensated customers for good reviews.
As described in a story published Thursday in The New York Times, a company named VIP Deals received rave reviews online about its Vipertek black leather case for the Kindle Fire tablet on Amazon. Out of 335 reviews, 310 gave the case five stars.
'Totally Off-Base'
Following reports that VIP Deals was offering the case for free in exchange for writing a product review, the company issued a denial. The Times quotes a representative as saying via e-mail that such charges were "totally off-base."
But three customers revealed a VIP Web notice that sold the $59.99 case for $10 plus shipping. When the product arrived, an included letter offered to "refund your order so you will have received the product for free," in exchange for writing a product review for the Amazon community.
The letter did not explicitly require a five-star recommendation in order to get compensation, but it strongly hinted it wanted such a review. "We strive," the letter said, "to earn 100 percent 'FIVE-STAR' scores from you!" The customer received the product for free, regardless of what the review actually said.
VIP Deals does not have a Web site, and its street address is a mailbox drop. Possibly as a result of the adverse publicity, the product is no longer being offered on Amazon. The Vipertek Stun Gun, also made by VIP Deals, has similarly been taken down -- and which similarly had a plethora of five-star reviews.
Lucas Fayne
Federal Trade Commission rules require disclosure if there is a connection between an endorser and a seller. The FTC's associate director for advertising practices, Mary Engle, told the Times that "advertising disguised as editorial is an old problem, but it's now presenting itself in different ways." Amazon said its guidelines prohibit customers from receiving payment for their reviews.
The issue of fake online reviews is increasingly gaining attention. For instance, there's the well-known fake online reviewer Lucas Fayne. Fayne has posted many favorable reviews about building contractors on a variety of sites.
It turns out that Lucas Fayne is the placeholder name in a template for small-business owners who set up Web sites using Intuit software . A spokesperson for Intuit has told news media that the name is only given as an example in the template, and is supposed to be overwritten by a user's name accompanying an authentic review.
Consumer Reports, which takes no paid advertising, says on its Web site that there are giveaways that could indicate fake reviews.
The publication said these include multiple exclamation points and overly enthusiastic language in a posting, too many references such as "my wife" or "my family," and very detailed references to product specifications.
As described in a story published Thursday in The New York Times, a company named VIP Deals received rave reviews online about its Vipertek black leather case for the Kindle Fire tablet on Amazon. Out of 335 reviews, 310 gave the case five stars.
'Totally Off-Base'
Following reports that VIP Deals was offering the case for free in exchange for writing a product review, the company issued a denial. The Times quotes a representative as saying via e-mail that such charges were "totally off-base."
But three customers revealed a VIP Web notice that sold the $59.99 case for $10 plus shipping. When the product arrived, an included letter offered to "refund your order so you will have received the product for free," in exchange for writing a product review for the Amazon community.
The letter did not explicitly require a five-star recommendation in order to get compensation, but it strongly hinted it wanted such a review. "We strive," the letter said, "to earn 100 percent 'FIVE-STAR' scores from you!" The customer received the product for free, regardless of what the review actually said.
VIP Deals does not have a Web site, and its street address is a mailbox drop. Possibly as a result of the adverse publicity, the product is no longer being offered on Amazon. The Vipertek Stun Gun, also made by VIP Deals, has similarly been taken down -- and which similarly had a plethora of five-star reviews.
Lucas Fayne
Federal Trade Commission rules require disclosure if there is a connection between an endorser and a seller. The FTC's associate director for advertising practices, Mary Engle, told the Times that "advertising disguised as editorial is an old problem, but it's now presenting itself in different ways." Amazon said its guidelines prohibit customers from receiving payment for their reviews.
The issue of fake online reviews is increasingly gaining attention. For instance, there's the well-known fake online reviewer Lucas Fayne. Fayne has posted many favorable reviews about building contractors on a variety of sites.
It turns out that Lucas Fayne is the placeholder name in a template for small-business owners who set up Web sites using Intuit software . A spokesperson for Intuit has told news media that the name is only given as an example in the template, and is supposed to be overwritten by a user's name accompanying an authentic review.
Consumer Reports, which takes no paid advertising, says on its Web site that there are giveaways that could indicate fake reviews.
The publication said these include multiple exclamation points and overly enthusiastic language in a posting, too many references such as "my wife" or "my family," and very detailed references to product specifications.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Google, Facebook Tempt Scrutiny with New Offerings
Tech giants Google and Facebook are implementing changes aimed at chasing more advertising revenue. Google will track users across its services at computers and mobile devices, while Facebook said it will make Timeline and Open Graph part of the default user interface. Critics worry the changes will open fresh opportunities for cybercrooks.
Google on Tuesday said it will begin tracking people as they use Google search and Gmail, watch YouTube videos and use other Google services -- at their computers and on their mobile devices.
That announcement came hours after Facebook said it will make Timeline and Open Graph part of the default user interface. These new services chronologically assemble and make more easily accessible the preferences, acquaintances and activities of its 800 million members.
The two changes will become effective over the next few weeks, the tech giants said. "It's clear that they're doing this to chase more advertising revenue," says P.J. McNealy, analyst at Digital World Research.
The $32 billion U.S. market for online advertising in 2011, as estimated by eMarketer, is expected to grow at a robust clip. Apple, Microsoft , Twitter, Yahoo, Adobe and a flock of Internet-based companies are part of this gold rush.
Google and Facebook have been sanctioned by U.S. regulators for privacy violations. The moves disclosed on Tuesday are sure to draw scrutiny.
"Google's plan to change its privacy policy raises important questions about how much control Google users will have over their personal information ," said Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass. Critics worry the tech giants will open fresh opportunities for cybercrooks to prey on users of the sites.
"Both are racing to monetize our private information and in doing so creating collateral damage," says Alisdair Faulkner, chief product officer at security firm ThreatMetrix. "They are essentially indexing more and more private information and, in doing so, serving it up on a platter to cybercriminals."
Previously, any trace of a user's search or surfing activities on a Google product was used to generate ads only on that particular product. After March 1, when the new policy change becomes effective, a Google account holder's search and surfing activities will be tracked and used to generate ads and search results across all of Google's products.
For instance, a search for "2011 Honda Accord" on YouTube may result in a Honda ad flashed on the user's Gmail. "In short, we'll treat you as a single user across all our products," the company said on its blog.
Friday, January 27, 2012
SAP Ready To Tackle Oracle in the Cloud and Database Market
SAP Ready To Tackle Oracle in the Cloud and Database Market
Coming off a great 2011, with a 25 percent jump in software revenue, SAP is ready to set the bar even higher for the year ahead. The German-based enterprise -software maker plans to focus aggressively in the database and cloud computing market for business users, competing head on with Oracle.
On Wednesday, the company held a news conference in Frankfurt to outline a plan building on its success and targeting new opportunities.
ERP for HANA
SAP said it will support an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) module for its HANA in-memory database platform by the end of this year. The new module will include programs for financials, human resources, and operations. It will be offered as part of SAP's Business Suite product family, which is also being developed for HANA.
HANA, which uses memory to store data instead of disks, has been an instrumental part of the company's successful 2011 year. The HANA acronym stands for High-performance ANalytic Appliance, and refers to a system of hardware from third-party vendors that is optimized to work with SAP's advanced HANA technology. SAP reports that HANA's high-performance capabilities enable companies to crunch data faster and more efficiently than ever before.
Going Head to Head
Traditionally, SAP has been the king of ERP, with 24 percent of the market in 2010, followed by Oracle at 18 percent. From this position of strength, SAP said that it will use ERP on HANA as a key driver in its goal to become the leading database company.
But that is, indeed, an ambitious goal. According to industry research firm Gartner , Oracle had 48 percent of the 2010 database market, while SAP had only about 2 percent.
SAP's co-CEO Jim Hagemann Snabe told news media that in-memory database technology -- like that used in SAP's HANA appliance -- is changing the database market, and will spearhead SAP's effort to eclipse Oracle.
SAP has been a leader in Enterprise Resource Planning since its early years. In contrast, Oracle moved into the world of enterprise apps more recently from its database origins, largely driven by acquisitions of other software providers including Siebel, PeopleSoft, and JD Edwards, over the past several years.
SAP's acquisitions of database provider Sybase in 2010 and business-intelligence software vendor Business Objects back in 2007 are helping level the playing field, enabling SAP to become more competitive with Oracle.
SAP has targeted small-to-medium businesses, with several product lines tailored for SMB needs, while Oracle has provided fewer efforts focused at that segment. Otherwise, there are few differentiators in many overlapping product areas between the two in terms of price, system integration or functionality.
The Acquisitions Continue
Last month, SAP announced it was acquiring SuccessFactors, which provides cloud-based human capital management. Industry observers saw the move as an effort by SAP to shore up its position in cloud-based solutions, especially as Oracle moves more aggressively into the cloud.
Other SAP cloud apps include Business ByDesign for ERP, Sales OnDemand for CRM , Carbon Impact OnDemand for sustainability, and Travel OnDemand for expense reporting.
In October, Oracle announced it would acquire RightNow Technologies, a cloud-based customer -service software provider, best known for its CRM (customer relationship management) programs. Oracle is also providing cloud-based solutions for sales force automation, human resources, talent management, and social networking, in addition to databases and Java.
Oracle has said it will make RightNow a complete platform for customer service for B2C and B2B markets, with analytics, CRM, e-commerce, marketing, supply chain, and other functions.
Coming off a great 2011, with a 25 percent jump in software revenue, SAP is ready to set the bar even higher for the year ahead. The German-based enterprise -software maker plans to focus aggressively in the database and cloud computing market for business users, competing head on with Oracle.
On Wednesday, the company held a news conference in Frankfurt to outline a plan building on its success and targeting new opportunities.
ERP for HANA
SAP said it will support an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) module for its HANA in-memory database platform by the end of this year. The new module will include programs for financials, human resources, and operations. It will be offered as part of SAP's Business Suite product family, which is also being developed for HANA.
HANA, which uses memory to store data instead of disks, has been an instrumental part of the company's successful 2011 year. The HANA acronym stands for High-performance ANalytic Appliance, and refers to a system of hardware from third-party vendors that is optimized to work with SAP's advanced HANA technology. SAP reports that HANA's high-performance capabilities enable companies to crunch data faster and more efficiently than ever before.
Going Head to Head
Traditionally, SAP has been the king of ERP, with 24 percent of the market in 2010, followed by Oracle at 18 percent. From this position of strength, SAP said that it will use ERP on HANA as a key driver in its goal to become the leading database company.
But that is, indeed, an ambitious goal. According to industry research firm Gartner , Oracle had 48 percent of the 2010 database market, while SAP had only about 2 percent.
SAP's co-CEO Jim Hagemann Snabe told news media that in-memory database technology -- like that used in SAP's HANA appliance -- is changing the database market, and will spearhead SAP's effort to eclipse Oracle.
SAP has been a leader in Enterprise Resource Planning since its early years. In contrast, Oracle moved into the world of enterprise apps more recently from its database origins, largely driven by acquisitions of other software providers including Siebel, PeopleSoft, and JD Edwards, over the past several years.
SAP's acquisitions of database provider Sybase in 2010 and business-intelligence software vendor Business Objects back in 2007 are helping level the playing field, enabling SAP to become more competitive with Oracle.
SAP has targeted small-to-medium businesses, with several product lines tailored for SMB needs, while Oracle has provided fewer efforts focused at that segment. Otherwise, there are few differentiators in many overlapping product areas between the two in terms of price, system integration or functionality.
The Acquisitions Continue
Last month, SAP announced it was acquiring SuccessFactors, which provides cloud-based human capital management. Industry observers saw the move as an effort by SAP to shore up its position in cloud-based solutions, especially as Oracle moves more aggressively into the cloud.
Other SAP cloud apps include Business ByDesign for ERP, Sales OnDemand for CRM , Carbon Impact OnDemand for sustainability, and Travel OnDemand for expense reporting.
In October, Oracle announced it would acquire RightNow Technologies, a cloud-based customer -service software provider, best known for its CRM (customer relationship management) programs. Oracle is also providing cloud-based solutions for sales force automation, human resources, talent management, and social networking, in addition to databases and Java.
Oracle has said it will make RightNow a complete platform for customer service for B2C and B2B markets, with analytics, CRM, e-commerce, marketing, supply chain, and other functions.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Unusual Google Ad Blitz Tackles Online Privacy
Google is focusing on the importance of protecting personal information in an unusual marketing campaign for a company that has been blasted for its own online privacy lapses and practices.
The educational ads will start appearing Tuesday in dozens of U.S. newspapers, including The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, and magazines, including Time and the New Yorker. Google Inc. also will splash its message across billboards within the subways of New York and Washington, as well as various Web sites.
Google will address some of the basics of online privacy and security in the "Good To Know" ads, which will all include referrals to a Web site for additional information.
Initial topics to be covered include the steps that can be taken to protect online account passwords and the use of computer coding to locate and identify Web surfers. Google will also try to explain why its widely used search engine can produce more helpful results if it knows more about the past interests of the person making the request.
While Google views the campaign as a public service, it may come across as disingenuous to critics who say the Internet search leader compiles too much personal information about its users and then isn't careful enough about protecting the sensitive data .
In a major gaffe, Google exposed the personal contacts of its email users in 2010 when it launched a new social service called Buzz. That breakdown led to a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission requiring the company to submit to external audits of its privacy policies every other year.
wireless networks set up in homes and small businesses.
"This campaign should be nominated for some kind of award for fiction," said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. "If grades were given out for privacy protection, Google would get a D plus."
Google's ads are coming out at a time when lawmakers and regulators in the U.S. and Europe have been examining whether to mandate changes on how much information that Web sites can gather about visitors without giving them more controls to prevent the surveillance.
Gathering digital dossiers of personal data helps target Internet ads at people more likely to buy the products and services being peddled. Google has an incentive to ensure online ads remain as effective as possible because those commercial messages generate most of its revenue, which totaled $27 billion through the first nine months of last year. The company's full-year figures are due out Thursday.
The ad campaign is "really just a PR offensive to help dim the increased scrutiny of Google's privacy practices," Chester said.
Not so, says Alma Whitten, who was named Google's director of privacy for product and engineering after the company acknowledged its 2010 missteps.
"We all have family and friends that ask us for advice on privacy and security all the time," Whitten said. Those recurring questions, she said, made Google realize it should do something to give everyone a better grasp on the fundamentals of online privacy.
The total bill for the multi-week bli
The educational ads will start appearing Tuesday in dozens of U.S. newspapers, including The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, and magazines, including Time and the New Yorker. Google Inc. also will splash its message across billboards within the subways of New York and Washington, as well as various Web sites.
Google will address some of the basics of online privacy and security in the "Good To Know" ads, which will all include referrals to a Web site for additional information.
Initial topics to be covered include the steps that can be taken to protect online account passwords and the use of computer coding to locate and identify Web surfers. Google will also try to explain why its widely used search engine can produce more helpful results if it knows more about the past interests of the person making the request.
While Google views the campaign as a public service, it may come across as disingenuous to critics who say the Internet search leader compiles too much personal information about its users and then isn't careful enough about protecting the sensitive data .
In a major gaffe, Google exposed the personal contacts of its email users in 2010 when it launched a new social service called Buzz. That breakdown led to a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission requiring the company to submit to external audits of its privacy policies every other year.
wireless networks set up in homes and small businesses.
"This campaign should be nominated for some kind of award for fiction," said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. "If grades were given out for privacy protection, Google would get a D plus."
Google's ads are coming out at a time when lawmakers and regulators in the U.S. and Europe have been examining whether to mandate changes on how much information that Web sites can gather about visitors without giving them more controls to prevent the surveillance.
Gathering digital dossiers of personal data helps target Internet ads at people more likely to buy the products and services being peddled. Google has an incentive to ensure online ads remain as effective as possible because those commercial messages generate most of its revenue, which totaled $27 billion through the first nine months of last year. The company's full-year figures are due out Thursday.
The ad campaign is "really just a PR offensive to help dim the increased scrutiny of Google's privacy practices," Chester said.
Not so, says Alma Whitten, who was named Google's director of privacy for product and engineering after the company acknowledged its 2010 missteps.
"We all have family and friends that ask us for advice on privacy and security all the time," Whitten said. Those recurring questions, she said, made Google realize it should do something to give everyone a better grasp on the fundamentals of online privacy.
The total bill for the multi-week bli
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