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
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Google+ Pages Are Open for Businesses
Google+ Pages Are Open for Businesses
If you're a business that uses social networking, it's time to add Google+ to your campaigns. The software giant said commercially oriented Web pages on its service were open for business.
Using Google+ Pages, companies can deliver content, build a community and reinforce a brand. Google said 20 businesses, including Macy's and Pepsi, have set up company pages in its trial period, and the service is now being made available to other businesses. Previously only individuals could set up a page.
The + Brand Badge
Other business based pages currently include CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, Angry Birds, Burberry, Dallas Cowboys, Good Morning America, The Muppets, Toyota, and Zen Bikes.
On the Official Google Blog, Senior Vice President of Engineering Vic Gundotra wrote that Google+ Pages now allow members to "hang out live with the local bike shop, or discuss our wardrobe with a favorite clothing line, or follow a band on tour."
Customers and fans visiting a company's or product's page can recommend it with a +1, or add the page to his or her circle. A +1 is the Google equivalent of Facebook's Like button, and a circle is a user's own set of relationships, enabling direct conversation between circle members.
Bradley Horowitz, Google+ vice president for products, told The New York Times Monday that he expects to see a "+ brand" badge in corporate advertising and products. This would include, he said, a + Pepsi on every one of its soda cans and in its TV spots, along with other social media references, such as the Twitter hashtag, plus, of course, the old-fashioned Web site address. As with Facebook's corporate pages, Google will be able to provide the demographics of visitors to + Pages.
Direct Connect
Gundotra also noted that potential customers can reach company pages on Google+ via its search engine, and then add them to their networking circle. One way to promote that, of course, is to make those pages available to Google search, and they will come up as part of the results when the brand is searched.
The other is through a new feature called Direct Connect. A user searches for a company or a band, but with a + before the name. Thus, + Angry Birds takes the user directly to that game's Google+ page, and lets a user add it to their circles. Currently, Direct Connect is still being rolled out, and doesn't yet work for every Google+ page, nor can every user access Direct Connect. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company said it would add these capabilities over time.
Businesses started using Google+ from the beginning in June, but the software giant removed businesses from regular accounts until now, when it could set up pages designed for businesses.
Google+ opened its social network to any user in September, following a field trial of less than 90 days. To date, the company said, more than 40 million users have signed up for the service -- a huge wave of membership, but one that is still small compared with Facebook's membership of more than 800 million users.
If you're a business that uses social networking, it's time to add Google+ to your campaigns. The software giant said commercially oriented Web pages on its service were open for business.
Using Google+ Pages, companies can deliver content, build a community and reinforce a brand. Google said 20 businesses, including Macy's and Pepsi, have set up company pages in its trial period, and the service is now being made available to other businesses. Previously only individuals could set up a page.
The + Brand Badge
Other business based pages currently include CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, Angry Birds, Burberry, Dallas Cowboys, Good Morning America, The Muppets, Toyota, and Zen Bikes.
On the Official Google Blog, Senior Vice President of Engineering Vic Gundotra wrote that Google+ Pages now allow members to "hang out live with the local bike shop, or discuss our wardrobe with a favorite clothing line, or follow a band on tour."
Customers and fans visiting a company's or product's page can recommend it with a +1, or add the page to his or her circle. A +1 is the Google equivalent of Facebook's Like button, and a circle is a user's own set of relationships, enabling direct conversation between circle members.
Bradley Horowitz, Google+ vice president for products, told The New York Times Monday that he expects to see a "+ brand" badge in corporate advertising and products. This would include, he said, a + Pepsi on every one of its soda cans and in its TV spots, along with other social media references, such as the Twitter hashtag, plus, of course, the old-fashioned Web site address. As with Facebook's corporate pages, Google will be able to provide the demographics of visitors to + Pages.
Direct Connect
Gundotra also noted that potential customers can reach company pages on Google+ via its search engine, and then add them to their networking circle. One way to promote that, of course, is to make those pages available to Google search, and they will come up as part of the results when the brand is searched.
The other is through a new feature called Direct Connect. A user searches for a company or a band, but with a + before the name. Thus, + Angry Birds takes the user directly to that game's Google+ page, and lets a user add it to their circles. Currently, Direct Connect is still being rolled out, and doesn't yet work for every Google+ page, nor can every user access Direct Connect. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company said it would add these capabilities over time.
Businesses started using Google+ from the beginning in June, but the software giant removed businesses from regular accounts until now, when it could set up pages designed for businesses.
Google+ opened its social network to any user in September, following a field trial of less than 90 days. To date, the company said, more than 40 million users have signed up for the service -- a huge wave of membership, but one that is still small compared with Facebook's membership of more than 800 million users.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Low Facebook Customer Satisfaction May Boost Google
Low Facebook Customer Satisfaction May Boost Google
Are users satisfied with e-business on the web? A new survey tries to answer that question -- and discovered that Google+ may be in a position to overtake Facebook.
According to the 2011 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) E-Business Report, conducted in association with customer -experience analytics firm ForeSee Results, Facebook has the lowest score of any company measured. The score, 66, is three percent over last year's survey, while Google is one of the highest-scoring companies.
'No Longer a Safety Net'
ForeSee Results CEO Larry Freed said that, while it's not possible to project how Google's new social -networking service, Google+, will do in the marketplace, he noted that Facebook is vulnerable. "An existing dominance of market share like Facebook has," he said, "is no longer a safety net for a company that is not providing a superior customer experience."
The top rung for customer satisfaction with social media is occupied by Wikipedia, whose 78 percent score is one percent higher than in last year's survey. Second place went to YouTube at 74 percent. But it's a tough job satisfying customers in this category. The report described social media in general as "one of the lowest-scoring industries," with only airlines, newspapers and subscription-television services scoring lower.
Social media is only one area of e-business covered by the survey. It also measures customer satisfaction with portals and search engines, and online news.
In portals and search engines, Google has an 83 percent satisfaction rate, an increase of four percent, but Microsoft's Bing is moving up fast. Bing now has an 82 percent score, a substantial seven percent increase from last year. ForeSee said 80 or higher is considered "excellent." It also noted that Bing's market share has nearly doubled in the last year, to 17 percent from nine percent.
'Anybody Is Vulnerable'
So while Facebook's users could be open to a new social-networking service such as Google+, Google's search engine needs to keep a wary eye on the approaching Bing. According to Freed, Google's customer-satisfaction score last year was three points higher than Bing's. "Bing is showing it can challenge Google in terms of revenue, market share, and customer experience," he said.
Among news sites, News Corp.'s increasing troubles haven't yet impacted its FOXNews.com site, which showed an 82 percent customer-satisfaction rate. The second highest is ABCNews.com, which increased three percent this year to 77 percent. HuffingtonPost.com makes its first entry into the survey at 69 percent, and NYTimes.com comes in a 73 percent, a four percent drop. The survey noted that it measured satisfaction with the Times at the same time the company was implementing its pay wall.
Information Technology Intelligence Corp.'s Laura DiDio said it's not just Google or Facebook that have to keep a constant eye on their competitors. "Anybody is vulnerable in this market," she said, adding that, "no matter how successful, there is always a competitor coming up."
Thursday, June 2, 2011
CEO Followed Two Loves to Success
No matter how hard Dave Alberga trained, he'd routinely be "thrown a beating" whenever he entered a mountain biking race.
Frustrated, the CEO of Active Network, who at the time in the 1990s was working at a technology company, asked a friend what to do. His friend's advice? "Give up."
That wasn't exactly what Alberga, a 48-year-old graduate from West Point and Stanford, had in mind. Alberga had tried to balance his passion for competitive sports like biking with his desire to succeed at business. But Alberga's friend told him he wasn't wired to multitask and do both and should focus on one thing that combined his love of sports and business.
The chance came in 1999, when Alberga got a call from a venture-capital firm looking for an executive to head up a small but fast-growing business that processed athletic competition registrations. Alberga knew this was exactly the kind of company that could blend his interests in athletics and online commerce. "This is the closest ever to get, as I can't be a professional athlete," to integrate sports in his life and career, he says.
Growing Fast
Now Alberga and Active Network are turning into small-business winners. Just 12 years after being founded, Active Network is the fast-growing leader in the push to take registrations of mainly outdoor events online. The San Diego-based company, which generated revenue of $289 million over the past year, launched an initial public offering last week and now has a market value of $180 million.
Active Network also has some big-time corporate backers: Walt Disney's ESPN and Barry Diller's IAC/InterActive own stakes.
The company is best known for providing the electronic back-office systems used by race organizers to allow competitors to sign up, pay and receive updates on competitions ranging from 5k's and 10k's to marathons and other endurance sports. Active Network handles the registrations of some of the nation's best-known races, including the Marine Corps Marathon, the Chicago Marathon and San Francisco's Bay to Breakers race.
Organizers say Active Network is the answer to their nightmare situations of receiving thousands of crumpled registrations forms, loose checks and wads of cash and trying to keep track of it all.
The Bay to Breakers race has used Active.com for more than 10 years. The latest race, completed in May, sold out its registration with more than 55,000 registrants, says race organizer Angela Fang. Using Active.com allowed her to process the thousands of payments, something that would have been much more costly and cumbersome to deal with otherwise, she says. While the race added a $5 service fee for the Active service, runners appreciate the convenience and think the charge is reasonable.
Frustrated, the CEO of Active Network, who at the time in the 1990s was working at a technology company, asked a friend what to do. His friend's advice? "Give up."
That wasn't exactly what Alberga, a 48-year-old graduate from West Point and Stanford, had in mind. Alberga had tried to balance his passion for competitive sports like biking with his desire to succeed at business. But Alberga's friend told him he wasn't wired to multitask and do both and should focus on one thing that combined his love of sports and business.
The chance came in 1999, when Alberga got a call from a venture-capital firm looking for an executive to head up a small but fast-growing business that processed athletic competition registrations. Alberga knew this was exactly the kind of company that could blend his interests in athletics and online commerce. "This is the closest ever to get, as I can't be a professional athlete," to integrate sports in his life and career, he says.
Growing Fast
Now Alberga and Active Network are turning into small-business winners. Just 12 years after being founded, Active Network is the fast-growing leader in the push to take registrations of mainly outdoor events online. The San Diego-based company, which generated revenue of $289 million over the past year, launched an initial public offering last week and now has a market value of $180 million.
Active Network also has some big-time corporate backers: Walt Disney's ESPN and Barry Diller's IAC/InterActive own stakes.
The company is best known for providing the electronic back-office systems used by race organizers to allow competitors to sign up, pay and receive updates on competitions ranging from 5k's and 10k's to marathons and other endurance sports. Active Network handles the registrations of some of the nation's best-known races, including the Marine Corps Marathon, the Chicago Marathon and San Francisco's Bay to Breakers race.
Organizers say Active Network is the answer to their nightmare situations of receiving thousands of crumpled registrations forms, loose checks and wads of cash and trying to keep track of it all.
The Bay to Breakers race has used Active.com for more than 10 years. The latest race, completed in May, sold out its registration with more than 55,000 registrants, says race organizer Angela Fang. Using Active.com allowed her to process the thousands of payments, something that would have been much more costly and cumbersome to deal with otherwise, she says. While the race added a $5 service fee for the Active service, runners appreciate the convenience and think the charge is reasonable.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Salesforce Buys Radian for monitoring social networks.
More emphasis is being placed on social CRM by Salesforce as it buys Radian, which monitors hundreds of millions of social-media conversations. Radian6 monitors Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other sites, and Salesforce expects the acquisition to extend the value of its Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Chatter and Force.com offerings Salesforce is increasing its position in social CRM by buying social-media monitoring firm Radian6. Radian6 monitors hundreds of millions of social-media conversations every day on behalf of such companies as Dell, GE, Kodak, Molson Coors, PepsiCo and UPS . The acquisition involves about $276 million in cash and $50 million in stock.
The environments monitored in real time by Radian6 include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and other online communities. Salesforce said the acquisition will extend the value of its Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Chatter and Force.com offerings by providing business intelligence and capabilities related to social media.
'New Norm of Customer Engagement'
Radian6 CEO Marcel LeBrun told news media that his company's technology is "built for the new norm of customer engagement -- real time, two-way conversations that include social channels."
The company's products include a monitoring platform that helps analyze social-media campaigns and an engagement platform to help companies connect with online community members. These are intended to improve marketing and selling products, maintain customer service, and manage online reputations.
Radian6 said more than half of the Fortune 100 companies use its products. In its announcement, Salesforce pointed to a shift to what it calls Cloud 2. In Cloud 1, according to Salesforce, technologies were leveraged to be inexpensive, fast, easy to use, and available on the desktop. In Cloud 2, the company said, technologies are "social, mobile and open."
Among other utilizations, Salesforce plans to use Radian6 to help create a bridge between public social networks, such as Facebook, and its private Chatter social network for enterprises. Chatter feeds will now contain information that reflects comments on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other environments.
For Force.com, Salesforce sees Radian6 as offering an opportunity for developers to build the social web into apps.
Integration with New Service Cloud
Social media for the enterprise has emerged as a major emphasis for Salesforce's new products. Earlier this month, for instance, it announced "the next generation of social contact centers," Service Cloud 3. It positioned the updated software -as-a-service platform as "customer service for the social era."
Service Cloud 3 was designed to let organizations more completely engage with customers in social communities such as Twitter or Facebook. To facilitate that, the platform included integration with a Radian6 app.
A key selling point of the new Service Cloud upgrade is that it allows companies to scale up quickly to analyze millions of conversations that involve their products or service. Real-time reports and customizable dashboards offer social-channel analyses, customer-conversation analyses, and social dashboards for identifying trends.
Comments in Facebook, for instance, can be filtered by the number of friends a commenter has, assumedly indicating how influential that person is. Facebook names can also be tied into customer records.
Facebook wall posts and comments can be converted into cases with Service Cloud 3, and Twitter conversations can similarly become cases -- with agents joining in the conversation.
The environments monitored in real time by Radian6 include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and other online communities. Salesforce said the acquisition will extend the value of its Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Chatter and Force.com offerings by providing business intelligence and capabilities related to social media.
'New Norm of Customer Engagement'
Radian6 CEO Marcel LeBrun told news media that his company's technology is "built for the new norm of customer engagement -- real time, two-way conversations that include social channels."
The company's products include a monitoring platform that helps analyze social-media campaigns and an engagement platform to help companies connect with online community members. These are intended to improve marketing and selling products, maintain customer service, and manage online reputations.
Radian6 said more than half of the Fortune 100 companies use its products. In its announcement, Salesforce pointed to a shift to what it calls Cloud 2. In Cloud 1, according to Salesforce, technologies were leveraged to be inexpensive, fast, easy to use, and available on the desktop. In Cloud 2, the company said, technologies are "social, mobile and open."
Among other utilizations, Salesforce plans to use Radian6 to help create a bridge between public social networks, such as Facebook, and its private Chatter social network for enterprises. Chatter feeds will now contain information that reflects comments on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other environments.
For Force.com, Salesforce sees Radian6 as offering an opportunity for developers to build the social web into apps.
Integration with New Service Cloud
Social media for the enterprise has emerged as a major emphasis for Salesforce's new products. Earlier this month, for instance, it announced "the next generation of social contact centers," Service Cloud 3. It positioned the updated software -as-a-service platform as "customer service for the social era."
Service Cloud 3 was designed to let organizations more completely engage with customers in social communities such as Twitter or Facebook. To facilitate that, the platform included integration with a Radian6 app.
A key selling point of the new Service Cloud upgrade is that it allows companies to scale up quickly to analyze millions of conversations that involve their products or service. Real-time reports and customizable dashboards offer social-channel analyses, customer-conversation analyses, and social dashboards for identifying trends.
Comments in Facebook, for instance, can be filtered by the number of friends a commenter has, assumedly indicating how influential that person is. Facebook names can also be tied into customer records.
Facebook wall posts and comments can be converted into cases with Service Cloud 3, and Twitter conversations can similarly become cases -- with agents joining in the conversation.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Analytics, Storage and Cloud Skills Will Be in Demand on Business intelligence
As economic recovery boosts IT hiring, specialized skill sets will see the most action. These include business analytics, storage and cloud computing. Tim said data needs to be analyzed to be useful, and Jordan said data storage is always a good place to be. And CIOs who can deliver continue to be in demand
IT careers are heating up again -- at least in some sectors. So what are the best IT careers for 2011? Is it the mobile market? Enterprise security? Business analytics? The good news is, experts say there is plenty of action across the board for technologists with specialized skill sets.
Is betting on business analytics. Tim, a spokesperson for Big Blue's business-analytics division, said businesses and governments alike are grappling with the challenge of making sense of this data deluge to turn it into new opportunities, increased performance, and faster, better decision-making. Gartner reports business analytics is a top 10 priority for companies in 2011.
"The power of business analytics is transforming this information into a strategic asset. Although having the best, most complete and up-to-date information is useless if you can't make sense of it," Powers said. "Data unanalyzed is data wasted. Therefore, businesses and governments need two very important things to make this happen: The right technology, and employees with the right expertise and skill sets."
Storage, Virtualization and the Cloud
Jordan, president and CEO of Insider Search, focuses on another area of IT: Senior level sales, marketing, engineering, consulting and management talent -- with a specific focus on data storage and infrastructure . He sees plenty of activity on those sectors in 2011.
"Storage has always been a great place to be, because no matter how bad the economy gets, storage is always a sizable chunk of any IT budget. Every organization needs to store and manage their critical data. Storage administrators, architects and consultants will always be in high demand," said.
"Two other key areas of massive potential growth are virtualization and cloud -computing-related technologies. It's often said that 'virtualization is the gateway drug to the cloud,'" he added. "In the future, more and more companies will move toward virtualized environments and utilize cloud architectures. It's a good idea to get on board now as the train builds momentum."
A Fresh Look at CIOs
Steve, a managing director at global search firm Chase, said the CIO position continues to grow in breadth of demands, complexity and responsibility to a wide range of senior executives. Because of this, he said, great CIO talent is still in demand, along with several first-level managers.
"IT jobs are especially in demand for people who can deliver to the complexity of the business -- more for less, effectiveness and efficiencies, compliances, risk management, proactive business alignment, and service-level expectations," said. "Skills in strategic planning, business analysis and process improvement, project management, infrastructure services, security and risk management are in demand."
Jack, vice president and chief delivery officer for Avandex, said communication , collaboration and data access within the enterprise will drive greater reliance on positions such as computer-systems analysts and IT specialists who ensure the implementation and efficiency of the technologies that help to run our businesses every day. He concluded, "The best IT careers will be those that allow for the chance to engage with people on a global level -- learning cultures throughout the world through collaboration with teammates located at various offices."
IT careers are heating up again -- at least in some sectors. So what are the best IT careers for 2011? Is it the mobile market? Enterprise security? Business analytics? The good news is, experts say there is plenty of action across the board for technologists with specialized skill sets.
Is betting on business analytics. Tim, a spokesperson for Big Blue's business-analytics division, said businesses and governments alike are grappling with the challenge of making sense of this data deluge to turn it into new opportunities, increased performance, and faster, better decision-making. Gartner reports business analytics is a top 10 priority for companies in 2011.
"The power of business analytics is transforming this information into a strategic asset. Although having the best, most complete and up-to-date information is useless if you can't make sense of it," Powers said. "Data unanalyzed is data wasted. Therefore, businesses and governments need two very important things to make this happen: The right technology, and employees with the right expertise and skill sets."
Storage, Virtualization and the Cloud
Jordan, president and CEO of Insider Search, focuses on another area of IT: Senior level sales, marketing, engineering, consulting and management talent -- with a specific focus on data storage and infrastructure . He sees plenty of activity on those sectors in 2011.
"Storage has always been a great place to be, because no matter how bad the economy gets, storage is always a sizable chunk of any IT budget. Every organization needs to store and manage their critical data. Storage administrators, architects and consultants will always be in high demand," said.
"Two other key areas of massive potential growth are virtualization and cloud -computing-related technologies. It's often said that 'virtualization is the gateway drug to the cloud,'" he added. "In the future, more and more companies will move toward virtualized environments and utilize cloud architectures. It's a good idea to get on board now as the train builds momentum."
A Fresh Look at CIOs
Steve, a managing director at global search firm Chase, said the CIO position continues to grow in breadth of demands, complexity and responsibility to a wide range of senior executives. Because of this, he said, great CIO talent is still in demand, along with several first-level managers.
"IT jobs are especially in demand for people who can deliver to the complexity of the business -- more for less, effectiveness and efficiencies, compliances, risk management, proactive business alignment, and service-level expectations," said. "Skills in strategic planning, business analysis and process improvement, project management, infrastructure services, security and risk management are in demand."
Jack, vice president and chief delivery officer for Avandex, said communication , collaboration and data access within the enterprise will drive greater reliance on positions such as computer-systems analysts and IT specialists who ensure the implementation and efficiency of the technologies that help to run our businesses every day. He concluded, "The best IT careers will be those that allow for the chance to engage with people on a global level -- learning cultures throughout the world through collaboration with teammates located at various offices."
Sunday, March 27, 2011
10 Questions for CRM Systems' Milintec
Milintec CRM spoke with this about the service challenges facing large enterprises and the company’s differentiation between personalization and a customer-centric approach.
Dwayne Ruffin, senior vice president of product Management at CSG Systems, has a lot on his plate. Charged with overseeing the evolution of the company from a provider of fairly standard customer management tools for the telecommunications, cable and satellite industries, he not only must help his customers deal with new communication channels; he’s also got to help them understand that customer expectations are on the rise and standing still is not an option. His customer companies are struggling to find new revenue while introducing new services; to maintain and improve customer service means introducing new strategies and technologies. That was what motivated the company’s acquisition of Quaero in 2008.
Ruffin spoke to Milintec CRM about the service challenges facing large enterprises, the difficulty of meeting customer expectations and the company’s differentiation between personalization and a customer-centric approach.
Milintec CRM: Your traditional customers have been in the cable, satellite and telecommunications businesses. Those industries often get pretty tough grades from consumers. Are the players in those areas starting to understand what a competitive advantage painless service could be?
Ruffin: I think they’ve gotten it for a long period time. The challenges rest in the inability to normalize behavior across disparate systems. When you look at cable operators and, definitely, in the telco space, through acquisition they acquire a lot of systems, and a lot of work is required to rationalize those systems. If you’re not effective at it, you’ve got customer data that resides in many different places. Trying to bring that together and make it meaningful from a customer experience or a rep experience has been a challenge. If you look at cable, and look the J.D. Powers surveys, those who have a tendency to score high have some consistency in the systems that sit beneath that desktop presentation. They’ve got one billing system, they’ve normalized how they provision customers, there’s an enterprise data warehouse, and there’s one place to go as the source of information for customers. I really do think that their challenge has been bringing the infrastructure together from an IT perspective to serve the business, and those who have done well have scored high.
Milintec CRM: How will social media begin to impact what you do and what you provide your customers, as well as how your customers envision their relationships with their clientele?
Ruffin: I think social media’s impact is really centered around personalization and convenience. I think our customers understand that the consumer ultimately will determine consumption of services, moving away from putting together a bundle and pitching that bundle and hoping that it sticks. I think they’re seeing clear indications in other markets, and I won’t use the Apple disintermediation of content as an example because it’s overused, but they understand that they need to be supportive of the ways that consumers will ultimately leverage entertainment and communication. A lot of the constructs that you see in social media – the collaboration components, the recommendation components – we haven’t seen advertising to date, but I think that’s soon to come. The valuations of these companies that play in the social space are indicative of the expectation that you’ll be able to leverage them from a commerce perspective. They’re taking all of those things into account. When you hear about interactive television, or when you hear about the ability to collaborate with tools like polling and chat on the television, as well as on the Internet and mobile sides, they clearly understand the desire of the end consumer, to be much more collaborative and much more selective in how they consume content, moving away from subscriptions to more of a one-off selection. They’re evolving to support that.
The pace has been slow, to be completely candid. What we need to do in order to support those environments is to make sure that our customers have visibility into all the things consumers are doing with their services. No longer do you just need to understand those things that transpire at the billing engine. You need to be aware of things that are happening outside of billing. They’re happening on Web pages, they’re happening in the network in terms of how consumers are actually leveraging those services.
Milintec CRM: It seems like often customers have more access to company information than call center agents. What has the impact of the widespread availability of information on the Internet meant for you?
Ruffin: Our opinion is that our customers need to make sure they apply tools in a systematic fashion so that all the intelligence associated with promoting the right products to consumers doesn’t reside between the ears of an agent. There’s lots of turnover in call centers. What you really need are tools that can prompt the agent and give them the flexibility to respond to the customers’ intent. The tools should know first and foremost everything there needs to be known about competitive offers in an area. You know that that consumer, especially if he’s yours, if he’s gone to a competitor’s Web page, you make the assumption that he’s been shopping, you apply some analytics to determine what might be a better fit in terms of his services. That would incorporate all the things I talked about in the previous question like understanding not only the billing relationship or what services a customer currently subscribes to but what he is actually doing with those services so you can right-size them. Many of our customers are moving in that direction — make sure that they have a systematic approach to that. We’ve made a heavy investment in leveraging our channels. CSG is more than a revenue-management or billing company. We’ve deployed lots of applications that help our customers interact with their end consumers. What we were lacking prior to a recent acquisition was the ability to make those interactions smart and intuitive and operationalize those interactions so they were systematic. That’s really why we acquired Quaero — to bring those pieces together. Our customers, to varying degrees, have leveraged tools, but I’ve yet to see many of them operationalize those things and make them systematic. We think that’s a potential opportunity for us.
Milintec CRM: Large organizations are not that inclined to switch vendors for service support software unless they really have to. What have you seen as the motivating factors that have led customers away from other products and to CSG?
Ruffin: We haven’t seen any customers defect and move toward enterprise CRM or a Siebel-like application. My belief is that’s because those applications often lack domain knowledge of a specific vertical. That’s where we’ve had a lot of success. What we know about, the business of our customers, is reflected within our applications. You’re not talking about a commercially available application that has to be retooled to support the business. What we do first and foremost is make sure that we have the knowledge of the industry baked into that application. Additionally, I think what customers are really looking for is — they want a lot of flexibility, but at the end of the day you have a lot of pieces in your infrastructure, and if they’re not synced up then you’re not getting the business benefit that you need. We pride ourselves in being able to evolve our applications, but within synchronization with other applications. When we release code and it’s specific to a business problem; we’ve already made sure that doesn’t break anything else downstream.
Milintec CRM: Can you describe the shift the company is making from personalization toward a more customer-centric approach, and explain how those two terms have different meanings?
Ruffin: What we did with our revenue management environment was to deploy a system that has the customer record at the heart of it. It allows you to manage the business processes that couldn’t otherwise be managed. I use an example where provider X is your service provider in Buffalo, New York. If you move to L.A. within that same provider footprint, the provider should have knowledge of that. We made the application very customer centric in that all services, locations, past experiences and so on are tied to that record. As that record moves from one location to the next, everything comes with it. It makes it very easy for our customers - and let’s face it, they’re becoming few, they’ve been going through consolidation and will probably continue to consolidate, so the probability of you moving from one geography to another but remaining within the same provider footprint is very strong. So when we say customer centric, it’s really been with that piece in mind so all the actions that you enable are aware of that customer and what that customer represents to the enterprise.
Personalization keys more off the preferences of that customer. So personalization means you’re taking very specific actions based ion either what you would derive the intent of that customer to be or what that customer has told you their preferences are. That can span the gamut from want to be advised of marketing activities, I want to be advised where the tech is on the day of install, I want to indicate to the provider that my preferred method of communication before the tech arrives is to call me 30 minutes prior to install, call me at my office because my office is only five miles from home and I don’t want to spend all day sitting on the couch waiting for you. If you don’t reach me there, I want you to send me an SMS, and if the SMS doesn’t work, I want you to go ahead and send me an email. All the while, I also want to be able to go to the web and understand where that tech is up to the minute. So when we talk about personalization – I gave you an example that’s very operationally focused. We also have examples that are marketing focused in terms of you wanting to be aware of new service introductions, ways to extend the product, etc. We’re really talking about driving our behavior based on what the customer prefers vs. drawing some assumptions around what is best for the customer.
It amazes me to this day how much money is spent trying to draw inferences from customer activity instead of actually letting the customer tell you what’s important to them and using that information to manage the experience.
Milintec CRM: How critical is knowledge management to this notion of service based on the immediate needs of the customer?
Ruffin: You’ve probably heard a lot of conversation around things like authentication and entitlement. They’re really wrestling with the idea that, I have a captive audience, so to speak, I’ve got a customer who has a monthly relationship with me via a subscription. I can continue to add value to that customer by making sure that they can use that subscription to move their content or their entertainment to many devices – it might be their PC, and it might be a mobile device. The classic example I always use is, I have a relationship with my cable provider. As part of that I have a subscription to a sports tier that entitles me to watch Nuggets games from my couch. Why can’t I do that when I’m traveling and in a hotel room and there’s nothing on TV and I prefer to watch a Nuggets game? They’re struggling with how to monetize those things and clearly they have some carriage issues to negotiate with the content providers.
Milintec CRM: You mentioned the replacement of personalization - which was based on up-selling and cross-selling. But clearly, those functions aren't going away. Where does sales go in your vision of the service transaction?
Ruffin: Personalization includes up-selling and cross-selling based on unique insights or instructions from the customer. In an ideal world, the operator would have gathered or inferred the customers preferences via direct and indirect channels. Sales is the key component of service – sales can have many dimensions; new sales, up-selling and right-sizing the offer based on the customers’ consumption patterns. At the end of the day, our customers are telling us that it is increasingly difficult to maintain a customer if you don’t respond to their interaction and consumptions patterns.
Milintec CRM: Have your customers been able to quantify the cost savings of well-managed services? And, for those who have, is this something that leads them to you, or is it something they discover after becoming a customer?
Ruffin: All of our products are built on the value proposition that they will provide business benefit to the customer. Most products are gearing toward bottom line improvements. Our customers understand the value of allowing a world-class operator to manage its services in a self-regulated environment. Our business was built on reliability and repeatability – Our customers seek out and stay with CSG because of these two factors.
Milintec CRM: Since service is gaining in its importance as an aspect of CRM, does CSG have plans to reach beyond its current focus into other verticals?
Ruffin: Yes, much of our focus is geared toward applying our solutions in unique ways in other verticals and geographies.
Milintec CRM: What is the one service challenge that you'd most like to see overcome in the next year?
Ruffin: Without having to purchase or rent another set top or recording device, I’d like to see the Web brought to my living room viewing experience. Search and recommendations are staples of the Internet experience – it shouldn’t be an enormous leap to bring that to a screen larger than 17 inches. For now, I would be satisfied with an Internet guide that allows me to search, preview, and catalog content on my TV.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
CRM for call conference pricing
This is a service outsourced solution provider specializing in call center and services for a wide array of industries and organizations; ranging from apparel brands, to celebrity fan clubs, to pharmaceutical companies.
As a single point of contact we develop and manage of integrated programs for consumer and business markets.
Our services are designed to meet even the most demanding client needs. We are committed to providing top-quality services at very competitive rates and we pride ourselves for being extremely responsive and available to our clients. For example, since we have full centers in both the east and west coasts, this can decrease client shipping costs and quickly distribute products.
this makes it possible for our clients to reduce expenses and capital expenditures, improve customer experiences and maximize revenue growth - among many benefits. The broad range and depth of our services, enables clients to better focus on their core competencies.
Primary Service
Product s
Warehousing and Distributions
Teleservices
Contact Centers (Telephone, Fax, Email, Web Chat)
Inventory Managements
Order Processing / Managements
E-Commerce Implementations
Returns Processing / Reverse Logistics
CRM Application Development and Integrations
Marketing Program Managements
Clients have the flexibility to take advantage of our complete customer lifecycle offerings, or select individual services to complement their internal capabilities. Whether it's helping our clients acquire, engage, fulfill and retain customers, this does whatever it takes to meet program objectives.
An Innovative Approach To Client Service
This support the growing need for established businesses, ecommerce companies and organizations to take advantage of emerging market opportunities in a cost efficient and scalable manner.
By introducing innovative business processes and employing "best-of-breed" technologies to the call center and fulfillment worlds backed by integrated capabilities, this company established a truly unique solution. The success of this approach was validated in our first year of operation, where we established significant relationships with several Fortune 100 companies.
Over the last twelve years, we have greatly expanded our client base, solution offerings and resources. Since we realize our clients live in a challenging and dynamic environment, this is constantly innovating and investing in our capabilities while at the same time adding to our talented employee base. In all respects, we maintain unique client partnerships. A number of clients even have offices at this facilities.
As a single point of contact we develop and manage of integrated programs for consumer and business markets.
Our services are designed to meet even the most demanding client needs. We are committed to providing top-quality services at very competitive rates and we pride ourselves for being extremely responsive and available to our clients. For example, since we have full centers in both the east and west coasts, this can decrease client shipping costs and quickly distribute products.
this makes it possible for our clients to reduce expenses and capital expenditures, improve customer experiences and maximize revenue growth - among many benefits. The broad range and depth of our services, enables clients to better focus on their core competencies.
Primary Service
Product s
Warehousing and Distributions
Teleservices
Contact Centers (Telephone, Fax, Email, Web Chat)
Inventory Managements
Order Processing / Managements
E-Commerce Implementations
Returns Processing / Reverse Logistics
CRM Application Development and Integrations
Marketing Program Managements
Clients have the flexibility to take advantage of our complete customer lifecycle offerings, or select individual services to complement their internal capabilities. Whether it's helping our clients acquire, engage, fulfill and retain customers, this does whatever it takes to meet program objectives.
An Innovative Approach To Client Service
This support the growing need for established businesses, ecommerce companies and organizations to take advantage of emerging market opportunities in a cost efficient and scalable manner.
By introducing innovative business processes and employing "best-of-breed" technologies to the call center and fulfillment worlds backed by integrated capabilities, this company established a truly unique solution. The success of this approach was validated in our first year of operation, where we established significant relationships with several Fortune 100 companies.
Over the last twelve years, we have greatly expanded our client base, solution offerings and resources. Since we realize our clients live in a challenging and dynamic environment, this is constantly innovating and investing in our capabilities while at the same time adding to our talented employee base. In all respects, we maintain unique client partnerships. A number of clients even have offices at this facilities.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
CRM Business intelligence software
CRM Business intelligence software
Use the software selection tool employed by Fortune 500 companies, Small & Medium Businesses, IT Services and Consultants in thousands software selection projects per year - Access tool and free comparisons below.
Powered by the TEC Expert System, eBestMatch™
... the "Rolls Royce of decision making tools" - ZDNet
Get the best technology match for your company. Our evaluations can save months of research and help ensure a successful project.
What this comparison report will help you to achieve
4Determine which functional aspects are priorities for your business.
4Evaluate and understand the functionality that addresses Telecommunications requirements.
4Find the Telecommunications solutions that are most likely to serve your business.
About Business Intelligence Software
Business intelligence (BI) is a decision support tool used to capture, report, and analyze a subset of organizational data without affecting operational systems. The software provides essential business visibility to help clients' businesses grow by giving them the information they need about product, sales, and customer behavior. It allows clients to look at their businesses in different ways, and helps them to understand the core issues so they can take action to improve performance.
The function of business intelligence and business performance
With BI and BPM modules included in the ERP system or as standalone solutions, telco companies can better analyze the very high volumes of data that emerge from the enterprise's operational systems. BI and BPM systems provide the right tools to manage data at the right time, including those that enable dynamic reporting, data mining, online analytical processing (OLAP) services, balanced scorecards, and key performance indicators (KPIs). All of these functionalities—together with corporate dashboards that help telecommunications managers, decision makers, and knowledge workers be better able to interpret and analyze data—enable accurate decision making and the ability to modify business workflows that need improvement.
About TEC BI software comparison
Developed in conjunction with software analysts and the world's leading software vendors, TEC's enterprise software evaluation reports are designed to give manufacturers and service organizations a comprehensive list of features and functions (criteria) for each of over forty different kinds of enterprise software solutions. With over 1000 vendor products available for evaluation, TEC is the largest service of its kind in the industry. kind in the industry. ndustry. kind in the industry.
TEC helps thousands of businesses, every month, evaluate and select software solutions that meet their exacting needs by empowering purchasers with the tools, research, and expertise to make an ideal decision.
Industry standard terminology aids evaluation process
The language used to describe each category and criterion has been vetted by TEC analysts and provides a standard description that is understood and accepted by leading vendors and consultants in each enterprise area. During the RFI or RFP process, users benefit from clear, concise descriptions of critical functions that prospective vendors can respond to without confusion. This leads to better participation by invited vendors and reduces the possibility of errors.
Report uses by role:
IT project managers: Save time and avoid errors in the creation of high quality requirements for a software acquisition. Use the reports help develop all RFI, RFP and software tender documents.
IT Consultants: Use comprehensive criteria to determine build vs. buy analysis and perform gap analysis for legacy systems against the latest software functionality included in the reports. With ratings on over 1000 enterprise software solutions, you have access to the most comprehensive vendor data available.
Use the software selection tool employed by Fortune 500 companies, Small & Medium Businesses, IT Services and Consultants in thousands software selection projects per year - Access tool and free comparisons below.
Powered by the TEC Expert System, eBestMatch™
... the "Rolls Royce of decision making tools" - ZDNet
Get the best technology match for your company. Our evaluations can save months of research and help ensure a successful project.
What this comparison report will help you to achieve
4Determine which functional aspects are priorities for your business.
4Evaluate and understand the functionality that addresses Telecommunications requirements.
4Find the Telecommunications solutions that are most likely to serve your business.
About Business Intelligence Software
Business intelligence (BI) is a decision support tool used to capture, report, and analyze a subset of organizational data without affecting operational systems. The software provides essential business visibility to help clients' businesses grow by giving them the information they need about product, sales, and customer behavior. It allows clients to look at their businesses in different ways, and helps them to understand the core issues so they can take action to improve performance.
The function of business intelligence and business performance
With BI and BPM modules included in the ERP system or as standalone solutions, telco companies can better analyze the very high volumes of data that emerge from the enterprise's operational systems. BI and BPM systems provide the right tools to manage data at the right time, including those that enable dynamic reporting, data mining, online analytical processing (OLAP) services, balanced scorecards, and key performance indicators (KPIs). All of these functionalities—together with corporate dashboards that help telecommunications managers, decision makers, and knowledge workers be better able to interpret and analyze data—enable accurate decision making and the ability to modify business workflows that need improvement.
About TEC BI software comparison
Developed in conjunction with software analysts and the world's leading software vendors, TEC's enterprise software evaluation reports are designed to give manufacturers and service organizations a comprehensive list of features and functions (criteria) for each of over forty different kinds of enterprise software solutions. With over 1000 vendor products available for evaluation, TEC is the largest service of its kind in the industry. kind in the industry. ndustry. kind in the industry.
TEC helps thousands of businesses, every month, evaluate and select software solutions that meet their exacting needs by empowering purchasers with the tools, research, and expertise to make an ideal decision.
Industry standard terminology aids evaluation process
The language used to describe each category and criterion has been vetted by TEC analysts and provides a standard description that is understood and accepted by leading vendors and consultants in each enterprise area. During the RFI or RFP process, users benefit from clear, concise descriptions of critical functions that prospective vendors can respond to without confusion. This leads to better participation by invited vendors and reduces the possibility of errors.
Report uses by role:
IT project managers: Save time and avoid errors in the creation of high quality requirements for a software acquisition. Use the reports help develop all RFI, RFP and software tender documents.
IT Consultants: Use comprehensive criteria to determine build vs. buy analysis and perform gap analysis for legacy systems against the latest software functionality included in the reports. With ratings on over 1000 enterprise software solutions, you have access to the most comprehensive vendor data available.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Business intelligence software comparisons for telecommunications companies
Use the software selection tool employed by Fortune 500 companies, Small & Medium Businesses, IT Services and Consultants in thousands software selection projects per year - Access tool and free comparisons below.
Powered by the TEC Expert System, eBestMatch™
... the "Rolls Royce of decision making tools" - ZDNet
Get the best technology match for your company. Our evaluations can save months of research and help ensure a successful project.
What this comparison report will help you to achieve
4Determine which functional aspects are priorities for your business.
4Evaluate and understand the functionality that addresses Telecommunications requirements.
4Find the Telecommunications solutions that are most likely to serve your business.
About Business Intelligence Software
Business intelligence (BI) is a decision support tool used to capture, report, and analyze a subset of organizational data without affecting operational systems. The software provides essential business visibility to help clients' businesses grow by giving them the information they need about product, sales, and customer behavior. It allows clients to look at their businesses in different ways, and helps them to understand the core issues so they can take action to improve performance.
The function of business intelligence and business performance
With BI and BPM modules included in the ERP system or as standalone solutions, telco companies can better analyze the very high volumes of data that emerge from the enterprise's operational systems. BI and BPM systems provide the right tools to manage data at the right time, including those that enable dynamic reporting, data mining, online analytical processing (OLAP) services, balanced scorecards, and key performance indicators (KPIs). All of these functionalities—together with corporate dashboards that help telecommunications managers, decision makers, and knowledge workers be better able to interpret and analyze data—enable accurate decision making and the ability to modify business workflows that need improvement.
About TEC BI software comparison
Developed in conjunction with software analysts and the world's leading software vendors, TEC's enterprise software evaluation reports are designed to give manufacturers and service organizations a comprehensive list of features and functions (criteria) for each of over forty different kinds of enterprise software solutions. With over 1000 vendor products available for evaluation, TEC is the largest service of its kind in the industry. kind in the industry. ndustry. kind in the industry.
TEC helps thousands of businesses, every month, evaluate and select software solutions that meet their exacting needs by empowering purchasers with the tools, research, and expertise to make an ideal decision.
Industry standard terminology aids evaluation process
The language used to describe each category and criterion has been vetted by TEC analysts and provides a standard description that is understood and accepted by leading vendors and consultants in each enterprise area. During the RFI or RFP process, users benefit from clear, concise descriptions of critical functions that prospective vendors can respond to without confusion. This leads to better participation by invited vendors and reduces the possibility of errors.
Report uses by role:
IT project managers: Save time and avoid errors in the creation of high quality requirements for a software acquisition. Use the reports help develop all RFI, RFP and software tender documents.
IT Consultants: Use comprehensive criteria to determine build vs. buy analysis and perform gap analysis for legacy systems against the latest software functionality included in the reports. With ratings on over 1000 enterprise software solutions, you have access to the most comprehensive vendor data available.
Software manufacturers and vendors: Compare your system against the combined feature set of the leaders in your category to help prioritize future development. Use as a template of included features for any software bid.
Powered by the TEC Expert System, eBestMatch™
... the "Rolls Royce of decision making tools" - ZDNet
Get the best technology match for your company. Our evaluations can save months of research and help ensure a successful project.
What this comparison report will help you to achieve
4Determine which functional aspects are priorities for your business.
4Evaluate and understand the functionality that addresses Telecommunications requirements.
4Find the Telecommunications solutions that are most likely to serve your business.
About Business Intelligence Software
Business intelligence (BI) is a decision support tool used to capture, report, and analyze a subset of organizational data without affecting operational systems. The software provides essential business visibility to help clients' businesses grow by giving them the information they need about product, sales, and customer behavior. It allows clients to look at their businesses in different ways, and helps them to understand the core issues so they can take action to improve performance.
The function of business intelligence and business performance
With BI and BPM modules included in the ERP system or as standalone solutions, telco companies can better analyze the very high volumes of data that emerge from the enterprise's operational systems. BI and BPM systems provide the right tools to manage data at the right time, including those that enable dynamic reporting, data mining, online analytical processing (OLAP) services, balanced scorecards, and key performance indicators (KPIs). All of these functionalities—together with corporate dashboards that help telecommunications managers, decision makers, and knowledge workers be better able to interpret and analyze data—enable accurate decision making and the ability to modify business workflows that need improvement.
About TEC BI software comparison
Developed in conjunction with software analysts and the world's leading software vendors, TEC's enterprise software evaluation reports are designed to give manufacturers and service organizations a comprehensive list of features and functions (criteria) for each of over forty different kinds of enterprise software solutions. With over 1000 vendor products available for evaluation, TEC is the largest service of its kind in the industry. kind in the industry. ndustry. kind in the industry.
TEC helps thousands of businesses, every month, evaluate and select software solutions that meet their exacting needs by empowering purchasers with the tools, research, and expertise to make an ideal decision.
Industry standard terminology aids evaluation process
The language used to describe each category and criterion has been vetted by TEC analysts and provides a standard description that is understood and accepted by leading vendors and consultants in each enterprise area. During the RFI or RFP process, users benefit from clear, concise descriptions of critical functions that prospective vendors can respond to without confusion. This leads to better participation by invited vendors and reduces the possibility of errors.
Report uses by role:
IT project managers: Save time and avoid errors in the creation of high quality requirements for a software acquisition. Use the reports help develop all RFI, RFP and software tender documents.
IT Consultants: Use comprehensive criteria to determine build vs. buy analysis and perform gap analysis for legacy systems against the latest software functionality included in the reports. With ratings on over 1000 enterprise software solutions, you have access to the most comprehensive vendor data available.
Software manufacturers and vendors: Compare your system against the combined feature set of the leaders in your category to help prioritize future development. Use as a template of included features for any software bid.
Monday, November 29, 2010
CRM Overview: 5 Minute CRM
For the 5 Minute CRM, we shall present an executive overview of Customer Relationship Management. Upon completion of this page we strongly recommend further reading in What is CRM? (a more in-depth overview of CRM) and Why use CRM?. Of course we would like to hear from you, and talk in person regarding CRM and your business. Please do not hesitate to Contact Us and see how CRM Systems can benefit you
Minutes One to Three:
What is CRM?
CRM, or Customer Relationship Management can be seen as follows:
CRM is an enterprise wide business strategy designed to learn about customer’s needs and behaviors to organize and manage Customer relationships to maximize profitability and minimize expenses. A well planned CRM can be viewed as a strategic process merging strategy and system to amalgamate information from across the company (sales, marketing, finance, accounting, etc.) to offer a complete view of the customer and develop stronger relationships with them. Information gained from all internal and in some cases, external, sources allows the company to complete a full 360 degree view of their customer in real time.
In effect, CRM allows your organization to develop a relationship with your clients and make your operations more efficient.
How does it do this?
CRM amalgamates information accross your departments into one central system. CRM is NOT just technology and software, it is a process and way of doing business that goes beyond the tools you use. CRM is a new way of doing business.
A CRM system begins with a thorough process review of how your company presently does business and how it would like to do business. Which service levels it would like to reach, which information it would like to collect on it's clients, and where the business wants to go.
In plain words, CRM allows you to get to know your customer extremely well and be able to capitalize upon this knowledge.
Through the collection of information during routine transactions, you will be able to get to know buying patterns and collect information on your customer that helps both sides of the relationship.
For example:
For many companies this is their present situation: Imagine a system in place where the lines of communication and information requests are somewhat scrambled.
Issues:
•Each area has their own system, tracking and keeping records on different software
•Management does not have real time performance information
•Customer Service does not have marketing information for cross sell opportunties.
•Sales does not have easy access to client records
•Customer calls, old system doesn't tie into account, so don't know past order
A CRM system has one central system where all the information is collected and stored in one location.
•Everyone is connected into one system
•People have the information they need to do their jobs
•Sales and Customer Service have a deeper knowledge of the customers.
•Data duplication is eliminated
•Data security is strongly enhanced
•Providing promotions, services and products that are exactly what your customers are looking for
•Offering better customer service
•Cross selling products more effectively and quickly
•Helping sales staff close deals faster
•Retaining existing customers and discovering new ones
•Building a relationship with your customer
history
Minute Four:
What are the benefits of CRM?
Using this CRM strategy, a business can increase revenues by:
•providing promotions, services and products that are exactly what your customers are looking for
•offering better customer service
•cross selling products more effectively and quickly
•helping sales staff close deals faster
•retaining existing customers and discovering new ones
•building a relationship with your customer
CRM involves three overall parts: people, process and technology and sews these parts together in an unobtrusive and harmonious manner. Technology can help automate sales and marketing flow, so that more menial tasks are done by the technology, freeing your people to better do their jobs. CRM helps your people by enabling them to do their jobs even more effectively.
CRM helps your company by automating many processes, which helps to retain knowledge in the company and enhance the customer experience. A customer who makes daily or weekly orders will be treated like a person, not a number. Any special promotions or marketing packages relating to their buying habits can be promoted to them in an unintrusive manner. The key to successful CRM is to woo your customer, not stalk them.
Minute Five:
What is the best way to implement CRM?
A successful CRM implementation begins with a business process review involving all levels of staff. If they don't feel like a part of the process, your system will not be easily pushed upon them. The implementation depends on the size of the project and the modifications involved.
Keys to success: let the employees know from the start and have them help build and test the system.
A successful implementation of CRM is not about new software, it's about following a refined business process. People tend to resist change unless they are a part of that change, and 21CRM system works with your company to guide projects from beginning to completion with staff buy-in.
The past decade has seen incredible enhancements to software that small to mid-market businesses can afford. You can implement CRM at a much faster pace than large companies which take a while to turn around.
Minutes One to Three:
What is CRM?
CRM, or Customer Relationship Management can be seen as follows:
CRM is an enterprise wide business strategy designed to learn about customer’s needs and behaviors to organize and manage Customer relationships to maximize profitability and minimize expenses. A well planned CRM can be viewed as a strategic process merging strategy and system to amalgamate information from across the company (sales, marketing, finance, accounting, etc.) to offer a complete view of the customer and develop stronger relationships with them. Information gained from all internal and in some cases, external, sources allows the company to complete a full 360 degree view of their customer in real time.
In effect, CRM allows your organization to develop a relationship with your clients and make your operations more efficient.
How does it do this?
CRM amalgamates information accross your departments into one central system. CRM is NOT just technology and software, it is a process and way of doing business that goes beyond the tools you use. CRM is a new way of doing business.
A CRM system begins with a thorough process review of how your company presently does business and how it would like to do business. Which service levels it would like to reach, which information it would like to collect on it's clients, and where the business wants to go.
In plain words, CRM allows you to get to know your customer extremely well and be able to capitalize upon this knowledge.
Through the collection of information during routine transactions, you will be able to get to know buying patterns and collect information on your customer that helps both sides of the relationship.
For example:
For many companies this is their present situation: Imagine a system in place where the lines of communication and information requests are somewhat scrambled.
Issues:
•Each area has their own system, tracking and keeping records on different software
•Management does not have real time performance information
•Customer Service does not have marketing information for cross sell opportunties.
•Sales does not have easy access to client records
•Customer calls, old system doesn't tie into account, so don't know past order
A CRM system has one central system where all the information is collected and stored in one location.
•Everyone is connected into one system
•People have the information they need to do their jobs
•Sales and Customer Service have a deeper knowledge of the customers.
•Data duplication is eliminated
•Data security is strongly enhanced
•Providing promotions, services and products that are exactly what your customers are looking for
•Offering better customer service
•Cross selling products more effectively and quickly
•Helping sales staff close deals faster
•Retaining existing customers and discovering new ones
•Building a relationship with your customer
history
Minute Four:
What are the benefits of CRM?
Using this CRM strategy, a business can increase revenues by:
•providing promotions, services and products that are exactly what your customers are looking for
•offering better customer service
•cross selling products more effectively and quickly
•helping sales staff close deals faster
•retaining existing customers and discovering new ones
•building a relationship with your customer
CRM involves three overall parts: people, process and technology and sews these parts together in an unobtrusive and harmonious manner. Technology can help automate sales and marketing flow, so that more menial tasks are done by the technology, freeing your people to better do their jobs. CRM helps your people by enabling them to do their jobs even more effectively.
CRM helps your company by automating many processes, which helps to retain knowledge in the company and enhance the customer experience. A customer who makes daily or weekly orders will be treated like a person, not a number. Any special promotions or marketing packages relating to their buying habits can be promoted to them in an unintrusive manner. The key to successful CRM is to woo your customer, not stalk them.
Minute Five:
What is the best way to implement CRM?
A successful CRM implementation begins with a business process review involving all levels of staff. If they don't feel like a part of the process, your system will not be easily pushed upon them. The implementation depends on the size of the project and the modifications involved.
Keys to success: let the employees know from the start and have them help build and test the system.
A successful implementation of CRM is not about new software, it's about following a refined business process. People tend to resist change unless they are a part of that change, and 21CRM system works with your company to guide projects from beginning to completion with staff buy-in.
The past decade has seen incredible enhancements to software that small to mid-market businesses can afford. You can implement CRM at a much faster pace than large companies which take a while to turn around.
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