March 2021

Magazine Features

Customer Intent: Elusive, but Not Impossible to Obtain

When it comes to customer purchases, understand why they buy, not just what

CRM in the Cloud: Which Model Is Right for You?

When looking at CRM software-as-a-service, companies have a variety of deployment options

Field Service Goes High Tech Amid the Pandemic

Advances allow for remote service delivery and better customer interactions

Front Office

As Clouds Rise, Companies Need to Explore Their Options

For many businesses, cloud deployments are more cost-efficient and enable greater flexibility, reliability, agility, and security.

Reality Check

CRM at the Top of the Sales Funnel

Companies have big targets; so how do they hit them?

The Tipping Point

How to Regain Customer Trust in 2021

Your user experience needs to inspire user confidence.

Connect

Five Long-Term Business Lessons the Pandemic Taught Us

Here's what companies must address to thrive amid uncertainty.

The Last Line

Wake Me Up When the Chatbots Write Their Own Scripts

They're a long way from that now, but AI points toward that future

Customer Experience

The Key to Global Success? Global CRM

Companies have to get all of their accounts rowing in the same direction.

Insight

Companies Still Not Unifying Customer Engagement Channels

Gartner urges marketers to prioritize omnichannel engagements to retain customers post-pandemic

Digital CX Tops Retail Priorities for 2021

RCP survey highlights the importance of holistic customer experience improvement

Gartner Eyes Customer Service Shift from Mobile Apps to Messaging

Changing technology landscape focuses on team building, research finds

Marketing Must Become Multilocal

Forrester emphasizes local trust amid ongoing geopolitical disruption

Required Reading: Breaking Down Conversational Artificial Intelligence

Conversational AI has been around for a while, but it's rarely been clearly explained until now

To Boost Profits, Hire and Promote Female Sellers

Forrester finds that companies with female sales leaders are 50 percent more profitable

REAL ROI

Casey’s Is More Convenient with Mobile Apps

SAP has helped the convenience store chain build loyalty with e-commerce

Rotary Spins Out a Marketing Win with Workbooks

The outdoor equipment dealer cuts time for marketing activities

The Next Step

Algorithms and (Artificial) Intelligence: Hype vs. Reality

Understand what you have—and whether it helps you get where you want to go.