August 2004

Magazine Features

Selecting the Right Services Partner(s)

Consultants and integrators complement each other--the key is to play to each party's strength.

Making the Right Call

Call center outsourcing can provide value to an organization, but not by walking away from responsibility. We examine the people, process, and technology issues managers should consider when making their decision.

What's in it for Me?

Methods that will help encourage channel partners to buy in to the benefits of CRM.

Front Office

Partnering for CRM Success

Most every company that implements CRM does so with the help of a consultant, an integrator, or both.

Reality Check

The Next CRM Evolution

The problem is that CRM focuses way too much on who and what, and not nearly enough on how.

Customer Centricity

Back to the Future

We will not succeed until we stop thinking departmentally, and start thinking holistically.

Insight

Reducing CRM's Total Cost of Ownership

Organizations can increase the value of their CRM initiatives, while keeping costs low, by focusing on increasing the value of CRM for those who use it.

Market Watch: Many Possibilities, One Price

Pricing optimization systems provide better customer segmentation, better deal-building engines, improved communication with management and pricing analysts, and better markdown strategies.

Heard and Overheard

"When CRM strategy is led from an ERP perspective, customers get treated like widgets, at best."

School Districts Use CRM to Balance the Needs of Their Constituents

For the full CRM benefits to be realized, schools will have to expand their focus, tracking the full life cycle of each student, from kindergarten through graduation.

Just 1 Question

What prompted your CRM initiative?

Required Reading: Getting Back to Relationship Basics

Today, customers want more than products.

Hot Seat: CRM Success Means More Than Avoiding Failure

Articles Editor Joshua Weinberger asked industry experts what it takes to be successful in a CRM initiative.

Who's Who in CRM

In May CRM magazine presented a list of some of the industry's key players. This month we continue that recognition with a look at two executives from Microsoft.

CHART: Give Call Center Agents the Data They Need to Sell

What is the primary challenge for your contact center during calls?

The Pulse: Is your CRM initiative designed to...

REAL ROI

CRM Supports Internal Customers, Too

The company now has control over its order process, and soon will be able to get rid of its legacy billing system entirely.

CRM in Action: Triangle Brick Builds Sales in a Stagnant Market

Triangle Brick embarked on a mission to double the size of its business within five years.

How to...choose the right metrics for determining ROI

ROI criteria must change to reflect the changing needs of the marketplace and the changing pressures on shareholder value.

Listening to Customers Earns Cimco Nearly Perfect Customer Retention

A customer advisory board setting can produce valuable feedback as customers have an opportunity to pool their collective experiences and present them in a coherent manner.

Unishippers Invests $6 Million in Customer Relationships

Unishippers invested about $6 million in its CRM system.

CRM in Action: Targeted Emails Win Forex a 100 Percent Response Rate

The online currency trading firm was missing the back-end analytics crucial for effective prospecting and campaigning.

Texas Instruments Takes a Walk

The Customer Loyalty Bootcamp program is a series of simulations that allow TI managers to experience what it is like to be a TI customer.

CRM in Action: Rhodes Furniture Gets More Response for Its Money

Rhodes can now access such information as items purchased, date of sale, and whether a customer prefers to pay with cash or credit.

Secret of My Success

CheerStix' Plan for Better Client Contact

The burgeoning company needed a better way to keep in touch with clients.