January 2008

Magazine Features

Oh, Behave!

It's never easy to know precisely what your customers are feeling -- but you can certainly pay attention to what they're doing, and behavioral targeting can lead to actionable insight.

Fine-Tuning the Channel

They're not exactly employees, and they're not quite customers, but your channel partners can be equally important -- and you can't just direct them by remote control.

Listen Up!

Just because your customers are calling in to an automated response line doesn't mean your script is automatically going to work. Designing a truly interactive conversation is anything but simple.

The Master Piece

As unified data hubs go mainstream, here are six broad strokes to help you master the art of master data management.

Front Office

'Your Call Automation Sucks'

We recently overhauled our own IVR. What we learned can provide useful lessons as you adopt Web 2.0, CRM 2.0, and social networking strategies.

Reality Check

No Rest for the Wiki

Don't worry: If you're not wiki-ing yet, you will be soon.

Customer Centricity

Fix What Works

The ever-evolving journey toward exceptional customer experience.

The Tipping Point

Setting the Pace, Winning the Race

In the contest for customers, providing a high-quality experience is how you cross the finish line first.

Connect

Quality Really Is Job No. 1

The "single version of the truth" is impossible without tools to ensure data quality.

Pint of View

Fresh Meat, Social Media Style

Hope you like the taste of crow--or foot-in-mouth. Your customers are serving it up hot

Insight

Facebook's About-Face

The social networking company introduced a marketing plan many of its members hated -- and changed course accordingly.

On the Scene: Oracle OpenWorld 2007

The company wows its users with new products and new plans for the future.

CRM Market Set to Double

Recent studies predict the global CRM market will double within six years, and suggest explosive growth in CRM adoption across every segment -- especially on-demand CRM.

Market Focus: Manufacturing -- Customers, Meet Your Makers

Thanks to increased adoption of CRM, manufacturing is putting things together.

Required Reading: Like Pulling Off a Band-Aid

The critical steps to rapid transformation.

REAL ROI

Flying High on Customer Service

Honeywell Aerospace had to plot an entirely new flight path to navigate often-turbulent CRM skies.

Let's Get Digital

Ciena Corp. discovered that 3-D can be A-OK.

The Big Rigs Get Revved Up

With an updated GoldMine in the driver's seat, a Carolina truck dealership steers to unified customer information.

Putting Asia in Your Pocket

Red Pocket Mobile snags a particular prepaid phone market, with help from VoIP Logic

Secret of My Success

Insuring Accurate Data

Insurance.com cleans up its customer data -- and cleans up, period.

Re:Tooling

Tech Solution: Sales Compensation Management

Business Problem: Inability to drive a sales force's behavior, rapidly deploy new sales plans, or effectively track and pay compensation and bonuses.