April 2008

Magazine Features

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Table of Contents and Introduction

The leaders, the winners, and the honorees -- the best of the CRM service industry over the last 12 months.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Rising Stars -- Introduction

The Rising Stars of 2008 are at your service.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Rising Stars -- Coveo Solutions

Coveo Solutions knows where to find what you're looking for.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Rising Stars -- Jacada

Jacada hopes a tighter focus will lead to brighter fortunes.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Rising Stars -- Spoken Communications

Spoken Communications keeps callers from waiting aimlessly on the line, but it's waiting for a big customer to keep it in the limelight.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Rising Stars -- Telcordia Technologies

Telcordia Technologies may have been around -- but it's planning to be around a lot longer, too.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Elite -- Introduction

These four implementations -- successfully undertaken by wildly different companies utilizing products from a variety of vendors -- represent the very best of this year's efforts.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Elite -- BOK Mortgage

Varolii Corp.'s software helps BOK Mortgage reduce the number of delinquent accounts.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Elite -- International Cruise & Excursions

International Cruise & Excursions sails into workforce management with Aspect Software.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Elite -- iRobot

Automation is second nature to robotics supplier iRobot, making automated customer service from RightNow Technologies a solid match.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Elite -- JPMorgan Chase Card Services

JPMorgan Chase Card Services has Enkata to thank for a unification of agent metrics.

The 2008 CRM Service Leaders: Introduction

The seven categories, and the companies that led them.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Contact Center Infrastructure

Replacing computer-telephony integration (CTI), this category encompasses all the contact center technologies; despite the rejiggering, Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories remains on top.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Interactive Voice Response

IVR solutions are growing increasingly mature; Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories proves itself most mature of all.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Web Self-Service

While the technology to establish Web self-service is readily available, maximizing the benefits remains a challenge; RightNow Technologies wins by a healthy margin.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Web Interaction Management

A new category covers multiple channels of customer support: email, instant messaging, click-to-call, click-to-chat, online forums, etc.; RightNow Technologies is the inaugural winner.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Workforce Optimization Suite

Consolidation is all the rage in workforce optimization; Verint Systems takes the "optimal" spot.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Contact Center Search

In a contact-center-specific adaptation of knowledge management, InQuira is this year's answer.

The 2008 CRM Service Awards: Outsourcing

Customer service outsourcing comes down to comfort; West retains the crown.

Front Office

As One Chapter Ends...

New kinds of software solutions are playing an integral role in helping companies provide faster and more accurate support.

Reality Check

The Poker Dynamics of CRM

CSO Insights' Sales Performance Optimization '08: Today's companies are finding a full house of technology options.

Customer Centricity

Where Has All the Commitment Gone?

Lofty statements too often end up as small and meaningless actions.

The Tipping Point

Serving Up Customer Delight

Embracing customer centricity isn't the same as delivering it.

Scouting Report

Productivity and Workforce Management

WFM solutions typically pay for themselves in under a year -- can you afford not to have one?

Pint of View

Out of Context

Remember to look around you when spelling out your corporate message.

Insight

A Tenancy of One's Own

Just when the battle between on-demand and on-premise CRM seemed to settle down a bit, a new one opens up: single-tenant architecture versus multitenancy.

The Rebirth of Taxes

Online- and catalogue-only merchants are being called out for getting a head start, but a new bill hopes to even the score

Labor Disputes Reach The Contact Center

Pending lawsuits filed against AT&T and other companies over unpaid contact center wages could change the traditional value model.

Market Focus: Telecommunications -- The Plight of the Wirelines

With wireless encroaching one coverage bar at a time, wireline providers are struggling to revamp their customer strategies.

Required Reading: Learn the New Rules for Building Brands

The lessons to be learned from "accidental" marketers.

destinationCRM Dashboard: April 2008

Highlights from the month's news.

The Pulse

How Does Your Company Handle its CRM Solution?

Re:Tooling

Tech Solution: Speech Analytics Software

Business Problem: Inability to understand or organize customer feedback in order to retain customers and improve overall service.