May 2008

Magazine Features

The Moving Target

Mobile phones have been around for decades -- but the ability to market to mobile-phone users is relatively new. No wonder marketers are still struggling to get it right.

The Excellence Myth

In an exclusive excerpt from his new book Excellence Every Day, industry thought leader Lior Arussy examines the truth--and crippling fictions--behind the value of experience.

7 Steps to SOA Success

Services-oriented architecture--and the Web services it supports--is one of today's hottest software trends. It's also one of the least understood

And They're Off!

Offshore, that is--and nearshore, and homeshore. When it comes to outsourcing contact centers, it's a whole new horse race.

Front Office

Recognizing the Wind of Change

The May 2008 issue of the magazine covers three areas that are experiencing -- or are on the verge of experiencing -- extraordinary shifts in their respective markets.

Reality Check

Is Your Contact Center Built for Multichannel Customers?

The boom in self-service doesn't mean your agents are off the hook.

Customer Centricity

The Contact Center Identity Crisis

You are who you talk to.

The Tipping Point

The Hidden Cost of SaaS

Software-as-a-service fulfills its value proposition -- sometimes.

Connect

Serving Many Masters

Customer data and business data must be controlled through master data management.

Pint of View

CRM World News, Part III

If I found it on the Internet, it must be important.

Insight

Is CRM Too Hard for Microsoft?

On The Scene: Convergence 2008 -- Redmond's mighty software maker finally has what it needs for a great CRM program -- but is it too late?

Vendors Go Virtual for Feedback

On The Scene: SAP CRM 2008 -- Online communities are another way to get into customers' heads.

Sense-sational Marketing

On The Scene: DMA B2B Marketing -- Advertising is movin' on up--and in, out, and around all the human senses.

How UGC Can Benefit CRM

On The Scene: AIIM 2008 -- Fostering online communities and embracing user-generated content can provide great value for CRM.

destinationCRM Dashboard: May 2008

Market Focus:
Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods -- Price Check, Aisle 5

Everyone's talking about "the R word" -- Recession! -- and for the first time in a long time, price is competing head-to-head with service.

Required Reading: Show Me the Talent

What do you think your talent needs are and do you have a plan to meet them?

Feedback: May 2008

REAL ROI

Are You Ready to Party?

When friends have fun, brands get a big benefit.

Skin in the Game

Centive smoothes away the calluses for a dermatology-product vendor.

The Right Numbers

CRM, together with telephony technologies, leads to better sales for a direct marketer.

Secret of My Success

Hatching a Customer-Connection Plan

Egg, the British online bank, knows what its customers are thinking all the time, thanks to surveys conducted by Confirmit.

Re:Tooling

Tech Solution: Price Optimization Tools

Business Problem: Unsure how to price products and services to stay competitive while still ensuring profitability.