| |
 |
 |
VoiceOne Powers NFL Network Campaign
VoiceOne Communications, LLC announced that it is providing its patented Click-to-Call technology to power what could be the largest Click-to-Call promotional campaign ever developed, for the NFL Network, the first 24-hour, seven-day-a-week television network dedicated solely to the NFL. The overall campaign was created by the NFL Network’s ad agency Media Storm, which incorporates VoiceOne’s Click-to-Call Voice over IP (VoIP) technology, created and patented by VoIP, Inc. The Click-To-Call portion of the promotional campaign, scheduled to begin Monday, Oct. 30, makes it easy for viewers to sign up for the NFL Network on DirecTV, DISH Network or Verizon’s FiOS TV service. Consumers can simply click on one of the NFL Network banner ads that will be placed on various sites.
Litehouse Foods Tunes Operations for Optimal Customer Service
CDC Software, a provider of enterprise software applications, announced that Litehouse Foods, a manufacturer of refrigerated dressing, dips and sauces, has increased visibility and productivity throughout the organization using CDC Software’s Ross’ Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) Sales Analytics application. Litehouse Foods implemented Ross enterprise resource planning (ERP) system in 1998 and Ross supply chain management (SCM) system in 2002. The company required a more efficient way to leverage the sales and customer service data stored in its enterprise systems. Using Ross EPM, Litehouse is able to easily access and analyze information from Ross ERP in a graphical format and provide decision makers with a complete view of customer service and sales performance information.
eGain Releases New Version of CIH suite
eGain Communications, a provider of customer service and contact center software for in-house or on-demand deployment, announced a major new release of its customer interaction hub (CIH) software suite. Jointly conceived and developed by eGain and its blue-chip customers, eGain Service 7.6 suite includes nine new applications and combines deep knowledge management and process automation tools with a rich set of applications for managing the ever-growing volume of interactions through traditional as well as emerging communication channels. The CIH approach centralizes channel management, knowledge bases, business rules, and analytical engines in one place.
Graham Technology Unveils Ciboodle CRM
Graham Technology, a provider of customer-oriented business software and services, announced the launch of ciboodle, a highly flexible CRM software bundle for the multi-channel contact center. Fully integrated with all contact center channels such as telephony, Web, interactive voice response and instant messaging, ciboodle provides a single interface that allows contact center agents to interact with customers at the highest possible level. The ability to move seamlessly between channels at any stage, be it self-service, virtual agent or human support, is a key feature and provides the customer with a level of service previously unheard of.
InStranet Inc. Releases Contact Centers In-Line Version 5.5
InStranet Inc., a global provider of multi-channel knowledge applications, has announced the general availability of Contact Centers In-Line (CCIL) 5.5, the latest version of the company’s service resolution and knowledge management application. The new release advances the vision InStranet has brought to the knowledge management market over the past few years of providing a complete multi-channel knowledge application. CCIL enables each channel — call centers, customer Web self-service, retail locations, and sales — to receive personalized product and service information accurately and consistently.
|
| |
 |
|
What Do You Think of Remote Support?
We invite you to participate in a brief survey to help us identify key factors driving remote support needs for small to medium-size organizations. You are part of an important group of support professionals selected to participate in this survey and your opinion is very important to us.
Please take a moment to fill out this brief survey.
Click here to begin the survey.
Thanks in advance for your participation.
We value your opinion and appreciate your time.
|
| |
|
 |
|
 |
| SMBs are Core Competition Area in China’s EA Market
According to IDC, China’s enterprise application solutions market revenue (including ERM, SCM and CRM software and services) amounted to USD1.752 billion in 2005, maintaining steady growth into 2006, with a 5-year CAGR predicted at 17.4%.
IDC found that there are over 5.5 million enterprises in China, 63% of which are small and medium sized businesses (SMB) and among these, 62% have yet to deploy IT infrastructure. IDC therefore expects that competition in the mid-to-low-end enterprise application (EA) solution market will further intensify in China as the international software vendors begin penetrating into the lower ends of this market segment, while the local vendors remain focused on the upper end of the segment. Local application software vendors have become more mature in terms of technology, sales systems, channel development, and service support over the past 30 years.
The China enterprise application solution market has the following characteristics:
- The enterprise application solution market continues to grow rapidly but the demands for specific software varies. IDC sees different market growth for the major types of software. For instance, finance and manufacturing applications are among the top priority for ERM customers. Business Performance Management (BPM), HR Management (HRM), and Enterprise Assets Management (EAM) will therefore enjoy a fast rate of growth. Platformization, applications integration, and software customization will drive enterprise application solution development, along with the alignment of software with network. As the SMB market matures, more and more vendors will focus on the development of industry-specific applications and strategic channel partners. Future application software solutions will further focus on industry applications.
- There will be increasingly fierce competition in China’s SMB EA solution market. Both the ERM and SCM markets posted around 100% growth in 2005 over the previous year. Fast-growing SMBs became the target customers for major solution providers in 2005. However, the needs of SMBs are very different compared to medium and large enterprises in terms of products, solution delivery models, and service. SMBs need specialized industry-specific solutions rather than simplified or scaled-down high-end products. SMB users are generally more concerned about the flexibility and user-friendliness of the applications, as well as how fast they can implement business management through EA solutions.
- Local EA solutions vendors continue to emerge. More local vendors have become major industry players in terms of product technology, implementation capability, sales network and service support in the China EA solution market. Local vendors have done well in the manufacturing, government and SMB sectors. Compared to their multinational peers, local vendors have distinct advantages in product localization and sales and channel networks. Moreover, they are more familiar with the local demands of specific users and market industries.
In terms of product, ERM and SCM accounted for the majority of the EA solutions market. The share of CRM software accounted only for less than 10% of the whole market, which consist primarily of call center software and sales applications. Leading solutions providers have been aggressively targeting the SMB market through channel and partner expansion and customizing their products to meet the specific needs of the SMB. Partners who can value add have become the favorite for solution vendors.
More...
U.S. Companies to Increase ERP Budgets by 11.3% in 2006
A new study by AMR Research finds that U.S. companies will increase their ERP budgets by 11.3% in 2007.
Growth in ERP spending was fueled by several factors. ERP vendors have expanded the functionality of their products through both internal growth and acquisition, thus enabling them to garner a larger share of overall application spending. The survey found that technology buyers understand the need to invest in better information systems, and in most markets they have the capital to do so.
The survey found that globalization and lean manufacturing are the two most important business issues companies plan to address with ERP investments. 43% of respondents aim to have a single global ERP system within three years — compared with only 26% today.
Manufacturing and retail buyers favor a single-vendor packaged ERP system. 82% of survey respondents from these sectors are using suites for their ERP applications.
SAP and Oracle will maintain their foothold in the ERP space. 55% of respondents in the process of making ERP system selections said SAP was on the list of vendors they were considering, while 43% of respondents said Oracle was on their list.
More...
Online Holiday Sales Will Reach $32 Billion This Year
Jupiter Research forecasts that 2006 online holiday retail sales will grow to $32 Billion, an increase of 18 percent over last year's holiday season. According to Jupiter, a record 114 million users, a 6% increase over last year, will buy online this holiday season.
Retailers may be able to help online shoppers feel as though they are more in control of the season by presenting shipping cutoff dates early and using them more frequently in their messaging. JupiterResearch has found that more than half of online holiday shoppers say that seeing shipping cutoff dates helps them plan their shopping for earlier in the season.
More...
Top Firms Diagnose 77% of Service Issues in the Call Center
Aberdeen research indicates that optimizing call center diagnostic and problem resolutions capabilities can yield annual savings of up to $4 million, yet most companies have not deployed solutions and technologies to enhance call center effectiveness, according to new research by the Aberdeen Group.
Fully 72% of polled companies report their top challenge in the call center is inadequate information about service problems gathered at the time calls are logged. Tackling this obstacle can have a significant impact on the bottom-line. The report’s key findings state that the average cost of dispatching a technician is $209, making the potential financial impact of resolving issues in the call center enormous.
Aberdeen offers service organizations specific recommendations for improving call center effectiveness, which include the following:
- Establish a second, third, or higher-level technical support organization to increase the capacity to diagnose and resolve product service issues.
- Staff and train call center agents with the appropriate skills to support both legacy and new products.
- Invest in technology enablers to facilitate the call centers‚ diagnostic and problem resolution capabilities.
More...
|
 |
| Leveraging a Virtual Contact Center
Most people can visualize the classic customer service environment — hundreds of unhappy agents sitting side-by-side in a large contact center, all working from the same script. But in reality, there’s a dramatic change taking place in the way businesses view customer service operations, how agents work, and the skills required. In fact, many businesses are moving toward virtual contact centers, which provide a better work environment for agents and can greatly increase service levels for businesses.
Full Article...
Deconstructing Customers
Predicting customer behavior is the core of customer analytics, which combs data for clues about likes and dislikes and attempts to guide a company’s marketing efforts. Once the domain of mathematicians with PhDs, marketing and sales executives and product developers, customer analytics involves every facet of operations. Feedback management, or the art of discovering and acting upon customers' wants, is the hottest growth area in the customer analytics market.
Full Article...
Selecting the Right CRM System
Let's say your boss has asked you to explore buying a CRM software package. How can you manage the process so you find an appropriate system — without taking too much time from your other duties? Your first step will be to establish the goals for the project. Why are you buying it? What are the specific problems it is expected to solve? What opportunities will it help exploit?
Full Article...
From Zero to CRM In Seconds Flat
Deploying a new CRM system isn't easy. Whether you're starting from zero like the City of Minneapolis did before it opened its 311 call center, or trying to integrate and align systems from multiple acquired centers like Horizon Health, there's going to be a lot of tedious documentation of business processes. There might be some surprises. This article details some real-life tales that end in success.
Full Article...
Solving Sales Compensation Management Problems
One of the most challenging — yet most critical — processes that can drive sales performance is the management of sales compensation plans. If you think about a sales compensation plan as the embodiment of what salespeople need to be doing to help the company achieve its objectives, poor sales compensation management can lead to inefficient customer targeting, sales of the wrong products or services, and heavy discounting — all of which result in lower revenue and margins because sales behaviors are not aligned with company objectives.
Full Article...
|
 |
|  Superior Customer Service: How to Keep Customers Racing Back to Your Business
by Dan W. Blacharski
This new book details how to care for customers and how to make superior service happen, and keep customers coming back to your store or Web site. You will learn practical and innovative tips and tricks that are easy to implement. These concepts and skills can be applied immediately. This book is a ready- made, in-house training workshop and step-by-step manual for creating superior customer service in an ever-competitive business environment. Learn from successful companies what works and what doesn’t to help keep customers racing back to your business.
For
more information, or to order your copy...
You can find
more industry sepcific books at our web site:
http://www.crmindustry.com/
|
 |
| Visit
the CRM Solution Center
CRMindustry.com and KnowledgeStorm have joined forces to offer you
access to the CRM Solution Center, a fast, intuitive way to locate,
research and qualify potential CRM and IT solutions.
The
CRM Solution Center provides you unlimited access to white papers,
case studies, detailed product information and more. Registration
is quick and easy -- in 30 seconds or less, you will be on your
way to accessing this valuable resource
Click
here to start searching!
http://knowledgestorm.crmindustry.com
|
 |
| Manage
Your e.Newsletter Subscription!
Log-on
to the member's only
page and you can to change newsletter formats, remove yourself
from the list, or update your member profile.
Editorial suggestions, feedback & comments:
Carolyn Healey, Editor - chealey@supportindustry.com
Advertising Information:
adinfo@supportindustry.com
Thank you for reading CRMINDUSTRY.COM's
weekly newsletter!
Copyright © 2006, crmindustry.com
|
 |
 |
CRMindustry.com
665 San Ysidro Road
Santa Barbara, CA 93108
ph. 805.565.3243
|
|
