http://www.crmbuyer.comCRM Buyer -- "The Essential Guide for CRM System Purchasers"en-usCopyright 2009Sat, 19 May 2012 12:43:37 GMTSat, 19 May 2012 12:43:37 GMT30hourly12012-05-19T12:43:37ZECT News NetworkCRM Buyer -- "The Essential Guide for CRM System Purchasers"ECT News Network2012-05-19T12:43:37Zen-usCopyright 2009http://www.crmbuyer.com/images/rss/cad_100x36.jpghttp://www.crmbuyer.comhttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f8098e0/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C751610Bhtml/story01.htmOver the next few years, the growth in online retail sales in markets such as Western Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America is expected to outpace U.S. growth. Given this increase in cross-border e-commerce, many retailers are rushing to reach new markets. However, the unique circumstances of international shipping call for unique systems and process capabilities.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f8098e0/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Global+E-Commerce%3A+Unique+Capabilities+Required&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75161.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Global+E-Commerce%3A+Unique+Capabilities+Required&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75161.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204681150/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f8098e0/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204681150/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f8098e0/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/134204681150/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f8098e0/a2t.img" border="0"/>Sat, 19 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f8098e0/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C751610Bhtml/story01.htmCraig ReedE-Commerce2012-05-19T12:00:00Z Over the next few years, the growth in online retail sales in markets such as Western Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America is expected to outpace U.S. growth. Given this increase in cross-border e-commerce, many retailers are rushing to reach new markets. However, the unique circumstances of international shipping call for unique systems and process capabilities. Cross-border shipping is more complex than domestic package handling, and international buyers do not like surprises. Organizations that fail to address complexities up front end up with a poor customer experience, low sales revenue and higher-than-expected costs.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f79b835/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C751440Bhtml/story01.htmThis spring has seen a raft of software company events and announcements, and they've been good meetings full of real news and important new developments. It is as if these companies bided their time during the worst of the recession, building new product, thinking about the future and how customers will use their technologies.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f79b835/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=NetSuite%2C+Transportation+and+the+Internet+of+Things&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75144.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=NetSuite%2C+Transportation+and+the+Internet+of+Things&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75144.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204627151/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f79b835/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204627151/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f79b835/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/134204627151/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f79b835/a2t.img" border="0"/>Fri, 18 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f79b835/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C751440Bhtml/story01.htmDenis PombriantVendors2012-05-18T12:00:00Z This spring has seen a raft of software company events and announcements, and they've been good meetings full of real news and important new developments. It is as if these companies bided their time during the worst of the recession, building new product, thinking about the future and how customers will use their technologies. It was time well spent. This week, SAP, NetSuite and others have held meetings, and more good news seems to be emanating from their conferences. I attended the NetSuite SuiteWorld event in San Francisco, and that's what I want to write about here.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f7164de/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C751370Bhtml/story01.htmCustomer service is a crucial part of the customer experience. That seems immediately obvious. And customer experience is the big buzzword right now, so companies are going bonkers revamping their customer service operations. Right? Would that it were so. Almost paradoxically, many businesses are still stuck in the mode of tweaking with utterly defective customer service processes.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f7164de/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=People%2C+Processes+and+Standout+Service+Experiences&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75137.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=People%2C+Processes+and+Standout+Service+Experiences&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75137.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204336018/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f7164de/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204336018/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f7164de/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/134204336018/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f7164de/a2t.img" border="0"/>Thu, 17 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f7164de/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C751370Bhtml/story01.htmChristopher J. BucholtzStrategy2012-05-17T12:00:00Z Customer service is a crucial part of the customer experience. That seems immediately obvious. And customer experience is the big buzzword right now, so companies are going bonkers revamping their customer service operations. Right? Would that it were so. Almost paradoxically, many businesses are still stuck in the mode of tweaking with utterly defective customer service processes, thus fatally contaminating any attempts to create better customer experiences. The problem's root is a classic one that has imploded many a CRM effort in the past: Leadership's vision of customer experience ends with the conclusion of a sale.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f693d17/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C751250Bhtml/story01.htmThe U.S. government's pursuit of cloud-based technology has been characterized by a blizzard of policies, directives, technical studies, proposed contract vehicles and conferences. The federal "cloud first" initiative, requiring agencies to give priority consideration to cloud solutions for IT operations, began in December 2012. Now, an idea of how much business is at stake for IT vendors has surfaced -- and it's impressive.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f693d17/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Federal+Cloud+Adoption%2C+Part+2%3A+Raining+Contracts&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75125.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Federal+Cloud+Adoption%2C+Part+2%3A+Raining+Contracts&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75125.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204566372/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f693d17/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204566372/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f693d17/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/134204566372/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f693d17/a2t.img" border="0"/>Wed, 16 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f693d17/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C751250Bhtml/story01.htmJohn K. HigginsCloud Computing2012-05-16T12:00:00Z The U.S. government's pursuit of cloud-based technology has been characterized by a blizzard of policies, directives, technical studies, proposed contract vehicles and conferences. The federal "cloud first" initiative, requiring agencies to give priority consideration to cloud solutions for IT operations, began in December 2012. Now, an idea of how much business is at stake for IT vendors has surfaced -- and it's impressive. However, IT vendors should not conclude that two recent hefty contracts mean federal floodgates have opened and a wave of eye-popping contracts will be awarded soon.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f6902fa/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C751210Bhtml/story01.htmSugarCon, the SugarCRM user meeting held in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago, did some important things for Sugar. It was a coming out party of sorts for a company with a distinct business model and strategy, namely open source. It was also validation of that strategy and, for many, a new realization of what open source means.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f6902fa/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=The+Rise+of+Open+Source&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75121.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=The+Rise+of+Open+Source&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75121.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204294302/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f6902fa/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204294302/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f6902fa/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/134204294302/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f6902fa/a2t.img" border="0"/>Wed, 16 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f6902fa/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C751210Bhtml/story01.htmDenis PombriantVendors2012-05-16T12:00:00Z SugarCon, the SugarCRM user meeting held in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago, did some important things for Sugar. It was a coming out party of sorts for a company with a distinct business model and strategy, namely open source. It was also validation of that strategy and, for many, a new realization of what open source means. In my discussions with CEO Larry Augustin and CTO and cofounder Clint Oram, I got a new sense of how pervasive open source really is in the software marketplace.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f5f8bc8/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C751130Bhtml/story01.htmThe U.S. government is learning quickly that achieving the next big thing in information technology depends upon implementing a huge number of little things. For federal IT managers, that big thing is the cloud. Federal agencies have busily pursued cloud solutions since December 2010, when the government adopted its "Cloud First" policy, requiring agencies to give priority consideration to cloud technologies.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f5f8bc8/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Federal+Cloud+Adoption%2C+Part+1%3A+Lots+of+Baby+Steps&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75113.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Federal+Cloud+Adoption%2C+Part+1%3A+Lots+of+Baby+Steps&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75113.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204248030/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f5f8bc8/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204248030/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f5f8bc8/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/134204248030/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f5f8bc8/a2t.img" border="0"/>Tue, 15 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f5f8bc8/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C751130Bhtml/story01.htmJohn K. HigginsCloud Computing2012-05-15T12:00:00Z The U.S. government is learning quickly that achieving the next big thing in information technology depends upon implementing a huge number of little things. For federal IT managers, that big thing is the cloud. Federal agencies have busily pursued cloud solutions since December 2010, when the government adopted its "Cloud First" policy, requiring agencies to give priority consideration to cloud technologies, including a mandate to implement a first round of deployments by mid-2012.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f5f51f8/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C751140Bhtml/story01.htmThe Sapphire Now conference kicked off Monday in Orlando, Fla., with 60,000 customers, partners and employees of SAP participating, either at the conference facility or watching it online. The first day of the event offered the usual lineup of celebrity speakers -- corporate and otherwise -- with Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong featured in the morning and SAP Co-CEO Bill McDermott in the afternoon.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f5f51f8/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Sapphire+Now%3A+It%27s+a+Mobile%2C+Social%2C+Cloudy%2C+Collaborative+World&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75114.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Sapphire+Now%3A+It%27s+a+Mobile%2C+Social%2C+Cloudy%2C+Collaborative+World&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75114.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204484928/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f5f51f8/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204484928/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f5f51f8/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/134204484928/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f5f51f8/a2t.img" border="0"/>Tue, 15 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f5f51f8/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C751140Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyEnterprise Resource Planning2012-05-15T12:00:00Z The Sapphire Now conference kicked off Monday in Orlando, Fla., with 60,000 customers, partners and employees of SAP participating, either at the conference facility or watching it online. The first day of the event offered the usual lineup of celebrity speakers -- corporate and otherwise -- with Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong featured in the morning and SAP Co-CEO Bill McDermott delivering his keynote in the afternoon. In between the corporate presentations, SAP's marquee customers described their use of the enterprise vendor's business applications.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f563e26/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A980Bhtml/story01.htmCRM Conference is being held May 29 to 31 at the Chicago Hyatt Regency. This annual event offers a unique agenda for retailers, said Devon Wylie, CEO of CRMC. "It's specifically focused on case studies from topnotch multinational retailers. With this approach, attendees can get actionable learnings they can take home with them."<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f563e26/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=CRM+Conference+to+Showcase+the+Retail+Experience&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75098.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=CRM+Conference+to+Showcase+the+Retail+Experience&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75098.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204474745/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f563e26/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204474745/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f563e26/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/134204474745/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f563e26/a2t.img" border="0"/>Mon, 14 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f563e26/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A980Bhtml/story01.htmDenise J. DeveauCustomer Loyalty2012-05-14T12:00:00Z CRM Conference is being held May 29 to 31 at the Chicago Hyatt Regency. This annual event offers a unique agenda for retailers, said Devon Wylie, CEO of CRMC. "It's specifically focused on case studies from topnotch multinational retailers. With this approach, attendees can get actionable learnings they can take home with them." The conference will offer three streams: basic loyalty and strategy; analytics implementation; and social and mobile. "Social and mobile is a new piece," Wylie said. "While we have touched on it in the past, this year it's hitting mainstream."

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f42c3ad/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A780Bhtml/story01.htmZoho has enhanced its menu of offerings by incorporating social media into its customer support features. It has also added a Facebook social media integration point to its flagship application. The changes went live on Thursday, added automatically to the applications. These two developments are modest compared to the company's massive overhaul to its suite at the end of last year.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f42c3ad/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Zoho+Boosts+Its+Social+Enterprise+Creds&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75078.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Zoho+Boosts+Its+Social+Enterprise+Creds&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75078.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204107742/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f42c3ad/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204107742/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f42c3ad/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/134204107742/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f42c3ad/a2t.img" border="0"/>Fri, 11 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f42c3ad/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A780Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphySocial CRM2012-05-11T12:00:00Z Zoho has enhanced its menu of offerings by incorporating social media into its customer support features. It has also added a Facebook social media integration point to its flagship application. The changes went live on Thursday, added automatically to the applications. These two developments -- the Facebook integration point and the social media enhancements to the customer service features -- are modest compared to the company's massive overhaul to its suite at the end of last year. "We still view it as important for our users and for the direction we are taking Zoho," said Zoho evangelist Raju Vegesna.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f37c916/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A720Bhtml/story01.htmThere are three things certain in life. We all know the two cited by Benjamin Franklin, but there's a third certainty that we all face regularly and have to cope with constantly. That's the certainty that we'll make mistakes. Everyone makes them; if it hasn't happened to your business, you haven't been in business long.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f37c916/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=When+Your+Business+Goofs%2C+CRM+Can+Be+Your+Best+Friend&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75072.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=When+Your+Business+Goofs%2C+CRM+Can+Be+Your+Best+Friend&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75072.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204059638/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f37c916/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/134204059638/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f37c916/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/134204059638/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f37c916/a2t.img" border="0"/>Thu, 10 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f37c916/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A720Bhtml/story01.htmChristopher J. BucholtzStrategy2012-05-10T12:00:00Z There are three things certain in life. We all know the two cited by Benjamin Franklin, but there's a third certainty that we all face regularly and have to cope with constantly. That's the certainty that we'll make mistakes. Everyone makes them; if it hasn't happened to your business, you haven't been in business long. Mistakes affecting customers can be embarrassing, painful, costly -- and, in the era of social media, broadcast to millions of people. How do you deal with them?

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f2aae5a/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A540Bhtml/story01.htmThere was an interesting article about airlines in <em>The New York Times</em> last week, "When Flying 720 Miles Takes 12 Hours," but the subtext was all about CRM, or at least where CRM has to go. If you know me at all, you know I closely attend to macroeconomics and energy issues, and they are all over this article.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f2aae5a/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Sustainable+CRM&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75054.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Sustainable+CRM&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75054.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515411590/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f2aae5a/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515411590/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f2aae5a/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/133515411590/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f2aae5a/a2t.img" border="0"/>Wed, 09 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f2aae5a/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A540Bhtml/story01.htmDenis PombriantCRM2012-05-09T12:00:00Z There was an interesting article about airlines in The New York Times last week, "When Flying 720 Miles Takes 12 Hours," but the subtext was all about CRM, or at least where CRM has to go. If you know me at all, you know I closely attend to macroeconomics and energy issues, and they are all over this article. The story documented how small regional airlines are having trouble in an economy where fuel prices are rising and there are fewer passengers willing to pay higher prices.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f1f26c5/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A470Bhtml/story01.htmThere's been a lot of talk recently about how BPM is gaining traction across a wide variety of industry verticals. BPM's surge is part of the larger trend of agile development; organizations are weary of growing top-heavy and employing a number of individuals to perform tedious, manual processes.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f1f26c5/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=BPM+and+CMOs%3A+A+Match+Made+in+Heaven&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75047.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=BPM+and+CMOs%3A+A+Match+Made+in+Heaven&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75047.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515361264/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f1f26c5/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515361264/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f1f26c5/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/133515361264/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f1f26c5/a2t.img" border="0"/>Tue, 08 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f1f26c5/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A470Bhtml/story01.htmMac McConnellMarketing Automation2012-05-08T12:00:00Z There's been a lot of talk recently about how BPM is gaining traction across a wide variety of industry verticals. BPM's surge is part of the larger trend of agile development; organizations are weary of growing top-heavy and employing a number of individuals to perform tedious, manual processes that could easily be handled by a single person if they had greater visibility into the complete processes and tools to automate all or certain portions of it.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f148e5d/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A360Bhtml/story01.htmThrough the Ariba Network, Cox Enterprises manages multiple ERP systems for an improved e-procurement strategy. The $15 billion communications, media, and automotive services company has moved toward more efficient indirect spend efforts to improve ongoing operations and drive future growth across more than 50,000 employees.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f148e5d/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Getting+What+You+Want+From+ERP+in+the+Cloud&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75036.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Getting+What+You+Want+From+ERP+in+the+Cloud&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75036.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515299147/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f148e5d/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515299147/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f148e5d/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/133515299147/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f148e5d/a2t.img" border="0"/>Mon, 07 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f148e5d/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A360Bhtml/story01.htmDana GardnerCloud Computing2012-05-07T12:00:00Z The latest BriefingsDirect podcast, from the 2012 Ariba LIVE Conference in Las Vegas, explores the latest in cloud-based collaborative commerce with Cox Enterprises, a $15 billion communications, media, and automotive services company. We'll learn how Cox, through the Ariba Network, manages multiple ERP systems for an improved e-procurement strategy and has moved toward more efficient indirect spend efforts to improve ongoing operations and drive future growth across more than 50,000 employees.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f146185/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A40A0Bhtml/story01.htmThe proliferation of customer service channels can be both a blessing and a curse. It can be a blessing in that companies now have more ways than ever to address customer needs and resolve customer issues, potentially leading to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention. At the same time, the proliferation of customer service channels can be a curse.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f146185/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Making+Customers+the+Object+of+Devotion&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75040.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Making+Customers+the+Object+of+Devotion&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75040.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515313107/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f146185/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515313107/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f146185/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/133515313107/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f146185/a2t.img" border="0"/>Mon, 07 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f146185/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A40A0Bhtml/story01.htmJeff ZabinCustomer Service2012-05-07T12:00:00Z The proliferation of customer service channels can be both a blessing and a curse. It can be a blessing in that companies now have more ways than ever to address customer needs and resolve customer issues, potentially leading to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention. At the same time, the proliferation of customer service channels can be a curse. The reason, in large part, is that customer expectations have reached the point when companies that fail to deliver on the promise of seamless multichannel customer interactions are likely to experience negative business outcomes.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f009d7e/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A260Bhtml/story01.htmImagine walking into a department store on a Wednesday morning and spotting a pair of shoes you feel that you must acquire, or life will have no meaning. You excitedly ask the sales rep if you can try on a pair in your size and she says, "Sure, why don't you come back on Friday?" That deflating experience occurs all the time on the Web, said Ken Krogue, president of InsideSales.com.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f009d7e/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Insidesales.com+Aims+to+Keep+Leads+on+the+Front+Burner&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75026.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Insidesales.com+Aims+to+Keep+Leads+on+the+Front+Burner&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75026.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515211629/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f009d7e/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515211629/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f009d7e/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/133515211629/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1f009d7e/a2t.img" border="0"/>Fri, 04 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1f009d7e/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A260Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyProducts2012-05-04T12:00:00Z Imagine walking into a department store on a Wednesday morning and spotting a pair of shoes you feel that you must acquire, or life will have no meaning. You excitedly ask the sales rep if you can try on a pair in your size and she says, "Sure, why don't you come back on Friday?" That deflating experience occurs all the time on the Web, said Ken Krogue, president of InsideSales.com. Together with MIT and the Harvard Business Review, InsideSales.com has conducted research that found the average company took 46.5 hours to respond to a lead. The industry best practice, Krogue drily noted, is five minutes.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ef9042b/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A180Bhtml/story01.htmIBM is building out its digital marketing functionality in its Smarter Commerce portfolio with the acquisition of Tealeaf Technology, a provider of customer experience analytics. Tealeaf software records and analyzes customer interactions on a company's website and any mobile channels it offers. It allows the company to catch any mistakes or glitches in the system that may be hindering the customer experience.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ef9042b/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Reading+Into+IBM%27s+Tealeaf+Buy&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75018.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Reading+Into+IBM%27s+Tealeaf+Buy&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75018.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515169921/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ef9042b/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515169921/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ef9042b/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/133515169921/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ef9042b/a2t.img" border="0"/>Thu, 03 May 2012 15:45:41 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ef9042b/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A180Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyDeals2012-05-03T15:45:41Z IBM is building out its digital marketing functionality in its Smarter Commerce portfolio with the acquisition of Tealeaf Technology, a provider of customer experience analytics. Tealeaf software records and analyzes customer interactions on a company's website and any mobile channels it offers. It allows the company to catch any mistakes or glitches in the system that may be hindering the customer experience, said Yuchun Lee, vice president of IBM enterprise marketing management within its Smarter Commerce Initiative.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ef75ff3/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A150Bhtml/story01.htmI just wrote a note to a friend of mine thanking him for his participation at a conference I recently helped organize. It was a thank you note, and he's a CRM industry influencer; I won't divulge names, because it's not important to my point, nor do I want to seen like too much of a suck-up. In any event, I was grateful for his participation in the show -- not just for his session, but for his behavior at this and every other CRM event he goes to.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ef75ff3/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=3+CRM+Traits+Shared+by+Good+People+and+Great+Companies&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75015.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=3+CRM+Traits+Shared+by+Good+People+and+Great+Companies&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F75015.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515160916/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ef75ff3/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515160916/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ef75ff3/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/133515160916/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ef75ff3/a2t.img" border="0"/>Thu, 03 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ef75ff3/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C750A150Bhtml/story01.htmChristopher J. BucholtzStrategy2012-05-03T12:00:00Z I just wrote a note to a friend of mine thanking him for his participation at a conference I recently helped organize. It was a thank you note, and he's a CRM industry influencer; I won't divulge names, because it's not important to my point, nor do I want to seen like too much of a suck-up. In any event, I was grateful for his participation in the show -- not just for his session, but for his behavior at this and every other CRM event he goes to. When he's at an event, he's not wrapped in a bubble of superiority, nor does he retreat into private meetings and become impossible to find for those who wish to ask him questions.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1eee33ae/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C749940Bhtml/story01.htmI read Chaucer's <em>Canterbury Tales</em> in college, and now every April brings me back to the opening verses about springtime and renewal. This April was especially memorable in our industry, and as the month has just passed I wanted to take a moment to discuss some of the things I witnessed. Mostly, for me, there was an unmistakable sense of renewal in CRM and in the tech sector more generally.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1eee33ae/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Spring+Renewal&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74994.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Spring+Renewal&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74994.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515111725/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1eee33ae/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133515111725/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1eee33ae/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/133515111725/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1eee33ae/a2t.img" border="0"/>Wed, 02 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1eee33ae/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C749940Bhtml/story01.htmDenis PombriantVendors2012-05-02T12:00:00Z I read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in college, and now every April brings me back to the opening verses about springtime and renewal. This April was especially memorable in our industry, and as the month has just passed I wanted to take a moment to discuss some of the things I witnessed. Mostly, for me, there was an unmistakable sense of renewal in CRM and in the tech sector more generally. Facebook continued to primp for its assumed-to-be-historic IPO and bought Instagram, a company with an application for mobile devices and not much more than a website otherwise.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1eee2a83/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C749980Bhtml/story01.htmE-Commerce buzz words sound great in theory, but innovation often founders on the shoals of "getting there from here" as IT managers slog through the details of converting to new systems and programs. Federal agencies have been turning to shared services, data consolidation, commodity IT and, especially, the cloud. Directives to reform IT have been flying out of the OMB at regular intervals for the past 18 months.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1eee2a83/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Federal+IT+Managers+Get+New+Tools+for+Hammering+Out+Innovations&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74998.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Federal+IT+Managers+Get+New+Tools+for+Hammering+Out+Innovations&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74998.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div>Wed, 02 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1eee2a83/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C749980Bhtml/story01.htmJohn K. HigginsSoftware2012-05-02T12:00:00Z E-Commerce buzz words sound great in theory, but innovation often founders on the shoals of "getting there from here" as IT managers slog through the details of converting to new systems and programs. Federal agencies have been turning to shared services, data consolidation, commodity IT and, especially, the cloud. Directives to reform IT have been flying out of the OMB at regular intervals for the past 18 months. Vendors offering a variety of software products are envisioning solid marketing opportunities at federal agencies for the next several years. A key aspect for implementing change, however, is acquiring the tools that bring change about.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ee59b64/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C749890Bhtml/story01.htmSmall CRM players have a chance to get their names out in the market if they win top spot at the second annual CRM Idol competition, which kicked off Monday. Hopefuls have until 6 p.m. Pacific time on May 25 to file their submissions. Contestants will be assigned a mentor to help them prepare the briefing or demo.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ee59b64/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Kicking+Off+CRM+Idol+-+Season+2&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74989.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Kicking+Off+CRM+Idol+-+Season+2&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74989.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133338894646/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ee59b64/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133338894646/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ee59b64/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/133338894646/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ee59b64/a2t.img" border="0"/>Tue, 01 May 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ee59b64/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C749890Bhtml/story01.htmRichard AdhikariVendors2012-05-01T12:00:00Z Small CRM players have a chance to get their names out in the market if they win top spot at the second annual CRM Idol competition, which kicked off Monday. Hopefuls have until 6 p.m. Pacific time on May 25 to file their submissions. Contestants will be assigned a mentor to help them prepare the briefing or demo. The main caveats: Contestants must be small, they must have actual customers, and the software must be something being sold in the market -- beta versions won't make the cut.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1edee345/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C749840Bhtml/story01.htmSocial Dynamx has just launched a new enterprise-class social customer care platform that will allow customer support and community management teams to identify, prioritize and handle millions of one-on-one customer social media conversations daily. As a subscription-based platform, it is designed to quickly identify relevant conversations and intelligently route them to the appropriate customer service agents.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1edee345/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Social+Dynamx+Turns+CSRs+Into+Rock+Stars&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74984.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Social+Dynamx+Turns+CSRs+Into+Rock+Stars&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74984.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133338868508/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1edee345/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/133338868508/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1edee345/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/133338868508/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1edee345/a2t.img" border="0"/>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1edee345/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C749840Bhtml/story01.htmDenise J. DeveauSoftware2012-04-30T12:00:00Z Social Dynamx has just launched a new enterprise-class social customer care platform that will allow customer support and community management teams to identify, prioritize and handle millions of one-on-one customer social media conversations daily. As a subscription-based platform, it is designed to quickly identify relevant conversations and intelligently route them to the appropriate customer service agents, while tracking and measuring results according to contact center-specific service level agreements. "The fact is, most posts submitted in social media circles are simply not responded to," said Social Dynamx COO Jan Ryan.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ecbe820/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C749610Bhtml/story01.htmSugarCRM has just debuted a controlled release of version 6.5 of its flagship open source CRM offering. In many ways, the release is an iterative change -- it does not represent the same major shift in functionality and user interface as version 6 did, when it was launched in 2010. In one key way, however, the new version is significantly different: The user interface is much more oriented to search technology.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ecbe820/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=SugarCRM+6.5+Adds+Just+a+Touch+of+Sweetener&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74961.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=SugarCRM+6.5+Adds+Just+a+Touch+of+Sweetener&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74961.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/132733354937/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ecbe820/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/132733354937/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ecbe820/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/132733354937/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ecbe820/a2t.img" border="0"/>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ecbe820/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C749610Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyProducts2012-04-27T12:00:00Z SugarCRM has just debuted a controlled release of version 6.5 of its flagship open source CRM offering. In many ways, the release is an iterative change -- it does not represent the same major shift in functionality and user interface as version 6 did, when it was launched in 2010. In one key way, however, the new version is significantly different: The user interface is much more oriented to search technology, explained Clint Oram, chief technology officer. "If there is anything Google has taught us, it is that search is an essential paradigm."

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ec2e73f/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C749580Bhtml/story01.htmCRM is not a small market. Nor is it a niche sequestered away in a corner of the larger CRM market. CRM is a $13.045 billion industry in 2012, and it will grow to $16.694 billion in 2015, according to Gartner. No matter how you look at things, that's a lot of money. With a projected growth of nearly 30 percent in three years, it would be easy to assume that CRM has achieved significant penetration.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ec2e73f/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Penetrating+the+Vast%2C+Untapped+Reaches+of+the+CRM+Market&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74958.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Penetrating+the+Vast%2C+Untapped+Reaches+of+the+CRM+Market&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74958.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/132733265548/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ec2e73f/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/132733265548/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ec2e73f/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/132733265548/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ec2e73f/a2t.img" border="0"/>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ec2e73f/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C749580Bhtml/story01.htmChristopher J. BucholtzStrategy2012-04-26T12:00:00Z CRM is not a small market. Nor is it a niche sequestered away in a corner of the larger CRM market. CRM is a $13.045 billion industry in 2012, and it will grow to $16.694 billion in 2015, according to Gartner. No matter how you look at things, that's a lot of money. With a projected growth of nearly 30 percent in three years, it would be easy to assume that CRM has achieved significant penetration. But looking at the larger numbers suggests that CRM's market penetration is still tiny. Perhaps that depends on how you define "market."

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ebc3ef8/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C74950A0Bhtml/story01.htmSalesforce.com has unveiled a new series of cloud computing initiatives for the government user base -- a highly lucrative niche for tech vendors, especially those that can present their products in a budget-friendly light. The new offerings, bundled under the name "Government Cloud," include a dedicated, multitenant instance of Salesforce.com's cloud infrastructure, a new AppExchange for the Government, and a Salesforce Government Partner Accelerator Program.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ebc3ef8/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Salesforce.com+Reaches+for+Bigger+Slice+of+Government+Cloud+Pie&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74950.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Salesforce.com+Reaches+for+Bigger+Slice+of+Government+Cloud+Pie&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74950.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/132733232169/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ebc3ef8/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/132733232169/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ebc3ef8/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/132733232169/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1ebc3ef8/a2t.img" border="0"/>Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:41:54 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1ebc3ef8/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C74950A0Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyGovernment2012-04-25T17:41:54Z Salesforce.com has unveiled a new series of cloud computing initiatives for the government user base -- a highly lucrative niche for tech vendors, especially those that can present their products in a budget-friendly light. The new offerings, bundled under the name "Government Cloud," include a dedicated, multitenant instance of Salesforce.com's cloud infrastructure, a new AppExchange for the Government, and a Salesforce Government Partner Accelerator Program. Their structure is based on input from Salesforce.com's existing government customers, said Daniel Burton, senior vice president of Global Public Sector.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1eb94cd8/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C749390Bhtml/story01.htmThis might be the year we look on in hindsight as the time Oracle got its groove back. It is well known that CEO Larry Ellison thinks in 10-year cycles and about how the industry seems to morph like a caterpillar about every decade. He's not the only one. Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, has referenced the decade cadence, and others have too.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1eb94cd8/mf.gif' border='0'/><div class='mf-viral'><table border='0'><tr><td valign='middle'><a href="http://share.feedsportal.com/viral/sendEmail.cfm?lang=en&title=Oracle%27s+Big+Pivot+Point&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74939.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/emailthis2.gif" border="0" /></a></td><td valign='middle'><a href="http://res.feedsportal.com/viral/bookmark.cfm?title=Oracle%27s+Big+Pivot+Point&link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crmbuyer.com%2Frsstory%2F74939.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://res3.feedsportal.com/images/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a></td></tr></table></div><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/132733219378/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1eb94cd8/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/132733219378/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1eb94cd8/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/132733219378/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/1eb94cd8/a2t.img" border="0"/>Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/1eb94cd8/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C749390Bhtml/story01.htmDenis PombriantVendors2012-04-25T12:00:00Z This might be the year we look on in hindsight as the time Oracle got its groove back. It is well known that CEO Larry Ellison thinks in 10-year cycles and about how the industry seems to morph like a caterpillar about every decade. He's not the only one. Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, has referenced the decadal cadence, and others have too. What's different this time is the size and scope of the change, especially for Oracle. You can start your timer with Ellison's unwise commentary at the Churchill Club just a couple of years ago in which he belittled cloud computing.

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