http://www.crmbuyer.comCRM Buyer -- "The Essential Guide for CRM System Purchasers"en-usCopyright 2009Tue, 21 May 2013 12:03:31 GMTTue, 21 May 2013 12:03:31 GMT2hourly12013-05-21T12:03:31ZECT News NetworkCRM Buyer -- "The Essential Guide for CRM System Purchasers"ECT News Network2013-05-21T12:03:31Zen-usCopyright 2009http://www.crmbuyer.com/images/rss/cad_100x36.jpghttp://www.crmbuyer.comhttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2c3397d6/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A890Bhtml/story01.htmPretty much all CRM deployments need some degree of customization, the exceptions being those rare situations where businesses have very simple needs. Customizations can be as simple as the modification of a field to accommodate a local convention for addresses, or as complex as the addition of workflows that introduce social media data or specific sales and marketing behaviors.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2c3397d6/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165665245138/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2c3397d6/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165665245138/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2c3397d6/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/165665245138/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2c3397d6/a2t.img" border="0"/>Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2c3397d6/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A890Bhtml/story01.htmChristopher J. BucholtzStrategy2013-05-21T12:00:00Z Pretty much all CRM deployments need some degree of customization, the exceptions being those rare situations where businesses have very simple needs. Customizations can be as simple as the modification of a field to accommodate a local convention for addresses, or as complex as the addition of workflows that introduce social media data or specific sales and marketing behaviors unique to the business. Unless you have exceptional in-house talent, this means you'll have to engage with a consultant, reseller or other third-party expert.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2c280ce1/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A750Bhtml/story01.htmThe case for mobile CRM is an easy one to make. Smartphones are now ubiquitous, and the way most people work requires 24-7 accessibility. Also, not being tethered to a desktop to access customer records is a plus -- if not an outright necessity in some cases. For sales reps or anyone who interacts with customers in the field, mobile CRM is essential.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2c280ce1/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165665206942/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2c280ce1/kg/342-363/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165665206942/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2c280ce1/kg/342-363/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/165665206942/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2c280ce1/kg/342-363/a2t.img" border="0"/>Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2c280ce1/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A750Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyMobile CRM2013-05-20T12:00:00Z The case for mobile CRM is an easy one to make. Smartphones are now ubiquitous, and the way most people work requires 24-7 accessibility. Also, not being tethered to a desktop to access customer records is a plus -- if not an outright necessity in some cases. For sales reps or anyone who interacts with customers in the field, mobile CRM is essential, said Tom Brennan, VP of product marketing at FinancialForce.com.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2c0d69ad/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A610Bhtml/story01.htmInsideView earlier this month debuted a new marketing offering housed on its InsideView CRM Intelligence Platform. This first iteration of InsideView for Marketing focuses on automated lead enrichment capabilities, said Marc Perramond, VP of product. It was built with an eye to enhancing a company's lead records with social, media and financial information.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2c0d69ad/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165664161614/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2c0d69ad/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165664161614/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2c0d69ad/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/165664161614/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2c0d69ad/a2t.img" border="0"/>Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2c0d69ad/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A610Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyProducts2013-05-17T12:00:00Z InsideView earlier this month debuted a new marketing offering housed on its InsideView CRM Intelligence Platform. "One of our working premises is that even with the massive amount of spending companies do on CRM automation, the products still do not fully address the needs of understanding the customer and the new buying process," said Marc Perramond, VP of product. InsideView's new tool was built with an eye to enhancing a company's lead records with social, media and financial information.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2c00a5d5/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A490Bhtml/story01.htmBloomberg has been embroiled in scandal since news broke last week that its reporters were using the company's corporate terminals to monitor its customers' activities. The story began to unravel when news surfaced that Goldman Sachs had confronted Bloomberg over the possibility that reporters were accessing its account data.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2c00a5d5/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165664024114/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2c00a5d5/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165664024114/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2c00a5d5/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/165664024114/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2c00a5d5/a2t.img" border="0"/>Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2c00a5d5/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A490Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyCustomer Data2013-05-16T12:00:00Z Bloomberg has been embroiled in scandal since news broke last week that its reporters were using the company's corporate terminals to monitor its customers' activities. The story began to unravel when news surfaced that Goldman Sachs had confronted Bloomberg over the possibility that reporters were accessing its account data. Goldman became suspicious when a Bloomberg reporter asked about an executive's whereabouts, noting that he hadn't logged into his account for a while.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bf3535a/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A390Bhtml/story01.htmThere are two questions that emerging companies in the CRM space hear when they face the analysts: <em>When are you going public?</em> <em>Why don't you build out a full CRM capability?</em> The first question is easily and deftly handled by most executives, and it must be. An IPO has its own cadence, and the Securities and Exchange Commission is very keen to protect its turf.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bf3535a/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165664495676/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bf3535a/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165664495676/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bf3535a/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/165664495676/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bf3535a/a2t.img" border="0"/>Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bf3535a/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A390Bhtml/story01.htmDenis PombriantCRM2013-05-15T12:00:00Z There are two questions that emerging companies in the CRM space hear when they face the analysts: When are you going public? Why don't you build out a full CRM capability? The first question is easily and deftly handled by most executives, and it must be. An IPO has its own cadence, and the Securities and Exchange Commission is very keen to protect its turf, even in an age when Congress keeps tight control on regulators' budgets. It takes almost no effort to fine an overexuberant executive.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2be62979/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A270Bhtml/story01.htmGovernment information technology managers will no doubt spend every nickel of the Obama administration's 2014 proposed IT budget of $81 billion. They will also likely be dissatisfied with the business environment that affects IT acquisition and deployment. For starters, the proposed 2014 budget for IT, which actually shows a small gain versus anticipated 2013 spending, is not a sure thing.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2be62979/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165664456331/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2be62979/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165664456331/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2be62979/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/165664456331/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2be62979/a2t.img" border="0"/>Tue, 14 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2be62979/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A270Bhtml/story01.htmJohn K. HigginsGovernment2013-05-14T12:00:00Z Government IT managers will no doubt spend every nickel of the Obama administration's 2014 proposed IT budget of $81 billion. They will also likely be dissatisfied with the business environment that affects IT acquisition and deployment. For starters, the proposed 2014 budget for IT, which actually shows a small gain versus anticipated 2013 spending, is not a sure thing. Congress could trim the proposal as part of the budget process -- or simply continue with government-wide cuts associated with the cost-cutting sequestration program.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2be5fb11/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A280Bhtml/story01.htmAlthough the acronym "CRM" has been around for a long time, most people have no idea what it means. That's kind of a shame, because they brush up against the effects of CRM every day in their interactions with the businesses they patronize. As a result, when I say I write about CRM, I'm often asked to explain what it is. That leads me to think a lot about a practical definition of "CRM."<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2be5fb11/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165664139224/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2be5fb11/kg/342-363/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165664139224/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2be5fb11/kg/342-363/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/165664139224/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2be5fb11/kg/342-363/a2t.img" border="0"/>Tue, 14 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2be5fb11/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A280Bhtml/story01.htmChristopher J. BucholtzStrategy2013-05-14T12:00:00Z Although the acronym "CRM" has been around for a long time, most people have no idea what it means. That's kind of a shame, because they brush up against the effects of CRM every day in their interactions with the businesses that market to them and those they patronize. As a result, when I say I write about CRM, I'm often asked to explain what it is. That leads me to think a lot about a practical definition of "CRM." In many cases, the best explanation has nothing to do with technology -- it has to do with one-to-one interactions.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bd93ce8/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A140Bhtml/story01.htmYou wouldn't think it was easy to bungle a mobile marketing campaign -- but it definitely is doable. Six in 10 decision makers planned to increase their companies' mobile marketing budgets in 2013, Forrester said earlier this year, reporting on a survey conducted for Acquent. However, 42 percent of those respondents were worried about achieving ROI. They have good reason to be.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bd93ce8/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165664099573/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bd93ce8/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165664099573/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bd93ce8/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/165664099573/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bd93ce8/a2t.img" border="0"/>Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bd93ce8/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A140Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyMobile CRM2013-05-13T12:00:00Z You wouldn't think it was easy to bungle a mobile marketing campaign -- but it definitely is doable. Six in 10 decision makers planned to increase their companies' mobile marketing budgets in 2013, Forrester said earlier this year, reporting on a survey conducted for Acquent. However, 42 percent of those respondents were worried about achieving ROI. They have good reason to be, if our informal survey of marketing experts is any indication. Mobile marketing may be a hot growth area, but it is still a hit-or-miss affair.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bc01021/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A0A40Bhtml/story01.htmOrganizations of all sizes across an assortment of industries are using a growing set of cloud analytics solutions to address their Big Data, business intelligence and data integration challenges. Escalating competitive pressures and customer expectations are forcing organizations to find new ways to tap internal and external data sources to achieve their business goals.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bc01021/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165664884806/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bc01021/kg/359-360/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165664884806/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bc01021/kg/359-360/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/165664884806/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bc01021/kg/359-360/a2t.img" border="0"/>Fri, 10 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bc01021/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C780A0A40Bhtml/story01.htmJeffrey M. KaplanAnalytics2013-05-10T12:00:00Z Organizations of all sizes across an assortment of industries are using a growing set of cloud analytics solutions to address their Big Data, business intelligence and data integration challenges. Escalating competitive pressures and customer expectations are forcing organizations to find new ways to tap internal and external data sources to achieve their business goals. They must also better understand how they compare and contrast with their peers from a performance standpoint. This means using key performance indicators to benchmark their success.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bbefc91/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779970Bhtml/story01.htmIn a move to bolster its offerings for the real estate market, Trulia said this week that it would acquire Market Leader, a Software as a Service-based CRM company targeting agents and brokers. The acquisition, expected to close in the fall, will provide Trulia with tools to help real estate professionals manage and track leads.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bbefc91/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165663928560/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bbefc91/kg/342-363/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165663928560/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bbefc91/kg/342-363/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/165663928560/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bbefc91/kg/342-363/a2t.img" border="0"/>Fri, 10 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bbefc91/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779970Bhtml/story01.htmEnid BurnsDeals2013-05-10T12:00:00Z In a move to bolster its offerings for the real estate market, Trulia said this week that it would acquire Market Leader, a Software as a Service-based CRM company targeting agents and brokers. The acquisition, expected to close in the fall, will provide Trulia with tools to help real estate professionals manage and track leads. As part of the deal, Trulia -- an online real estate marketplace -- will pay approximately $355 million for Market Leader.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bb41103/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779930Bhtml/story01.htmTwilio last week rolled out capabilities that extend its communications API platform into the cloud contact center market. The new functionality is aimed at companies that want to migrate part or all of their traditional contact center operations to the cloud, or those that want to enhance existing traditional operations with a cloud-based component.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bb41103/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165663986393/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bb41103/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/165663986393/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bb41103/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/165663986393/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2bb41103/a2t.img" border="0"/>Thu, 09 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2bb41103/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779930Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyProducts2013-05-09T12:00:00Z Twilio last week rolled out capabilities that extend its communications API platform into the cloud contact center market. The new functionality is aimed at companies that want to migrate part or all of their traditional contact center operations to the cloud, or those that want to enhance existing traditional operations with a cloud-based component. The new functionality is an extension of Twilio's original goal of bringing telecom into a Web app environment, said Lynda Smith, chief marketing officer at Twilio.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2ba9681f/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779830Bhtml/story01.htmIt's been wonderful this spring, being a part of all the vendor briefings now in high gear. That's because in short but sometimes painfully dense bursts, we get to know what each vendor has in store for the months ahead. It's a lot and that's a good sign. There seems to be a breakout happening. One of the themes running through all the events -- like a kid on a tricycle -- is marketing<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2ba9681f/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164876825839/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2ba9681f/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164876825839/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2ba9681f/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/164876825839/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2ba9681f/a2t.img" border="0"/>Wed, 08 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2ba9681f/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779830Bhtml/story01.htmDenis PombriantMarketing2013-05-08T12:00:00Z It's been wonderful this spring, being a part of all the vendor briefings now in high gear. That's because in short but sometimes painfully dense bursts, we get to know what each vendor has in store for the months ahead. It's a lot and that's a good sign. There seems to be a breakout happening. One of the themes running through all the events -- like a kid on a tricycle -- is marketing. Everywhere you look, marketing is making noise. Oracle completed the acquisition of Eloqua, Marketo filed for an IPO.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b9cccaa/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779710Bhtml/story01.htmSo you have your CRM application in place and humming, collecting information about customers and potential customers and organizing it -- but how are you using it? Most companies pour it back into sales, marketing and support to keep feeding those machines, which is good. It's the way you realize the value from your CRM investment.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b9cccaa/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164876839638/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b9cccaa/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164876839638/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b9cccaa/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/164876839638/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b9cccaa/a2t.img" border="0"/>Tue, 07 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b9cccaa/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779710Bhtml/story01.htmChristopher J. BucholtzCustomer Data2013-05-07T12:00:00Z So you have your CRM application in place and humming, collecting information about customers and potential customers and organizing it -- but how are you using it? Most companies pour it back into sales, marketing and support to keep feeding those machines, which is the way you realize the value from your CRM investment. Yet to the customers -- y'know, the people that all this relationship management is supposed to be about -- the ready flow of data within your organization is invisible. Is it really building the relationships you yearn for?

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b91e6f5/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779570Bhtml/story01.htmThis year could be the best of times and the worst of times for mobile marketers, suggests a report Forrester released earlier this year. Six in 10 survey respondents -- people who make decisions about their company's mobile marketing strategy -- planned to increase mobile marketing budgets this year, according to the report.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b91e6f5/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164876800516/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b91e6f5/kg/342-363/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164876800516/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b91e6f5/kg/342-363/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/164876800516/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b91e6f5/kg/342-363/a2t.img" border="0"/>Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b91e6f5/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779570Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyMobile CRM2013-05-06T12:00:00Z This year could be the best of times and the worst of times for mobile marketers, suggests a report Forrester released earlier this year. Six in 10 survey respondents -- people who make decisions about their company's mobile marketing strategy -- planned to increase mobile marketing budgets this year, according to the report. However, for the companies going that route, worries about ROI were clear, with 42 percent of respondents expressing concerns. Mobile marketing has been unfolding at a rapid pace for the past several years, but it is still early days.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b788cf5/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779350Bhtml/story01.htmSalesforce has announced that a product it first unveiled last summer, Salesforce Communities, will go live this summer. Since its original debut, Communities has been tweaked to take into account user views and feedback. Salesforce's user community got a taste of similar functionality last month with the company's rollout of Chatter Topics and Expertise.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b788cf5/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164876583686/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b788cf5/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164876583686/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b788cf5/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/164876583686/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b788cf5/a2t.img" border="0"/>Fri, 03 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b788cf5/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779350Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyProducts2013-05-03T12:00:00Z Salesforce has announced that a product it first unveiled last summer, Salesforce Communities, will go live this summer. Since its original debut, Communities has been tweaked to take into account user views and feedback. Salesforce's user community got a taste of similar functionality last month with the company's rollout of Chatter Topics and Expertise, which lets users find information and related resources, as well as identify experts, based on topics of interest.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b6d86ae/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C77930A0Bhtml/story01.htmFan Appz provided more tools for digital marketers Wednesday when it added a suite of Twitter features to its real-time customer feedback platform. The new features help brands interact with followers by running polls, hashtag games and loyalty-based reward activities on the social network. Those interactions can help build a brand's database.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b6d86ae/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164876639305/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b6d86ae/kg/342/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164876639305/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b6d86ae/kg/342/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/164876639305/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b6d86ae/kg/342/a2t.img" border="0"/>Thu, 02 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b6d86ae/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C77930A0Bhtml/story01.htmEnid BurnsTools2013-05-02T12:00:00Z Fan Appz provided more tools for digital marketers Wednesday when it added a suite of Twitter features to its real-time customer feedback platform. The new features help brands interact with followers by running polls, hashtag games and loyalty-based reward activities on the social network. Those interactions can help build a brand's database and connect the dots in consumer profiles, according to the company. Fan Appz was originally developed to solve a business problem.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b627601/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779280Bhtml/story01.htmIt hit me last week while attending Oracle's Analyst World briefing. We met in a conference center on the Oracle campus in Redwood Shores to learn about the company's latest developments in hardware and software, and to be briefed on its future road map. How extensive was it? Let's just say that my brain hurt when it was over, and I had to sign a five-year NDA agreement to get out of the building.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b627601/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164876604926/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b627601/kg/342/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164876604926/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b627601/kg/342/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/164876604926/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b627601/kg/342/a2t.img" border="0"/>Wed, 01 May 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b627601/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779280Bhtml/story01.htmDenis PombriantSales2013-05-01T12:00:00Z It hit me last week while attending Oracle's Analyst World briefing. We met in a conference center on the Oracle campus in Redwood Shores to learn about the company's latest developments in hardware and software, and to be briefed on its future road map. How extensive was it? Let's just say that my brain hurt when it was over, and I had to sign a five-year NDA agreement to get out of the building. So what hit me? What ethical dilemma bedevils Oracle and other enterprise companies?

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b58eb7a/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779130Bhtml/story01.htmIf you're a dedicated skeptic like I am, you probably know the way a psychic's cold read works. Start by asking a broad question that fits almost anyone -- like, "Have you lost someone you love?" Allow the mark to fill in the blanks, and then ask further leading questions based on information fed to you until the mark thinks you're actually communicating with a dead relative.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b58eb7a/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164876477552/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b58eb7a/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164876477552/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b58eb7a/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/164876477552/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b58eb7a/a2t.img" border="0"/>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b58eb7a/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C779130Bhtml/story01.htmChristopher J. BucholtzSales2013-04-30T12:00:00Z If you're a dedicated skeptic like I am, you probably know the way a psychic's cold read works. Start by asking a broad question that fits almost anyone -- like, "Have you lost someone you love?" Allow the mark to fill in the blanks, and then ask further leading questions based on information fed to you until the mark thinks you're actually communicating with a dead relative. Salespersons play a more ethical version of the same game to learn about the people they sell to. They may walk into an office and, in a glance, learn about a potential customer's interests, family and more.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b4d0078/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C778790Bhtml/story01.htmPowerObjects has released PowerMap, a new add-on for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. "It is a way to create a visualization of geolocation in the database," said PowerObjects CEO Dean Jones. At its core, PowerMap does what the name suggests -- allows users to plot addresses of a group of entities on a map within Microsoft Dynamics CRM.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b4d0078/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164016489402/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b4d0078/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164016489402/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b4d0078/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/164016489402/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b4d0078/a2t.img" border="0"/>Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b4d0078/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C778790Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyProducts2013-04-29T12:00:00Z PowerObjects has released PowerMap, a new add-on for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. "It is a way to create a visualization of geolocation in the database," said PowerObjects CEO Dean Jones. Version 2, which is expected in a few weeks, will have stepped-up capabilities, and a more advanced version will follow within a few months. At its core, PowerMap does what the name suggests -- allows users to plot addresses of a group of entities on a map within Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b3448c4/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C778950Bhtml/story01.htmIf you think mobile CRM has been popular to date, you ain't seen nothing yet. There will be an eye-popping 500 percent increase in the number of mobile CRM apps available for download on app stores between now and 2014, Gartner predicted. That number is expected to grow to more than 1,200 by next year from 200 or so today.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b3448c4/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164016414444/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b3448c4/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164016414444/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b3448c4/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/164016414444/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b3448c4/a2t.img" border="0"/>Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b3448c4/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C778950Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyMobile CRM2013-04-26T12:00:00Z If you think mobile CRM has been popular to date, you ain't seen nothing yet. There will be an eye-popping 500 percent increase in the number of mobile CRM apps available for download on app stores between now and 2014, Gartner predicted. That number is expected to grow to more than 1,200 by next year from 200 or so today. What's driving this anticipated growth surge? It's true that mobile use in general is surging, but that doesn't fully explain the CRM phenom.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b29122b/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C778860Bhtml/story01.htmHoopla has debuted Game Center, a new sales performance module that uses contests to incentivise CRM software users. It typically works this way: A sales organization identifies a certain behavior or goal, such as prompting sales staff to make more cold calls or follow up with prospects. Results are published on live animated leaderboards.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b29122b/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164016382834/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b29122b/kg/360/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164016382834/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b29122b/kg/360/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/164016382834/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b29122b/kg/360/a2t.img" border="0"/>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b29122b/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C778860Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphySales2013-04-25T12:00:00Z Hoopla has debuted Game Center, a new sales performance module that uses contests to incentivise CRM software users. It typically works this way: A sales organization identifies a certain behavior or goal, such as prompting sales staff to make more cold calls or follow up with prospects. The module then creates a contest around this data, which resides in a CRM system -- in this case Salesforce.com. Results are published on live animated leaderboards.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b1eb901/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C778660Bhtml/story01.htmIf CFPB Director Richard Cordray ever imagined that House of Representatives Republicans would eventually warm up to the bureau, that hope has surely been dashed by now. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, on Monday sent a letter to Cordray, saying that he would be barred from testifying before the committee because his appointment as director was invalid.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b1eb901/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164016330781/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b1eb901/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164016330781/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b1eb901/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/164016330781/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b1eb901/a2t.img" border="0"/>Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b1eb901/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C778660Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyGovernment2013-04-24T15:00:00Z If Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray ever imagined that House of Representatives Republicans would eventually warm up to the bureau, that hope has surely been dashed by now. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, on Monday sent a letter to Cordray, saying that he would be barred from testifying before the committee because his appointment as director was invalid. Hensarling cited a federal appeals court decision earlier this year that threw out two recess appointments President Obama made to the federal labor panel.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b1c5c76/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C778710Bhtml/story01.htmI can't tell you how many emerging analytics companies have contacted me since January. Every day it seems there is another company -- smelling blood in the proverbial water -- wanting to brief me. I know why. Now that Big Data questions have transitioned from "how do we store all this stuff?" and "what's valuable in this pile?" to "how can we slice and dice this raw material," everybody wants a piece of the action.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b1c5c76/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164016323823/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b1c5c76/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164016323823/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b1c5c76/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/164016323823/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b1c5c76/a2t.img" border="0"/>Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b1c5c76/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C778710Bhtml/story01.htmDenis PombriantAnalytics2013-04-24T12:00:00Z I can't tell you how many emerging analytics companies have contacted me since January. Every day it seems there is another company -- smelling blood in the proverbial water -- wanting to brief me. I know why. Now that Big Data questions have transitioned from "how do we store all this stuff?" and "what's valuable in this pile?" to "how can we slice and dice this raw material," everybody wants a piece of the action. I've been preparing you for this for the last couple of weeks.

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b0ffbef/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C77860A0Bhtml/story01.htmPegasystems has rolled out the newest iteration of its marketing application. New or enhanced features include improved ability to perform real time event-triggered actions and new B2B recommendation functionality. The key to understanding this app is its name, "Next-Best-Action," said Steve Kraus, senior director of product marketing. "That is the concept behind our approach to marketing.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b0ffbef/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164016284881/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b0ffbef/kg/342/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164016284881/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b0ffbef/kg/342/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/164016284881/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b0ffbef/kg/342/a2t.img" border="0"/>Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b0ffbef/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C77860A0Bhtml/story01.htmErika MorphyProducts2013-04-23T12:00:00Z Pegasystems has rolled out the newest iteration of its marketing application. New or enhanced features include improved ability to perform real time event-triggered actions and new B2B recommendation functionality. The key to understanding this app is its name, "Next-Best-Action," said Steve Kraus, senior director of product marketing. "That is the concept behind our approach to marketing. How can we help the user decide what the next best action is to take with a customer in a real-time scenario?"

]]>http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b041584/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C778490Bhtml/story01.htmNew tools are available to help with service level management, but they require a new perspective on how IT infrastructure components should be managed. The key is to embrace a new ideal of managing every infrastructure component from the perspective of how it impacts end-user service levels. To do this, IT operations teams must understand the three laws of service-oriented IT operations management.<img width='1' height='1' src='http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b041584/mf.gif' border='0'/><br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164016240424/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b041584/a2.htm"><img src="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/164016240424/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b041584/a2.img" border="0"/></a><img width="1" height="1" src="http://pi.feedsportal.com/r/164016240424/u/0/f/632002/c/34520/s/2b041584/a2t.img" border="0"/>Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMThttp://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632002/s/2b041584/l/0L0Scrmbuyer0N0Crsstory0C778490Bhtml/story01.htmVic NymanEnterprise Apps2013-04-22T12:00:00Z New tools are available to help with service level management, but they require a new perspective on how IT infrastructure components should be managed. The key is to embrace a new ideal of managing every infrastructure component from the perspective of how it impacts end-user service levels. By incorporating the three laws of service-oriented IT operations management into their day-to-day processes for application monitoring, problem solving and problem prevention, IT operations teams can deliver on service level improvements and increase efficiency.

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