the CRM community of South Africa

Jellybeans and Tabasco: a recipe for loyal customers, memorable brands

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:17:00 +0200

Your customers are potentially your best salespeople. If you want to get them talking positively about your brand, consider thoughtful, low-cost, high impact touches that will surprise and delight them.
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Are you listening to the voice of your customer?

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:47:00 +0200

We all know that poor customer experience is one of the main reasons for customer defection. And while there are many ways to improve this experience, one of the most important is your customer's interaction with your call centre - it can make or break your relationship. This is by far one of the most important customer touchpoints in your industry and has a profound impact on the overall experience with your business.
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Letter from Japan - psychology of a recession

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:02:00 +0200

With consumer spending accounting for more than half of the economy, Japan's economic survival during the current recession has to hinge on how often and how wide its citizens open their wallets and purses. However, given the risk-averse nature of the Japanese psyche, convincing these citizens to maintain their spending habits is an uphill battle for retailers and government alike. How would you, as a marketer, keep the tills ringing?
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Are we live yet? Celebrate successful CRM implementation

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:26:00 +0200

The moment a CRM project goes live should be an excuse for celebration: a milestone successfully reached, the culmination of weeks or months of effort. Yet all too often it slips by like an unwanted birthday, unnoticed and unheralded.
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Social media is a people problem

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:27:00 +0200

First the good news: using social media for marketing is not a technology issue; it's not a software issue; it's not even that complicated. Anyone, given a bit of sense and a free weekend to cruise some how-to sites, can learn how to use most of the popular social media platforms like YouTwitFace. Now the bad news: it is a people problem. You could even say it's an HR problem.
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Bank joins Twitter for CRM purposes

Fri, 22 May 2009 13:08:00 +0200

While First National Bank (FNB) is not the first bank to seek new ways to manage its online reputation, it has taken the development of its customer channels a step further with its active role on microblogging platform Twitter.
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Software as a service comes of age

Tue, 12 May 2009 12:29:00 +0200

The idea of buying software as an ongoing service rather than a shrink-wrapped product is not particularly new. Buying software as a service (SaaS) is a bit like buying a pay TV subscription: you're paying for something to happen, whether it's having your payroll processed or being entertained. By contrast, buying software as a product is like buying a microwave or a TV: there's an assumption that you'll plug it in, use it until it's no longer working and then buy a new one (that's what upgrades really come down to).
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Twitter to the people

Mon, 11 May 2009 13:43:00 +0200

Brands are venturing onto micro-blogging platform Twitter - with mixed results.
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Making innovation work in today's environment

Tue, 05 May 2009 10:25:00 +0200

Bill Carney, senior marketing professor at the Instituto de Empresa, Madrid, gave a most inspiring lecture at The Marketing Show in Bryanston, Johannesburg, yesterday, Monday, 4 May 2009. He wasn't actually here - in fact he was in a hospital bed in Geneva, but with a bit of technology, a wing and a prayer, he was able to deliver his talk to a captive audience.
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CRM - It's personal

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:12:00 +0200

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has matured over the years. It was once commonly defined as software to manage sales leads and not much else but has now become a recognised business methodology for helping to shape and form an organisation. Here's an outline of my personal journey with CRM.
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