USA - The truth is that call centres are expensive, and they don't usually show positive returns except for the fractional payback you get when you can boost productivity by handling more calls. Also, with so many moving parts, it really is easy to believe that the system you've nursed along for years is as good as anything out there - or certainly good enough. 11 Feb 2008
Critics thought it was over the top when Amazon.com expanded from books into music in 1998. When the Web retailer let competitors start selling things alongside its own inventory in 2000, they said Amazon had gone nuts. In both cases, Amazon proved them wrong. 5 Feb 2008
USA - Was it the "Year of the Frustrated Customer?" Here are a few highlights: Airline passenger complaints to the US Department of Transportation were up 70%, as last summer saw the worst delays in 13 years of record-keeping; Verizon was ordered to pay US$1 million to customers the company terminated for "excessive use" on a plan that was advertised as "unlimited"; and the state of Minnesota is body slamming Sprint with a lawsuit on behalf of hundreds of its residents who claimed the carrier extended its contracts without their informed consent. 8 Jan 2008
Even the titans of online retailing struggle with how to tackle the challenge of delivering personalisation. Most techniques for generating personalised product recommendations involve identifying which items tend to be purchased together. While this approach effectively groups products by interest, it doesn't get to the heart of treating each consumer as an individual. 30 Nov 2007
Despite geopolitical tensions, economies are thriving in the Middle East resulting in an increasing focus on customer service in the region presenting opportunities for contact (call) centre vendors. 28 Nov 2007
Barrows has introduced an online collection of instore display solutions which have been vigorously value-engineered both in terms of materials usage and production efficiency. 15 Nov 2007
Consumer complaints website, PissedConsumer.com, has launched a new consumer advocacy section offering consumer tips and advice just in time for the holiday buying (and selling) season. 12 Nov 2007
What can retailers - both online and in stores - do to prepare for post-holiday returns? The first thing is to do everything they can to minimize return levels in the first place, Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org, told CRM Buyer. Shop.org is the National Retail Federation's digital division. 12 Nov 2007
Mobile CRM brings many advantages to an organisation, some of which are yet to be discovered. Suffice it to say that it does much more than enable mobile access to e-mail and text messaging. This is about access to real data and the ability to manipulate it in real time, as well as the ability to conduct transactions remotely. 7 Nov 2007
The starting point for loyalty is satisfaction. Yet customer satisfaction in itself does not lead to a loyal relationship, and investing in improvements beyond industry benchmarks of satisfaction will not necessarily increase loyalty. The message is simple. Be careful not to over-invest in satisfaction. Once customers are satisfied, business partners need to establish shared values. 7 Nov 2007
Regardless of challenges that lie ahead, it appears the industry is determined to make the remote agent model work, perhaps because, when done properly, the home agent model has such limitless potential, and technological innovation has a way of overcoming obstacles. This will certainly be a model to watch in the future. 5 Nov 2007
As the increasing number of organisations understand the importance of positive customer experiences and strong customer relationships, the market for customer relationship management (CRM) applications continues to expand. In 2006, the global CRM* software market was worth just under US$3.6bn** in licence revenue alone. 1 Nov 2007
When a business or organisation decides to go the cause marketing route, it's extremely important to choose an issue/cause that is relevant and closely related to your products or services. It's quite crucial to your success that your customers understand why you are supporting the pressing issues. Because CRM can have a big impact on loyalty, it can be extremely targeted and customised for your customers. 31 Oct 2007
Not too long ago, advice to keep a CRM implementation simple would have focused around due diligence for the application (you never buy a complex product unless absolutely necessary). It would have focused on negotiating the best deal with a systems integrator (these costs can add quickly unless the contract specifies otherwise). Most of all, it would have focused on a clear needs assessment driving the application (buying too many bells and whistles when they aren't necessary is a sure path to overly complicated implementation and a frustrated user base). 30 Oct 2007
Microsoft has cut by almost half the cost of its CRM Live application for partners, bringing its price point down to US$15 per user per month. 25 Oct 2007
There's a wealth of opportunities available for aspiring and small to medium-sized business (SMB) e-tailers looking for shopping cart technology, as Part 1 of this series points out. While this makes it easier than ever to find this important piece of the e-tailing puzzle, it also means startup and SMB e-tailers face greater challenges when it comes to choosing shopping cart software and putting it to good use. 24 Oct 2007
For those aspiring or already doing business as an e-tail merchant, there is no shortage of e-commerce software developers with shopping cart technology for start-ups and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The real difficulty may lie in choosing among them and then putting it to productive use. 23 Oct 2007
If you're in the market for a pre-owned car and you don't want to pay a fortune, they are available for anything from an average of about R10000 - they've been recovered after being stolen or damaged in accidents… 15 Oct 2007
Ask customer relationship management (CRM) administrators about who owns the data populating their CRM systems, and you will likely get one of two emphatic answers: "my company" or "me." 11 Oct 2007
A good strategy starts with knowing your customers. What are they buying? What are their demographics? How do they make their purchasing decisions? Are their interactions with your company consistently good? At what point in your customer lifecycle are you at most risk of losing them? Are you listening to their complaints and ideas to continually improve your products and services? 9 Oct 2007
