Brand Is in the Details
A reader sent me an e-mail that read, “Pop-up ads… as soon as one pops up I leave the site.” This got me thinking about how a brand is affected by Web interface elements that are (seemingly) unrelated to the…
Category News
The Seven Deadly Habits of Highly Ineffective Executives, Part 1
With apologies to Stephen R. Covey. For some strange, nostalgic reason, I recently re-read the 1990 national bestseller and much-touted executive management tome, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” by Stephen Covey. What struck me was how much has…
Study: Companies Failing at Online Customer Service
U.S. companies are failing at online customer service, forcing consumers to bypass email service for the telephone, according to a new study from Jupiter Research. The study shows that 88% of consumers surveyed expect a response to email inquiries within…
Epicor Adds Microsoft CRM to Repertoire
Why settle for offering one customer relationship management (CRM) product when you can offer two — especially when the second option bears a Microsoft logo? Epicor Software Corp. , an Irvine, Calif.-based independent software vendor (ISV) that offers a suite…
BT Chooses KANA eCRM Software
British Telecom (BT) has installed KANA electronic customer relationship management (eCRM) software to handle incoming e-mails to its Web portal, BT.com. The U.K.’s largest voice and Internet service provider expects up to 20,000 customer e-mails each week on a wide…
Targeted Email: From Spam to Choice Part 4
In the February 2003 report, “What Works™: Best Practices in Marketing Technologies,” Kent Allen, research director, E-business/E-CRM for the Aberdeen Group of Boston, writes, “E-mail builds brand awareness (via rich media), helps acquire new customers (via viral marketing), improves customer…
CRM, the Pentagon, and You
Congress struck a blow at the Pentagon last week. The House and Senate aligned to severely restrict a Pentagon program known as Total Information Awareness (TIA). TIA was developed to monitor personal health, financial, and travel information collected from commercial…
UpShot Gets Personal With Customization Features
If Web-based customer relationship management (CRM) service providers are small fish in a large, multi-billion dollar pond, they sure aren’t acting like it. Saying that it has removed the final objection enterprise customers might have to Net-native CRM services, UpShot…
Targeted E-mail: From Spam to Choice, Part 3
By Bruce McCracken, Business Writer This is the third part of a multi-part series on permission-based targeted e-mail. In part two, we reviewed some fundamental strategic principles that can increase sales and enhance rapport with your customers. In part one,…
Case Study: ClientLogic and Logitech
Utilizing a powerful established customer care service provider with vast related competencies has proven to be the winning formula for Logitech of Fremont, California, a manufacturer of PC accessories. With limited expertise in customer care and the related technologies, Logitech…