CRM News: Spotlight Features

The Business Case for Virtual Business, Part 2

Tuesday - June 30, 2009

There's no doubt some companies have succeeded in using virtual worlds for branding and interaction with their customers, whether through in-world stores, billboards or other means. Wells Fargo, for instance, has been operating its Stagecoach Island aimed at young customers for roughly four years and says it is pleased with the results. Yet branding and advertising seem to be about as far as externally facing efforts tend to go in virtual worlds; attempts to take the next step into sales -- for the most part -- don't seem to have met with much success. [More...]

Outsourcing's No Longer In

Tuesday - June 30, 2009

Companies used to turn to outsourcing during tough financial times. The current global recession, however, has curtailed outsourcing as much as it has other parts of the economy. "Oddly enough, the global recession has hurt outsourcing significantly," said Chad Hahn, principal owner of Hahn Consulting. [More...]

So You Want to Start a Tech Business, Part 2

Thursday - June 25, 2009

Lacing a shoestring budget with enough green to get your startup up and running takes some finagling. Still, it can be done. If you can't find investor backing right now, then turn to alternative funding routes. You may want to start with your own hidden assets to find the cash you need. [More...]

Just Because I'm Paranoid Doesn't Mean My Mac Is Secure

Thursday - June 25, 2009

I was buying a fully loaded Mac to replace the 4-year-old Mac I had at home. Along with Microsoft Office for the Mac, I also wanted to buy a standard security AV and firewall application. The salesperson's response? Not necessary. I was sufficiently chastened by the $2,000-plus tab I had racked up that afternoon to let it go. But years of writing about online security had made me paranoid. [More...]

So You Want to Start a Tech Business, Part 1

Wednesday - June 24, 2009

Funny thing about economic disasters: They tend to spawn a bevy of new businesses. It's not that a recession is the best time for pie-in-the-sky thinking; rather, it's when pie-in-the-mouth issues become most pressing. "The tantalizing successes of some startups, coupled perhaps with the rise in unemployment, have more people pondering new ideas and new careers," said angel investor Doug Chertok. [More...]

The Business Case for Virtual Business, Part 1

Tuesday - June 23, 2009

It wasn't long after the launch of Linden Lab's Second Life back in 2003 that companies and organizations around the globe began to sit up and take notice. The prospect of millions of potential customers -- all flocking to the same destination and congregating there -- is enough to whet the appetite of even the most conservative and change-averse organization, after all. [More...]

Toiling Away in 'White-Collar Sweatshops' - aka Call Centers

Tuesday - June 9, 2009

Sarah Betesh's career in customer service began in box office call centers at venues such as the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia. She moved on to Tickets.com and Vertical Alliance, at one point becoming a call center manager. However, in spite of her success, Betesh left her call center career behind in 2003. [More...]

Windows XP: The Legacy Lives On

Thursday - June 4, 2009

The end of mainstream support by Microsoft for Windows XP ended on April 14. That deadline came and left with barely an audible groan from the minions of enterprise, small business and consumer users of the decade-old operating system. The steadfast legions of corporate Windows XP users are not facing any dire consequences for not migrating to Windows Vista, however. [More...]

Taking a Shine to iPhone in the Enterprise

Tuesday - June 2, 2009

While Apple's not exactly kicking down the corporate front door with its Xserve platform, there is every indication that the iPhone is making itself at home in the enterprise. Increasingly, the iPhone is becoming the mobile device of choice for corporate types, and not because of its sex appeal -- or at least not because of its sex appeal alone. [More...]

Inventory Management on a Shoestring

Friday - May 29, 2009

Fidelitone Logistics works with large retailers to manage their inventories and ship consumer goods worldwide. Executive VP Mike Schoenfeld recently gave a group of executives from a venture capital firm a tour of the company's operations. They were thinking of the small firms in their portfolios that needed the benefits of a streamlined inventory management and warehouse distribution system. [More...]

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