Archive

Do loyal customers translate into steady sales or profits? Intuitively, the answer should be yes -- and indeed, customer loyalty is a significant metric by which companies rate their performance. However, there a few problems with the concept of customer loyalty and a corporate strategy to develop i...

Warning: Your personal data may be at risk. As RFID devices work their way into consumers' everyday lives, the potential for data breaches grows rapidly. RFID technology used to be used primarily to track warehouse operations and perform inventory control through. Now, this same technology is findin...

The emergence of smaller, more powerful handheld devices and the spread of high-speed mobile networks have enterprise software developers scrambling to meet demand for portable versions of their flagship applications. Research In Motion got a jump on the market with the BlackBerry's secure and relia...

CRM is not just about tracking and recording names, addresses and standard constituent information. Today, organizations' online presences and peer-to-peer technologies are making it possible for politicians, businesses and non-profit organizations to get personal with their voters, customers and do...

This week, Sage Software is bringing out version 11 of ACT, its high-flying contact management software. ACT has been around since the mid-1980s and has been through multiple incarnations and owners in that time. ACT was what you used back then if you were tired of keeping notes on paper and wanted ...

Microsoft will be rolling out eight CRM "accelerators" for its Dynamics CRM product line in the second half of 2008. On the Javista blog, Microsoft's Reuben Krippner gives readers a thorough update on what they will offer customers. On the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog, he shares information for ...

Every interaction an enterprise has with customers, partners or suppliers instigates a new trail of data which over a short period of time can create a deluge effect. Experts predict that within a few years it won't be uncommon to see enterprises with networks and databases storing over 100 terabyte...

IBM has rolled out a mobile software and service offering that builds upon several announcements it made earlier this year at the annual RIM Wireless Enterprise Conference. The offering, called "Mobility@Work," is a package of new software tools that allow developers to run existing desktop applicat...

What is unified communications and why do you need it? UC is not unified messaging, and it isn't a unified desktop. But both of these technology solutions help to support a unified communications architecture. In fact, according to Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company, UC is the convergence of such techn...

The Department of Justice has charged 11 people with the theft of millions of account numbers from a long list of U.S. big box retailers including TJ Maxx, OfficeMax, Barnes & Noble, Boston Market, BJ's Wholesale Club, Forever 21, DSW, Dave & Buster's and Sports Authority. Albert "Segvec" Go...

This summer, I have been doing a lot of research into sustainability and have developed some thoughts that relate to CRM, especially CRM 2.0. The whole idea of "sustainability" deserves some contemplation. Too often we see the word applied to just about anything that needs to look a little bit green...

Landslide has a friend in blogger Chris Bucholtz, who writes, "Here's what Landslide provides in the new release: a single-screen interface that walks its users through the standard tasks that CRM fulfills -- gathering data on customers and leads -- and then beyond that into a set of processes that ...

The poor enterprise portal. It has had more lives than a cat and more personalities than a summer stock theatre troupe. After a decade of wandering from fad to fad (remember intranets, knowledge management and corporate taxonomies?) the enterprise portal is back, and in a big way. But this time the ...

In this heated battle for the consumer dollar, retail marketers are looking to establish a personal and consistent relationship with shoppers through integrated customer loyalty programs that leverage traditional offline and emerging communications channels. Not surprisingly, it can be overwhelming ...

SAP turned in a strong Q2 financial report on Tuesday with results mitigated only by a drop in profits due to its acquisition of Business Objects. SAP's net profit for the quarter was $634.9 million, a 9 percent decline from the same period last year. Revenue was $4.45 billion, a jump of 18 percent ...