SearchCRM: News on CRM trends and technology

CRM analytics seeing investment

Barney Beal, News Director(editor@searchcrm.com — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EDT

IBM is focusing on predictive analytics; and now, so is Accenture with SAS. Much of the interest is in CRM analytics, but experts say companies needn't go to outside tools.

Pegasystems to buy Chordiant, add CRM, analytics to BPM

Barney Beal, News Director(editor@searchcrm.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EDT

Pegasystems has reached an agreement to buy Chordiant for $161 million, bringing BPM together with CRM, customer experience and analytics.

Salesnet re-emerges from RightNow acquisition with new SaaS SFA

Barney Beal, News Director(editor@searchcrm.com — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Four years after it was acquired by RightNow and two years since revamping its strategy, Salesnet is returning to the market for SaaS SFA software.

Software buyers the winners with RightNow pact

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Mon, 8 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT

RightNow's new licensing structure includes things CRM buyers should already be negotiating, but it's still good news for buyers.

RightNow challenges SaaS market to provide clearer SLAs, fairer pricing

Barney Beal, News Director(editor@searchcrm.com — Thu, 4 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT

RightNow pledged no shelfware, the ability to flex up or down on licenses, and five-year price certainty. It called on competitors to do the same.

Successful social CRM looks back to get ahead

Allen Bonde(editor@searchcrm.com — Thu, 4 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Are all the elements of social media and CRM so new? No, says columnist Allen Bonde. He suggests three questions to ask when looking at the past.

SAP co-CEOs to prioritize product development, delivery

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Wed, 3 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe feel the need for speed. Faster innovation and time-to-market will be the new SAP co-CEOs' top priority, as agile development will prevail.

NetSuite dangles 100% margins on SaaS ERP business

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT

NetSuite SP 100 program lures Microsoft partners with rich margins in hopes of building NetSuite's SaaS ERP business.

SAP and Sybase come through on mobile CRM for iPhone, Windows Mobile

Barney Beal, News Director(editor@searchcrm.com — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT

SAP and Sybase have released SAP CRM to the iPhone and Windows Mobile devices. This brings to an end SAP's collaboration with RIM for the BlackBerry.

Will Microsoft Dallas make integrating third-party data and BI easier?

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Tue, 2 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT

A new data exchange from Microsoft, code-named Dallas, could make it easier for companies to integrate third-party data with internal BI and other analytic applications

Using social CRM for sales, customer service analytics

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Companies are learning how effective social media can be for sales and customer service. Columnist Denis Pombriant muses on what this means for the future of social CRM.

Salesforce users respond to Chatter private beta

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Salesforce.com's new Chatter collaboration tool is just coming online, but some users already question its usefulness.

CSO survey predicts tough year, but cost-cutting found in CRM technologies

Meghan B. Kelly, Associate Editor(editor@searchcrm.com — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EDT

2010 may be another rough year for sales, according to CSO Insights, Inc?s annual survey. But the findings show that focusing on CRM and other technology can help cut costs and has measurable results.

CRM demos, customization key demands for buyers pre-purchase

Barney Beal, News Director(editor@searchcrm.com — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EDT

CRM buyers are demanding more from their vendors. SaaS is making it easier for the vendors to show off their wares and customization abilities.

Customer experience rankings show bottom-line benefit

Barney Beal, News Director(editor@searchcrm.com — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Forrester's latest customer experience index is out, and Barnes & Noble, Marriott and firms in retail and hospitality got good news. It may mean future profits.

Informatica and IBM MDM vendor acquisitions put MDM in the spotlight

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EDT

With two major acquisitions and the release of the first open source master data management (MDM) platform, MDM technology may be primed for a resurgence.

SAP's new CEOs need to show vision, clear product roadmap to customers, observers say

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe have their work cut out for them in delivering a clear vision for the future of SAP to a jilted customer base, according to industry observers.

Social CRM customer data management can be the hard part

Barney Beal, News Director(editor@searchcrm.com — Tue, 9 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Some companies are diving headfirst into social CRM initiatives, but as with traditional CRM, they need to be sure to address the data.

SAP CEO Leo Apotheker resigns

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EDT

SAP announced the resignation of CEO Leo Apotheker on Sunday, and named Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe as co-CEOs.

Mega-vendors dominate Gartner's 2010 BI, data warehouse Magic Quadrants

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Thu, 4 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Oracle, IBM and Microsoft continue to control the business intelligence (BI) software and data warehouse markets, according to Gartner's Magic Quadrant reports.

IBM to acquire MDM vendor Initiate Systems

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Wed, 3 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EDT

IBM said today it plans to acquire Initiate Systems, one of the few remaining independent master data management vendors.

Voices of CRM: Building a business case for self-service

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Tue, 2 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EDT

While some of self-service technology's benefits are obvious, some executives still need to be convinced of the ROI. The SSPA's John Ragsdale explains how in this podcast.

Informatica acquires master data management vendor Siperian

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Informatica has acquired master data management (MDM) pure-play Siperian, as the data integration vendor looks to fill out its data management stack.

10 steps to a practical social media business strategy

Allen Bonde(allen@allenbondegroup.com — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Leveraging social media is an increasingly important -- and rewarding -- project, but it takes careful planning. Columnist Allen Bonde explains.

Gartner: CRM no longer a priority? or is it?

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Gartner's business and technologies priority survey is out and the news is not good for CRM technology. But while CRM didn't make the list, it's still on people's minds.

Avaya-Nortel roadmap shows no clear path to UC in the contact center

Barney Beal, News Director(editor@searchcrm.com — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Bringing unified communications into the contact center remains more an idea than a reality, and some believe that the combined Avaya-Nortel won't change that dramatically.

How on-demand technology is changing marketing

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

How can you use marketing automation software rather than face time to close more deals? Columnist Denis Pombriant explains how marketing on-demand technology could change the industry.

Software license audits more difficult thanks to virtualization, multi-plexing

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Software license audits are up in the downturn, as vendors look for revenue lost through waning new license sales.

SAP demos new Twitter integration

Barney Beal, News Director(editor@searchcrm.com — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Like many in the CRM market, SAP is seeking to tie emerging social media networks into its CRM software. In this video demonstration, SAP shows off its Twitter integration.

New retail business intelligence (BI) software, services give merchants an edge

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

As retailers look to business intelligence software to lower customer churn and better manage inventory levels, vendors respond with new products and services.

SAP relents on lower-cost maintenance, scraps KPI program

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

After two years of trying to push through a single maintenance and support structure, SAP is again offering customers two choices ? Standard Support at 18% and Enterprise Support at 22% of license fees.

Social media governance lacking at top firms

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

New research has revealed that top firms lack social media policy and processes. A lack of social media governance puts them at risk.

When should you outsource customer analytics?

Barney Beal, News Director(editor@searchcrm.com — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

IBM recently rolled out a Voice of the Customer program to help companies analyze customer data, but outsourced analytics isn't right for everyone, according to some analysts.

Business intelligence market trends and expert forecasts for 2010

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Wed, 6 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Will last year's popularity of BI software and platforms carry over to 2010? Three industry watchers weigh in with their forecasts for the BI market in 2010.

SaaS CRM wins new business with low investment

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Wed, 6 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

SaaS CRM helps a national broker/dealer woo financial advisers away from competitors by creating a single-sign on experience.

Salesforce.com suffers outage after operations failure

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Tue, 5 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Almost 70,000 customers experienced unexplained downtime after a data center failure at Salesforce.com's only operations center in Silicon Valley.

Doctors taking calls drive improved first call resolution at health cooperative

Barney Beal, News Director(editor@searchcrm.com — Mon, 4 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EDT

A revamped ACD and a new voice portal system, along with doctors and nurses dedicating time to take patient calls, have improved care and customer satisfaction for a Northwest care provider.

Expert CRM predictions for 2010

SearchCRM.com staff(editor@searchcrm.com — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EDT

The next year promises big changes and big opportunities in the CRM market, from sales in the contact center to social media marketing and social media hype, according to industry experts.

The top nine SAP stories of 2009

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EDT

There was plenty of excitement to go around in the enterprise software world in 2009, and SAP certainly didn't disappoint. Take a look at SearchSAP.com's picks for the top SAP news of 2009.

Experts share common global SAP upgrade problems and mistakes -- and how to avoid them

Paul Desmond, SearchSAP.com contributor(editor@searchcrm.com — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Knowing common global SAP upgrade problems can help organizations avoid costly downtime. Learn the six most common problems -- and how to avoid them -- from top industry experts.

Six SAP upgrade tips and best practices for global environments

Paul Desmond, SearchSAP.com contributor(editor@searchcrm.com — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Planning an SAP upgrade in global environments requires careful planning and coordination. Read these tips and best practices to ensure that your global SAP upgrade is successful.

What to buy a geek for the holidays, 2009 edition

Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer(editor@searchcrm.com — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EDT

It's that time of year again, when a geek's thoughts turn to toys: the Kindle, Droid and Drobo are popular in 2009 although the iPhone and other old standards remain on the list.

SAP Enterprise Support KPI program works, but too much work for users

Courtney Bjorlin, News Editor(editor@searchcrm.com — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EDT

SAP's KPI program is working, but it's more work than participating customers anticipated, so SAP is holding off on its support and maintenance fee increase.

The five dimensions of a social media persona

Allen Bonde(editor@searchcrm.com — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Taking a "persona" view toward social media channels can help marketers build campaigns and craft the right tone for their message.

Customer feedback management tools advance, but still no social media

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Thu, 3 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Customer feedback management tools offer new functionality, but responding to social media often falls to the call center.

Dreamforce 2009 conference coverage

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Check out the news and video coverage of Dreamforce 2009, the cloud computing conference in San Francisco.

An interview with Jeff Kaplan at Dreamforce 2009

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Jeff Kaplan of Think Strategies discussed the goals of Salesforce.com's new collaboration technology service known as Chatter and whether it could live up its billing as 'Facebook for the enterprise.'

The benefits of being a Salesforce.com customer

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Jack Miller, the CTO of a real estate brokerage in Austin, Texas, discusses the benefits of working with Salesforce.com.

Users caution to look before you leap with Oracle Fusion Applications

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Mon, 2 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Users generally like what they see of Oracle's Fusion Applications but have questions about added maintenance and training costs, as well as protecting customized solutions.

BT taps open source BI, homegrown DW for customer data

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT

Telecommunications giant British Telecom built its own data warehouse from the ground up, then added open source software from JasperSoft to unlock customer data.

Oracle unwraps Fusion Applications, new user support portal

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT

Oracle closed out OpenWorld with chairman Larry Ellison debuting its long-awaited Fusion Applications Suite along with a new portal anchored by its Enterprise Manager.

Salesforce.com joins ACT! in contact management market

SearchCRM.com(editor@searchcrm.com) — Tue, 1 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT

Salesforce.com jumped into the market for contact management software today with a lightweight, low-cost option to compete with Sage's recently updated ACT!

Data analytics software helps transit authorities meet rider demand

Jeff Kelly, News Editor(editor@searchcrm.com — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT

Transit authorities like the MBTA in Boston and SEPTA in Philadelphia have turned to data analytics software from SPSS to adapt to changes in ridership patterns.

Oracle demands documents from Rimini Street in SAP lawsuit

Courtney Bjorlin, News Editor(editor@searchcrm.com — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT

What's the latest in the Oracle vs. SAP lawsuit? Oracle is demanding that third-party support provider Rimini Street produce information on its business model.