Tag Archives: CRM

Salesforce.com updates mobile Chatter app with eye on productivity

Salesforce.com will soon roll out the fourth version of its mobile Chatter application, an update that gives users of the collaboration software more ways to view, retrieve and write back data to the core CRM (customer relationship management) system.

One key new feature will give Chatter mobile users the ability to edit Salesforce.com records, such as customer-service cases or sales leads, from their devices, rather than only being able to read such records.

In addition, Salesforce.com dashboards a user might look at in the main CRM application will now also be available in Chatter mobile.

The third major feature, Custom Actions, allows administrators to create new workflows, such as for an inventory request or to approve a job candidate, and embed them in the Chatter mobile interface.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

j2 Acquires Dutch Online Backup Business Backup Connect BV

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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j2 Acquires Dutch Online Backup Business Backup Connect BV

Acquisition extends locally-operated and supported online backup business to five countries on three continents

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)– j2 Global, Inc. (NASDAQGS:JCOM), the provider of cloud services for business, today announced that it has acquired Backup Connect BV, an online backup provider based in The Netherlands.

With this acquisition, j2 now has customer bases and prospects serviced by local sales, support and online backup infrastructures in the US, UK, Ireland, New Zealand and The Netherlands. Localized support teams and data centers are critical to garnering customer confidence, and support both integration of acquired customer relationships and future sales in each location.

“This acquisition reflects our continued interest in the online backup space and our commitment to growing this business globally,” said j2 Global, Inc. CEO Hemi Zucker. “We look forward to pursuing additional acquisitions in this space and to leveraging and extending our localized global online backup footprint.”

Terms of the acquisitions were not disclosed and the financial impact to j2 is not expected to be material.

About j2

j2 Global, Inc. (NASDAQGS:JCOM) provides Internet services through its two divisions: Business Cloud Services and Digital Media. The Business Cloud Services Division offers Internet fax, virtual phone, hosted email, email marketing, online backup, unified communications and CRM solutions. It markets its services principally under the brand names eFax®, eVoice®, FuseMail®, Campaigner®, KeepItSafe® and Onebox® and operates a messaging network spanning 49 countries on six continents. The Digital Media Division, created with j2’s November 2012 acquisition of Ziff Davis, Inc., offers trusted news and reviews of technology products on its web properties, which include PCMag.com, ExtremeTech.com, ComputerShopper.com, Toolbox.com and Geek.com. The Digital Media Division also operates BuyerBase®, an advanced ad-targeting platform; LogicBuy.com, a leading provider of online deals; and Ziff Davis B2B, a leading provider of research to enterprise buyers and leads to IT vendors. As of December 31, 2012, j2 had achieved 17 consecutive fiscal years of revenue growth. For more information about j2, please visit www.j2global.com.

“Safe Harbor” Statement Under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Certain statements in this Press Release are “forward-looking statements”

From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/17/j2-acquires-dutch-online-backup-business-backup-co/

Salesforce.com's Going Mobile, Just in Time

By Tim Brugger, The Motley Fool

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If timing is everything, the unveiling of salesforce.com‘s mobile services application development platform April 9 was spot-on. The service aims to tap the skills of third-party developers, much as smartphone manufacturers do, to expand and personalize the mobile customer relationship management, or CRM, experience. Salesforce says its new platform is “the latest in a series of innovations to empower customer companies to transform for the mobile era.”

Just how big a deal is it? According to a Gartner study released April 11, mobile applications for the CRM industry, both in number and the revenue they generate, will explode in the next several years. The CRM landscape is changing, and Salesforce is in the right place at the right time.

The future of mobile CRM apps
Gartner Vice President Ed Thompson described the future of CRM this way: “Customer experience management is emerging as a business discipline for marketing, sales, and customer service leaders. Every day, these leaders are incorporating more new technology into their projects to achieve their organizational goals.” Amid the explosive growth of mobile computing, CRM on the go is quickly becoming a necessity for Salesforce and its competitors.

Gartner’s recent survey of more than 2,000 CIOs demonstrates just how critical a mobile CRM solution, and the development of associated Software-as-a-Service, or SaaS, apps, will become. As of last year, according to the survey, there were just over 200 CRM apps available for download. That number will jump to more than 1,200 apps by 2014, and SaaS will account for more than 50% of CRM industry revenues by 2016, up from about 39% last year. The winds of change are blowing, and it appears Salesforce is ready.

Preparing for the industry shift
The timing of Salesforce’s new mobile app development platform, along with a couple of key acquisitions — including app-dev solution provider Heroku and Radian6 Technologies, a social-media relationship-management platform — are feathers in its cap. Rather than respond to industry trends, Salesforce is staying ahead of the curve, which is why Gartner expects Salesforce to retain its leadership position as the largest CRM alternative out there, as measured by revenue.

Salesforce took over the top spot based on revenues in 2012, unseating one of its principal rivals, German-based SAP . Of course SAP, along with up-and-coming CRM competitor Microsoft with its Dynamic CRM, generate considerably more total revenues than Salesforce. SAP‘s CRM solutions generated 13.3% of its total 2012 revenue, and about 3% for Microsoft’s upstart Dynamic CRM. But SAP‘s year-over-year CRM revenue growth in 2012 was a paltry 0.1% — shameful compared with Salesforce’s 26% jump.

Though a small portion of overall revenues, Microsoft’s relatively new entry to the CRM partyshould not be overlooked. In two short years, Dynamic CRM revenues have climbed to an estimated $500 million a year, equal to a 25% to 30% growth rate. Like Salesforce and SAP, Microsoft offers customers a cloud-based solution and plenty of app development experience.

Going forward
The revenue

From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/13/crm-needs-to-go-mobile/

Heritage Financial Corporation Selects DNA Account Processing Platform from Fiserv to Accelerate Gro

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Heritage Financial Corporation Selects DNA Account Processing Platform from Fiserv to Accelerate Growth

  • Commercial bank chooses the collaborative DNA platform from Open Solutions, now part of Fiserv, to consolidate systems and accommodate rapid growth
  • Integrated solutions for CRM, business intelligence, item processing, teller capture, interactive voice response and document management will complement DNA platform
  • Open architecture of DNA combined with its strong commercial capabilities were key factors in the bank’s decision

BROOKFIELD, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Fiserv, Inc. (NAS: FISV) , a leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, today announced that Heritage Financial Corporation, based in Olympia, Wash., has selected the DNA™ account processing platform from Open Solutions, now part of Fiserv, to better serve the customers of Heritage Bank and Central Valley Bank. The $1.3 billion asset holding company cited the platform’s state-of-the-art technology, flexible architecture and strong commercial capabilities as key factors in the decision.

DNA will help us achieve quick wins with operational efficiencies, a single loan system and a 360-degree view of our customer relationships. It’s a proven platform we can build on for the future,” said Lisa Welander, senior vice president and Chief Information Officer, Heritage Bank. “With four acquisitions in three years, we need technology that can help us standardize operations, achieve aggressive growth targets and create a competitive advantage with the customer experience. We found our answer in Fiserv.”

Recognized by industry leading analysts for its best-in-class technology, user experience and breadth of functionality, DNA is the first open, relationship-centered core banking platform built for global collaboration. The platform employs a real-time, relational data model designed around the person, not the transaction, so that Heritage Bank staff can securely view complete profiles of their retail and commercial customers by person, product or account. The bank also gains a single loan system for consolidated commercial, mortgage and consumer servicing with the ability to implement master line processing.

With the platform’s open .NET architecture, Heritage Bank can easily enhance DNA with solutions from Fiserv and other third-party partners. The bank will also have access to the DNAcreator™ development toolkit, which allows bank IT professionals to create and sell custom core extensions called DNAapps™ to other financial institutions via the DNAappstore™. DNAappstore is the first online marketplace for core innovation and global collaboration, creating the potential for additional revenue for the

From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/11/heritage-financial-corporation-selects-dna-account/

Accenture and SNCF Deliver New Reservation, Revenue Management and CRM Systems For Nuovo Trasporto V

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Accenture and SNCF Deliver New Reservation, Revenue Management and CRM Systems For Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV)

New capabilities aim to drive growth, improve competitiveness, and increase passenger satisfaction for Italian rail operator

ROME–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Accenture (NYS: ACN) and Rail Solutions, an SNCF subsidiary, today announced that they have successfully delivered a range of passenger-focused systems for new Italian rail operator, Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV). These include an advanced reservation and distribution platform, a revenue management system and a customer relationship management (CRM) system.

NTV is Italy‘s first private high speed rail operator and one of the newest to be created in Europe. It runs state-of-the-art “Italo” trains linking Italy‘s major cities and offers enhanced services, including passenger Wi-Fi, an on-board entertainment portal and a cinema carriage.

As part of its drive for innovation and rapid growth, NTV wanted a modern, flexible ticketless distribution platform, linked to a powerful set of tools to manage passenger reservations, revenue management and CRM. After choosing Navitaire Rail‘s hosted reservation solution, developed by Accenture’s wholly-owned subsidiary Navitaire, NTV awarded the implementation of the solution to a newly-formed venture of industry experts from Accenture and Rail Solutions.

Navitaire Rail is a passenger sales and management solution which integrates the ticketing and travel process across internet, call center, travel agency and mobile channels. It also provides rail station check-in and ancillary revenue generation opportunities. The platform offers rail operators the ability to link with other travel platforms and services to boost the ability of rail companies to attract and retain passengers while helping to reduce overall operating costs.

NTV has been propelled to the forefront of the industry thanks to this market-leading technology,” said Claudio Diotallevi, NTV‘s Chief Information Officer. “By increasing our capabilities and the cost efficiencies of our reservation system, we will drive growth, improve competitiveness and increase passenger satisfaction. We selected Accenture and Rail Solutions based on the strength of their proven rail software solutions, coupled with their extensive experience in the transportation industry.”

In addition to the Navitaire Rail delivery, Rail Solutions implemented a new revenue management system that can adapt the availability of various pricing products based on customers’ demand. Accenture completed the delivery of a new CRM platform and contact center for NTV that allows the personalization of passenger interaction at every point of the travel experience, including time on-board, inside the terminal and while on the phone and using the internet.

From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/04/11/accenture-and-sncf-deliver-new-reservation-revenue/

Blackbaud CRM Release Features Mobile, Social and Web Enhancements

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Blackbaud CRM Release Features Mobile, Social and Web Enhancements

Blackbaud tops ZDNet CRM Watchlist as highest scoring technology firm

CHARLESTON, S.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Blackbaud, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLKB) today announced a new release of Blackbaud CRM, including an enhanced mobile CRM experience, embedded Internet and social tools, full-featured web deployment and device independence.

“The enhancements in the latest release of Blackbaud CRM are aimed at helping nonprofits better engage with constituents, improving the user experience, and providing organizations flexible configuration options,” said Eric de Jager, Blackbaud’s vice president of product management. “This release builds on the work we’ve been doing to deliver simplicity in fundraising, unparalleled data hygiene tools, and integrated marketing across multiple programs and channels.”

Blackbaud CRM brings together industry-leading fundraising, online applications, actionable prospect research and analytics, and multichannel direct marketing together in one platform to provide an integrated view of the constituent experience across an organization. Built to handle the unique needs of cause and cure, healthcare and other large direct response marketing organizations, higher education institutions and international NGOs, Blackbaud CRM works with nonprofits’ unique processes to allow easier access to data and to offer a complete view of constituent and alumni activity.

Key enhancements in the new release of Blackbaud CRM include:

  • Mobile CRM – putting the power of Blackbaud CRM in an easy-to-use mobile environment. Users can now view and create favorites, manage constituents and prospects, create and edit interactions and more.
  • Web deployment and user experience – providing a complete web-based experience with full-feature support and the flexibility of access from any preferred browser or device – including tablets. User experience enhancements include improved search capabilities and a more intuitive and comprehensive constituent view.
  • Social accounts in constituent view – users can now add and directly link to constituents’ social media accounts right from the constituent view, making it easier to build relationships. As an additional offering, Blackbaud’s Social Scoring data enrichment service provides social media account information and also returns valuable insight about constituents’ social engagement.
  • …read more

    Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Dominates 3rd Annual L2 Digital IQ Index: Hotels

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Starwood Hotels & Resorts Dominates 3 rd Annual L2 Digital IQ Index: Hotels

Boosts Digital Expertise with Enhanced Mobile Web Experience and New Languages

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYS: HOT) dominated the third annual L2 Digital IQ Index: Hotels taking five of the top 10 spots in the 2013 index, which measured the digital competence of 57 hotel brands around the world on more than 675 data points. W Hotels topped the list as the sole “genius” in the industry while the Westin, The Luxury Collection and St. Regis bands were in the top 10 with Le Meridien brand ranking 19.

“At Starwood, digital isn’t about keeping pace, but leading in the industry, especially when it comes to knowing how our guests are using technology and what will help them make their travel decisions,” said Phil McAveety, Executive Vice President & Chief Brand Officer for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “When we launch our brands on any platform, we keep guest needs at the forefront while keeping true to the unique personalities of our nine iconic brands.”

Building on its digital prowess, the company launched an enhanced mobile web experience across all nine brands today. The redesign balances the beauty Starwood guests equate with each of the company’s unique brands and the ease of use required to make smart, fast bookings.

Guests visiting any of Starwood’s brand sites via any smartphone device will find each individual brand essence reflected including, beautiful photography and brand and property-specific social links. Through mobile, guests can leverage their device’s GPS to identify nearby properties and customer contact center information based on the guest’s geolocation. By logging into their SPG account, mobile web visitors can instantly see their account summary in eight languages.

“All of Starwood’s brands benefit from the investments and expertise of the enterprise; customer service offerings on site, deft CRM, centralized email marketing and an enhanced mobile platform make the whole greater than the sum of its parts,” said Scott Galloway, Founder, L2, Professor of Clinical Marketing, NYU Stern. “W Hotels, the only ‘Genius’ brand in our index, has its own distinct style – original music, design, and fashion site content. In addition, W boasts the industry’s largest Instagram community and produced distinct content via the ‘Four Stories‘ film contest (with Intel).”

Time and again, Starwood sets the pace in hospitality from industry-leading design to leveraging the newest technology and platforms. …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

NCR Named a Leader in Gartner Vendor Landscape Report

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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NCR Named a Leader in Gartner Vendor Landscape Report

DULUTH, Ga.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– NCR Corporation (NYS: NCR) and its Retalix division have been named a leader by Gartner, the leading provider of research and analysis on the global information technology industry, in new research entitled “CRM Vendor Landscape: Multichannel Customer Analytics is a Critical CRM Capability.”

Gartner assessed retail software companies on five primary CRM capabilities: campaign management, loyalty, in-store CRM, customer analytics and real-time offers. The five primary capabilities had a variety of sub-capabilities, including “assisted selling application”; “execute and manage emails via email engine”; “real-time delivery of offer to at least one customer touchpoint”; and “execute selfserve in-store kiosk or selfcheck-out offers.” There are a total of 32 capabilities, with Gartner deeming 17 of those capabilities critical.

“We believe that Gartner’s CRM Vendor Landscape Report provides compelling evidence of the benefits that our software-based solutions bring to retailers of all sizes around the world,” said Scott Kingsfield, senior vice president and general manager, NCR Retail. “Retailers will not find a more innovative technology partner than NCR to help manage customer relationships, drive loyalty and increase sales.”

Retalix, which NCR completed its acquisition of in February, placed No. 1 in CRM software, with 31 of 32 capabilities, and NCR placed No. 2 in CRM software with 30 of 32 capabilities. Information for the report was compiled before NCR acquired Retalix.

To appear in the rankings, a company had to have at least five verified retail CRM software deployments.

About NCR Corporation

NCR Corporation (NYS: NCR) is a global technology company leading how the world connects, interacts and transacts with business. NCR‘s assisted- and self-service solutions and comprehensive support services address the needs of retail, financial, travel, hospitality, gaming, public sector, telecom carrier and equipment organizations in more than 100 countries. NCR (www.ncr.com) is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia.

Follow us on Twitter: @NCRCorporation

Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ncrcorp

Connect with us on LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/ncrgroup

Watch us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/ncrcorporation

…read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Developer of High-Performance Telco Software Powers Global Operations with Microsoft Dynamics

By Mikko Hytonen, AdVoice Let’s think about what happens when you buy a new phone plan. What we do at Comptel is provide the software that translates something like a platinum voice package into the technical language needed so that that subscription can become operational in the telco provider’s network. In other words, we provide the mediation software between the telco network and the CRM and billing systems of our customers so they can then bill their customers. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

Oracle Platinum Partner Perficient to Provide Insights on Oracle Applications and Technology at COLL

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Oracle Platinum Partner Perficient to Provide Insights on Oracle Applications and Technology at COLLABORATE 13

ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Perficient, Inc. (NAS: PRFT) , a leading information technology consulting firm serving Global 2000 and other large enterprise customers throughout North America, today announced it will serve as a Two Star Elite sponsor and present on Oracle technologies and applications at Oracle’s COLLABORATE 13 conference. COLLABORATE 13, which takes place April 7 – 11 in Denver, joins together the Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG), the Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) and the Quest International Users Group (Quest) to bring best practices and educate users of Oracle business applications.

Enterprise organizations are challenged with better managing their information and processes, delivering positive customer experiences, and engaging their people. As an Oracle Platinum Partner, Perficient has a strong and long-standing relationship with Oracle, and experience delivering Oracle technology solutions for its clients to help them address these business challenges.

“Perficient has a proven track record implementing successful Oracle enterprise performance management (EPM), business process management (BPM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), business intelligence and SOA solutions designed to improve our clients’ business performance,” said Emil Fernandez, Perficient vice president of Oracle Applications. “COLLABORATE 13 is an excellent opportunity for the entire community – Oracle representatives, partners and customers – to network and gain a better understanding of the value Oracle solutions can bring to an enterprise. We’re particularly excited that the conference is in Denver this year, a market where Perficient has a long and substantial presence, and we’re pleased to share our client success stories and expertise during COLLABORATE 13.”

During COLLABORATE 13, Perficient Oracle experts will present three sessions exploring various Oracle technologies and applications, including EPM and Hyperion, CRM and Customer Experience (CX) solutions.

  • In the session “Case Study: Mid-Market Energy Company Uses HFM with Essbase for Seamless Reporting” Perficient Senior Project Manager Matt Hopkins will discuss how Carrizo Oil and Gas implemented Oracle’s Hyperion Financial Management and Essbase solutions to perform their financial close and external reporting process. The presentation will take place on Tuesday, April 9 from 8 – 9 a.m.
  • Perficient Oracle CX Director Brent Buck will present “Use Siebel CRM with OpenUI to Take your CRM Experience to the Next Level” on Tuesday, April 9 from 8 – 9 a.m. In this presentation, Buck will discuss how the new Siebel OpenUI improves …read more
    Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

American Express EVP Moves Beyond CIO

By Peter High, Contributor

Katrina Lane has achieved at a high-level for a long time.  She has a Ph.D. in Experimental Physics from Cornell, she spent seven years as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, and then she became a marketing executive at multiple companies, ending up as the vice president of Channel Marketing at Caesars Entertainment. During her time in Marketing, she collaborated with IT departments in developing data driven marketing strategies, and implementing sophisticated customer relationship marketing (CRM) and business intelligence systems. She was so knowledgeable, in fact, that she was asked to take over IT as Caesars’ senior vice president and chief technology officer, the senior-most information technology role in the company. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

What InfusionSoft Has In Common with Apple

By Eric T. Wagner, Contributor

Perched high above the Arizona desert in my hotel room — it’s another perfect day in Scottsdale, Arizona. Below I watch hundreds of entrepreneurs scurrying about as they make their way to the annual InfusionCon conference held by InfusionSoft, a maker of CRM and marketing automation software geared toward small business owners. As I watch this mass of movement; it suddenly dawns on me how similar InfusionSoft is to Apple. And yes I know — InfusionSoft does not holster the same big guns as mighty Apple. But if they keep doing the 3 things below; they are positioned to dominate their own little profitable niche in the market for many years to come. So why should you care about any of this? Because it matters not the size of your business; you too can employ the following 3 strategies to catapult your business to the next level: 1.) Teaching Sells Yes — a concept I first stumbled upon put forth by entrepreneur and Founder of Copyblogger Media, Brian Clark. Both Apple and InfusionSoft do this very well. Walk into any Apple store on any given day of the week you will find happy customers being taught by enthusiastic employees on how to use Apple products. InfusionSoft does the same through their annual InfusionCon event, InfusionSoft University, Success Coach Program and more. Do you realize how important it is to be sure your customers know how to get the most from your products or services? If you don’t have programs in place to solve this; I can pretty much guarantee you have money walking out the door of your business. The best part? When you effectively train your customers on the best use of your products and services; your business not only stops the money bag leakage, it actually creates an environment to sell more. Think about it — once a customer becomes hooked on an iPhone; they’ll be headed for the store every time a new one is released. Yes — teaching does sell. 2.) Core Values and Culture Legendary is Apple’s establishment of the “think different” culture set in place by Steve Jobs long ago. It emanates to this day through everything it does. Every product. Every idea. Every innovation. Apple has always been a rebel on a different path than the rest of the world. (Thought leader Simon Sinek talks about the reason behind Apple’s success in this classic TED talk.) CEO and Co-Founder Clate Mask of InfusionSoft has taken this concept to a whole new level. The focus on core values and the “right” culture to move the needle at InfusionSoft trickles down through everything it does. Every email it sends. Every product it releases. Every employee it hires. In a great one-on-one conversation I had yesterday with Mask (which I will write more on later); he pointed to the institution of the current core values; purpose and mission as one of the key’s to the success of InfusionSoft thus far. With revenues close to $40 million …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

Blackbaud Announces Corporate Milestones, Luminate Online Product Updates

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Blackbaud Announces Corporate Milestones, Luminate Online Product Updates

CHARLESTON, S.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) today announced recent corporate milestones, and updates for Luminate Online, its cloud-based online marketing and fundraising solution.

“The Blackbaud Index is up; customers are already benefiting from new features and services just launched; and we have been recognized by industry experts for our CRM and SaaS efforts,” said Jana Eggers, Blackbaud’s senior vice president, products and marketing. “2013 is off to a great start.”

Corporate Highlights

  • Awards – For the second year running, Blackbaud was named the winner of ZDNet’s 2013 CRM Watchlist, which ranks technology companies that will have a significant impact in CRM in the coming year.Additionally, Blackbaud was featured as one of the top 250 Software-as-a-Service companies by Montclair Advisors.
  • Customer support and services – Industry veteran Wendy Fox is leading the new Information Management and Strategic Services group helping nonprofits succeed by making data-driven analysis and decisions. Blackbaud veteran Kevin Knight is leading a new Customer Success Team tasked with driving up client satisfaction, product adoption, and retention. Operational excellence expert Esther Pomeleo-Fowler is leading a new Quality Assurance team focused on building, implementing and continually improving methods, processes and tools to enhance enterprise client project engagements.
  • Nonprofit Trends and Expertise – Blackbaud CEO Marc Chardon covered the top nonprofit sector trends to watch in 2013. The Blackbaud Index, which tracks charitable giving trends, added interactive charts for better visualization. Blackbaud published the Charitable Giving Report, featuring a 2012 year in review, andnpEXPERTS, a free eBook featuring online marketing insights for nonprofits, with contributions from experts from around the sector.
  • bbcon – bbcon 2013, Blackbaud’s conference for nonprofits will be held September 29 to October 1 at the Gaylord National Harbor Hotel in Washington, D.C. The call for speakers closes March 31, 2013. Registration will open April 29th.

Luminate Online Highlights

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

MRM Wins Verizon Digital Acquisition and CRM Work

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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MRM Wins Verizon Digital Acquisition and CRM Work


Agency Expands Digital Engagement Channel Expertise

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– MRM, a leading global digital agency, announced today that the Agency has been awarded additional assignments by long time client, Verizon.The scope of work includes digital acquisition and CRM work – including OLA, rich media, marketing landing pages, and digital experience programs. The range of digital services from MRM will continue to evolve and expand as needed.


Michael Mclaren,
President, MRM East & Chief Client Solutions Director comments, “We are very proud of our long partnership with Verizon and excited about this new engagement. With an end-to-end view across all digital and physical channels for FiOS acquisition and retention, we will develop breakthrough programs that deliver both optimal results and maximum efficiencies. Digital prospect acquisition is a rapidly evolving and expanding space – as more and more clients look to expand and integrate digital engagement channels – and MRM is at the vanguard of this thinking with our work across a range of large scale clients including Verizon, U.S. Army and General Motors.”

Deirdre Robinson, Executive Director, Marketing Communications for Verizon’s consumer and mass market business unit, adds: “The digital channel is critical as more and more consumers are using the Internet to engage directly with Verizon FiOS. Consumers want their online experience to be inspiring, flawless, enjoyable and efficient. Expanding our partnership with MRM is very important to us as we strive towards delivering a seamless experience between us and our customers.”

This additional assignment gives MRM “end-to-end” responsibilities for Verizon with oversight of all online and offline acquisition and retention programs – enabling MRM to help optimize Verizon’s communication mix – providing both maximum benefit to customers and strong ROI to Verizon.

Follow MRM @

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Social Media Gets Its Own Month; TeleTech Dedicates March to Sharing Social Media Best Practices for

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Social Media Gets Its Own Month; TeleTech Dedicates March to Sharing Social Media Best Practices for Brands

Social Media Trends and Tools Influence Customer Engagement and Employee Collaboration

DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Call it the Facebook effect or the Twitter phenomena, but either way it’s clear that social media is becoming increasingly important as a customer service and engagement tool. Recognizing its benefit to brands, TeleTech is dedicating an entire month to social media.Throughout March, TeleTech will share ways businesses can optimize their social media strategies to better serve their customers, while leveraging best practices to become social media experts.

The March edition of TeleTech’s CExpress newsletter kicks off the conversation by providing everything marketers need to develop their social media expertise in order to genuinely connect with consumers on their home turf.

TeleTech CExpess includes:

The CExpress newsletter is published 12 times a year and is designed to inspire customer experience excellence. Each issue contains the best customer-centric thought leadership and in-depth research articles. Sign up to have the publication delivered to your inbox.

This month, in addition to the newsletter articles, TeleTech helps marketers get their heads around the concept of social CRM with an in-depth white paper explaining how to craft a successful social CRM program to drive ROI and create brand evangelists.

There are also infographics available that take a look at what customers expect after they express feedback on Facebook and Twitter. The surprising answers from TeleTech’s survey can be viewed here.

ABOUT TELETECH

For 30 years, TeleTech …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Microsoft Acquires Language Analytics Specialist Netbreeze

By Evan Niu, CFA, The Motley Fool

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Software giant Microsoft has acquired native language analytics specialist Netbreeze in order to bolster the social media capabilities of its Dynamics CRM software.

Microsoft said the Swiss company was started by “talented analytics scientists” who will now join Microsoft.

The smaller company’s technology is unique in how it can combine natural language processing with data mining and semantic text analysis, according to Microsoft executive Bob Stutz. Netbreeze supports 28 different writing languages, which will be an important advantage over competing CRM offerings. Microsoft said it provides a benefit over competitors that translate to a common language then analyze sentiment from there.

The acquisition will complement the recent purchase of MarketingPilot, which was acquired in October. The purchase follows a recent trend of CRM providers to increase integration with social media platforms.

 

The article Microsoft Acquires Language Analytics Specialist Netbreeze originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Evan Niu, CFA, has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 – 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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