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8/18/2005 - Hunters and Farmers and Relative Worth
Let me ask you a question. Which is more important, hunters or farmers? Or to put it a different way, which would you pay more?
One reader said he values farmers more than hunters because farmers feed the CRM machine with all sorts of customer feedback, profile information and recurring revenue.
But a good farmer relies on the hunter to bring the customers into the fold initially. No hunters and you have no need for farmers. Which is more important to you?
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
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TODAY'S NEWS (more)
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RightNow announced NetScout Systems is using RightNow's on demand CRM platform in conjunction with new best-practices procedures to improve the efficiency of its global customer support organization. By doing so, NetScout has achieved measurable excellence across all of its customer service performance metrics.
Oddcast announced the availability of a customizable Artificial Intelligence Management Center (AIMC) for SitePal customers. SitePal talking characters give small businesses the ability to increase Web sales and customer conversion rates by bringing Web content to life through conversational agents.
UniPress announced strong revenue growth for its FootPrints 100% web-based service desk line through the first half of 2005. The company recorded an increase of nearly 20% in revenue compared to the same six-month period in 2004 ending in June.
Apropos announced that Maxxar has joined the Apropos Technology Alliance Partner program. The relationship combines Maxxar's expertise in speech-enabled interactive information solutions with Apropos' multi-channel communications management solutions.
Siebel Systems announced that Banner chose Siebel CRM OnDemand for its hosted CRM solution. Siebel CRM OnDemand allows Banner to maintain a single view of its customers and prospects, improve lead ranking and qualification, and drive integrated marketing campaigns.
Clarity Customer Management announced an agreement to provide customer support and technical support help desk services to a national wireless Internet Service Provider. Clarity will be acting as the company's customer support department.
LexisNexis Interface Software announced that law firm, Olswang, has upgraded to InterAction. 5.1 as part of a business development initiative. Olswang will leverage InterAction 5.1 to centralize intelligence about relationships, clients and other strategic contacts to support marketing and client relationship management efforts.
Erikli Su ve Mesrubat (Erikli), a Turkish international water supply company, has lowered costs and increased customer satisfaction by improving the efficiency of its call centre organisation with voice and data solutions from Nortel. The recent network upgrade provides a communication system that improved the speed and efficiency of service to customers.
Salesforce.com announced results for its fiscal second quarter ended July 31, 2005. Total revenue was $71.9 million, an increase of 77% on a year-over-year basis and an increase of 12% on a quarter-to-quarter basis. Earnings per diluted share were $0.04, as compared to $0.01 per share for the prior year period.
Through its participation in the program, nLayers offers joint customers a solution that automatically discovers and maps complex IT environments, providing the foundation for successful autonomic computing initiatives. nLayers InSight uncovers, illustrates and analyzes the relationships between applications and technology infrastructure, providing an end-to-end, "living model" of the IT environment.
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 FEATURE WEBCAST (more) |
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"Understanding Why"
Daniel Ziv, Director, Business Analytics, Verint Systems
Why are agents underperforming, why are customers dissatisfied, why are enterprise processes ineffective? This presentation will explain how going beyond traditional performance management and workforce optimization tools enables businesses to understand not only what is happening in their operations but to also identify the underlying causes.
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| CRMAdvocate Stock Index |
| CRMSI | 39.37 |  | 1.27% |
| Dow Jones | 10,550.71 | | 0.35% |
| Nasdaq | 2,145.15 | | 0.38% |
| S&P 500 | 1,220.24 | | 0.07% |
| Top Gainers |
| HP | 26.82 | | 3.12 |
| NICE | 47.92 | | 1.91 |
| Vignette | 15.51 | | 0.46 |
| Top Losers |
| Astea | 7 |  | -0.40 |
| Epicor | 12.55 | | -0.26 |
| ICT Group | 11.5 | | -0.25 |
| Complete Stock Index |
| As of close 08/17/05 | |
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 Case Studies (more)
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MEDEX Global Group With Epicor - MEDEX needed a CRM system with integration capabilities to enable sharing of information across the organization. They found their solution in Epicor Clientele CRM.NET and can now share detailed contract and service information, have improved flexibility in adapting to growth and changing business processes through Web services architecture, and the ability to create HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliant reporting.(Epicor Software Corporation)
|  | | Carlson Hospitality Worldwide with IEX - In the first year, CHW said it eliminated 1,000 hours of shrinkage per month and reduced labor costs by 8 percent. Manual processes were automated and cycle time was reduced.(IEX Corporation, a Tekelec Company)
| | | EDS-Saturn Can Grow with Witness - The most critical factor in EDS-Saturn's decision to implement eQuality was the software's ability to grow with the organization and meet ever-changing industry demands. While EDS-Saturn currently uses eQuality to record interactions from both a voice and data perspective, the software can evolve with EDS-Saturn as the organization adopts other mediums for interacting with customers, including e-mail and Web chat.(Witness Systems)
| | | Witness Helps 4 Wheel Parts - By deploying eQuality ContactStore for IP within its Cisco converged voice and data environment, 4 Wheel Parts has been able to achieve the following results * Increased agent monitoring efficiency by 30 percent * Increased sales and order volume by eight percent * Enhanced training and development program.(Witness Systems)
| | | Opalis Software Uses CRM and Reduces Time Per Transaction - To gain clarity into their own business, learn more about their customers, and improve the way departments interact with each other and with customers, Rob Tavares, Vice President of Sales, Opalis Software, invested in a customer relationship management (CRM) system and integrated it with existing technologies, like Intuit's QuickBooks.(Maximizer Software)
| | | Carlson Marketing Group With IEX - Within six months of implementing IEX Carlson Marketing had already seen a service level increase of nearly 10 percent.(IEX Corporation, a Tekelec Company)
| | | Stellar Call Centres Improves Operational Effeciency - With Verint' ULTRA suite of Contact Center Actionable Intelligence Solutions, Stellar Call Centers increased the effectiveness of its quality management program, improved operational efficiency and enhanced the value of its offerings. This has translated into better service for customers and a sharper competitive advantage.(Verint Systems)
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"OUR TAKE"