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9/22/06 - Field Service Gains Momentum
When most of us think of CRM, we conveniently divide the world into three pieces - sales force automation (SFA), service/support (call centers), and marketing automation. Three-legged stools are fine, but four-legged stools are sturdier. What's missing? Field Service.
I was pleased to see more attention being paid to field service at the Gartner CRM conference this year. I saw it in the presentations as well as renewed interest on the part of attendees. I believe this interest is growing for a number of reasons. Not surprisingly, these reasons can all trace their origin to the potential to improve the bottom line.
Field service typically involves face-to-face contact with customers rather than just a phone call or self service. It typically involves large purchases and service contracts. It often involves "truck rolls." In short, it represents great opportunity. Opportunity to stay engaged with the customer in a more intimate way. It involves the ability to find new sales opportunities or, at a minimum, cross selling and up selling. For many companies, it represents higher than average profit margins. Next week, we'll talk more about why you should pay more attention to field service.
Gary Lemke, Publisher
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TOP NEWS OF THE WEEK (more)
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ATG and eStara announced that the two companies signed a definitive agreement for ATG to acquire eStara in a stock and cash merger transaction. Under the terms of the agreement, ATG will acquire all of the outstanding common stock, preferred stock, vested and unvested stock options of eStara for approximately 15.3 million shares of ATG common stock, $2.0 million in cash, and up to an additional $6.0 million in earn-out potential, which implies that the total transaction is valued at up to approximately $48.3 million based on the closing sale price of ATG's common stock as reported on the NASDAQ stock market on September 18, 2006.
Sage Software announced that it has acquired the Corum Mobile Division of Corum Corporation, a privately-held software consulting and development company based in Concord, ON, Canada that specializes in mobile customer relationship management (CRM) technology.
RWD Technologies (RWD) announced the release of a new suite of services designed to help companies maximize their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) investment while improving their overall customer experience.
KANA announced that AnswerPro has implemented KANA Response and KANA Response Live, KANA's eService solutions for e-mail response management, live chat and Web collaboration. As a result of the deployment, AnswerPro has empowered its customers to contact the company through their channel of choice, while ensuring that inquiries are resolved quickly and accurately, regardless of channel.
Metrix announced that they have launched a new blog discussing the service management industry as well as other related topics. The blog is located at http://www.metrix.com/blog.
Aspect Software announced the general availability of Aspect Quality Management 2.5.1, a solution that simplifies the call recording and quality management process. The latest release of Aspect Quality Management includes a tight integration with Aspect Spectrum ACD.
Aspect Software has announced the results of the inaugural Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index Europe, a published independent survey of consumer experiences versus expectations of contact center interactions in Europe. The 2006 Aspect Index Europe survey, conducted by Leo J. Shapiro and Associates, measures the quality of consumers' telephone and Internet interactions with companies and their representatives across six countries, and across different industries. The research reports that European customers give contact centers a satisfaction grade of D (67 percent).
Parature announced that the company will be showcasing its Campus Support Solution at the EDUCAUSE 2006 conference, being held October 9-12, 2006 in Dallas, Texas. In use at over 100 educational institutions, Parature's Campus Support Solution enables support personnel to assist students, faculty and staff on campuses including Florida State University, Indiana State University and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
NextNine introduced its NextNine Service Automation (NSA) ECOSYSTEM EDITION at the S-Business Education Summit and Expo in Orlando. NSA ECOSYSTEM EDITION offers a suite of products and solutions, and represents the evolution of the company's support automation suite.
Loyalty Lab announced that The Nederlander Organization has tapped Loyalty Lab's platform for the first centralized customer management and loyalty programs for fans of Broadway and other live performances.
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 Research Notes (more)
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Evaluating Maturing in Contact Centers: A Performance Management Research Study - Ventana Research undertook this research study to evaluate the maturity of contact centers worldwide, assessed by region, industry and size. We determined maturity by communications channels and services supported, how performance is measured and what technologies are deployed. In the analysis, we applied the Ventana Research Maturity Model, placing centers at one of four levels for increasing maturty: Tactical, Advanced, Strategic and Innovative.(Ventana Research)
|  | | Get a Starbucks Card loaded with $5 and qualify to win an iPod nano when you participate in a survey! - Performance Scorecards and Dashboards - A Ventana Research survey - Do scorecards, dashboards and performance alerts really bring about strategic alignment? Do they facilitate the best use of a company's resources and coordinate the efforts of every member of the organization? Ventana Research, our trusted research partner, is conducting a short survey on the topic of Performance Scorecards and Dashboards. Get a Starbucks Card loaded with $5 and qualify to win an iPod nano when you participate in our survey!(Ventana Research)
| | | Why Microsoft CRM Is the 3rd Choice - In this document, Microsoft CRM is given a comprehensive review including "Global Perspective" by CRM expert, Mr. Paul Greenberg, auther of "CRM at the Speed of Light" and Executive VP of CRM Association US.(GCCRM)
| | | Siebel + Oracle > SAP? - Oracle just announced to acquire Siebel. Technically speaking, this will make Oracle the number one CRM vendor in the world, even though the official legitimation has to wait until early 2006. There is however, another saying that SAP is catching up fast that she will likely replace Siebel as the CRM leader one day or the other. Would Siebel + Oracle > SAP in CRM in the coming years? We don't know yet. But it makes sense to have an individual review on each of them to see how they are doing so far and listen to what 443 survey respondents have talked about their image and product.(GCCRM)
| | | Why Oracle CRM Is Only the 4th Choice - An Independent Survey and Perspectives from Global / China Experts on Oracle(GCCRM)
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 White Papers (more)
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A Strategic Guide to Self-Service for the IT Help Desk - Self-service support can be a make-or-break proposition. A self-service strategy that is properly developed, tested, implemented, and managed over time can add remarkable business value through saved costs and improved employee productivity.(Pete McGarahan)
| | | Contact Center Manager KPI Survival Guide - Contact center managers are confronted with volumes of data and dozens of reports generated by automated and manual systems and processes. They may have a surfeit of metrics, but lack the fundamental information needed to manage their operating environment. Too often contact centers have no way of systematically measuring and communicating how well internal and coprorate objectives are being met and identifying where change is required.(DMG Consulting)
| | | Defining CEM - Wen Joe Wheeler and Shaun Smith wrote "Managing the Customer Experience - turning customers into advocates" in 2001, they did not realize that it would help to stimulate a worldwirde interest in CEM that is growing all the time. For example, a 2005 Forrester survey found that 83% of executives considered customer experience to be more important than in the previous year. This year the figure is even higher. The question is why has CEM become such an issue for organizations.(GCCRM)
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Multi-Channel Customer Service: A Brave New World - (Kana)
| | | How Much Should a Qualified Lead Cost? - It's a Puzzlement! Virtually every aspect of our lives is counted or measured. Everything from the calories we consume (too many), to the weight of all of the termites in the world (all termites outweigh all humans by eight times) is measured and reported - often showing up in USA Today in a box that says something like "We're Eating More Garbanzo Beans."(PointClear)
| | | Cost Deflection Out - Customer Experience In! - Cost deflection strategies deteriorate customer loyalty(Chordiant)
| | | The Benefits of Selecting a CRM Implementation Partner - As your company embarks on a CRM initiative, the software selection is only one facet of a successful project. As part of this process, you may consider implementing your CRM system with internal resources. Some software and on-demand vendors position their products as easy to implement and easy to use, suggesting that your organization try to do it itself. As outlined in this article, there are many benefits in selecting a CRM implementation partner.(Harvest Solutions)
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 Case Studies (more)
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October 23rd-25th, 2006: ICCM Canada Conference & Exposition - The ICCM Canada Conference & Exposition has become the annual event for business leaders to network and share insights to make their organizations more effective, and for contact centre professionals to discuss the latest issues with people who share the same concerns, interests and ambitions. You will have the opportunity to ask questions, listen to new ideas, seek out-of-the-box solutions, and become part of a network community that will last long after you return to the office.
| | | September 25th-27th, 2006: The 8th Annual Conference for Help Desk Professionals - Would you like to learn how to transform your Help Desk into a Service Desk, gain skills that will contribute to both your personal and professional development, and hear proven case studies that put theory in practice, AND do all this at a fabulous hotel on the Riverwalk in San Antonio? The 8th Annual Conference for Help Desk Professionals September 25-27 is where you can do all that and more. For more information, please visit our website at www.helpdeskconference.com or call us at 425-398-9292.
| | | October 3rd-5th, 2006: Marketing Mobile Services - Targeting, marketing and delivering consistent customer experience to maximize AR
| | | October 10th-13th, 2006: INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO WEST - Call Center 2.0 co-located with the 14th INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & Expo that will be coming to San Diego on October 10-13, 2006 at the San Diego Convention Center. Call Center 2.0 is expected to attract an estimated 1,900 attendees with an overall conference of 9,000 attendees.
| | | October 17 - 19, 2006: Services Industry Summit - Successful Strategies for Service Innovation - Las Vegas, October 17 - 19, Paris Hotel. Learn how world-class organizations are improving their service operations. Presenting organizations include EMC, FileNet, Rockwell Automation, Sage Software, Sony Electronics, and others. Optional pre-conference workshops will also be held. Visit www.servicestrategies.com or call 858.674.4864.
| | October 17 - 18, 2006: Professional CRM Certificate Program - Get CRM Certified(tm). Attend a fall seminar to receive a Certification in Applied CRM Strategy, based on Paul Greenberg's the best-selling book "CRM at the Speed of Light" and endorsed by Rutgers University Center for CRM Research, CRMGuru.com, the National CRM Association and GCCRM. 20% discount until September 30th.
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| CRMAdvocate Stock Index |
| CRMSI | 51.66 |  | -1.60% |
| Dow Jones | 11,499.69 | | -1.03% |
| Nasdaq | 2,216.36 | | -1.88% |
| S&P 500 | 1,314.09 | | -0.98% |
| Top Gainers |
| salesforce.com | 36.34 |  | 0.44 |
| NCR | 38.32 | | 0.09 |
| Firstwave | 2.16 | | 0.07 |
| Top Losers |
| ICT Group | 27.16 | | -1.54 |
| Verint | 30.22 | | -1.26 |
| Epicor | 12.43 | | -0.93 |
| Complete Stock Index |
| As of close 09/21/06 | |
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