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8/14/07 - Preferential Treatment
This month, we have been discussing the wisdom of offering differentiated service for those willing to pay. Specifically, we discussed the option of allowing customers to move to the front of the line of a call center queue for an additional fee. The other day, I read a short Q&A on another CRM web site. Some advise me not to share because the article is from a source considered a competitive alternative. However, if there is something that I feel might be of value to you, I will share regardless of the source.
I have the utmost respect for Don Peppers and Martha Rogers. In the article, they answer the question: Should profitable customers be the top priority for our customer service efforts? In the article, you are asked to consider weighing the value of different types of customers - currently profitable, growable, and below-zero. In addition, they suggest you consider the cost of servicing these various customer segments.
Let me also direct your attention to the end of the piece where they talk about it being OK to cut the most costly customers from your ranks suggesting they find "nirvana" with their competitors. Any exercise to identify the most valuable customers can and should result in a better understanding of the least valuable customers too. Is that how you segment your customers?
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
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TODAY'S NEWS (more)
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Vignette announced it has added usability and integration improvements to its Imaging and Workflow solution. The latest release of Vignette Records and Documents helps organizations reduce their risk and deliver greater service by automatically registering records from multiple repositories and providing easy-to-use search and discovery features to aid corporate governance and regulatory compliance.
Blackboard announced a new plagiarism prevention service, SafeAssign. This new service helps prevent plagiarism by detecting unoriginal content in student papers and delivering reports within the Blackboard Learning System.
Brainware announced that American Cadastre has become one of its newest channel partners. AmCad will resell Brainware's IDC-distiller solution for high-speed data capture, extraction and document processing to AmCad's extensive roster of state and local government customers.
Oracle announced that Tasmania, Australia's Aurora Energy has selected Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing to assist in the ongoing delivery of superior customer service in the Tasmanian and Australian national energy markets.
Talisma announced that it has formed a partnership with BT to provide the Talisma CIM suite as part of the BT Customer Intelligence (CI) proposition. BT's CI proposition offers contact centres a range of technologies to improve the customer experience and efficiency. By adding the Talisma CIM suite, BT can equip contact centres with the very latest customer interaction tools to optimise the experience of their own customers across all communication channels.
Altitude Software announced that it has developed an automated process to submit outbound dialing campaign lists running on its Altitude Unified Dialer solutions to PossibleNOW's consumer data privacy management services.
JangoMail announced that Lawyer Links is utilizing JangoMail to distribute Advantage Alerts to their subscribers, and manage its customer database by integrating the product with its existing Microsoft SharePoint application. JangoMail is widely used by organizations for a range of marketing and business communications, including customer loyalty programs, internal/external newsletters, product announcements, and other sales and promotional activities.
Convergys announced it will expand operations in the Philippines with a new integrated contact center in Bacolod City, in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines.
SER Solutions announced that David Stokes has been named Vice President of Sales for North America.
VAR Resources is experiencing growth in providing financial solutions to the information technology sales channel. The company provides financial services to leading vendors like Dell, EMC, Xerox, Toshiba, CDW, PC Connection, PC Mall and hundreds of solution providers and now has 15,000 customers.
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 FEATURE WEBCAST (more) |
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"8 CRM Essentials"
Dan Chiazza, Director, Global Sales Operations, Harris Interactive
For the most successful companies, CRM is an area of continual innovation and assessment. And your CRM processes and technologies must keep pace with-or ideally stay ahead of-changes in your market and customer base. Whether you are searching for the right CRM technology for your business, re-evaluating your current use of CRM, or looking to derive more value from an existing investment, understanding the essential factors of CRM success can help you get the best results. This webinar highlights eight proven essentials distilled by over 30,000 global companies of all sizes and industry experts.
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| CRMAdvocate Stock Index |
| CRMSI | 61.18 |  | 0.58% |
| Dow Jones | 13,236.53 |  | -0.02% |
| Nasdaq | 2,542.24 | | -0.10% |
| S&P 500 | 1,452.92 | | -0.05% |
| Top Gainers |
| Interact Intell | 20.75 | | 2.19 |
| Vignette | 19.27 | | 1.31 |
| HP | 48.43 | | 1.22 |
| Top Losers |
| ICT Group | 15.77 | | -2.19 |
| SAP | 53.15 | | -1.58 |
| salesforce.com | 43.66 | | -1.02 |
| Complete Stock Index |
| As of close 08/13/07 | |
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October 22nd-24th, 2007: ICCM Canada Conference & Expo - 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.
|  | | August 21-23, 2007: Customer Self Service - The in-depth conference program will clearly demonstrate how to get your self service initiatives on track and provide strategic advice for evaluating and expanding your efforts to result in the most powerful corporate impact for your company's stakeholders, both internal and external. We'll share best practices and lessons learned for getting your customers to embrace and effectively utilize self service.
| | | Sept. 10-12, 2007: ACCE 2007 - After three successful years in Seattle, ICMI is moving the Annual Call Center Exhibition down the coast to sunny San Diego, California. Last year, more than 1700 contact center professionals - representing 28 countries and all 50 states - registered for ACCE and enjoyed what has become the true global gathering place of the call center industry.
| | | September 30 - October 2, 2007: SSPA Services Leadership 2007 - Service Leaders Converge to Drive Breakthrough Customer Success - New Orleans is back, and better than ever, with legendary jazz, unique neighborhoods, and more great restaurants. The SSPA is proud to be joining the legions of companies bringing conferences to New Orleans so we can play our part in helping the economy of this great city. Reserve your place now at the second annual SSPA Services Leadership Conference. Don't miss out! Register today by calling 858.674.5491 to tap into our expansive member network at the SSPA Services Leadership Conference in New Orleans. Companies bringing 4 or more qualify for team discount.
| | | October 1-3, 2007: 2007 Quality Assurance & Training Conference (QATC) - * Are you looking for one place to find the latest information on quality assurance and training trends and technologies in the call center? * Do you attend other call center industry conferences and find only a handful of sessions that are applicable to your job? * Would you like to have the opportunity to network with your QA and training peers and discuss your toughest problems? If you answered YES to any of these questions, then you'll want to attend the Quality Assurance & Training Conference (QATC) this fall in Nashville, Tennessee.
| | | October 11th, 2007: 1st Annual Integrated Marketing Summit - October 11, 2007 - Atlanta History Center - Atlanta, Georgia - The ultimate boot camp for professionals and students of marketing, advertising, public relations, creative fields, business and education.
| | | October 14-16, 2007: Contact Center Summit 2007 - The Contact Center Summit provides a forum in which industry leaders will offer valuable insight into the strategic developments in contact/call centers through a proactive series of keynote presentations, conference sessions, unparalleled networking opportunities and one-on-one meetings with leading solution and technology providers.
| | October 22-24,2007: The 9th Annual Help Desk Professionals Conference and Exp - Are you gaining access to qualified competent speakers delivering fresh content year after year? Are you being taught how to make immediate improvements in your work efforts and to benefit from fresh information? Are you being presented great content without being sold products or services? The 9th Annual Help Desk Professionals Conference and Expo does all this while bringing together the brightest experts and the most forward-thinking Help Desk leaders to discuss the trends and opportunities that are redefining the future of the Help Desk industry.
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