 OUR TAKE -
Do Nothing Wins Again
 |
| |
| |
| Lasting Impressions:
The most dangerous strategy is to jump a chasm in two leaps.
-
Benjamin Disraeli
|
Last week, I suggested these economic times have created a new competitor - doing nothing. In these times of fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD), prospective buyers are more reluctant to part with their money.
Truth be told, the "do nothing" competitor has always been with us. In fact, "do nothing" has typically been the number one competitor of most businesses. In these times of heightened financial concerns, "do nothing" can become even more formidable. But let me ask you a question. Why is "do nothing" such a big competitor for you?
Does "do nothing" win because the customer is afraid to make a decision? Or does "do nothing" win because the customer does not understand the value of your products and services? Have you heard the term "tipping point" before? In the context of customer indecision, finding new ways to connect your value with your prospect's needs can help you cross the chasm of "do nothing."
That's my take. What's your take?
Gary Lemke, Publisher
|
|
|
| Stock Ticker |
| ATG | 1.45 |  | 0.22 |
| Selectica | 1.03 | | 0.07 |
| NetSuite | 8.6 | | 0.3 |
| LivePerson | 1.83 | | 0.02 |
| ClickSoftware | 2.32 | | 0.01 |
| Intervoice | 8.24 | | 0.02 |
| CDC | 0.98 | | 0 |
| ICT | 3.29 |  | -0.01 |
| NICE | 21.53 | | -0.19 |
| APAC | 1.48 | | -0.02 |
| NCR | 16.17 | | -0.23 |
| Amdocs | 18.34 | | -0.51 |
| SAP | 35.24 | | -1.06 |
| Teletech | 8.69 | | -0.31 |
| Salesforce | 26.4 | | -0.98 |
| HP | 30.46 | | -1.25 |
| eLoyalty | 2.38 | | -0.1 |
| Oracle | 16.9 | | -0.82 |
| Tekelc | 12.11 | | -0.59 |
| Rainmaker | 1 | | -0.05 |
| Convergys | 5.43 | | -0.32 |
| SPSS | 24.3 | | -1.48 |
| Sykes | 16.54 | | -1.16 |
| Vignette | 7.22 | | -0.54 |
| Interactive | 7.39 | | -0.68 |
| Pegasystems | 11.35 | | -1.06 |
| RightNow | 6.78 | | -0.64 |
| Epicor | 4.59 | | -0.45 |
| Astea | 2.8 | | -0.28 |
| Unica | 5.38 | | -0.79 |
| SupportSoft | 2.13 | | -0.33 |
| Chordiant | 2.82 | | -0.5 |
| Nortel | 0.56 | | -0.22 |
|
As of 4:00 p.m. on 11/14/08 |
| |
 NEW IN CRM
News: Bright House and Broadcore Choose Sugar Enterprise
Two new communications companies – Bright House Networks and Broadcore – have implemented Sugar Enterprise On-Site to foster improved communications with customers across departments. Bright House Networks (BHN), the nation’s sixth largest MSO (multi-service operator), has implemented Sugar Enterprise after considering Salesforce.com and Siebel. BHN selected SugarCRM for its open source architecture. Levementum, a professional services firm and SugarCRM Gold Partner, implemented Sugar Enterprise at BHN, developing back-end integrations with departmental systems via SOA-driven integrations, mashups and dozens of custom modules for various departments. As a result, BHN now has a customer interaction hub that manages the customer lifecycle that is used by personnel across sales, contracts, billing, construction, service delivery and support. (SugarCRM
)
Article: Customer Centricity a Work in Progress
"A focus on superior customer experience leads to success," says Martha Rogers, Ph.D., Peppers & Rogers Group founding partner. And a recent study conducted by 1to1 Media in partnership with SAS and Jubelirer Research proves it. Unfortunately, it also revealed that many companies still have a long way to go to reach the level of customer experience maturity that will deliver a sustainable competitive advantage. The study "Customer Experience Maturity Monitor" examines how extensively customer experience capabilities deliver business impact. Researches surveyed more than 150 marketing, CRM, and analytics executives. Additionally, they conducted in-depth interviews with a select group of respondents from such companies as Hewlett-Packard, UPS, and Wachovia.(1to1
)
Required Reading - Cross Channel E-Booklet |
Better Reach - Better ROI
Learn how you can get better Return on Interaction (ROI) even with slimmed-down budgets.
With all the new and different forms of communications available today, it’s easy to hone onto one and make it your own. You’re an emailer. Or you’d rather talk on the phone. Maybe text messaging is your forte. Likewise, companies form a habit of using one form of communicating with their customers over others.
Reach. Remember. Refine. You can increase your reach rate and lower overall costs by leveraging multiple channels of communication. Learn how to reach "channel success" - tracking each customer, intelligently re-directing until the correct, least expensive channel succeeds.
Varolii helps companies like yours, deploying a billion communications each year, so we know a thing or two about the best ways to reach customers. Access our newest treasure trove, "Better Reach, Better ROI".
Made available by:
| |
News: Iontas Partners with Cima Solutions Group
Cima Solutions Group was selected by Iontas as a premier partner, a relationship which will pave the way for heightened productivity for State of Texas – and many other – employees. Cima, an IBM Premier Business Partner that delivers business continuity and IT infrastructure solutions, was recently awarded a contract by the State of Texas. The Iontas-Cima partnership provides access to Cima’s clients – like the State of Texas – with workforce optimization tools from which many large-scale organizations can benefit in time- and cost-savings. (Iontas
)
Article: CRM and the Middle-Aged Simplifier
Harvard Business Publishing posted a very provocative blog entry by marketing guru John Quelch recently. Quelch’s thesis is that the recession now upon us will accelerate consumer downsizing. That should raise alarms for vendors and for CRM vendors in particular as we continue to grapple with questions about what CRM ought to be in the future. Perhaps it is only coincidental that the 77 million baby boomers are reaching points in their lives when simplification makes a great deal of sense and the recession will only serve as the tipping point. But the fact remains that the generation that reprised Thorsten Veblen’s ideas about conspicuous display of consumption is at a point in life when more “stuff” is not as valuable as more “experiences.” (CustomerThink
)
Didn't read the last edition of CRMAdvocate? Click
here to see what you missed.
| |
| | |
