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1/30/08 - Taste Buds Get Trumped (Again)
Yesterday, I shared the results of a study that suggested people thought a $10 bottle of wine tasted better when it had a $90 price tag. Of course, they didn't know it was the same wine when they tasted it. It goes to show you how the price tag can affect our perception of value. The study reminded me of a story about ice cream (another favorite of mine).
The study was conducted to determine the best tasting ice cream. People were blindfolded and served various types of vanilla ice cream - gourmet ice cream, homemade ice cream, cheap ice cream, and everything in between. It seems the top factor was the percentage of fat in the ice cream and not the type - the more fat content, the more people liked it.
I've also read other studies about low-fat versions beating the fat full versions too. But people don't buy the product blindfolded, do they? Among other factors, price, packaging, and brand can easily beat taste buds. We humans are funny beasts, aren't we?
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
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TODAY'S NEWS (more)
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MidMarketer created a downloadable tip sheet that lists some of the most commonly overused buzzwords and phrases, which is quite humorous but also very useful.
Sonian provides an email archiving solution in the market by leveraging Amazon Web Services infrastructure. The hosted archiving solution makes it easy for companies to manage the growing retention challenges created by regulatory and corporate requirements.
The Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) announced the agenda for its Best Practices 2008 Conference, May 4 - 6 at the Santa Clara Conventions Center. The agenda includes more than 70 sessions covering the essential elements of support. All sessions are presented by SSPA members and service industry leaders.
NICE announced that Idearc Media has placed an order to expand its NICE environment by deploying NICE SmartCenter solutions, including Adaptive Interaction Analytics, Customer Feedback and Performance Management.
Microsoft began the global launch of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 by announcing the availability of the first eight languages, including English, Spanish, simplified Chinese and French. As part of its commitment to a rapid global rollout, Microsoft is kicking off a 12-week global launch tour today to give organizations worldwide the opportunity to experience Microsoft Dynamics CRM for themselves.
Tangoe announced the release of its CommCare WorldView managed services solution. Designed specifically for multi-national enterprises, the solution offering enables global organizations to centrally view, report, and analyze their fixed and mobile communications spending around the world.
Advanced Solutions International (ASI) announced the availability of iMIS Friendraising, an integrated online fundraising application which enables organizations to create peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns from scratch, putting the power of campaign reach in the hands of participants themselves.
Aspect Software announced Arvato Services is leveraging 400 seats of Uniphi Connect with its Aspect CallCenter ACDs to create a virtual SIP based-Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) contact center to enhance its customer service efforts.
Registration is now open for IT360 Conference & Expo, Canada's only IT event dedicated to providing business professionals complete IT solutions.
SubmitNet launched a new version of their Website in order to improve partners' offerings of SubmitNet's platforms services, specifically Fixed Cost Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
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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 | 52.68 |  | -1.86% |
| Dow Jones | 12,480.30 |  | 0.77% |
| Nasdaq | 2,358.06 | | 0.35% |
| S&P 500 | 1,362.30 | | 0.61% |
| Top Gainers |
| SAP | 47.58 | | 57.90 |
| HP | 43.38 | | 49.78 |
| NCR | 22.89 | | 47.99 |
| Top Losers |
| eOn | 0.48 | | 0.78 |
| Selectica | 1.73 | | 1.75 |
| Broadvision | 1.68 | | 2.20 |
| Complete Stock Index |
| As of close 01/29/08 | |
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April 21-23, 2008: Services Industry Summit - eService Strategies and Challenges - 2008 Services Industry Summit - eService Strategies - April 20-23, 2008 - Charleston, SC - Details coming soon!
|  | | February 20-21, 2008: Support Centre Showcase Sydney - Service Strategies Asia Pacific is preparing for its annual "Services Industry Best Practice Showcase" event in North Ryde Sydney, Australia, February 20 - 21, 2008. The Showcase will highlight best practices from SCP participating organizations and others. Topics include Breaking Through The Talent Barrier, Fuelling Organisational Growth Through Employee Engagement, Surviving and Thriving Through Huge Growth, and much more. Join us for the 2008 Services Industry Best Practice Showcase!
| | | March 26-28, 2008: Celebrating Customer Service Excellence - Celebrating Customer Service Excellence, March 26-28, 2008 at the Disney Yacht and Beach Club Resort in Orlando, FL. This is our premier customer service conference and will focus on the seamless collaboration between the back end of operations, adjacent departments and the front end customer experience.
| | | April 1-2, 2008: 2008 CRMA National Conference: "Deepening The Customer Experience" - Stronger Metrics. World-Class Programs. Leading Insight. The Customer Relationship Management Association (CRMA) presents its annual, award-winning conference for CRM practitioners, Return To Customer. Last year we showed you how to improve your customer experience in multiple ways, including strategy, process, people and technology and this year we go deeper. Two days of packed content on how companies are achieving incredible results with broader and deeper customer experience management.
| | May 4-6, 2008: SSPA Best Practices 2008 Conference - The Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) Best Practices 2008 Conference is the premier event for technical service and support. It delivers practical solutions, tested methods and new ideas on the Essential Elements of Support in more than 70 sessions. Tracks include Web 2.0, Knowledge Management, Talent Management, Benchmarking and Metrics, Support Operations, Consumer Support, Management Excellence, Best Practices for Small and Medium Businesses and Innovative Support Technology. Keynote speakers include Denise Rundle, General Manager, Global Consumer Support, Microsoft; Andreas Graesser, Vice President, Active Global Support, SAP America; Mary Cay Kosten, Senior Vice President, Global Customer Services, Sun Microsystems; John Ragsdale, VP Research, SSPA; and Eric Chester, Generation Why. Learn more and register online at www.thesspa.com/santaclara.]
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