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3/5/08 - It's Not the Question, Stupid
We continue today with more thoughts on the one thing to ask customers when looking to improve the customer experience. Yesterday, we discussed what the question should be. Today's reader input suggests that it isn't the question. Consider this:
"You wrote about the experience of meeting the marketing guy and the empowerment he gave by asking the question if you owned this resort what is the one thing you would change. I would suggest that the primary empowerment was not the specific question, but that he took the time to ask you, that you mattered. Its all about people. You can have the most wonderful hotel with every luxury and every potential facility, but what makes such a hotel truly special are the people who care for you during your stay. My belief is that what people ultimately remember in any customer experience is not the 'what' but the 'who.'"
I agree that people can make the difference. However, if I apply that back to my ski experience, the resort personnel could be awesome but I probably would not have had a good experience had the snow conditions been marginal. So the people side is necessary, but not sufficient. Do you agree?
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
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TODAY'S NEWS (more)
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Oracle announced that Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) has implemented Oracle(r) Utilities Customer Care and Billing and Oracle Database to enhance customer service and increase flexibility to address competitive market changes.
Calabrio, Inc., a provider of workforce optimization and unified desktop software for IP-based contact centers, announced that eLoyalty has signed an agreement to resell Calabrio's workforce optimization products.
Salesboom.com announced the implementation of their Salesforce.com Enticement Program which is designed for displeased Salesforce.com customers who are looking to migrate to another CRM provider. Businesses who migrate to Salesboom.com On-Demand CRM Solutions receive a $5,000 check and a guaranteed lower annual rate than that of Salesforce.com.
The Customer Relationship Management Association (CRMA) will host its Second Annual Return2Customer National Conference in Atlanta, GA, April 1-2, 2008, at Villa Christina in Perimeter Summit.
JangoMail announced new Google Analytics integration functionality. With this new capability, users of JangoMail's permission-based e-mail marketing solution can track and analyze different behavioral aspects of their campaigns as it relates to their respective Web sites.
SLM Holdings, a financial software company specializing in developing products and services designed to optimize the sales process and enhance client support for securities brokers and financial advisors, has launched Gazoota.com, an online network that provides financial professionals access to information concerning high net worth individuals, their companies, and their retirement plans.
SpringCM, an on-demand document management and workflow company, announced SpringCM Version 4.2, the newest version of the company's document management and workflow Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution.
Convergys Corporation announced that a large U.S. wireless operator with millions of subscribers has gone live with a Convergys Relationship Management Solution that enables centralized policy creation and management as well as automated, real time, and proactive policy enforcement across all channels.
ClickSoftware Technologies Ltd. has attained Gold Certified Partner status in the Microsoft Partner Program with a competency in ISV/software solutions.
Keith Dawson, senior analyst for Frost & Sullivan, and Scott Ginsberg, author and publisher, will both deliver keynote addresses at the Aspect Customer Experience (ACE) 2008. ACE, taking place at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia 9-12 March 2008, is hosted by Aspect Software and the Aspect Software User Group Association (ASUGA).
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 FEATURE WEBCAST (more) |
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"Secrets of On-Demand Reporting"
Travis Huch, Vice President, DreamFactory
On-demand reporting and analytics is changing the way companies execute and manage their business due to flexibility in customization and configurability, cost and standardization of data. Making sure that your CRM investment is providing you with reporting visibility and real-time accuracy is essential to helping you grow your market and customer base. Join DreamFactory, a pioneer in providing the next generation business applications on SaaS platforms with customer, Salesforce.com on this informative webinar.
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| CRMAdvocate Stock Index |
| CRMSI | 55.74 |  | -0.36% |
| Dow Jones | 12,258.90 | | -0.06% |
| Nasdaq | 2,258.60 | | -0.57% |
| S&P 500 | 1,331.34 |  | 0.05% |
| Top Gainers |
| SAP | 48.07 | | 57.90 |
| HP | 47.6 | | 49.78 |
| NCR | 23.6 | | 47.99 |
| Top Losers |
| eOn | 0.42 | | 0.78 |
| Selectica | 1.44 | | 1.75 |
| Broadvision | 1.16 | | 2.20 |
| Complete Stock Index |
| As of close 03/04/08 | |
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April 21-23, 2008: Services Industry Summit - eService Strategies and Challenges - Join us in Charleston, South Carolina April 21-23, 2008, for the Services Industry Summit. Industry luminaries from leading organizations will share insights into the hottest topic around - eService Strategies and Challenges! The summit, which includes a pre-conference executive roundtable and workshop sessions, will feature presentations from industry leaders such as IBM Information Management Software, Nokia Enterprise Solutions, Vignette Corporation, Novell, Inc., McAfee, Inc., Consortium for Service Innovation, and more. Presentation topics include Measurement Matters - The Benefits and Organizational Measures of KCS, Novell's Transformation to Web Based Support, Nokia Case Study - Knowledge Management Strategies and Challenges, Web Globalization Strategies, Measuring Success of Global Support, among others. Pre-conference workshops will include Financial Management for Support and Knowledge-Centered Support.
|  | | March 9 - 12, 2008: HDI 2008 - The HDI Annual Conference & Expo is a launch pad for new products, services and innovative technologies within the IT service and support industry. Nearly 3,000 technical support professionals will attend technology-focused and business-process sessions, as well as product showcase sessions from the leading service and support vendors.
| | | 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.
| | | March 30 - April 3, 2008: The 12th Annual Shared Services Week - IQPC's 12th Annual Shared Services Week is an annual gathering of Shared Services professionals. This can't-miss multi-tracked event is designed to provide executives from start-ups, intermediate and mature shared services with everything they need to know to bring shared services to the next level.
| | | 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.
| | | April 13-16, 2008: 4th Annual Customer Contact 2008, East -
| | | April 28-30, 2008: Government Customer Support Conference - Leaders of help desks, call centers, web service portals, and other touch points for Government's internal and external customers come together yearly at the Annual Government Customer Support Conference and Expo (GCSC) to learn, share, and synergize as a community of practice.
| | | May 1, 2008: Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty with Every Channel -
| | | May 1, 2008: Delivering Customer Satisfaction in Member 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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