OUR TAKE -  Own It Before It Owns You     Recent Editions of CRMAdvocate 06.17.10    "The Message" and Sand Castles 06.16.10    Expectations and The Crisis of Trust 06.15.10    What Could Have Been Said 06.14.10    Avoiding a Crisis of Trust 06.11.10    The ROI of a Sincere Apology 06.10.10    Suddenly Trustworthy Lasting Impressions: Difficulties strengthen the mind, as well as labor does the body. - Seneca Reader responses to last week's discussion about what could have been said at the beginning of the Gulf of Mexico oil catastrophe to avoid a crisis of trust could not have been more interesting. The primary point of the discussion was to highlight the importance of expectation setting in the spirit of a message of genuine transparency.   One problem with using this real-time case study is that all the facts are not known so we can only use available information. A true case study should be done in the years ahead once the facts are well established. Another concern with using a real-time case study is that we have to remind ourselves that we are looking at this in the context of lessons learned about creating a bond of trust between provider and customer. This is not about PR. This is not about trying to determine who is at fault. This is not about opinions of the individuals involved.   This is about lessons learned to avoid a crisis of trust. Every organization will face times when they stumble in front of the customer. And how such a stumble is handled may very well define the nature of customer relationships for years or decades. What will you be remembered for? Will it be the "stumble" or how you took responsibility for the "stumble?"   Own the problem upfront so it doesn't own you for a customer lifetime. That's my take. Do you agree? What's your take?   Gary Lemke, Publisher          Action Center         Free Subscription         Submit Content         Industry Events         Webcasts         Archive     Cool CRM                     NEW IN CRM   News:    Parature Unveils New Version of Parature for Gaming Parature unveiled its newest version of Parature for Gaming, an industry-specific version of Parature’s Customer Service software that enables gaming companies to provide support in a manner that enhances the player experience while reducing service-related costs. New enhancements to Parature for Gaming include the packaging of Parature’s integrated social media application, Parature for Facebook. The new version of Parature for Gaming is designed to help gaming companies rapidly resolve player issues through dynamic communication channels preferred by each individual player, from social media, to the Web, and even within the game itself. Every player serviced through Parature for Gaming walks away with positive brand impression, a stronger and more loyal relationship, and ready to spread the word to other gamers in the increasing collaborative world of social media.(Parature )   Article:    Getting Personal About Metrics Sales managers spend a lot of time talking about metrics. They measure everything–some good, some over measured, but some micromanaged. There’s a lot of focus in the Sales 2.0 world about metrics, but again, most of the discussion is how to help sales managers. It’s time to shift the discussion to sales professionals–individual contributors. Yes, we’re all used to being measured, that’s part of what makes us sales people. At any point in time, we know (or pretend to know), where we are in our quota attainment. We always focus on “The Number.” There are a richer set of metrics, though, that are important for every sales person to have–just for themselves. Each sales person needs his own scorecard to look at how they are performing and to identify areas in which they should improve. (CustomerThink )     Download this new paper by DMG Consulting to discover four best practices for more successful coaching programs. Read this coaching guide to learn how to: Build a winning coaching program Select the right mix of coaching techniques Measure the effectiveness of the coaching program Create a systems environment that supports coaching goals   News:    Workstreamer Integrates Its Listening Platform with Jigsaw Workstreamer, a business listening platform, announced that it has integrated its capabilities with Jigsaw's database, enabling Workstreamer users to receive context-relevant business contact updates. Business professionals ranging from sales professionals to the C-level executives can stay informed of changes to business contact data through Workstreamer's dynamic and robust stream or daily email notification. Prior to Workstreamer's integration with Jigsaw, the business intelligent workforce faced increasing amounts of online information without a scalable solution to manage contact data for accuracy or relevance. By integrating Workstreamer with Jigsaw's crowd-sourced database, users can now receive business contact data updates based on businesses which they listen to within the listening platform.(Workstreamer )   News:    Adaptive Engineering Showcases New Product Portico Adaptive Engineering, announced its newest product Portico, a managed agent desktop, focusing on the call center agent and user’s experience across the organization, presenting information in relevant and meaningful ways. Portico is built to enhance customer interaction management across multiple sites, channels and modalities securely, providing tools designed for business users to manage access to products, services, and information. The purpose is to accelerate the stream of transactions and information within an organization in a real-time way. Customers do not replace existing systems, nor are they locked into a single vendor platform. (Adaptive Engineering )   Didn't read the last edition of CRMAdvocate? Click here to see what you missed.

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