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Online Bill Payments, Part 1: Fertile Soil for IT Vendors March 15, 2010 
Millions of consumers have switched their bill-paying practices from tedious sessions with a stack of statements and checkbooks to streamlined, paperless payments through a variety of online channels. However, the movement to electronic payments still has a long way to go, and a huge majority of consumers have not yet been weaned away from their checkbook chores and welcomed to the world of paperless payments.
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Microsoft vs. the Zombie Hordes February 26, 2010 
Microsoft did its best Woody Harrelson impression this week and set out to bag some zombies. The zombies we're talking about here are PCs infected with malware. The bad guys spread the malware around and then remotely control victims' computers as part of a botnet that can do stuff like send out spam email or carry out DDoS attacks.
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Despite New Rules, Credit Card Users Cautioned to Be Wary February 22, 2010 
Credit card issuers must follow new rules of the road as of Monday, but consumers should not view the new protections as a cure-all for their frustrations with plastic. Instead, they should be ever more vigilant as credit issuers roll out new card agreements. They could result in new financial pain if card users aren't careful.
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The Trembling Foundations of Financial Risk Management February 15, 2010 
Data management itself has never driven financial institutions to undertake a paradigm shift -- it was the realm of the IT person hidden in the basement. However, in today's climate of mistrust, risk management is an even greater priority, and data management programs are having their time in the sun as the industry realizes that a risk management system is only as good as the data filtering into it.
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Transforming Financial CRM From Retention Mode to Growth Mode January 19, 2010 
As financial institutions gear up for 2010, many companies are still on the long road to recovery after facing some of the most difficult challenges in years. Mortgage defaults and foreclosures, new regulations on credit card and bank fees, and the constant barrage of related news stories sent customer call volumes through the roof in 2009.
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Hello E-Billpay, Good Riddance Paper Checks January 07, 2010 
It's been nine months since I've written a check. That's not to say I'm on some 12-step program to resist shopping. My credit card bills would suggest otherwise. Rather, when I opened a new bank account in March, I challenged myself to see how much I could use my bank's online bill-payment service to stretch the 10 starter checks I got for free.
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Rewards Coming at Greater Costs for Credit Card Users December 28, 2009
It's no surprise that banks are pushing rewards cards given their popularity with consumers. The catch is that the cards being offered are now more likely to have annual fees. In the third quarter, 28 percent of rewards card offers came with annual fees, up from 21 percent in the same period last year, according to market research firm Synovate, which tracks credit card mailings to households.
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Bank's New Credit Card Terms: $75 Annual Fee Plus 79.9 Percent APR December 21, 2009 
It's no mistake. This credit card's interest rate is 79.9 percent. The bloated APR is how First Premier Bank, a subprime credit card issuer, is skirting new regulations intended to curb abusive practices in the industry. It's a strategy other subprime card issuers could start adopting to get around the new rules.
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Health Insurance CRM, Part 2: The BPO Catalyst November 20, 2009 
CRM has lagged in the health insurance industry, but a major transformation is imminent. "There's been a reluctance to make comprehensive investments in technology compared with other sectors," said Gartner analyst Joanne Galimi. "Generally, the firms in the sector have been very tactical, only investing in specific areas -- basically reacting to pain points."
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Health Insurance CRM, Part 1: Shifting Into Catch-Up Mode November 19, 2009 
The health insurance industry, especially in the U.S., has a long way to go before it achieves a high level of performance in the use of customer relationship management tools. However, pressure is coming from market forces -- including new government healthcare reform policies -- that will compel improvements in health insurance CRM, whether insurance companies want it or not.
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CRM for Financial Services, Part 2: Keeping the 'R' in CRM November 13, 2009 
The market for CRM programs will expand in financial services, although the pace of spending will likely slow down in the near term. Still, the rate of CRM spending by financial firms is not the only element that could change in the future. Whether a financial firm already has implemented a program or is about to make an initial investment in CRM, the landscape will be changing.
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Teaching Mature Markets New M-Commerce Tricks November 12, 2009 
Ten years after national commercial platforms for mobile commerce were launched in the Philippines and Japan, the United States is slowly beginning to creep into the field. Residents in rural parts of the Philippines and other developing nations routinely pay bills through their smartphones, while people in Japan and Europe can buy products as well as train and airline tickets using their mobile phones.
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CRM for Financial Services, Part 1: Unmet Potential November 06, 2009 
The chastening effect of the recession has many financial services firms taking a cautious view of future CRM investments. One reason is that these firms are husbanding their resources. Another is a growing awareness that investments in CRM by the financial sector have not been all that successful.
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The Welcome Challenge of Scaling Up: Q&A With ProspX CEO Todd Young March 30, 2009 
Every small vendor -- no matter the industry -- dreams of landing at least one big name Fortune 500 client. Such a client, of course, would lend it the necessary street cred -- not to mention revenue -- that all smaller companies need. It also might open the door to new product development and distribution possibilities. That has been the case with ProspX.
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Not Your Father's Bank: Building Online Banking for Gen Y February 20, 2009 
Growing up in a world immersed in digital technologies, members of Generation Y have the highest of expectations on how they want to interact with their banks online. Born at the dawn of the digital age in the early 1980s, the oldest among Generation Y have never known a world without personal computers and video games.
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All About the Bottom Line: Q&A With Avaya Global Services President Chris Formant February 02, 2009 
Chris Formant, president of Avaya Global Services, has been on the job since March 2008. It is no small irony that one year ago he was tasked with the assignment of strengthening the services group's financial and operating performance -- a significant undertaking, given that the services division touches upon more than half of Avaya's revenue and workforce.
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