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Results 221-240 of 272 for Christopher J. Bucholtz
OPINION

What Holds Back CRM Success: Executive Fear

The past year seemed like one of marking time in CRM -- at least to me. The trends are all well spelled out: Social CRM will become a critical tool, service has grown in importance as customer acquisition has become more difficult, and the value of mobile CRM is becoming painfully apparent. So why aren't we acting on the trends? ...

OPINION

A CRM Lesson From Sesame Street

This Christmas, I was sitting around with the in-laws after the presents were opened, when my father-in-law asked me a question that has probably been nagging him for a long time. "What is it that you do?" he said ...

OPINION

5 Great Gifts Your CRM Users Will Love

'Tis the Season. And it's better to give than to receive. And you'd better watch out. ...

INSIGHTS

The Lessons Antique Computers Can Teach About CRM

A few weeks ago, I was treated to a sneak preview of the Computer History Museum's upcoming exhibit "Revolution: the First 2000 years of Computing." Specifically, I was there to see a model of the SAGE (Semi Automatic Ground Equipment) computing facility, but as a technology nerd, I reveled in seeing pieces of ENIAC (Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer), JOHNNIAC (John v. Neumann Numerical Integrator and Automatic Computer) and a host of other early computers.

OPINION

Breaking the Tech Terminology Barrier

Salesforce.com's Dreamforce event is now 10 years old, and it's reached the stage where it draws a true sample of the Salesforce ecosystem. Of course, there are plenty of Salesforce personnel and vendors whose products work with Salesforce, but there is an increasing number of real customers. ...

OPINION

4 CRM Questions to Ask Yourself During the Holidays

It's always fun to see the flood of articles this time of year about the holidays. "Is Your CRM Ready for Christmas?" the headlines knowingly ask. ...

OPINION

The Social CRM Fallacy That Could Kill Your Business

For all the talk of social CRM, there's not so much talk of social CRM successes. Oh, sure -- there are scattered success stories, but there's not a wave of SCRM home runs being hit out there. As a result, there's been talk of SCRM having "jumped the shark" or "outlived its hype." ...

OPINION

When Disaster Strikes, Customer Relationships Can Be Critical

Developing good relationships with your customers pays off when all is going well -- but it can also pay big dividends when things go very wrong. In fact, as a recent case illustrates, those relationships nurtured through CRM can set the tone for your corrections and preserve your business ...

OPINION

A Winning Sales Pitch for CRM Adoption

When it comes to the broad topic of "CRM failure," you often hear the same tales: a too-complicated integration, an incompetent integrator or inflexible technology. ...

OPINION

3 Industries Geared for Social CRM Success

Social CRM is quickly transforming from a concept to a reality. However, because of the diverse nature of customers and the broad range of options they have among social media channels, the best practices for capitalizing on Social CRM vary from segment to segment. ...

OPINION

5 Worst Reasons for Pouring Resources Into CRM

CRM had a reputation as an often-unsuccessful technology, but it's not the technology that causes failure -- in most cases, failure is the result errors in expectations and execution on the part of users and implementers ...

OPINION

Little Things Put the ‘Relationship’ in CRM

I was eating dinner at my favorite Japanese restaurant last night, and I was nearing the end of my meal when the waitress came to the table and presented two beautiful pieces of maguro, or tuna sashimi. When I said I hadn't ordered it, the sushi chef leaned over the counter ...

OPINION

Welcome to the CRM-isphere

We all like to say our businesses are "customer-centric." It's the de rigueur thing to say these days, and it's the only smart way to describe yourself to your customer audience. It's also something many of us are eager to believe. ...

OPINION

Don’t Let Definition Debates Cloud Your CRM Vision

The term "cloud computing" has inspired a lot of thought, energy, ideas and enthusiasm. It's also sparked a lot of head-scratching, brow-furrowing and definition-debating. ...

OPINION

The Rise of Social Service

Social media's explosion over the last few years has had some obvious implications for CRM. ...

OPINION

Is It CRM Time Yet?

If you're in the CRM industry, you may have a slightly skewed view of the world when it comes to CRM penetration. Many of my peers, when they hear about a company that still uses a home-brew system to manage sales, marketing and service, are aghast. With hundreds of applications out there and thousands of man-years of thought behind it, how can a business remain without a formal CRM application? To paraphrase Wallace Shawn in The Princess Bride, it's inconceivable!...

BEST OF ECT NEWS

In Social CRM, Honesty Is the Best Policy

This story was originally published on June 3, 2010, and is brought to you today as part of our Best of ECT News series. ...

OPINION

How to Build a Better Business Blog

About the easiest way for companies to dip their toes into the social media waters is the blog. There are few technical burdens to setting them up, the time needed to create posts can flex with the workloads of the assigned writers, and they can become a conduit for customer conversations through the comments section ...

OPINION

Analytics and Social CRM: Parallel Evolution?

Social CRM has earned widespread appreciation as a real business tool. It's no longer an idea or a theory or a hunch. However, it's still a new idea, and many are approaching it with trepidation because its impact on the bottom line is not yet well understood. There are two reasons for that, and they're interconnected. ...

BEST OF ECT NEWS

Jump Into the Social CRM Pool – or Be Pushed

This story was originally published on May 19, 2010, and is brought to you today as part of our Best of ECT News series. ...

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