Fixed Dialing
Telemarketers taking the ostrich approach to DNC compliance is a nonstarter for enterprises. Refresh marketing initiatives to ensure that the rules are followed and reach your target audience more effectively.

by Coreen Bailor

From CRM Magazine December 2006

It’s been roughly three years since the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry legislation went into effect, yet many marketers continue to hide their heads in the sand when it comes to regulatory compliance standards surrounding their outbound initiatives. Two reasons for this avoidance are that some enterprises remain unaware of the laws and of the responsibility businesses have to meet the regulations, while other corporate leaders fear not being able to replace outbound telemarketing dollars. Either way, businesses are beginning to pay the price for refraining from compliance–the FTC has commenced leveling hefty fines on companies that disregard the statutes. Satellite TV provider DirecTV was slapped a year ago this month by the FTC with a stinging $5.3 million penalty, after the Commission charged that DirecTV and the companies it hired to promote its programs had been violating DNC provisions since October 2003. (more…)

Gartner Eyes IVR and EVP Vendors
Magic Quadrant findings ping Avaya, Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Intervoice, and Nortel as leading the sector; reduced complexity and tight integration are hallmarks of advancement.

by Coreen Bailor

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Gartner has revealed its “Magic Quadrant for IVR and Enterprise Voice Portals, 2006,” earmarking Avaya, Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Intervoice, and Nortel as leaders of the market. Players within the leaders quadrant are high-viability vendors with a strong voice response offerings, significant market share, broad geographic coverage, a clear vision for how voice self-service needs will evolve, and a proven track record for delivering IVR offerings, according to Gartner.
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10 Tips To Help New Reps Increase Sales with CRM
By Elizabeth Millard
December 6, 2006 11:42AM

It sounds simplistic, and in many ways, it is: create a digital version of a scrap of paper and have those notes feed right into the CRM system. “You’re looking for ways to streamline functionality and increase productivity,” says Gartner analyst Michael Maoz. It’s particularly important to save time and ensure that the right information is captured.

Automating the sales process is one of the most important functions of a CRM system. In fact, much of today’s CRM software has its origins back in the mid-’80s and early ’90s, not as “customer relationship management” software, but instead as “sales automation” software.
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Good Customer Service for Dummies?
By Rich Tehrani
December 6, 2006 11:15AM

Part of the irony in Virgin Atlantic’s ascent to greatness is that when Richard Branson wanted to equip his existing airplanes with $8 million in built-in seat TV screens so passengers could watch whatever programming they wanted, he found that banks would not loan him the money for this endeavor. Instead, Branson got the banks to loan Virgin $2 billion dollars for a fleet of brand new planes — with the screens included! (continue reading)

By Bruce Clapp

November 6, 2006 10:14AM

All the strategies in the world won’t have impact unless employees understand how to integrate them into their daily activities. Communication with customers, a focus on relevant offers and the ability to problem solve are attributes every employee should possess in order to facilitate the creation of brand loyalty.

For many banks, the issue of retention only shows up on the radar when customers begin to walk out the door. However, focusing on retention after an exodus has begun is typically too late.

Banks need to start work on retention long before customers enter the branch for their first interaction. Retention strategy should be woven into every aspect of the bank’s philosophy: How you attract customers, interact with them and keep them coming back all.

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By Elizabeth Millard

November 29, 2006 10:24AM

Implementing an end-to-end CRM system takes planning and a shared goal, but the actual technology doesn’t have to involve particularly heavy lifting, says Oracle’s Mark Woollen. Many CRM vendors have added integration tools over the last few years, and can work with companies to create customized end-to-end strategies.

Customer Relationship Management software, which is better known these days simply as CRM, can be beneficial to many parts of an enterprise, particularly by helping sales reps and service personnel track information about customers and prospects. But it’s putting the pieces together, extending beyond the basic functionality and establishing connections from end-to-end throughout the enterprise that can really make for more powerful processes.

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Can these new tools solve sales teams’ old problems?

by Timothy Ramos

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

In an effort to make your sales team more effective, you invest a chunk of money licensing a new on-demand CRM system. The result? Your reps don’t use it, or they use it just for forecasting because they are required to. So you spend more money buying market intelligence from a variety of data providers. The result? Your reps have to search multiple online and offline sources for the details they want. And because there’s no simple way to input their research into the CRM system, the market intelligence information never makes its way there either–therefore losing its value.

Sound familiar??? Read on….

According to Jupiter Research, 93% of U.S. Internet users consider email their top online activity. Email is a fast, inexpensive, and effective way to communicate with your prospects, customers, and vendors.

But how do you use email marketing effectively, without irritating the receivers? In this white paper you’ll learn:

How often to send email
How to write messages that get a response
Why you must systematically deliver what your customers value, and quickly fix problems when you don’t
When to use HTML and when to use text only
How to build lists that perform

Get the best practices of email marketing drawing on the experience of some of the most successful industry practitioners. Get a clear picture of trends and patterns to aid you in mapping your email marketing strategy.

To gain access to this and many other valuable CRM whitepapers at RightNow’s CRM library, click here….

“Nexus enables businesses the opportunity to automate the entire lifecycle of a customer,” said Neal Packard, President and CEO of MSI. “Our goal is to provide software that improves the overall business process and customer management for all types of businesses facilitated by turnkey customer relationship management CRM capabilities. With Nexus, we have automated the marketing and sales process for any business.”

Nexus, an affordable CRM (customer relationship management) solution from Marketing Solutions Inc. MSI differentiates itself from other internet-based CRM (customer relationship management) systems by being the only system that captures real-time orders, customer history, customer and prospect information, sales commission, sales forecasting and one-to-one marketing functionality. It also offers up-sell and cross-sell capabilities framed in a full 360 degree view of customer data. Every function and process of Nexus, an affordable CRM(customer relationship management) solution from Marketing Solutions Inc. MSI, includes marketing, sales, customer service, fulfillment, order management, and finance. Small and medium sized businesses are able to make better decisions with Nexus, as it empowers decision makers like the CEO or the business owner with complete knowledge of customer values and preferences. Small and medium sized businesses will benefit from the ability to rank open quotes, sales orders, and/or open invoices. An adjustable chart reflecting various stages within the sales cycle is displayed on a sales pipeline report to help ensure opportunities are being maximized. Nexus, an affordable CRM (customer relationship management) solution from Marketing Solutions Inc. MSI, is fully equipped to build loyalty with existing customers, attract new customers, strengthen profitable relationships and deliver competitive advantages to any businesses in any industry.

About MSI Marketing Solutions Inc.
MSI is one of the fastest growing CRM (customer relationship management) solution providers in the United States. From its center of operations in Birmingham, Alabama, MSI provides Web-based software solutions that assist those whose primary mission is to increase business, improve competitive position, and enhance overall performance. For more information, visit the website at www.my-msi.com.