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• Sales planning tools sport a B2B customer experience focus

  Sporting goods giant uses sales performance and planning tools to upend traditional product-centric approach, tackle engagement issues and pitch a better story to customers. Continue Reading

• Assessing GDPR's data protection officer requirements

  The GDPR's data protection officer mandate gives the EU a point person for compliance complaints, but not all companies need one. See when DPOs are required and what they do. Continue Reading

• AppExchange in Salesforce a slam-dunk for Detroit Pistons' workflow

  The Detroit Pistons needed help getting the most out of Salesforce, so they turned to AppExchange -- although the abundance of choices is sometimes a challenge. Continue Reading

• Let customer acquisition costs steer marketing, service plans

  Customer acquisition and customer retention strategies start with people and marketing automation tools. How much you should invest in either area depends on a number of factors. Continue Reading

• AI strategy comes first, then AI tools second

  If your organization plans to implement AI into its workflow, be sure to develop a sound strategy and provide the necessary training to get the most out of the software. Continue Reading

• Ten tips for honing social media customer service skills

  Navy Federal Credit Union ingrains customer service in social engagement, sometimes the only channel where sailors at sea can get critical questions answered. Here's how they do it.Continue Reading

• Salesforce's GDPR DPO preps partners, customers for compliance

  Salesforce's data protection officer discusses GDPR compliance challenges and strategies for customers and partners, along with the company's own GDPR readiness.Continue Reading

• GDPR call center compliance can be a sticky wicket

  GDPR compliance for call centers can be complex and require the collaboration of business execs, call center managers and outside lawyers to establish data protection policies.Continue Reading

• Check off those GDPR call center requirements

  With GDPR about to go into full force, there are last-minute details and loose ends to tie up to ensure that your call center complies with the necessary regulations.Continue Reading

• Don't forget agent training in your GDPR call center plan

  The General Data Protection Regulation will affect call center agents. A GDPR plan for call center agent training should cover the expanded definition of PII and more.Continue Reading

• Don't let customer service automation override customer experience

  CRM expert Jay Baer, author of NYT bestseller 'Hug Your Haters,' joins the Pipeline podcast and answers host Don Fluckinger's litany of personal experience CRM complaints.Continue Reading

• GDPR customer data compliance for service and support teams

  Getting your Salesforce-powered customer service and support staff ready for GDPR involves more than just the free Trailhead training module. But it's a start.Continue Reading

• Ten tips to help Salesforce teams prepare for GDPR

  The General Data Protection Regulation implementation date is closing in. Salesforce experts have some advice for companies tasked with complying with the EU guideline.Continue Reading

• CRM case studies: Customer relationship management in action

  CRM for today's businesses means AI chatbots, data mining, marketing personalization and equipping call centers to handle the many channels available to customers.Continue Reading

• Social media customer care important to brands, experts say

  In this Pipeline podcast, we discuss what was a primary topic at Social Media Marketing World: how companies should interact with customers through social media.Continue Reading

• Inside sales strategy, millennials highlight Accelerate 2018

  Learn what happens when a SearchCRM editor joins a panel as the paid skeptic to discuss whether AI technologies provide real value for helping businesses increase revenue.Continue Reading

• Digital sales transformation may require shadow IT dark ops

  Sales tech initiatives culminating with flipping the AI switch require operational and IT prep involving data aggregation, training salespeople and, possibly, shadow IT experiments.Continue Reading

• Salesforce GDPR marketing compliance involves rethinking lead gen

  The bigger -- and more complicated -- your marketing tech stack, the more complex your Salesforce GDPR compliance will be, vendors and experts say.Continue Reading

• E-commerce GDPR for Salesforce: Watch what data you capture

  Making your Salesforce GDPR compliance strategy for e-commerce starts with monitoring the customer data you collect, starting with cookies -- and we don't mean the Keebler kind.Continue Reading

• Expert: Boring retail is dying as tech gains importance

  Technologies such as augmented reality and AI in retail are becoming more important for brands looking to gain a selling edge. Tune in to the latest Pipeline podcast to learn more.Continue Reading

• Customer service chatbots help reduce product returns

  In previous years, Azumi Mobile was overwhelmed with customer calls after the holiday season as users attempted to return smartphones. This year, chatbots helped address that issue.Continue Reading

• Helpshift offers five Salesforce GDPR tips for customer support

  How much does the service and support team affect GDPR privacy mandates? Turns out, more than a little. A chat app developer's compliance journey uncovers some compliance tips.Continue Reading

• Colorado modernizes with Salesforce for government projects

  Colorado licenses Service Cloud and other Salesforce technologies to improve its citizens benefit program.Continue Reading

• Meet your friendly service agent -- The sales chatbot

  AI chatbots enable companies to automate some sales and service tasks, but the combination of people and smart machines creates better outcomes than either one alone.Continue Reading

• Salesforce Pardot certification opens doors, boosts salaries

  Pardot consultant Stacey Cogswell talks about the opportunities and challenges when obtaining Salesforce certifications.Continue Reading

• Marketing reporting software is dying, says InsightSquared CMO

  InsightSquared CMO discusses the importance of vendor-agnostic reporting and why marketing-only reporting software is dying.Continue Reading

• Ten tips for implementing virtual agent chatbots

  Think you're ready to turn over some of your customer service responsibilities to virtual agents? An expert offers 10 tips for implementing chatbots.Continue Reading

• Salesforce Marketing Cloud certification helps Aussie make bank

  When considering which credentials in the Salesforce universe are the best investments, one marketing consultant makes the case for Salesforce Marketing Cloud certification.Continue Reading

• Future of artificial intelligence in CRM rests with the bots

  Chatbots may seem basic or rudimentary now, but just wait: AI advancements will take virtual agents to new levels of competency to engage customers.Continue Reading

• Looking ahead at trends in CRM in 2018

  More AI capabilities, intelligent security and augmented reality should gain prominence for CRM users in 2018.Continue Reading

• Do customer service chatbots need to pass the Turing test?

  Experts say organizations should focus on enhancing the customer experience with chatbots -- not so much on passing the legendary Turing test for artificial intelligence.Continue Reading

• Eight must-have call center systems for customer service

  It can be challenging to pick a call center technology, implement it and optimize it for the best results. Here are the top eight call center tools to deliver the best customer experience.Continue Reading

• Pipeline podcast: Exploring the growth of the martech stack

  The marketing technology field has exploded, as have ways to organize a martech stack. This episode of the Pipeline podcast recaps highlights from the MarTech Conference.Continue Reading

• What features can users expect from Salesforce Einstein AI?

  Expert Scott Robinson explains how Salesforce Einstein AI tools augment the vendor's CRM functionality, and how lessons learned from IBM Watson will affect the platform.Continue Reading

• Tech vendors cite TOS violations to push hate groups off their clouds

  'Alt-right' groups put to the test marketing and CRM cloud vendors that promote employee diversity and forbid users from hosting hateful or offensive content on their platforms.Continue Reading

• What problems need solving to create smoother customer interactions?

  While many factors can make or break a sales-service platform merge, three challenges stand out when combining service, sales strategies.Continue Reading

• The importance of integrating social CRM tools into a CRM strategy

  Customer engagement is no longer about simply handling a phone call or letter. Organizations must also be at the ready to address issues on social media.Continue Reading

• The integration of CRM with cross-channel marketing breeds agility

  Leading enterprises searching for ways to bring agility to the market need look no further than cross-channel marketing.Continue Reading

• Recipe for lost customers: Flight cancellations and AI algorithms

  As companies enjoy the benefits that automation and AI algorithms bring to next-generation CRM, leaders must closely examine the legal and customer retention ramifications.Continue Reading

• Customer data governance policies: Stop stalking, start selling

  Customer data governance policies differ from traditional data governance in several ways. Finding that line between building trust among customers and stalking them is a start.Continue Reading

• Advisor sees better jobs and pay after Salesforce administrator course

  Jenn Sanders illustrates how the Salesforce administrator course can boost a career. The consultant saw an increase in pay, client respect and a teaching opportunity.Continue Reading

• Make your CRM more impactful than the latest tweets from Trump

  Twitter and other social media sites are powerful communication channels. But CRM should be a two-way conversation, not one-way, like the latest Trump tweets.Continue Reading

• How using predictive analytics helps public agencies predict demand

  Predictive analytics aren't just for the private sector. Government agencies are tapping into analytics to gain more lead time in determining demand for services.Continue Reading

• Microsoft may bring location-based marketing to Office 365

  It's still early days for location-based marketing, but recent integrations and acquisitions by Microsoft indicate it has LBM on its roadmap.Continue Reading

• How does data insight remove human bias from customer research?

  Integrating IoT analytics with supply chain management helps create an efficient and successful customer experience by utilizing data insight not found anywhere else.Continue Reading

• How do IoT analytics enhance customer experience with quality data?

  IoT analytics helps companies create a better customer experience by providing quality data that allows for the reduction of costs and a more efficient work day.Continue Reading

• Can Salesforce AI with Einstein catch the next AI wave?

  Salesforce Einstein is the next installment of intelligent sales, marketing and service systems -- but this is one of numerous Salesforce acquisitions. How will it fare?Continue Reading

• Crafting your mobile app strategy is like online dating

  Your mobile app strategy should accommodate both newer prospects who haven't developed loyalty and long-standing customers who are ready to download an app.Continue Reading

• Why does AWS as a cloud infrastructure provider matter for Salesforce?

  After experiencing a data outage in May, Salesforce turned to Amazon Web Services. It was a huge move, but probably a necessary one, expert Brent Leary explains.Continue Reading

• Mobile location-based services teeter on ethical line

  Mobile location-based services can yield information about customers, but companies need to travel a careful line with the information they gather.Continue Reading

• In customer personalization, explicit data matters

  By utilizing explicit data, companies can increase brand engagement and enhance the customer journey through customer personalization.Continue Reading

• Understanding Salesforce App Cloud licensing

  Salesforce App Cloud opens important doors to building new functionality into Salesforce. But it's important to read the fine print on licensing options.Continue Reading

• Consumers still waiting for Godot on personalized marketing?

  Personalized messaging can be an invaluable tool for marketers. Unfortunately, these marketing campaigns aren't living up to their potential, according to consumers.Continue Reading

• Refine your view of the sales funnel

  The sales funnel is an instrumental image for marketers and sales representatives trying to corral prospects and turn them into customers. Like many business frameworks, it's useful, but sometimes those who employ it need to take a step back and ...Continue Reading

• Mobile marketing strategy isn't a bolt-on to existing strategy

  Too often, companies falter in their marketing strategies by tacking mobility onto what they already do. Instead, you should create 'mobile moments.'Continue Reading

• Mobile, social CRM reshape engagement strategies

  The ubiquitous nature of social media and mobile devices has conditioned consumers to expect on-demand customized service delivered quickly to their platform of choice. But reaching customers on mobile and social channels isn't always easy. ...Continue Reading

• How marketers are reining in the sales funnel process

  The sales process, captured by the sales funnel, is no longer as linear as it once was. How can marketing teams use sales funnel management to gain control of the customer journey?Continue Reading

• Handling unwieldy data with Salesforce Wave Analytics

  With sales teams struggling to access and consume data, Salesforce Wave Analytics promises ease of use and accessibility.Continue Reading

• Customer communities aren't credible without legwork

  Customer communities can't be credible sources of customer support if companies don't do the up-front work to make the information authoritative.Continue Reading

• Despite cloud-based CRM success, data silo issues remain

  While cloud-based CRM tools are making inroads in bridging data silos, smaller, niche tools are becoming more necessary to solve data management challenges.Continue Reading

• CRM marketplace could undergo new competition

  While the CRM market has long been dominated by a small cohort of established providers, new niche players could shake up the landscape.Continue Reading

• What does Salesforce Lightning, Wave enable for users?

  Salesforce's latest upgrades to its Lightning and Wave platforms show that the cloud CRM company is trying to bring analytics closer to the individual user.Continue Reading

• LBS powers personalized intranet design

  Frustrated by its needle-in-a-haystack approach to locating pertinent corporate info, Citrix geared its intranet to specific employee needs worldwide.Continue Reading

• One company's plan for a comprehensive multichannel strategy

  Companies are constantly flooded with customer information across multiple media channels, including websites, mobile apps, social media and blogs. The key to improved service and sales is to tie together all of these sources of information into one...Continue Reading

• Communication essential to sales and marketing alignment

  A lack of communication between sales and marketing teams can derail internal processes. Here's how to ensure collaboration between the two factions.Continue Reading

• Location-based service apps yield trove of information

  When customers come into a store with offers from location-based service apps, like mobile wallets, it indicates a new level of buying intention greater than just window shopping.Continue Reading

• Cloud-based marketing tools need integration to work

  When companies don't integrate their cloud-based marketing tools, customer data can easily become out-of-date and out-of-sync among various systems.Continue Reading

• Improving customer engagement strategies with CRM tools

  There are several different types of CRM tools that can be used to improve your customer engagement strategies.Continue Reading

• Salesforce releases Wave Analytics Apps and Sales Wave Analytics

  Wave Analytics Apps, the latest offering from Salesforce, makes crunching the numbers easier through tighter integration with Salesforce 1.Continue Reading

• Enterprise video metrics a must to measure success

  Increasingly, companies have turned to video for customer service, product demos and branding. But they need to measure success with enterprise video metrics.Continue Reading

• The secret to selling more? Sales intelligence

  Sales teams have a basic but ever-challenging task: Sell stuff and make money for the company. But they can't do that without proper insight into the business.Continue Reading

• Enhancing customer engagement strategy through a mobile experience

  Consumers use mobile devices constantly. Marketers can capitalize on this by developing a rich, engaging mobile experience to drive sales.Continue Reading

• Have customer-centric processes arrived in the contact center?

  It's been a long journey, but are companies finally ready to incorporate customer-centric processes into their contact center operations?Continue Reading

• Microsoft Convergence focuses on analytics, cloud

  Microsoft Convergence attendees explored the new cloud-based Power BI analytics tool at the conference.Continue Reading

• CRM platforms alone won't give total customer picture

  Some CRM vendors have started to demonstrate the power of unified CRM platforms, enabling companies to manage customer data, analytics, financials and more from a single application and get a unified view. But many companies still struggle with ...Continue Reading

• CRM leadership: Buying, managing and running a system

  Implementing a CRM system is more than just buying software. Executives need to tap into their leadership skills to select the right CRM system and ensure that it brings the desired benefits to the organization.Continue Reading

• Improving data quality with better CRM system design

  If your CRM system isn't designed for ease of data entry, it can undermine data analysis and decision making. Here's how to promote cleaner data.Continue Reading

• A 360-degree view of customers requires better data analytics

  Companies want to use better data analytics to get a more comprehensive understanding of their customers. But today's reality suggests that is in the distant future.Continue Reading

• PCI DSS offers call center PCI compliance tips

  The payment card industry compliance standards body has released a new document to help contact centers protect sensitive customer data.Continue Reading

• Workforce management (WFM) software

  Workforce management (WFM) software is an umbrella term for desktop and mobile programs that help a business manage staff scheduling. The term originated in contact centers and other service businesses that employ a large number of workers who are ...Continue Reading

• Three management tips for overseeing call center agents on night shift

  There are psychological and medical challenges for call center agents working the night shift. Hear management tips from Donna Fluss for managing night shift call center agents.Continue Reading

• Five call center sales tips and techniques

  In difficult economic times, ramping up sales in the call center can provide another outlet to help companies meet sales quotas and drive sales effectiveness. We've gathered these five tips for companies looking to improve call center sales and ...Continue Reading

• Creating positive customer retention strategies

  Is your organization deploying positive customer retention strategies or negative ones? In this chapter excerpt, learn about a number of positive customer retention strategies, including how to add customer-perceived value, create social and ...Continue Reading

• Understanding customer commitment

  Research shows that there are three forms of customer commitment: relational commitment, instrumental commitment and value-based commitment. In this chapter, learn about all three types of customer commitments and get key performance indicators (...Continue Reading

• SIP in the call center: Top 10 buzzwords

  In many of today's call centers, session initiation protocol (SIP) allows customers and call center agents to connect through various forms of multimedia communications. We've gathered these terms and definitions to help you better understand SIP ...Continue Reading

• Salesforce.com for dummies: Creating daily reports

  Use this step-by-step guide to create daily reports from scratch in Salesforce.com.Continue Reading

• Call center scheduling: How to manage Auxiliary or unavailable time

  Expert Lori Bocklund advises a reader on managing a call center agent's Auxiliary or unavailable time.Continue Reading

• The top five sources of increased customer power

  Learn how to advocate for customers and earn their trust in this chapter download. MIT professor Glen Urban will show you why you should do this, how you can do this, and what other leading edge companies are doing in this arena.Continue Reading

• Using subject matter experts (SME) to develop call center managers

  Learn the benefits of promoting star agents to subject matter expert positions (SME) where they work under the call center supervisor.Continue Reading