CRM - August 2008 - (Page 37)

building it on top of. (Xactly involves post-sales data, which Steele suggests is the richest source of information to which analytics can be applied.) But well-developed analytics can bring visibility to an enterprise—and analytics vendors are increasingly providing the functionality in an on-demand delivery model. Cloud9 Analytics, for example, offers a software-as-a-service integration of its analytics product. CEO Swayne Hill says, “As we move quickly to ondemand, what happens now is that users have much more control without going through a lengthy IT process.” Xactly also offers a compensationand-rewards application that allows salespeople to see real-time estimates of commissions as well as potential revenue from possible sales deals. Steele says that with visibility comes unanticipated motivation.“I can also do a real-time estimate of ‘If I close this deal or this opportunity, what material value will that have on my commission check?’ These can be integrated seamlessly—that’s critical.” So many sales reps are doing the math on their own, she says, that there’s tension when it comes to what they’re owed. They don’t trust that they’re getting credit for sales. Steele says that when sales reps have on-the-fly information about what commission they will make off sales deals and what revenue they will bring to the company, that brings about positive motivation. (See “Pay Day,” October 2008, for more about the benefits of a successful compensation system.) Dublin, Ohio–based Signature Worldwide, a company that provides employeetraining programs, uses Cloud9’s analytics software to bring context to its sales information in Salesforce.com. Ray Taylor, Signature’s senior vice president of sales, says that one of the main benefits for him is being able to see his employees’ sales leads and statuses in real time. “It allows the sales manager to be more focused on the processes than [on] the result,” he says. “An old sales manager might have said, ‘Have you closed today?’ Now we have the tools needed to give and see that information. With 24/7 Web-based access, we don’t have to wait to sync. I can get the information and satisfy my curiosity.” THE Essential Guide for 5. UPDATE, UPGRADE, INNOVATE If the technology is there, embrace it. Sheila McGee-Smith, analyst and founder of McGee-Smith Analytics, says that a company might be hesitant to adopt new capabilities after hearing several years before that the product was not ready. Research has to be redone more recently, she says: Chances are, a lot of innovation has occurred in the time in between. “One of the big mistakes,” she says, by way of example, “is not embracing speech recognition: Companies may be gun-shy because they looked at it 10 years ago and say, ‘That [wasn’t] good enough.’” But today’s voice recognition, she says, can be very seamless and may provide better customer service than that delivered by a poorly built push-button prompt. Dan Vetras, CEO of Talisma, which was recently acquired by customer interaction management provider nGenera, says that it’s a shame that companies aren’t embracing new ways to reach customers and new forms of communication. “It’s a win-win solution both for customers [and] companies,” he argues, referring to multichannel communication and reaching customers via live chat, email, and text messages. “It goes across verticals. It will become even more important as people in their 20s become [a larger share of] the workforce and the mass consumers. It spans generations—and it’s here. And I couldn’t have said that five years ago when I started Talisma.” 6. MAKE ADOPTION EASY Time really is money—and choosing CRM software that is difficult to adopt is practically money down the drain. Check your implementation timelines before seriously pursuing any vendor. Anything longer than a year is generally too long, analysts say. Anything too Maximizing Your Customer Relationships By Barton J. Goldenberg 384 pp/softbound/$39.95 ISBN 978-0-910965-80-4 “Vital real-time business advice for the customer-centric organization.” —Stan Davis, co-author, The Art of Business and Blur Ask for CRM in Real Time in Your Local Bookstore or Order Direct from the Publisher www.infotoday.com www.destinationCRM.com http://Salesforce.com http://www.infotoday.com http://www.destinationCRM.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - August 2008

CRM - August 2008 Contents Front Office Feedback Reality Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point Maximum Security A Code Win Doesn’t Blow Forming the Platform CRM on Twitter CRM Class Is in Session Making CRM Mandatory for University Administration Required Reading Cover Story: Calling it Quits Wouldja Look at That? 8 Enterprise Strategies That Stick CRM Searches for Search All Lines Are Not Busy UC: As Easy as A-B-C Even Contact Centers Have Room for Improvement Money Lying Around? Secret of My Success Re:Tooling Scouting Report Pint of View

CRM - August 2008

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