evaluating CRM software

Brent Leary on CRM for SMBs

The recession has companies worried about their customer relationships more than ever and that’s encouraged small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to start taking a closer look at CRM software.

While consolidation has been a major factor in the market for CRM software for large enterprises, start-ups are cropping up all the time to serve the SMB sector.  SearchCRM.com sat down with Brent Leary, co-founder and partner of CRM Essentials LLC, a CRM consultancy and advisory firm focused on small and mid-sized enterprises that provides training and best practices for implementing CRM software and CRM programs.

In this 15-minute podcast, Leary discusses:

• The current state of adoption of CRM software among SMBs
• Best practices for SMBs deploying CRM software
• What SMBs have learned about CRM failure from their enterprise counterparts
• The effects Web 2,0 and social networking are having on managing customer relationships and how SMBs can and are taking advantage of it

 

 Brent Leary on CRM for SMBs [17:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Microsoft users give CRM tips

At the Microsoft Convergence show, representatives from Cold Stone Creamery, Roland DGA and WellMark Blue Cross Blue Shield shared their advice and best practices in implementing CRM. The three practitioners represent different sides of CRM. Cold Stone Creamery’s Heather Dorr is a senior manager for marketing. Bob McMahon is a senior business systems manager for Roland DGA and Jeff Beelman is a group leader for customer service at WellMark BlueCross BlueShield.

 

 Standard Podcast [12:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Oracle’s Ed Abbo on hosted call centers, CRM innovation

Ed Abbo, Oracle’s vice president of CRM products, discusses in this podcast what’s to come in Siebel 8.0 and integrating Siebel with Oracle’s other CRM applications.

Abbo also shares his thoughts on the emergence of hosted call centers and where innovation will come from in the CRM market.

 

 Standard Podcast [29:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

John Ragsdale on self-service

John Ragsdale is the vice president of research with the Service & Support Professionals Association, a longtime industry analyst and call center manager.

In this podcast he discusses the future of customer self-service technology, its evolution from a tactical to a strategic imperative and how vendors in the self-service market are innovating. He also shares his take on highly customized “microsites” that allow companies to create personalized pages for customer e-service and the growing importance of “click-to-call” customer service technology.

 

 Standard Podcast [13:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Gartner’s Scott Nelson on CRM strategy

Scott Nelson is a managing vice president with Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner, focused on CRM and its relation to other applications within the enterprise such as ERP and supply chain management, as well as CRM strategy.

He has been researching CRM for the past seven years at Gartner and focuses particularly on CRM strategy and vision.

 

 Standard Podcast [13:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download