Customer relationship management (CRM)
Find Customer Relationship Management (CRM) resources here: news, analysis and case studies on CRM software choices and implementing CRM. Find out how UK companies and organisations are harnessing CRM to drive forward customer-centric business strategies. Understand CRM market trends, and how organisations are managing the customer experience for competitive advantage.
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Feature
03 Mar 2025
Customer success vs. account management: How do they differ?
Customer success and account management strategies help organizations grow in different ways. Customer success focuses on loyalty, while account management focuses on revenue. Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2025
CVE volumes head towards 50,000 in 2025, analysts claim
Many trends, notably a big shift to open source tools, are behind an expected boom in the number of disclosed vulnerabilities Continue Reading
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Definition
25 Feb 2025
What is voice of the customer? A guide to VOC Strategy
Voice of the customer (VOC) is the component of customer experience (CX) that focuses on customer needs, wants, expectations and preferences. Continue Reading
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News
24 Feb 2025
Zendesk to acquire Local Measure, boosting AI-powered voice capabilities
The acquisition will strengthen Zendesk’s contact centre offering and integration with Amazon Connect, targeting larger enterprise clients Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Feb 2025
How to use ChatGPT for customer service
Customer service teams can use ChatGPT to automate tasks, generate responses to customer inquiries, summarize email threads and power human-like chatbots. Continue Reading
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Answer
20 Feb 2025
CRM vs. CDP vs. DMP: What's the difference?
Sales and marketing terms are like alphabet soup, and the different acronyms can get confusing. Learn about the differences among three major platforms: CRM, CDP and DMP. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Feb 2025
How to use IoT for marketing
IoT devices can track people's fitness routines and monitor manufacturing equipment, but they also offer valuable customer data for personalized outreach. Continue Reading
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News
17 Feb 2025
Liverpool reinvents customer service through digital platform
Liverpool City Council wants to improve residents’ experience of dealing with the council, and sees digital technologies as key to achieving its goal Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Feb 2025
What is high-touch customer service?
High-touch customer service is a category of contact center interaction that requires human interaction. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Feb 2025
What is CRM (customer relationship management)?
CRM (customer relationship management) is the combination of practices, strategies and technologies that companies use to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle. Continue Reading
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Definition
10 Feb 2025
What is a customer journey map?
A customer journey map is a visual depiction of the stages customers go through when interacting with a company -- from buying products online to accessing customer service on the phone to airing grievances on social media. Continue Reading
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Opinion
07 Feb 2025
Secure software procurement in 2025: A call for accountability
Outgoing CISA chief Jen Easterly called on buyers to demand better security standards from their software suppliers. The Security Think Tank considers what better means, and what best practice for secure software procurement looks like in 2025. Continue Reading
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News
05 Feb 2025
Crowd-source testing helps drive Webex accessibility
Conferencing software Webex has a number of accessibility features built-in and has worked with Applause to test how well these work Continue Reading
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News
05 Feb 2025
APAC organisations to ramp up tech spending in 2025
Organisations across the region are prioritising cyber security, customer experience and application development, even as they navigate cloud repatriation and a growing skills gap in AI and security Continue Reading
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News
04 Feb 2025
Can AI identify financially vulnerable people better than humans?
Research from customer experience firm Nice finds that AI can identify financially vulnerable people better than humans and offer more comfortable channels for financial problem solving Continue Reading
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News
30 Jan 2025
Interview: Volvo’s engineering lead discusses tech stacks
Volvo Cars’ approach to manufacturing is becoming more software-defined, built on top of what it calls ‘a superset tech stack’ Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2025
Interview: Feryal Clark, AI and digital government minister, DSIT
Computer Weekly talks to the parliamentary under-secretary about digital identity, the importance of trust and utilising the power of artificial intelligence Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2025
High Court: Sky Betting ‘parasitic’ in targeting problem gambler
UK High Court rules that Sky Betting acted unlawfully after breaching a customer’s data protection rights when it obtained his personal data through cookies and used it to profile him for the purposes of direct marketing, despite his ‘impaired’ ability to provide meaningful consent Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Jan 2025
Free event marketing plan, with a template
An event marketing plan can help brands organize their events, connect with audiences and achieve measurable outcomes. Key steps include defining goals and setting budgets. Continue Reading
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News
13 Jan 2025
Metro mayors face similar digitisation challenges to banks, but lack their resources
UK regional leaders want to be independent of central government when it comes to digital transformation decision-making, but don’t fully understand what’s ahead Continue Reading
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Infographic
06 Jan 2025
Salesforce's 2024 acquisitions reveal a mature M&A strategy
After two years of minimal big or small purchases, 2024 was the year of Salesforce's most cohesive and mature mergers and acquisitions strategy so far. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Dec 2024
7 customer experience trends to know in 2025
Customer experience trends like generative AI, proactive outreach and agent assist can all help organizations ensure they can attract and keep customers. Continue Reading
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Opinion
18 Dec 2024
The future of CX is AI-powered and human-centric
AI is revolutionising customer experience, but companies must prioritise data quality and human oversight to deliver personalised services that builds loyalty and drives growth Continue Reading
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Opinion
17 Dec 2024
Using AI to build stronger client relationships in 2025
On the Twelfth Day of AI, we explore the key benefits of Copilot, the potential risks, barriers to adoption, and strategies for ensuring successful implementation. Continue Reading
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News
11 Dec 2024
Freshworks rides Asia’s digital wave
The enterprise software firm’s exponential growth in the region is driven by demand for streamlined customer and employee experiences by its mid-market customers Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Dec 2024
The top 15 event marketing tools
Marketers rely on a combination of tools, such as CRM systems and marketing automation platforms, to manage events. Top tools include Salesforce, ActiveCampaign and Eventbrite. Continue Reading
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News
09 Dec 2024
Inside Prudential’s AI strategy
Prudential is leveraging AI across its operations, from enhancing customer interactions and streamlining internal processes to empowering its workforce through upskilling initiatives Continue Reading
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News
03 Dec 2024
F1 heightens fan experiences with the power of Salesforce
Learn how the technical teams behind Formula One are using Salesforce’s tools to enhance fan activation and engagement at 24 races across the world, and how they are bringing AI into play with Agentforce capabilities Continue Reading
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Opinion
02 Dec 2024
Unwrapping the benefits of AI for marketing
In the first of a new series of articles, the 12 Days of AI, we explore how AI is being used in marketing, the benefits and key use cases, as well as concerns and how marketers can best take advantage of AI Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Nov 2024
LGE looks to mean business with tech pivot
Refusing to rest on its laurels as a giant in consumer electronics, LGE unveils plan to take accumulated wealth of knowledge to the business sector. We look at how and why this pivot is taking place and where it will drive the company Continue Reading
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Definition
21 Nov 2024
What is a chief experience officer (CXO)?
A chief experience officer (CXO) is an executive in the C-suite who ensures positive interactions with an organization's customers. Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Nov 2024
9 sustainable event ideas
From hosting virtual conferences to repurposing exhibition stands as cow shelters, brands can find ways to make their events more sustainable. Continue Reading
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Definition
07 Nov 2024
What is customer profiling?
Customer profiling is the detailed, systematic process of constructing a clear portrait of a company's ideal customer by gathering and analyzing information about their demographic, psychographic and behavioral attributes. Continue Reading
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Definition
07 Nov 2024
What is mindshare (share of mind)?
Mindshare, also known as share of mind, is an approach to marketing that involves attempting to make a company, brand or product the first one that comes to mind when a customer thinks of a particular market. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Nov 2024
7 benefits of event marketing
From large conferences to small webinars, events can help brands improve lead generation and content creation. Continue Reading
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Video
06 Nov 2024
An explanation of customer relationship management (CRM)
CRM software enhances customer relationships and drives sales growth by consolidating customer data into a single database, enabling effective marketing and improved service. Continue Reading
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Definition
05 Nov 2024
What is martech (marketing technology)?
Martech (marketing technology) refers to the integration of software tools, platforms and applications designed to streamline and enhance digital marketing. Continue Reading
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Definition
05 Nov 2024
What is customer insight (consumer insight)?
Customer insight, or consumer insight, is the understanding and interpretation of customer data, behaviors and feedback into conclusions that can be used to drive actions that improve product development and customer support. Continue Reading
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News
28 Oct 2024
How Manulife is empowering sales and call centre agents with AI
Canadian insurance giant is leveraging generative AI to personalise customer experiences, transform contact centre workflows and automate underwriting processes Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Oct 2024
10 multitouch attribution software and tools
MTA tools can help marketers understand the customer journey and track which touchpoints lead to the most conversions. Top tools include Adobe Analytics, Branch and Triple Whale. Continue Reading
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News
21 Oct 2024
Techcombank’s tech investments set to fuel record profit
The Vietnam bank is targeting $1bn in profit in 2024 while maintaining a flat headcount and reducing physical branches, thanks to its investments in artificial intelligence and a data engine Continue Reading
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Definition
21 Oct 2024
What is Salesforce Wave Analytics (Salesforce CRM Analytics)?
Salesforce Wave Analytics, now known as CRM Analytics, is a business intelligence (BI) and analytics platform from Salesforce that provides native analytics, visual insights and predictions powered by artificial intelligence (AI) for Salesforce CRM to help businesses make better, data-driven decisions. Continue Reading
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Feature
18 Oct 2024
7 benefits of video marketing
Video marketing can help organizations engage audiences on an emotional level. Key benefits include building trust, enhancing SEO and improving the sales process. Continue Reading
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News
18 Oct 2024
How Philippine Airlines is transforming customer experience
The flag carrier of the Philippines discusses how its digital transformation journey has improved customer experience and streamlined internal processes Continue Reading
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Definition
16 Oct 2024
What is Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a customer relationship management (CRM) and digital marketing platform that enables marketers to generate better marketing outcomes and ROI. Continue Reading
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Definition
15 Oct 2024
What is Salesforce Service Cloud?
Salesforce Service Cloud is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform for Salesforce clients to provide service and support to their business customers. Continue Reading
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Definition
15 Oct 2024
What is IoT Cloud (Salesforce IoT Cloud)?
IoT Cloud is a Salesforce platform designed to store and process internet of things (IoT) data. Continue Reading
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News
15 Oct 2024
Gitex Global: Avaya augments CX role with AI-based Virtual Operations Manager
Virtual Operations Manager concept looks to highlight ‘art of the possible’, showing how human and AI collaboration can fundamentally alter the way customer experience is managed at the contact centre level Continue Reading
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E-Zine
15 Oct 2024
A future of virtual collaboration
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine how immersive technologies such as augmented and virtual reality are set to transform workplace collaboration. We look at how AI is helping to deliver improvements in customer experience. And we analyse the problems in the Post Office project to replace its troubled Horizon IT system. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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Definition
11 Oct 2024
What is Salesforce Customer Success Platform?
The Salesforce Customer Success Platform (CSP) is the official name of the Salesforce portfolio of products. Continue Reading
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Definition
11 Oct 2024
What is Salesforce Work.com?
Salesforce Work.com is a set of solutions from Salesforce that enable organizations to simplify return-to-work processes, maintain safe workplace operations, assess and promote employee health, safety and well-being, and communicate with customers in an open, honest, trustworthy manner. Continue Reading
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Definition
11 Oct 2024
What is the Salesforce Service Console?
The Salesforce Service Console is the centralized interface in Salesforce Service Cloud, an application devoted to customer service, support and customer experience. Continue Reading
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Definition
10 Oct 2024
What is Salesforce Journey Builder?
Salesforce Journey Builder is a campaign planning tool in Salesforce Marketing Cloud to build personalized customer journeys and deliver unique campaigns and content that enhance customer experiences and secure their loyalty. Continue Reading
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Definition
01 Oct 2024
What is customer intelligence (CI) and how does it help business?
Customer intelligence (CI) is the process of collecting and analyzing detailed customer data from internal and external sources to gain insights about customer needs, motivations and behaviors. Continue Reading
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Opinion
01 Oct 2024
How to make the CMO your best friend
Chief marketing officers are more reliant than ever on their CIO colleagues - but it's a relationship that can, and should, work to their mutual benefit Continue Reading
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News
27 Sep 2024
Digital customer experience critical for manufacturing, construction
Study finds desire to improve operational efficiency, digital transformation, changing customer expectations and competitive pressures driving a shift towards an enhanced digital customer experience in key industrial sectors Continue Reading
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News
27 Sep 2024
How UEM Sunrise is driving transformation with Salesforce and AI
Malaysian property developer UEM Sunrise is leveraging Salesforce and AI to boost sales and enhance customer experience while prioritising data sovereignty and a diversified cloud strategy Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Sep 2024
Does influencer marketing work?
The quick answer is yes. Influencer marketing can help brands increase engagement and sales. Yet, it only works if marketers give influencers creative control. Continue Reading
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Definition
24 Sep 2024
What is a customer effort score (CES)?
Customer effort score (CES) is a system for evaluating how much effort is required on the part of a customer to achieve satisfaction in their experience with a company. Continue Reading
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Definition
23 Sep 2024
What is a sales funnel? Everything you need to know
A sales funnel, also called a 'purchase funnel,' is the visual representation of the customer journey, depicting the sales process from awareness to action. Continue Reading
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Opinion
23 Sep 2024
Gartner: Mitigating security threats in AI agents
Agents represent a step-change in the use of artificial intelligence in the enterprise - as attendees at Salesforce's annual conference saw first hand this month - but do not come without their risks Continue Reading
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Opinion
23 Sep 2024
Benioff’s Agentforce gambit might just work
At Dreamforce 2024 in San Francisco, Salesforce announced the potential for its customers to embed virtual agents on its platform, so avoiding what the supplier dubs DIY GenAI. Will it work? Continue Reading
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News
23 Sep 2024
Metro Bank outsources IT to Infosys to cut costs and digitally transform
Indian IT services giant taken on to support Metro Bank’s digital transformation in multi-year deal Continue Reading
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News
22 Sep 2024
Zendesk debuts outcome-based pricing for AI agents
Zendesk customers only pay for successful AI query resolutions, easing the transition to AI-powered customer support and improving scalability during peak periods Continue Reading
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Definition
19 Sep 2024
What is Salesforce Einstein 1?
Salesforce Einstein 1 refers to an integrated set of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies developed for the Salesforce platform. Continue Reading
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Definition
19 Sep 2024
What is Salesforce Sales Cloud?
Salesforce Sales Cloud is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform designed to support sales, marketing and customer support in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer contexts. Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2024
M1 ditches 70% of legacy systems in cloud transformation drive
Singapore telco M1 is switching off 70% of its legacy systems by the end of 2024 and leveraging Salesforce to offer more personalised services Continue Reading
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Definition
18 Sep 2024
What is a sales pipeline?
A sales pipeline is a visual representation of sales prospects and where they are in the purchasing process. Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2024
Dreamforce 24: Salesforce taps Nvidia to power Agentforce
At Dreamforce in San Francisco, Salesforce and Nvidia detail some of the tech that will power the software giant's newly launched Agentforce service Continue Reading
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Definition
18 Sep 2024
What is transactional marketing?
Transactional marketing is a business strategy that focuses on single, point-of-sale transactions. Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2024
Dreamforce 2024: Salesforce calls on customers to flesh out AI vision
A stream of customers helped Salesforce make the case for its Agentforce artificial intelligence offering on the opening day of the annual Dreamforce conference in San Francisco Continue Reading
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News
17 Sep 2024
Salesforce’s agentic AI platform to transform business automation
CRM giant’s Agentforce lets organisations build and deploy autonomous agents to automate business processes through advanced learning and data integration Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Sep 2024
What is Salesforce Platform (formerly Force.com)?
Salesforce Platform (formerly known as Force.com) is a platform as a service (PaaS) product that simplifies the development and deployment of cloud-based applications and websites. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Sep 2024
What is Salesforce Developer Experience (Salesforce DX)?
Salesforce Developer Experience (Salesforce DX) is a set of software development tools that lets developers build, test and ship many kinds of applications on Salesforce Platform (formerly called Force.com). Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Sep 2024
The role of machine learning in multitouch attribution
As customer journeys have become more complex, marketers often struggle to determine which touchpoints lead to sales. Explore how machine learning can help. Continue Reading
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Definition
10 Sep 2024
What is Salesforce Commerce Cloud?
Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a cloud-based suite of products that enable e-commerce businesses to set up e-commerce sites, drive more automation and provide customers with seamless shopping experiences. Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2024
Forrester: IT budget growth pushed towards cross-functional teams
Analyst firm Forrester has forecast a slight increase in IT budgets for 2025, but technical debt is one of the areas likely to feel the squeeze Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Sep 2024
Benefits and challenges of contact center benchmarking
Contact center benchmarking can help organizations allocate spending and improve CX. Yet, common pitfalls, such as a lack of qualitative data, can negatively affect efforts. Continue Reading
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Definition
05 Sep 2024
What is digital experience (DX)?
Digital experience (DX), also known as 'digital user experience' (UX), is the take-away feeling an end user has after an experience in a digital environment or with a digital technology or device. Continue Reading
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Definition
05 Sep 2024
What is a contact center?
A contact center is a central point from which organizations manage all customer interactions across various channels. Continue Reading
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Feature
03 Sep 2024
MTA vs. MMM: What's the difference?
MTA and MMM help marketers improve their strategies, but MTA has a narrower focus. Key differences between these techniques include focus and data requirements. Continue Reading
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Definition
28 Aug 2024
What is sentiment analysis?
Sentiment analysis, also referred to as 'opinion mining,' is an approach to natural language processing (NLP) that identifies the emotional tone behind a body of text. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Aug 2024
10 strategies to improve contact center agent performance
Call monitoring, skills-based routing, positive reinforcement, training resources and coaching can help contact center agents improve their performance and customer interactions. Continue Reading
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Definition
20 Aug 2024
What is customer segmentation?
Customer segmentation is the practice of dividing a customer base into groups of individuals that have similar characteristics relevant to marketing, such as age, gender, interests and spending habits. Continue Reading
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Definition
19 Aug 2024
What is customer experience (CX) and why is it important?
Customer experience (CX) is the sum total of customers' perceptions and feelings resulting from interactions with a brand's products and services. Continue Reading
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Definition
16 Aug 2024
What are buyer personas?
A buyer persona is a composite representation of a specific type of customer in a market segment. Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Aug 2024
The top 7 video marketing trends
Video marketing trends, such as user-generated content, influencer marketing and virtual and hybrid events, can help brands expand their reach and engage more customers. Continue Reading
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Definition
14 Aug 2024
What is sales motion?
A sales motion is the particular sales method an organization uses to sell and deliver a product or a service to its customers. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
14 Aug 2024
Accessibility and digital exclusion
Imagine if one day in your job, you have to ask someone to find the radio button on a Windows PC or a Mac that you are supposed to click, because your screen reader is unable to tell you where it ... Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Aug 2024
10 tips to improve customer retention
Organizations that properly gather consumer feedback, get to know their customers and offer rewards to loyal shoppers can improve their customer retention rates. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Aug 2024
CX+EX=BG, with added AI: A winning formula for customer experience
Guaranteeing customer experiences of the highest level possible is one of the cornerstones of the modern business. Is there a magic formula? It could well be a combination of artificial intelligence and pixie dust Continue Reading
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Definition
05 Aug 2024
What is a 360-degree customer view?
The 360-degree customer view is a comprehensive approach to understanding customers by compiling their individual data from various touchpoints into a single view. Continue Reading
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News
01 Aug 2024
Businesses fail to deliver consistently positive customer experience
Research from a leading global business school’s publishing arm finds that even though 94% of business leaders think good customer experience is important for business success, just 38% believe they can deliver it Continue Reading
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Definition
01 Aug 2024
What is the bullwhip effect?
The bullwhip effect is a supply chain phenomenon describing how small fluctuations in demand at the retail level can cause progressively larger fluctuations in demand at the wholesale, distributor, manufacturer and raw material supplier levels. Continue Reading
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News
31 Jul 2024
Court overturns Appian’s $2bn trade secrets award against Pegasystems
Business process management software suppliers Pegasystems and Appian head for retrial after a judge finds flaws in trade secrets trial Continue Reading
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News
29 Jul 2024
AI ‘changing everything’ about customer experience
Study from customer experience technology provider reveals the profound effect AI is having in its industry, taking it beyond traditional, manual services to more advanced, technological-driven experiences Continue Reading
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Definition
26 Jul 2024
What are virtual agents and how are they being used?
A virtual agent -- sometimes called an intelligent virtual agent (IVA) -- is a software program or cloud service that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) to provide automated services or guidance to humans. Continue Reading
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Definition
24 Jul 2024
What is first call resolution (FCR)?
First call resolution (FCR) is when contact center agents properly address a customer's needs the first time they call so there is no need for the customer to follow up with a second call. Continue Reading
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News
24 Jul 2024
Qualtrics CEO: AI can make businesses more human
Qualtrics CEO Zig Serafin believes AI can democratise experience management and help businesses better understand what matters to both customers and employees Continue Reading
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News
23 Jul 2024
Innovations to power secure-by-design development
Secure Code Warrior unveils technology designed to help CISOs and AppSec teams ensure their projects remain safe and free of coding errors and vulnerabilities – a big issue following the CrowdStrike incident Continue Reading
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Definition
22 Jul 2024
What is an abandoned call?
An abandoned call is a call or other type of contact initiated to a call center or contact center that is ended before any conversation occurs. Continue Reading
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Definition
19 Jul 2024
What is an inbound call?
An inbound call is typically initiated by a customer to a call center or contact center. Continue Reading