CRM Daily

A U.S. Outsourcing Deal May Add American Jobs

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:34:45 -0500

Even Snapple, an American iced tea maker with a homespun image, is outsourcing work to an Indian company. But in unusual twist, the deal may increase jobs in the United States.

The brand's parent company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, said Tuesday it had signed a new, five-year contract with HCL Technologies, a major information technology and outsourcing company based in Noida, India. HCL will manage Snapple's computer networks -- but may be hiring in the United States to do it.

HCL said Tuesday that Dr Pepper Snapple would be its "anchor service desk customer" in a facility in Raleigh, North Carolina, that would eventually employ 500 people. With the new deal, HCL is continuing to "bring on new staff at our new facility in North Carolina," Shami Khorana, president of HCL America, said in a statement.

Indian IT and outsourcing companies have been increasing their use of "onshoring," or putting jobs in a client's home market, as political pressures build to grow jobs in countries hard hit by the economic slowdown.

Onshoring is being directly promoted in some markets. The Australia Computer Society, a trade group, said this month it was trying to help its members win back work that had gone overseas.

HCL said in August of last year that it would invest $3.2 million to open a North Carolina facility. At that time the company employed 3,000 workers in the United States and also had operations in China, Ireland and Poland. HCL employs over 60,000 people worldwide, the bulk of them in India.

Other information technology companies, like Tata Consultancy Services, have set up huge overseas operations. T.C.S., as it is known, now employs about 12,000 people outside India, according to the company's latest annual report.

Terms of the HCL and Dr Pepper Snapple deal were not announced. HCL beat out I.B.M. for the contract.

Just a Little Web Site Called Google

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:07:12 -0500

Google handles about two-thirds of all Internet searches. It owns the largest online video site, YouTube, which is more than 10 times as popular as its nearest competitor. And last year, Google sold nearly $22 billion in advertising, more than any other media company in the world.

With all those riches and more, how is Google a relatively small company, one that is vulnerable to competition and whose luck could turn any day?

Dana Wagner is happy to explain.

Mr. Wagner, who is Google's "senior competition counsel," faces the Sisyphean task of convincing the world that his employer is not unassailable.

"Competition is a click away," Mr. Wagner says. The phrase is part of a stump speech he has given in Silicon Valley, New York and Washington for the past few months to reporters, legal scholars, congressional staff members, industry groups and anybody else who might influence public opinion about Google.

"We are in an industry that is subject to disruption, and we can't take anything for granted," he adds.

Google has begun this public-relations offensive because it is in the midst of a treacherous rite of passage for powerful technology companies -- regulators are intensely scrutinizing its every move, as they once did with AT&T, IBM, Intel and Microsoft. Some analysts say that government opposition, in the United States or in Europe, could be the biggest threat to Google's continued success.

The U.S. Justice Department derailed an important partnership between Google and Yahoo in November because of concerns it would cement Google's dominance and reduce competition. And Google now faces three new government antitrust investigations.

The Justice Department is examining the hiring practices at Google and other technology companies, and it is investigating a class-action settlement between Google and groups representing authors and publishers. The Federal Trade Commission is looking into ties between the boards of Google...

KANA Introduces New Era of Customer Service

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:27:57 -0500

Menlo Park, Calif., June 30, 2009 -� KANA Software, Inc. (OTCBB: KANA.OB), a world leader in innovative customer service solutions, today announced availability of KANA 10, the industry's first service experience management (SEM) platform for managing the entire customer service experience. This new solution, which gives major corporations and institutions the control needed to help ensure their customers receive exceptional service, has been selected by online travel service provider priceline.com.

Developed in conjunction with IBM and KANA customers, KANA 10 is a Web services-based solution that fuses the IBM service-oriented architecture (SOA) portfolio with KANA's decade of experience in knowledge management and messaging with new 'experience flow' functionality, all in a Web 2.0 platform.

KANA 10 brings a new era of flexibility and control to customer service. It can replace traditional approaches by enabling companies to rapidly model and deploy their customers' entire service experiences. KANA 10 also transcends traditional solutions in which critical customer information resides in separate applications or silos that are difficult to integrate, making it hard for businesses to adjust quickly to changing business conditions.

With KANA 10's Web services architecture, customers' existing technology and resources are linked into a single application, providing a seamless experience that can be managed by executives and easily accessed by customer service agents (CSRs). All KANA 10 users, whether a business analyst or CSR, will have a unified view of all pertinent customer information. Business leaders can quickly and effectively design, deploy, and modify customer service processes, or 'experience flows,' allowing for real-time process optimization that helps increase revenue, reduce risk, and ensure consistent service.

KANA CEO Michael Fields elaborated, "Working closely with companies like priceline.com has shown us that companies today need dynamic new technology platforms that let service executives control business processes as needed and provide CSRs streamlined ways to more rapidly...

How Many Facebook Users Will Go Public?

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:17:27 -0500

Marketers trying to horn in on the conversations happening on the Web are paying closer attention to what many consider the ultimate prize: Facebook's user profiles.

On June 24, Facebook began testing a feature that lets users share their updates with the public -- not just members they've deemed "friends." Each time a user provides an answer to Facebook's profile-page question "What's on your mind?," Facebook's software asks who may be allowed to see it. For instances when "everyone" is chosen, third-party companies are working on software that can analyze the information to see what products or services Facebook members might be interested in. And Facebook is modifying its search engine to look for these real-time feeds as well, the company has said.

"It opens up a whole other realm of content for companies who want to engage customers," says Marcel LeBrun, chief executive of Radian6, a software company that makes tools that let advertisers and public relations people draw conclusions from conversations on Twitter and other social-media sites. Radian6, Sysomos, and RightNow Technologies all have told BusinessWeek that they're modifying their current products to take advantage of Facebook's new status-broadcasting feature.

The insights marketers may glean could prove intriguing. As public status updates accumulate on the site, visitors will be able to search for all mentions of specific keywords, such as "Obama" or "American Idol." Meredith Chin, a Facebook spokeswoman, says some of the site's users may choose to publicly broadcast updates about concert tickets for sale, political opinions, or other matters "widely applicable to more people than your friends."

Marketers Are Treading Lightly

Software companies hoping to mine Facebook's data will need to tread carefully, though. Only a small fraction of the site's 200 million users make their profile data available to companies. And marketers will need to avoid running afoul of the...

Staying Cool If Inflation Heats Up

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:22:07 -0500

The 1970s really seem like ancient history, don't they? President Obama was just a high school kid in Hawaii. Tim Geithner was a freshman at Dartmouth. Ben Bernanke was finishing up graduate school at MIT. And kids across the country, like me, thought the Fonz was cool.

Oh, and during a six-year chunk (1971-1977) of that decade, the U.S. Consumer Price Index increased by 47 percent.

Well, we've learned a lot since then. We've learned that easy money can create inflation and high interest rates. We've learned that a tight lid on the money supply can keep prices under control. And we also learned that the Fonz was really a nerdy Jewish guy named Henry Winkler. (I'm also a nerdy Jewish guy, but hey -- no one at any time thought I was cool.)

Inflation Predictions

It seems that some of us are now forgetting these lessons from the past. Some experts are becoming increasingly concerned about the amount of money printed by the government to fund the Administration's stimulus program. [Of course, others disagree, arguing that any inflationary effect will be offset by consumers' new frugality. Others are nervously watching interest rates and the prices of key commodities begin to sharply increase. More alarming, a great many of today's youth think that Zac Efron is cool. And guess what? Yup, he's a nerdy Jewish guy, too.

Arthur B. Laffer is kind of nerdy as well. But that's O.K. -- he's an economist. He's also known for advising presidents and not looking at all like Zac Efron. In a recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece Laffer warned his readers to get ready for high inflation and interest rates. His arguments about the risks of the Fed's easy money policies, high deficits, and underfunded liabilities would rattle even the Fonz. "The percentage increase in the monetary...

Unclear What Happens to Personal Info With Clear

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:12:24 -0500

More than a quarter million people are wondering what will happen to their fingerprints, Social Security numbers, home addresses and other personal information now that a company that sped them through airport security is out of business.

Government officials are wondering too.

The sudden shutdown of the Clear program, run by Verified Identity Pass Inc., this week has raised more concerns about who keeps our personal information, how well it's protected from theft and whether it could be sold to the highest bidder.

If Verified files for bankruptcy protection or is taken over by another company, security experts say it's unlikely customers' private data would be handed over to creditors or new owners. But they -- as well as some members of Congress -- are starting to trace the data trail.

Worries about protecting personal information and the danger of identity theft cover many areas of life in the 21st century beyond travel -- from drawing cash out of an ATM to handing a credit card over to a store or restaurant.

On Tuesday, the parent company of retailers T.J. Maxx and Marshall's said it will pay $9.75 million in a settlement with a number of states related to massive data theft that exposed tens of millions of payment card numbers.

Clear said it will secure the personal information it gathered, which it says it handled according to Transportation Security Administration standards, and will "take appropriate steps to delete the information." Clear only provided information to TSA when it was part of the agency's pilot program, Registered Traveler, which ended in July 2008.

In a statement on its Web site Friday, Verified Identity Pass said that all of its Clear airport kiosks have been wiped clean of data. Employees' laptops are in the process of being cleared.

Although it was a private company, Clear had to follow TSA...

Marketers Connect With Consumers Via Mobile Apps

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:46:28 -0500

Marketers of everything from beer to couture are dialing up mobile-device applications for their brands.

As people have become enamored of how the software works for them without having to go to a mobile browser, they've made more than 1 billion downloads of free and paid "apps." Apple's iPhone has led the way: In less than a year, the number of iPhone apps available went from zero to 50,000.

Apps are fast becoming part of today's marketing mix because they can connect brands and products directly to consumers. That's also made them one of the hottest topics [in Cannes] this week at the ad industry's biggest annual awards competition, the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

"A branded iPhone application grants a fantastic consumer engagement," says Alexandre Mars, CEO at Phonevalley, a mobile-ad agency that has created apps for Kraft and Chanel. "They are rich, compelling and insightful. They provide a quick response time, and they are available without any data connection."

Among other brands using apps to connect with consumers: Audi, Pacifico Beer, Hardee's, movie studios, Sherwin-Williams, Target, Burger King and Zippo, as well as USA TODAY. Some branded apps offer games or information, while some provide utility, such as paint-color selection with ColorSnap for Sherwin-Williams. And some are just cool.

Audi, one of the first brands to launch an app last year, has had more than 3.5 million downloads of its Audi A4 Driving Challenge game. It recently introduced two more apps, including a 90-minute high-definition documentary.

"Our consumer is very tech savvy," says Jeri Ward, general manager of marketing and strategy. "This is a way to connect on their terms and the way they use technology."

Mexican beer brand Pacifico, with its image as a beer for people more interested in the adventurous side of Mexico than the beach, recently introduced a rooster alarm clock...

Businesses Get Cheap Help From a Little Birdie

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:46:45 -0500

When a Stanley Cup broadcast suddenly went black in late April, many Comcast subscribers simply scooted to Twitter to find out why.

It was there -- not on a phone system with multiple options -- they discovered that a lightning storm in Atlanta had caused a power outage during the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins hockey playoff game, and that the transmission would be restored soon.

"I did a search on Twitter as soon as the game went off the air," says Dave Decker, 31, a Web developer in Pittsburgh who regularly tweets while watching sporting events. "The mystery was resolved in minutes. Before Twitter, it would have been a nightmare trying to find out what happened on the phone."

Comcast's deft use of Twitter underscores what is becoming a staple in modern-day customer service. Increasingly, corporate giants such as Comcast, PepsiCo, JetBlue Airways, Whole Foods Market and others are beefing up direct communications with customers through social-media tools such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

The popular communications technology has helped companies quickly and inexpensively respond to customer complaints, answer questions and tailor products and services. It has supplemented current customer services, easing the load on call centers and expensive mailers that most consumers abhor. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and online software services such as LiveOps, Salesforce.com and RightNow Technologies are all are being used to improve customer service, retain users and gain a competitive advantage.

"If you're trying to hide from your customers, don't use Twitter," says Demian Sellfors, CEO of Media Temple, a Web-hosting service. "We want to know what our customers think, both good and bad. That's a good thing."

As more companies effectively use social-media tools for customer care, it also is becoming easier to shift customer-relations resources to the U.S. and feed into the fledgling "homeshoring" trend. Home-based workers have become de rigueur among...

InetSoft Offers Free Migration To LucidEra Users

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:33:51 -0500

Piscataway, NJ, June 25, 2009 -- InetSoft Technology (www.inetsoft.com), an innovator in dashboard, reporting and analysis solutions, today announced a special offer of free migration services to LucidEra customers. InetSoft has been providing on-premise business intelligence software since 1996 and launched its SaaS BI service for salesforce.com customers in 2008.

InetSoft's solution, Style Intelligence for Salesforce, is a Flash-based application that includes a dozen prebuilt interactive dashboards and drillable reports covering sales pipelines, executive sales dashboards, marketing campaigns, lead tracking, and customer service operations cases and tickets, employee performance, and other key performance indicators. The business intelligence application also includes a visual dashboard and report designer for maximum self-service for creating new dashboards and reports.

Compared to information access capabilities included with salesforce.com's CRM application, InetSoft's solution offers significant time and resource savings in pulling information out of Salesforce, the chance to maximize sales by identifying "stuck" opportunities in the sales pipeline, and the ability to improve marketing efficiency by comparing the performance of campaigns over varying periods of time.

"Given the published reports of LucidEra's unfortunate situation with respect to continuing operations due to the state of the private equity markets, we can understand how Lucidera's clients could be concerned about disruptions to their day-to-day operations that have come to depend on the valuable business intelligence applications LucidEra has been providing," stated Mark Flaherty, Vice President of Marketing at InetSoft. "Having been in business for thirteen years, we're offering ourselves as a stable and dependable partner. We also have the resources to help make the migration to our SaaS BI offering as painless as possible."

The migration offer includes assistance in recreating dashboards and reports being used in LucidEra's applications in InetSoft's Style Intelligence for Salesforce. For more details on the free migration offer, please contact InetSoft by visiting www.inetsoft.com.

About InetSoft

Since 1996 InetSoft...

Study: CEOs Not Doing Enough on Social Networks

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:06:35 -0500

A new study says top CEOs should do a better job managing their presence online, on social sites like Twitter and Facebook and even Wikipedia.

Sharon Barclay, who runs the executive public-relations firm Blue Trumpet Group and the blog UberCEO, took Fortune's 2009 list of the top 100 CEOs and found what she calls a "miserable level of engagement" when it comes to social networks.

Barclay only found two CEOs with Twitter accounts, and only 13 had profiles on LinkedIn, the social network for professionals. She found only 19 with a personal Facebook page, and while three-quarters had "some kind of" entry on the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, many of those entries had incorrect titles, missing information or a lack of sources.

Though Barclay did not poll the CEOs themselves, she said the results question whether these executives are managing their online reputation.

"I would think an executive at that level would want to exploit (an online) network as much as possible," Barclay said. "But the only executives using LinkedIn well were people in technology."

Michael Dell, the CEO of computer maker Dell Inc., Gregory Spierkel, the head of technology products distributor Ingram Micro, and John Chambers, the CEO of Cisco Systems Inc., were three company heads Barclay said stood out from the pack on LinkedIn. Each had more than 80 "connections," links to other professionals.

Facebook can make it difficult to manage an online profile because fake pages are abundant for chief executives. Rex Tillerson, CEO of the No. 1 ranking company, Exxon Mobile, had at least two Facebook pages with his photo attached, though neither listed any "friends."

"What CEOs need to realize is that millions of their customers are communicating this way, and it's foolish for them to dismiss this," Barclay said.