Bob Thompson
What Business Leaders Can Learn From “Moments of Truth”: An Interview With Former SAS...
In 1981, Jan Carlzon became CEO of the problem-ridden Scandinavian Airlines. Well before he left the company in 1994, Carlzon turned the airline around by focusing on what he later called "moments of truth," the various points at which people with the airline came...
A Five-Year Vision for CRM: Seven Key Trends
For the past several years, I've been writing annual predictions for the CRM industry. It's all been good fun and forces me to sit down once a year and think about important developments. How did I do last year? Judge for yourself by reading...
It Takes a Village To Provide Customer Experience: A Discussion on CEM
The CRM mantra has always been that everything comes down to the customer. Now along comes Customer Experience Management, a strategy for putting the customer at front and center of your organization. So is this just a flash in the pan? Is it a...
Forget Benioff’s Hype: Five Problems Will Thwart Salesforce.com’s Rise in On-Demand CRM
In enterprise software, the latest innovation is not about the software but how it's delivered—via the Internet. Salesforce.com has earned a reputation as an innovator and market leader in on-demand CRM, but getting on top and staying there are two different things. In my...
CMAT Can Tell You How Well You Manage Your Customers: An Interview With Neil...
How well does your company "manage" your customers? Too often, say Neil Woodcock and Doug Leather, there's a disconnect between what executives think happens and what really happens at all the customer touch-points. In this edition of Inside Scoop, CRMGuru.com founder Bob Thompson talks...
How’s the CRM Industry Doing? Not Too Bad (But Don’t Stop Checking Its Pulse)
A year-long CRMGuru study of CRM technology projects revealed that the industry is healthy. About two-thirds of projects are reasonably successful, based on payback and customer perception. But the study also showed that the full potential for CRM driving strategic business benefits is falling...
The Power of One: How Wells Fargo Builds Loyalty With Frontline Service
Most so-called CRM case studies start with a discussion of business goals—such as growing sales, improving marketing effectiveness or reducing service cost. And then rapidly transition to a description of an IT project, while extolling the benefits of a CRM software solution. Usually lost...
CRM Industry Predictions for 2005: Five Key Trends
I have a good feeling about 2005! We should see continued adoption of customer-centric business practices—the core of what CRM is all about. And, the overall market for CRM solutions and services will continue to expand by 5 percent to 10 percent, according to...
Tesco Shines at Loyalty: An Interview With Clive Humby
When dunnhumby began working with U.K. retail giant Tesco on what would become the successful Clubcard program, it was just a scheme of one Tesco executive to move beyond typical loyalty programs and tap into what the customer was actually buying—and would want to...
Collaboration: The Cure for What Ails CRM
Ready or not, welcome to the Customer Age. Customers have more choices than ever before, thanks to a global economy that pumps out high-quality goods and services, with a helping hand from the Internet to ensure competitive prices (unless you're dealing with Microsoft...