We Blog CRM

Speaking of results, Russian firm Trakt announced the launch of the E1 Distribution vertical solution based on mySAP ERP with additional functions like budget management, asset accounting and quality management.

The introduction of E1 Distribution marks phase one in the project and was implemented to solve problems in product shortage and surplus in warehouses, to provide effective sales management, and to formalize business processes. In 2007, the second stage of the project involves installing client relationship management based on mySAP CRM.

Attention Asia! The CDC monster is also making moves in North America.

CDC Software, that ever-active subsidiary of CDC Corporation and global provider of industry-specific enterprise software applications and consulting services, released figures today that showed its Pivotal MarketFirst marketing automation and lead generation solution had saved Sharp Electronics Manufacturing Corporation of America more than $1.6 million in operating costs since implementation.

Sharp Electronics’ numbers showed that Pivotal MarketFirst had shown some stunning improvement for Sharp, including reducing cost per lead from $76 to $8; saving an estimated $420,000 over four years by reducing advertising agency fees by using Pivotal MarketFirst to automate tasks; saving an estimated annual $70,00 in labor costs due to MarketFirst’s lead assignment capabilities; and additional labor savings of over $17,000 annually due to MarketFirst’s automatic lead response emailing.

Sharp Electronics currently uses MarketFirst for automated lead capture and rankings from its website, phone calls, trade shows, events, and inbound and outbound telemarketing; lead qualification and dissemination.

CDC Software is a provider of enterprise software applications designed to assist organizations in delivering a superior customer experience. The CDC Software product suite includes Pivotal CRM, c360 CRM, Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform development tools, Ross enterprise resource planning, Ross supply chain management, IMI warehouse management, order management, Platinum China human resource solutions, and business analytics.

Pivotal Corporation is a software unit of CDC Corporation that boasts of clientele of 1,800 companies all its own, including Farm Credit Services of America, WCI Communities, Premera Blue Cross, Qiagen, ESRI, AvMed Health Plans, Sharp Electronics Corporation, and CMS Cameron McKenna.

International Investment firm TII today announced the global launch of selektpoints, which seeks to be a “global pioneer of EMV loyalty programs.”

Reported the online outlet Al Bawaba: “TII Chairman Mr. Adnan Al Bahar initiated proceedings in typical fashion with a bold statement. ‘We are proud to announce the global launch of the revolution that is selektpoints, an EMV loyalty program that offers cardholders a unique and rewarding proposition…’”

(CRMchump doesn’t really understand why that’s a bold statement, but hey.)

Acxiom Corporation and Ticketmaster have announced their joining to integrate Acxiom’s Customer Data Integration and data enhancement capabilities with Ticketmaster’s state-of-the-art computerized ticketing and customer relationship management system.

Under terms of the alliance, Ticketmaster will offer venues, promoters and sports teams enhanced CRM services including Acxiom’s Customer Data Integration technology.

Headquartered in West Hollywood, Ticketmaster lays claim to status as the world’s leading ticketing company, operating in 20 global markets in approximately 6,500 retail outlets and with 20 worldwide call centers. Ticketmaster celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2006 and currently serves more than 9,000 clients worldwide. Last year, the company sold more than 128 million tickets valued at over $7 billion on behalf of its clients.

Acxiom Corporation services more than 70 American sports and entertainment clients through its Acxiom Direct unit. Acxiom handles all CDI processes. Founded in 1969, Acxiom is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, with locations in the United States, Europe, Australia, China and Canada.

You’ve heard of seminars and demos, of course, and “webinar” has become accepted terminology now. But have you ever heard of the “deminar”? They will in Charlotte.

April 24 will see the North Carolina city play host to customer relationship management consulting firm Customer Connect Associates and Charlotte’s Sales Leadership Council’s deminar, defined in PR material as “a combination seminar and product demonstration” at the Microsoft offices on April 24. The Microsoft Across America truck will be present at the event, the third in an ongoing series of Microsoft-sponsored seminars hosted by Customer Connect.

The deminar on CRM best practices will be conducted by Customer Connect president Geoff Ables and will include a demonstration of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0. Additional product demonstrations will include those of Office 2007, Vista, and Cisco VoIP phone systems with CRM integration.

Founded in 2000, Customer Connect Associates today boasts a cliente which includes Travelocity, SAS, LandAmerica, AMF, BB&T, Fairfield Resorts, MedImpact, Jacobsen, AAA, Cardinal Health, Covelight Systems, Realty One and Huber Engineered Woods.

A pair of firms moved their way up the Microsoft food chain this week.

The perfectly named Invisible CRM announced their new status as an ISV partner InvisibleCRM was launched in 2005 and was designed to “bridge the gap between corporate applications and user-friendly environments – Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Windows.” To date, InvisibleCRM has delivered integration solutions for Salesforce.com, Amdocs, EMC Documentum and Pivotal.

Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas, P.C., laying claim to status as the only Houston-based accounting and technology consulting firm specializing in Microsoft Dynamics NAV, was awarded Gold Certified Partner status for the second consecutive year.

(Does that make PKF Texas a “Microsoft pardner?” Giggle.)

Software House International, resellers of software and hardware, has announced the launch of an initiative to “develop services that add value on top of its sales.” Current primary product lines at SHI include Microsoft, McAfee and IBM.

SHI has recently untaken a massive assessment of its own help desk capabilities and employed FrontRange IT Service Management modules; company numbers show that the “first-call closure rates [have been driven up] to approximately 83 percent – significantly higher than before.”

Software and solutions developer FrontRange Solutions now claims a clientele of over 130,000 companies and more than 1.7 million seats worldwide. FrontRange corporate clientele includes Coca-Cola, Shell Oil, Prudential Securities, Electricite de France, Mack Trucks, Campbell Soup, Avaya, Bechtel Corp, Bank of America, and the Turner News Network.

Just over one week ago, FrontRange announced the release of its CRM product, the GoldMine Enterprise Edition.

CDC Software is buying again. The CDC Corporation subsidiary has announced the acquisition of Respond Group, Ltd. Respond is a European provider of software applications for customer service. CDC spokespeople enthusiastically reported that “Respond applications and [the] organization are highly complementary to CDC Software’s Pivotal CRM solutions.”

To CDC, Respond brings a clientele list that includes AXA Insurance, Barclays, and Aegon among others.

Pivotal Corporation is a software unit of CDC Corporation that boasts of clientele of 1,800 companies all its own, including Farm Credit Services of America, WCI Communities, Premera Blue Cross, Qiagen, ESRI, AvMed Health Plans, Sharp Electronics Corporation, and CMS Cameron McKenna.

CDC Software is a provider of enterprise software applications designed to assist organizations in delivering a superior customer experience. The CDC Software product suite includes Pivotal CRM, c360 CRM, Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform development tools, Ross enterprise resource planning, Ross supply chain management, IMI warehouse management, order management, Platinum China human resource solutions, and business analytics.

CDC Software now boasts more than 5,000 customers worldwide in the manufacturing, financial services, health care, home building, real estate, and wholesale and retail distribution industries. CDC Software is a division of CDC Corporation, a provider of enterprise resource planning and supply chain management software applications in addition to its CRM solutions.

CRM software vendor Xtime, Inc. announced the scoring of a big win with in Newport Beach, California: Conant Auto Retail Group will be rolling out Xtime flagship ServiceCRM across its dealerships. The large chain notably includes Norm Reeves Honda Superstore, reportedly been America’s Honda sales leader 14 times in 15 years.

Dunkin’ Brands, hawkers of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins sweet stuff, has announced that Atlanta-based Studiocom Interactive bagged the firm’s marketing duties for 2007. Studiocom was chosen to be the digital marketing agency of record from a multi-agency search conducted for Dunkin’ Brands by Boston-based firm Foghound.

Under terms of the comprehensive agreement, Studiocom will provide online strategy and creative support for selected new product launches; plan and buy all online media; redesign the two brands’ consumer websites; will develop long-term strategies for Customer Relationship Management surrounding the “Dunkin’ stored value Card”; further develop Baskin-Robbins’ “Birthday Club program”; and implement search engine marketing, search engine optimization, and enhanced e-commerce efforts.

The numbers say that Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. owns over 13,000 franchises in 50 countries; further broken down, it’s 7,293 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants, 5,838 Baskin-Robbins restaurants and 280 Togo’s restaurants with system-wide sales of $6.4 billion at the end of 2006. Those in-the-know know that the Dunkin’ Donut itself is the most wonderful, evil food in the galaxy.

Founded in 1998 as a “pure Interactive Agency” and acquired by WPP in 2005, digital marketing strategists at Studiocom today include huge brands such as The Coca-Cola Company, Nestle, CVS/pharmacy, and Mattel among its clientele.