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11/2/05 - So Much Confusion
The on-going discussion about the merits of benchmarking seems to be muddled by the lack of common understanding of terms. One reader wrote:
"Gary, all this discussion about benchmarking and I have yet to hear anyone nail what in my mind is the obvious. A benchmark is an interim process between milestones of how things get done in an organization. 'Benchmarking' then, as a term, must be first and foremost, the exercise of defining business process, which must also be extended to include the exercises of executing and then monitoring that same process. If the metrics for measuring the success of a process are not tied directly to the business value that process is supposed to be bringing to the enterprise, why is that process being tolerated?"
I see no argument for the value of measuring business processes. The key phrase for me in this reader's comments is "tied directly to the business value." To me, that means using metrics to better your business, not overly focus on comparisons to external figures. Do you agree?
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
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TODAY'S NEWS (more)
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Parature announced the release of the Parature 6 Customer Support and Help Desk Solutions. This unified platform, developed entirely on the Microsoft .NET framework, builds upon the success of Parature 5 in allowing small and large corporations to deliver customer service regardless of time or geographic location.
UniPress announced the newest version of FootPrints Asset Management, powered by Centennial Discovery 2005. This new version includes a user-configurable dynamic dashboard for key audit data analysis among other things.
SafeHarbor announced it has entered into partnership with Art Technology Group (ATG). Through this alliance, ATG clients will be able to leverage SafeHarbor's professional service expertise in customer experience assessments, content management process review, and alignment of other related business processes.
NICE Systems announced that the Philadelphia Police Department and a long-term Dictaphone CRS customer, has selected NICE to capture and analyze its emergency communications.
Extraprise unveiled another tool for building successful marketing programs with its newest version of Customer Insight services. Customer Insight is a key component of Extraprise's Insight-to-Interaction (i2i) platform.
Sento announced that it has been awarded a multi-million dollar outsourcing contract from LensCrafters. The eyewear retailer chose Sento to manage inbound customer and support calls for 168 of its 888 stores.
Similarity Systems unveiled the latest release of its data profiling suite Similarity Systems AXIO 5.0. The release comes just three months after Similarity Systems acquired Evoke Software and added AXIO's data profiling capabilities to its data quality platform.
Avaya announced an alliance agreement with SAP America to market Intelligent Communications-enabled business applications that bring together people and business processes to achieve higher levels of customer service and business agility.
Exstream Software announced that Ista Shared Services is a satisfied user of Dialogue for the production of all its bills across the enterprise. To date, Dialogue has produced 60 million personalised pages for Ista.
At FrontRange Focus 2005, the FrontRange Global Partner Conference (www.frontrangefocus.com), new strategic partnerships, stronger partner propositions, and expanded product offerings comprise the agenda for the conference. Customers will be able to engage one on one with executives and product teams, participate in all open sessions, view case studies and participate in best practice product-specific sessions.
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 FEATURE WEBCAST (more) |
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"CRM's Secret Sauce - Everything You Need to Know About CRM"
Gary Lemke, Founder and Publisher, CRMAdvocate
Ah CRM . . . So much investment, so little return. Even today, a great divide exists between the promise and the benefit of CRM. Why? The answer is a paradox of simplicity and complexity - that is, the straightforward desire for customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention against an unyielding realization that not all customers act the same. Nor are all customers valued equally. This webcast is the first in a series on a single strategic focus and metric that can catapult your organization to the next level of revenue growth and profitability. Listen now to learn more.
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| CRMAdvocate Stock Index |
| CRMSI | 42.58 |  | 0.52% |
| Dow Jones | 10,406.77 |  | -0.32% |
| Nasdaq | 2,114.05 | | -0.30% |
| S&P 500 | 1,202.76 | | -0.35% |
| Top Gainers |
| NICE | 44.86 | | 1.19 |
| salesforce.com | 25.66 | | 0.67 |
| Sykes | 14.76 | | 0.32 |
| Top Losers |
| RightNow | 14.41 | | -0.81 |
| SPSS | 22 | | -0.80 |
| Amdocs | 25.88 | | -0.59 |
| Complete Stock Index |
| As of close 11/01/05 | |
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| (Feature)
|  | | How To Build Profits? Let Service People Do What They Do Best - In a former life, I was customer care director for a national cellular network. At the time, we were the No. 1 player in the market, having been the first to launch a proposition aimed at bringing consumers into the mobile arena. They were heady days. At the time, there were just 450 employees in the whole company plus another 500 employed by an outsourcer to support the fast growing consumer business.(CRMGuru)
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