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11/8/05 - An Innumeracy Crisis - Part III
How much of the benchmarking game is about managing your manager? One reader wrote, "I can tell your reader has had to deal with the managers who don't understand what the metrics mean and as a result make bad decision which she probably has to help clean up. The thing that concerns me about benchmarking is that most of the time it has to do with metrics, the efficiency part of the business and not delivery of service, the effectiveness part."
How often do you find your management asking questions about operational efficiency and how it compares to the competition? The reader goes on to say, "In addition, benchmarking can be viewed as what the 'average' out there is for a particular metric. Well, my daddy taught me that average is defined by the best of the worst and the worst of the best. I think benchmarking has its place, but it has to be looked at in context not as an end-all."
I know we've said as much in past columns. While there is general consensus on this particular position, many believe behavior won't change. While people understand what should happen, they seem trapped to do the same things over and over again. What do you think has to change for people to make the leap to outcome based metrics?
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
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TODAY'S NEWS (more)
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FrontRange Solutions extended access of its modular IT Service Management (ITSM), introducing a new enhanced version along with new integrated solutions for Inventory Management (IM) and Knowledge Management (KM).
SwiftPage Email, a web-based email marketing engine, announced that is has expanded its service to provide a turn-key integration of email marketing management into Sage CRM SalesLogix contact and customer management software. Sage CRM SalesLogix users can create, send and track professional emails while staying in compliance with the CAN-SPAM law, all through SwiftPage's servers.
eGain announced that Navman has built a trendsetting customer interaction hub with eGain OnDemand, the hosted version of applications in eGain's customer service software suite, eGain Service. The hub enables Navman to offer high quality service in eight languages through multiple interaction channels in a very cost-effective manner.
Parature announced that CenterStone Technologies has replaced RightNow Technologies Customer Service Software with Parature's Customer Support Solution.
When FTD decided to launch a new contact center to improve customer service and accommodate growth in its operations, the company turned to an Internet protocol (IP) telephony solution from Avaya. Recently launched in Sherwood, Ark., the new center supports FTD's "Good as Gold" brand of service with always-on reliability, and improved, expanded customer service handling.
RightNow and ISC announced an agreement to provide ISC's Irene workforce management software to RightNow CRM customers. Irene helps contact center managers meet appropriate customer service levels and maximizes the benefits of their RightNow CRM investments.
DuPont and Convergys announced they have signed a contract under which Convergys will provide Human Resources (HR) transactional services to DuPont's 60,000 employees and 102,000 retirees in 70 countries and 30 languages around the world.
Exstream Software announced that Ista Shared Services, a utility product and service provider headquartered in Germany, is a satisfied user of Dialogue for the production of all its bills across the enterprise.
Fair Isaac announced that London-based HSBC Holdings (HSBC) has implemented Fair Isaac's Fraud Predictor with Merchant Profiles. The fraud detection solution will provide HSBC with advanced capabilities for cutting fraud losses and protecting credit and debit cardholders from fraudulent transactions.
Verint Systems announced that industry analyst DMG Consulting has named Verint the market leader for North America and Europe in its newly published 2005 Quality Management/Liability Recording Mid-Year Market Share Update report.
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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 | 43.68 |  | 4.78% |
| Dow Jones | 10,576.38 | | 0.43% |
| Nasdaq | 2,178.37 | | 0.41% |
| S&P 500 | 1,222.14 | | 0.16% |
| Top Gainers |
| SPSS | 27.59 | | 1.05 |
| Sento | 7.65 | | 0.60 |
| West Tel | 40.84 | | 0.48 |
| Top Losers |
| Teletech | 10.8 |  | -0.55 |
| ICT Group | 14.54 | | -0.41 |
| salesforce.com | 26.51 | | -0.19 |
| Complete Stock Index |
| As of close 11/07/05 | |
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| (Feature)
Considering the Hosted-VoIP Model - Given today's competitive operating environments, the benefits of the hosted model provide some compelling reasons to consider it. These may include lower operating expenses, ability to provide enhanced security, improved performance and capability to quickly rollout new services such as VoIP.(Contact Center Today)
|  | | It's All About the Customer - To maximize the return on customer, we need to treat different customers differently, and to do this involved a lot of management issues such as customer governance versus product line governance, cross-departmental coordination and conflict resolution.(CRMBuyer)
| | | Rivalry Brews Between On-Demand CRM Providers - Rivalry Brews Between On-Demand CRM Providers(CRMDaily)
| | | 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)
| | | Six Simple Rules For Successful Self-Service - You can save money, increase revenues and generate loyalty when you let customers help themselves. But only if you do it right.(CIO)
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