IMPORTANT
Throughout this issue, we feature profiles of leading enterprise integration, SOA and web services software suppliers.

Further information on the following organisations is available, free of charge. To apply, please sign in (or register) with the site.

• Access
• Concentrix
• Crimson
• Epicor
• Microsoft
• Oracle
• Sage
• Sapphire Systems
• Teradata
• Vodafone

CRM, Contact Centre & Marketing Systems - Latest Report - July/August 2010
Project Portfolio Management & PSA Software - May/June 2010
Financial, Accounting & Reporting Software - April 2010
Supply Chain & Manufacturing Systems - March 2010
Data Warehousing, Business Intelligence & CPM - February 2010
HR & Payroll Management Systems - January 2010
IT Infrastructure, Security & Business Continuity - November 2009
ERP Solutions - October 2009
Enterprise Integration, SOA & Web Services - September 2009
Workflow, BPM, Content & Document Management - July/
August 2009

Conspectus is the only independent report which authoritatively addresses a different IT topic every month. It is acknowledged as one of the leading journals in the IT industry and is used by many organisations to help them in their selection of IT software and technology. The software supplier profile content has been checked and validated by specialist independent consultancy Hitachi Consulting. For more details contact mberman@hitachiconsulting.com.
The content of the Conspectus website is fully searchable.

CRM, Contact Centre & Marketing Systems
Conspectus July/August 2010 - Summary

In the past, successful companies looked after their customers instinctively – it just made common sense. Nowadays it’s called customer relationship management, and you can buy a software package to do it for you!

Of course, just installing a CRM system is not sufficient to develop a comprehensive customer service environment. Success depends on building a customer strategy and providing the right training and business environment for staff to take full advantage of the information systems provided.

What’s more, CRM is a continuing journey as the demands of customers and the way they can interact with an organisation are constantly changing – including the emergence of new customer channels such as Twitter and Facebook.

Our expert authors provide guidance on how you can keep hitting this moving target.

Market Overview & Analysis
How much is the patchy quality of customer management down to the technology and how much to the users? Our latest research finds out. Report by Cliff Mills.
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Expert Opinion
Graham Binns at Atos Origin says organisations must react quicker to the new economic conditions and redefine their CRM strategy.
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View from the Top
Publisher Future Science got over a sticky start to install CRM software that quickly shows what every customer is buying. We speak to technical director Jonathan von Abo.
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Killer Mishaps
Mareeba CRM Consulting’s Richard Boardman identifies eight common misconceptions about buying and implementing CRM applications.
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Trick of Tweet
Foviance’s Billie Andersen and Jonathan Culling show how sales and marketing professionals can use the latest social media, like Facebook and Twitter, to promote their brands.
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From Inside-Out to Outside-In
Capgemini’s Laurence Buchanan describes the cultural change companies must go through in this social media age to become responsive to customer comment and opinion.
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Experience for a Lifetime
Why focusing on ‘customer experience’ is the way out of the economic black hole. Words by PA Consulting’s Conrad Funnell.
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End is Insight
Mutual Marketing’s Jennifer Kirkby shows how real, valuable, hard-to-acquire and actionable customer insight can be produced.
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Blind to the Faults?
Given good customer relationships are vital, why are so many companies so bad at it? Lorne Mitchell and Mark Richards find the answer in ‘context blindness’.
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Return on Ideas
Professor Robert Shaw of Demand Chain Partners explains how marketing professionals can make sure they provide a financial payback.
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