Many Hands, Light Work Max Effgen, April 17, 2009 This recent article in Forbes, Eclipse: Many Hands, Light Work by Lee Gomes, argues that competitive advantage is not in the code, but in the data. I find myself often agreeing with Gomes and enjoy his writting. Unfortunately this time, Gomes misses the point. Competitive advantage is in the process… Continue Reading
Show the love Max Effgen, April 16, 2009 Customer relationships are critical to long-lasting business success. One way to build credibility with the client is literally to “show the love”. You must have a drive and passion for the work that shows the client that you are acting and will always act in their best interest. Ten years… Continue Reading
Tell me about a time when you… Max Effgen, April 15, 2009 I know a lot of very good folks in the midst of job searches at the moment. Be prepared to answer “behavioral-based” interview questions. Behavioral Interviewing is becoming more common and is based on the concept that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations…. Continue Reading
XRM, a no-brainer… Max Effgen, April 14, 2009December 2, 2013 Interesting read: Microsoft Convergence 2009: Hybrid Technology Salesforce has seen success with the Force.com platform, as recently noted in this post, My Starbucks Idea. A competing Microsoft stack solution will generate similar success. It will be interesting to see how XRM develops into reality. Continue Reading
A little motivation for a Monday morning. Max Effgen, April 13, 2009 Came across this on Andy Sernovitz’s Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That!. Originally from Chicago, I have witnessed more than my share of incredible Michael Jordan performances. Funny how you never remember the failures… Continue Reading
More on Coffee Max Effgen, April 11, 2009 Check out this good read by Starbucks co-founder Jerry Baldwin, Press Pots: Coffee Worth the Effort on Press Pots (a.k.a. French Press or “Freedom” Press). My coffee habits are similar — only espresso or press will do. A few years ago, I received a KitchenAid Pro Line Burr Grinder KPCG100… Continue Reading
Customer Loyalty Max Effgen, April 10, 2009 Time after time in discussing potential CRM technologies with clients, the issue of customer loyalty is brought forth. Clients want to make sure that their customers keep coming back. Depending on the type of relationship, one bad transaction can lose a customer. When the process of sales and service is… Continue Reading
More service myths… Max Effgen, April 9, 2009 Price and cost cutting are the keys to success. These “myths” are seemingly ridiculous and this will be the final post on the subject. (Huzzah!) It is not about price and cost cutting, it is about efficiency. In a past life with a software provider in the CRM space, our… Continue Reading
Employees are the cause of the most dissatisfaction… Max Effgen, April 8, 2009 More on the Ten Service Myths Having spent a lot of time in various call centers around the world, I have notice a constant. Employees (CSRs) will work to maximize the process or plan to their benefit. This is no different than a Sales Rep figuring out how to maximize… Continue Reading
If complaints are down, customer service is better. Max Effgen, April 8, 2009 How do you measure the effectiveness of customer service? In a traditional enterprise software model, customer maintenance revenue was a great measure of the effectiveness of customer service. In the Cloud subscription-based world, maintenance revenue does not exist. So how do you measure? It is certainly not by measuring complaints. Continue Reading