Pipeline and Forecasting Max Effgen, July 18, 2012 In my experience, pipeline/forecast is one area of a CRM system that changes frequently. Way to frequently. Fortunately, these changes require less coding changes today through Windows Workflow Foundation (Dynamics CRM) and Workflow Automation (Salesforce) that in CRM days of old. Not going to comment on whether it is right… Continue Reading
CRM Integration Max Effgen, June 11, 2012 One of the biggest challenges that CRM systems have is integration with back end systems. In the cloud with hosted CRM, this in some ways is actually a bigger challenge than it was in the past. From CRM to ERP Pipeline and Forecast data are the most common and most… Continue Reading
A tale of two customer experiences Max Effgen, January 7, 2012June 14, 2023 In the past 24 hours, I have had two diametrically opposed customer experiences. One was delightful, the other made me cancel my account. I used to bank with a large national bank. When the wife (Disclosure: the wife works for Amazon but does not read my blog) and I married,… Continue Reading
The inevitable gCRM Max Effgen, November 18, 2011 Will Google enter the enterprise applications market? It is a matter of time. The recent GM announcement signal that the company is almost there. For many enterprises, the first business process to be put into place is CRM. Google will enter the enterprise application space in CRM to better leverage… Continue Reading
Questions to ask: Social CRM Max Effgen, October 30, 2011 Amazingly my $0.02 on questions you need to answer in mapping out your Social CRM strategy still ring true: Where are your customers? Where do they go when they have issues with your products and services? Is that channel cost effective for you? How open is that conversation? How are… Continue Reading
Why Focus Intent? Max Effgen, October 3, 2011 I have been revisiting the idea of customer intent and its implications. Social media has exploded given customers and prospects the ability to express intent. Buyers signal. Customers signal. Competitors signal. These signals are important data points for the Sales, Marketing and Service — the 3 big users of CRM… Continue Reading
Solid State Drive Failure Max Effgen, May 7, 2011 Having a hard drive fail is never a great situation. I have been pretty fortunate only 4 drives have failed in 20 years. Probably about 100 drives in total which is a 4% failure rate which is about double the norm. It is infrequent, but traumatic. I can remember every… Continue Reading
The Sales Learning Curve Max Effgen, April 3, 2011 There is an old adage that is all too often followed, “Want more sales? Hire salespeople.” Sales and who you hire to represent your company is critical. The success or failure of CRM, revenue generation and the company in general are dependent on how the organization learns from prospects and… Continue Reading
The Social CRM Max Effgen, March 24, 2011 Social CRM is gaining momentum to be the next big buzz word. Some great posts on the subject have been making the rounds, but none more than “Why CRM ain’t CRM if it isn’t Social” by Dr. Harish Kotadia. His points are clear and intiutively understood by most CRM practitioners…. Continue Reading
The Future of Mobile Banking Max Effgen, March 13, 2011 I have been taking a look the the mobile banking space as it relates to CRM for financial institutions. Many major banks offer mobile solutions today and often cite mobile technology as their top innovation initiative. Expect the growth will continue alongside rising smartphone popularity, younger consumers’ spending, and comfort… Continue Reading