Dovetail Software Blogs

"The economy has forced countless businesses to restructure, rethink strategies and reprioritize initiatives. Don't let a short-term, survival mindset cloud the long-term focus -- there are opportunities here. Aggressively negotiate SaaS contracts, keep an eye out for bargains, and don't underestimate the value of CRM, BI and ERP technologies."

"Having spent the past six weeks in CRM design hell, I thought I’d share some tips on surviving the process while it was freshly seared on my memory. Trust me, CRM design work, rather like a prolonged course of dental treatment, isn’t the most fun way to spend your time. For those of you who haven’t been through CRM design before, it’s probably appropriate to first explain what it is: CRM design is where, having selected the CRM technology you wish to implement, you sit with your chosen vendor, and work out how your CRM requirements will be delivered in the new software."

"Now a word about telling online customer service stories: Many stories involve correcting a mistake your company made: the wrong order shipped, a wrong shipping address, the wrong size shirt, whatever. Don't be afraid to show your warts to tell a memorable and positive story. Customers know mistakes happen. What they really care about is how swiftly and gracefully you take care of anything that may go wrong."

"Looking into CRM's crystal ball, there seems to have been many changes since the turn of the century -- new economic conditions, technologies, world leaders, and major technology players. While a new Gartner study finds that some things have changed, the basic ideas, goals, and challenges of CRM will remain unchanged through at least 2020."

"Business intelligence is all about speed -- it gives corporate decision makers the modeling tools they need to make complex and important decisions quickly. Just as important as offering a forward view, however, BI allows executives to look back and find out what happened when something went wrong."