Opinion

Opinion

• Monitor generative AI in customer experiences -- or else

  As marketers and customer service leaders deploy generative AI tools that tech vendors are rapidly commercializing, they should monitor U.S. FTC guidance.  Continue Reading

• Customer service drives retention, operational efficiency

  In times like these, organizations often prioritize and invest in service and support, as they need technology that helps retain customers. New data shows it is happening again.  Continue Reading

• How generative AI will sink or swim in customer service

  Generative AI may have captured the tech world's mindshare, but it will have to be commercialized well for customer service applications in the contact center.  Continue Reading

• AI bots lack one critical skill for customer service jobs

  Experts -- including ChatGPT itself -- debate the extent to which customer service AI tools can help contact center agents amid rising demand and high turnover rates.  Continue Reading

• Salesforce's Marc Benioff and Bret Taylor the latest co-CEO trial

  Some software companies rule their worlds with co-CEOs for years. Other co-CEO arrangements don't last long. We consider the future of Salesforce's current chief executive duo.  Continue Reading

• NFTs can boost customer loyalty -- if people would chill out

  Starbucks launched an NFT loyalty program, which could change the public's -- and marketers' -- attitude toward the technology. But most people still have reservations.  Continue Reading

• The Readability Consortium's lessons for marketing content

  The University of Central Florida, Adobe and Google band together to study digital readability. Those who create marketing content can get an edge if they pay close attention.  Continue Reading

• Smart brands will change approach to marketing email, cookies

  You'd think marketers got the hint to move past third-party cookies and marketing emails once Google, Apple and regulators all stepped in to protect consumers. Not yet.  Continue Reading

• Zoom CCaaS a big bet on the future of customer service

  Zoom already integrates with the most popular contact-center-as-a-service platforms. So why has Zoom come out with a CCaaS of its own?  Continue Reading

• What to expect from the Salesforce and Tableau integration

  The Tableau integration with Salesforce has many users wondering how this will affect its approach to growth and development, and its place in the digital transformation marketplace.  Continue Reading

• Our rebrand: Customer experience strategy, platforms, best practices

  Customer experience strategy blurs lines between sales and marketing automation, customer service and e-commerce as they come together on next-generation customer experience platforms.  Continue Reading

• Salesforce CX, AI, integration tools are 2019 trends to watch

  As the world pivots from CRM to customer experience management, Salesforce makes its own moves with research showing millennials value CX over the actual goods or services received.  Continue Reading

• Einstein Bot, Einstein Voice create new Salesforce channels

  Born to compete with IBM's Watson, the Einstein cloud AI is in its third year of life and is exhibiting all the traits of a typical 3-year-old.  Continue Reading

• Separating customer service chatbot hype from reality

  Vendors claim consumers want self-service chatbots. Turns out they'd rather scrub toilets or go to the dentist than converse with customer service in general, bots included.  Continue Reading

• AI for customer service at the peril of personal relations

  AI tools in CRM help companies deliver hyper-personalized customer experiences but prevent customers from actually having personal interactions with service agents.  Continue Reading

• Tech vendors cite TOS violations to push hate groups off their clouds

  'Alt-right' groups put to the test marketing and CRM cloud vendors that promote employee diversity and forbid users from hosting hateful or offensive content on their platforms.  Continue Reading

• Recipe for lost customers: Flight cancellations and AI algorithms

  As companies enjoy the benefits that automation and AI algorithms bring to next-generation CRM, leaders must closely examine the legal and customer retention ramifications.  Continue Reading

• Sales intelligence tools prevent tone-deaf sales efforts

  Sales intelligence tools are helping sales teams home in on truly valuable prospects, rather than waste time on duds. But they require some culture change.  Continue Reading

• Communication essential to sales and marketing alignment

  A lack of communication between sales and marketing teams can derail internal processes. Here's how to ensure collaboration between the two factions.  Continue Reading

• The secret to selling more? Sales intelligence

  Sales teams have a basic but ever-challenging task: Sell stuff and make money for the company. But they can't do that without proper insight into the business.  Continue Reading