Customers always want good customer service and like timely support and excellent customer service drives repeat business. Customers can pay a little more for products or services if they receive good customer service. CRM system helps to improve customer support and increase sales through automated e-mails, quotes, and invitations to sales events. Anthony Ortega (Analyst with Studio B) writes in his article link about how to turn great customer support into sales. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/turning-customer-support-into-future-sales-opportunities-66195

In a manufacturing process everything is volatile and the main driver of that volatility is demand. Customer relationship management (CRM) system is the best place that reveals to us whether a product is in demand or not. The CRM system shows what will be bought and by whom. Earlier, assistants would gather data from people or reports, combine these data into spreadsheets, and then make the calculations. But, nowadays, dashboards are used to reduce the workload. David Gillman (Analyst with Studio B), writes in his article link about some common metrics that manufacturers need from the CRM system. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/crm-dashboard-data-that-matters-most-to-manufacturing-executives-66197

According to a report from Gartner, it was found that 40% of CRM applications are hosted in the cloud and nowadays businesses outsource their customer relationship management (CRM) software to another company. But, question arises that do businesses outsource CRM operations like customer care or sales programs? The answer is no because it is always better to manage CRM operations internally than outsourcing to another company. But, if you don’t have that option, you have to weigh the pros and cons of outsourcing. Petra Jorgenson (Studio B Analyst), writes in her article link about the pros and cons of outsourcing customer relationships to a third party. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/outsourcing-crm-do-the-risks-outweigh-the-benefits-65986

Data is important in any business and customer relationship management (CRM) systems collect volumes of data, plan for the future, learn from the past, and is also a target for hackers. The most important reason that hackers are target CRM data is that it allows them to conduct fraudulent transactions. Phishing is another reason. Hackers target CRM data for the purpose of social engineering, also called masquerading. Jerri Ledford (Analyst with Studio B), writes in her article about why hackers want CRM data. To know more, follow: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/3-reasons-hackers-want-your-crm-data-66053

The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is responsible for giving rise to the current trend in enterprise mobility. Mobility improves employee productivity, employee satisfaction, and decision making and is an extension of customer relationship management (CRM). Petra Jorgenson (Analyst with Studio B), writes about some points which one needs to consider before one allows employees to access system from their personal devices. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/3-things-you-need-to-consider-to-support-mobile-crm-in-a-byod-environment-66153

Accounting ratios provide insight into multiple factors. Nowadays, database interactivity has become better and the increasing use of centralized data stores are increasing. So, accounting ratios also need some re-evaluation. David Gillman (Analyst with Studio B), writes about some metrics that an accountant must take into account in a CRM system. They are: Close Rate, Cost per Sale, True Profit per Customer, and Salesperson Effectiveness. To know more, follow: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/top-4-metrics-for-accountants-from-the-crm-system-66155

The investment banks are now looking at how they can use big data to do what they do better, faster and more efficiently. Senior executives at the banks want to enhance how they use data to raise profitability, map out markets and company-wide exposures, and ultimately win more deals. Big data is also a fundamental element of risk-profiling for the banks, enabling data analysts to immediately assess the impact of the escalation in geopolitical risk on portfolios and their exposure to specific markets and asset classes. Specifically, banks have now built systems that will map out market-shaping past events in order to identify future patterns. There lies the requirement of big data talent!

The banks are actively recruiting big data and analytics specialists to fill two main, but significantly different roles: big data engineers and data scientists. Data Scientists are responsible for bridging the gap between data analytics and business decision-making, capable of translating complex data into key strategy insight, while Data Engineers typically come from a strong IT development or coding background and are responsible for designing data platforms and applications. The competition between banks and fund managers to hire big data specialists is heating up. Data scientists are expected to have sharp technical and quantitative skills. They are in highest demand and this is where the biggest skill shortage exists.

To read more, visit the link given below:

http://www.computerweekly.com/opinion/Investment-banks-recruit-for-the-rise-of-big-data-analytics

A combination of customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation can make an organization understand how to make effective marketing campaigns and what needs to be improved to make them even more effective. Marketing automation is ineffective if the integration of CRM and marketing automation is not correct. For CRM–marketing automation integration to be successful, all the parties i.e. from the sales team to the automation vendor must be at par and if data are inconsistent or duplicated, it can create problem in a marketing strategy or campaign. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/3-factors-to-consider-when-integrating-marketing-automation-and-crm-66138

Cricket and Analytics are hot topics today. With the help of technology Analytics, the interest quotient of cricket has gone up exponentially. High definition telecasts, data visualisation have really made cricket exciting to watch nowadays. Vijay Sethi, VP and CIO at Hero MotoCorp Ltd, speaks about how he sees his favourite game today that comes with a generous dose of analytics. To read more, visit the following link:

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/analytics-in-cricket-is-a-technological-marvel-hero-motocorp-cio-vijay-sethi/536201-3.html

Gartner predicts that by 2025 up to 85 percent of all CRM systems will be in the cloud and CRM market is expected to grow by 14.8 percent annually through 2017. Cloud computing helps CRM software with better and faster data, ease of access, and is simple to deploy and use.  Mae Kowalke (journalist and communications professional) writes in her article link about some major changes in CRM systems. To know more, follow: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/six-ways-that-crm-has-changed-since-the-cloud-66116

CRM vendors are trying to differentiate themselves from one another to provide a higher level of business value. They have realized that it is not sufficient to offer a well-designed system with application programming interfaces; one must also offer analytics and business intelligence capabilities, as well. CRM systems are predicting based on past data collected, future sales opportunities or marketing campaign results. One of the major trends anticipated for the CRM market this year centers around mobile access and all the CRM players are working on enhancing mobile CRM apps so that they can support the workers who work outside an office set up. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/crm-analytics-for-a-better-business-insight-what-can-we-expect-for-2015-66119

Many cricket teams are using Big Data Analytics to make important decisions about how to play and attack. There are sensors in the pitch and therefore we get loads of data per match which gives an opportunity to analyze this data with legacy data to make a very meaningful perspective. For example, we get data like- what % of balls by a bowler in a match are short pitch resulting in what % of total wickets or runs attributed to that type of balling in this match compared with past matches which makes the application of Big Data Analytics more meaningful. Read more at: http://tyronesystems.com/cwc/?p=1144

Google Analytics is one of the best tools one can use for the purpose of analyzing the audience. With the right insights, one can modify the approach, anticipate customer needs, and create a superior user experience. It is also possible to measure a tremendous diversity of data on your web users, and using that data, you’ll be able to make meaningful change to your branding and marketing strategies. The acquisition insights and behavioural insights will help you explore more details and trend understanding. This information is especially useful in determining which of your marketing strategies is the most effective, but it’s also useful for determining what types of people are visiting your site and why. For example, if you find that the majority of your users are finding your site through content you’ve syndicated on social media, you could double your content writing and syndication efforts to attract an even greater number of users.

To read more, please visit the following link:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2015/03/19/how-to-analyze-your-audience-in-google-analytics/

Technology has made a huge impact on the game of cricket and 'Analytics' has revolutionized cricket match viewing experience. According to Amitava Ghosh, ex-CTO at TaxiForSure, there are two broad categories of data visualization statistics. He further explains that one is a fun based static which is used to entertain viewers, and the second one is performance oriented, analytical statistic which helps to enhance a player's performance, which in turn helps the team to strategize better. To know more, follow: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/cricketnext/analytics-brings-in-meticulous-approach-to-cricket-says-amitava-ghosh-excto-taxiforsure/533528-78.html

Analytics has now become an integral part of cricket. Before the match begins, there is a series of analysis about the pitch, weather conditions, weather predictions, history of two teams against each other, history of the teams on the particular ground, in the particular country, among others . Similarly, each player of the teams gets analyzed in great details, in terms of his records, his performance against the opponent, on the pitch, his strengths and weaknesses. Each player is also analyzed as a fielder in terms of the history of his catches taken or dropped. Strategies of captain get predicted and its possible impacts are discussed. The list is just endless. Cricket is no longer only the game to be played on the ground. Much of it happens off the ground, using analytical tools.

Satish Pendse, president of Highbar Technologies Ltd, an HCC group company, explains how he sees cricket today with technology impacting the viewing experience. To know more, click on the link below

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/cricketnext/real-cricket-action-happens-off-the-ground-with-analytics-highbar-tech-cio-satish-pendse/533130-78.html 

Mobile devices have become very important in any business. Research tells us that 66% of the UK population owns a smartphone and its users check it around 150 times a day. Businesses can analyze customer behavior by using a mobile engagement platform, integrated with the CRM. It will help them to target different customers. To know more, follow Atila Madakbas (GM UK & Ireland at Netmera)’s article link: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/digital-marketing-analytics/digital-marketing-through-analytics-of-consumer-behaviour/1657

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is in much demand nowadays. These SaaS platforms are subscription-based model and allow businesses to access their big data, analytics and other applications online from anywhere in the world, and are hosted in the cloud. But, enterprise-level SaaS platforms can cost thousands of dollars per month and is expensive. So, customer success manager (CSM) is gaining popularity nowadays. CSMs help manage the whole SaaS subscription process for businesses from marketing, to the initial sale of the subscription, to renewal. Read more at: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/rise-customer-success-management-saas-world-infographic

Nowadays, there are data breaches by which customer information is leaked. CRM data are highly confidential. There is no perfect system to protect all CRM data. But, some basic security measures can go a long way in creating a CRM security system. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/top-3-security-tips-for-your-crm-system-65549

Many online retailers nowadays are using big data to personalize their consumers’ shopping experiences which in turn increased their revenue and brand loyalty. Tracey Wallace (Managing Editor, Bigcommerce), writes in her article link about how to increase repeat customers, average order value and, increase your online store revenue: : http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/data-insight-action-4-ways-generate-roi-ecommerce-analytics

Nowadays retailers are utilizing big data to improve price, product, and placement effectiveness to new in-store experiences that influence social media. But, still there is a partial connection between these innovative ideas and the real time experience in each store. So, retailers need to get real-time data from the shop floor and pass it to the decision makers and in turn can make a real difference to both profitability and customer experience. In an era where consumer behavior is changing rapidly, retailers also need to change fast by empowering those on the shop floor to respond in real time. Retailers need to ensure right products are at the right price, on the right shelf and at the right time with the help of operational analytics. Read more at: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/customer-experience/big-data-in-a-mobile-world-shop-floor-decision-making/1460