Customer relationship management (CRM)
Find Customer Relationship Management (CRM) resources here: news, analysis and case studies on CRM software choices and implementing CRM. Find out how UK companies and organisations are harnessing CRM to drive forward customer-centric business strategies. Understand CRM market trends, and how organisations are managing the customer experience for competitive advantage.
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News
27 May 2025
Salesforce pays $8bn for Informatica to underpin agentic AI play
Salesforce is to pay approximately $8bn for cloud data management specialist Informatica as it looks to shore up the foundations of its developing agentic AI strategy Continue Reading
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Tip
22 May 2025
Compare the top 20 CRM software options
With the right CRM software, CX leaders can improve customer interactions and enhance their support strategies. Top providers include HubSpot, Microsoft and Salesforce. Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Jul 2023
account-based experience (ABX)
Account-based experience (ABX) is a business-to-business (B2B) strategy in which the sales, marketing and customer success departments work together to provide accounts with a unified, personalized experience throughout the buyer journey. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jul 2023
6 ways customer experience can increase sales
Organizations that offer a positive CX can boost customer loyalty, reduce churn and increase word-of-mouth advertising. Explore six important ways CX increases sales. Continue Reading
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Feature
21 Jul 2023
How to use generative AI for marketing
Organizations can use generative AI to write marketing content and analyze customer data quicker than a human. However, the tool requires basic prompt engineering skills. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jul 2023
IT firms ramp up prices to drive post-pandemic revenue
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development puts inflation at 6.5%. Some areas of IT spending have experienced double-digit growth Continue Reading
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News
17 Jul 2023
Zoom doubles down on customer experience in UCaaS play
Zoom is going beyond its roots in employee experience as it looks to strengthen its position in the unified communications-as-a-service market Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Jul 2023
7 tips for creating a knowledge base
A knowledge base offers self-service for customers and employees. Organizations can collect feedback and build a culture of knowledge sharing to create an effective knowledge base. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Jul 2023
5 tips for creating customer journey maps from buyer personas
Organizations can create a journey map for each buyer persona. To create the map, CX teams should use data, consider many viewpoints and apply a central governance framework. Continue Reading
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Answer
06 Jul 2023
What is the role of a customer relationship manager?
The customer relationship manager -- a role that differs from a CRM manager -- has a challenging and ever-evolving role to play when it comes to optimizing the customer experience. Continue Reading
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Blog Post
03 Jul 2023
Where SMBs should start on their AI journey
This is a guest blogpost by Pierre-Baptiste Béchu, Aircall co-founder and CTPO The SaaS industry is being reshaped by AI. More and more companies are turning to AI to innovate their products, and ... Continue Reading
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News
26 Jun 2023
How Ikea is driving digital customer experience
Ikea franchisee in four Southeast Asian markets and Mexico taps chatbots, conversational commerce and remote planning, among other capabilities, to drive digital customer experience Continue Reading
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News
23 Jun 2023
Investment in employee experience, cloud, AI drives greater customer experience
Study from global IT infrastructure and services company finds employee experience and customer experience gaining rapid recognition of their importance at board level, and as many as 95% of organisations see cloud enablement as vital in enabling outcomes Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Jun 2023
4 knowledge base article templates
Knowledge bases can improve CX and employee productivity, but organizations may not know where to start. Discover four templates to help teams write knowledge base articles. Continue Reading
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News
21 Jun 2023
Avaya expands Google, Alcatel-Lucent alliances to boost customer experiences
Collaboration with leading cloud platform designed to deliver enhanced contact centre solutions as improved Experience Platform enables users to integrate digital capabilities to redefine agent operations Continue Reading
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News
21 Jun 2023
Software spending grows fastest as finance firms spend $652bn on tech in 2023
Banks and investment firms are increasing their spending on IT despite gloomy economic outlook, but priorities have changed Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Jun 2023
4 components of a customer obsession model
Customer-obsessed organizations put customers at the heart of their operations. A customer obsession model requires important elements like a data strategy and leadership support. Continue Reading
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News
20 Jun 2023
ServiceNow’s Bill McDermott: a ‘work in progress’
Bill McDermott, president and CEO of ServiceNow, speaks to Computer Weekly about his vision for the company and the technology industry, which he believes to be in the throes of exponential change Continue Reading
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News
16 Jun 2023
Citi US Personal Banking turns to AI to ‘delight’ customers with personalised services
Citigroup’s US Personal Banking business has created a repository of customer data and is rolling out a decision engine to provide customers with personalised services Continue Reading
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Definition
13 Jun 2023
customer engagement
Customer engagement is the way a company creates a relationship with its customer base to foster brand loyalty and awareness. Continue Reading
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Answer
07 Jun 2023
CXM vs. CRM: Which platform is best for your business?
CXM and CRM systems help organizations boost customer satisfaction, but CXM focuses on how customers perceive a brand, while CRM helps employees understand their customers. Continue Reading
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Answer
05 Jun 2023
How to calculate call center utilization rates
Customer service leaders use metrics like call center utilization rates to track performance and CX. Leadership must learn the effects of these rates and how to calculate them. Continue Reading
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Feature
02 Jun 2023
7 must-have skills for customer experience professionals
CX professionals must seek to understand customer problems and perspectives, so they need skills in communication, data collection, relationship building and empathy. Continue Reading
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Feature
31 May 2023
What does a knowledge management leader do?
Knowledge management teams often include IT professionals and content writers. But at the head, they need a central leader to make connections and guide people. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 May 2023
6 risks of ChatGPT in customer service
Despite ChatGPT's customer service benefits, organizations must understand the technology's risks, such as fabricated information, bias and security concerns. Continue Reading
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News
30 May 2023
How Pendula is driving customer communications
The Australian startup’s conversational messaging platform lets businesses draw on internal and external data to cross-sell and upsell their offerings while improving customer retention Continue Reading
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Definition
23 May 2023
Adobe Experience Platform
Adobe Experience Platform is a suite of customer experience management (CXM) solutions from Adobe. Continue Reading
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News
12 May 2023
IT Priorities 2023: Business automation intensifies as data governance returns
Business automation and a renewed focus on data governance to get more value from data have attracted more interest for UK enterprise software investment, says the TechTarget IT Priorities 2023 survey Continue Reading
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Tip
03 May 2023
CRM vs. CMS: How they differ and how to integrate them
CMSes and CRM systems serve different purposes, but together, they can help organizations improve customer data management as well as automate sales and marketing strategies. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 May 2023
The role of AI as an everyday life assistant
We speak to the co-author of a book that explores the idea of artificial intelligence-powered automation that enables machines to become customers Continue Reading
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Definition
18 Apr 2023
white paper
A white paper is an authoritative, research-based document that presents information, expert analysis and an organization or author's insight into a topic or solution to a problem. Continue Reading
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Podcast
12 Apr 2023
Next-gen AI: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast
Mark Raskino, co-author of When Machines Become Customers, discusses machine-to-machine commerce Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Mar 2023
How account-based marketing can improve personalization
An ABM strategy can help B2B marketers personalize marketing efforts for top prospects. An ABM strategy includes an ideal customer profile, personalized messaging and a CRM system. Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Mar 2023
Advice for marketing personalization
Business professionals have become numb to the plethora of marketing emails they receive every day. However, personalized messaging can grab their attention. Continue Reading
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Podcast
24 Mar 2023
Everywoman in Tech, datacentre heat reuse – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast
The team talks about disclosure regarding diversity and inclusion programmes, datacentre heat reuse in swimming pools, and NetSuite supporting business transformation at Guinness World Records Continue Reading
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Blog Post
24 Mar 2023
The business case for customer success investment is built on 360° data
This is a guest blogpost by Jean de Villiers, Chief Customer Officer, and Michelle MacCarthy, Global Head of Customer Success, Unit4 Customer Success (CS) is a programmatic approach to delighting ... Continue Reading
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News
23 Mar 2023
Podium taps ChatGPT for reputation management
The customer interaction and payment specialist with operations in Australia has integrated ChatGPT into its platform to help local businesses respond to customer reviews on social media Continue Reading
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News
15 Mar 2023
How industry cloud platforms are shaping the future of business applications
More than half of enterprises are expected to use industry cloud platforms that combine cloud-based infrastructure, platform and application services to accelerate their business by 2027 Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Mar 2023
7 customer success best practices
Customer success aims to ensure a positive CX after the sales process is complete. These best practices can help teams stay on track and keep customers satisfied. Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Mar 2023
7 examples of sustainable marketing
Organizations can help the environment, society and their bottom line at the same time with sustainable marketing. Examples include charity partnerships and social transparency. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Mar 2023
Culture eats technology in digital transformation
Digital transformation without culture change is an empty phrase, but get the balance right and you can reap rewards Continue Reading
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News
06 Mar 2023
Guinness World Records goes digital
Guinness World Records has been around since 1955. Over the past 20 years, it has transformed from book publishing to consultancy and digital content creation, most recently marshalling NetSuite Continue Reading
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News
01 Mar 2023
APAC is proving to be ‘substantial growth engine’ for Rimini Street
Rimini Street CEO Seth Ravin outlines growth opportunities in Asia-Pacific and discusses the company’s move up the support value chain Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Feb 2023
Salesforce Customer 360
Salesforce Customer 360 is a collection of tools that connect Salesforce apps and create a unified customer ID to build a single view of the customer. Continue Reading
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Answer
15 Feb 2023
What does a customer success manager do?
The customer success manager is an essential CX role that takes a proactive approach to ensuring customer loyalty and retention when the sales process is complete. Continue Reading
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Definition
14 Feb 2023
social commerce
Social commerce is a rapidly growing branch of e-commerce that uses social networks and digital media to facilitate transactions between businesses and customers. Continue Reading
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Definition
08 Feb 2023
shoppable video
A shoppable video is a way for consumers to discover products and make a purchase through links within the video. Continue Reading
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Answer
02 Feb 2023
What are the different types of marketing personalization?
Marketing teams use multiple personalization strategies for customer outreach, like emails, targeted ads and chatbots. Each approach brings several benefits and can improve CX. Continue Reading
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Definition
31 Jan 2023
weak tie theory
Weak tie theory is the proposition that acquaintances are likely to be more influential than close friends, particularly in social networks. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2023
SAP 2022: 11% revenue growth, 2.5% staff targeted by restructure
SAP has announced full-year 2022 revenue of nearly €31bn, up 11% year on year. In 2023, it will explore a sell-off of Qualtrics stake and do a restructure, with an impact on 2.5% of staff Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2023
APAC consumers expect human-like service from chatbots
Consumer expectations of chatbots in Asia-Pacific have risen in tandem with improved performance of AI applications over the past year, a study has found Continue Reading
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News
15 Jan 2023
Thai enterprises spend more on software amid growing digitalisation
The majority of software spending in Thailand during the first half of 2022 went into applications followed by infrastructure software and development tools, according to IDC Continue Reading
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News
30 Dec 2022
Top 10 business applications stories of 2022
As the Covid crisis gave way to the energy crisis and economic turmoil, enterprise software suppliers have urged customers to step up modernisation and evince more empathy for employees Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Dec 2022
4 benefits of a customer data platform
CDPs organize customer data to support personalized CX strategies and compliance. Benefits of CDPs include unified customer profiles and enhanced marketing efforts. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Dec 2022
How to efficiently measure customer loyalty
Most organizations don't measure customer loyalty often or thoroughly enough to improve CX. This book excerpt explores tips and suggestions to measure loyalty more efficiently. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Nov 2022
XR and the real world: Feedback loops and spillovers
As the metaverse develops, the realism of advanced extended reality applications could allow users to take experiences, interests and strategies with them into the real world – creating spillovers from virtual to real worlds Continue Reading
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News
23 Nov 2022
Oracle’s Steve Miranda on the value of turning inside out
In a Q&A with Computer Weekly at Oracle Open World, applications head Steve Miranda discussed the supplier’s opening out and its intensification of an industry cloud approach, signally with healthcare Continue Reading
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News
21 Nov 2022
EDF UK deploys Riverbed’s Alluvio Aternity to tackle IT issues
Monitoring software links into ServiceNow and PowerShell scripts are being used to automate remediation Continue Reading
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News
03 Nov 2022
Russia risks shortage of PCs and software
Russian consumers and businesses could face a shortage of IT equipment including PCs and software Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Nov 2022
Cellebrite sees silver lining in the NetSuite cloud
It’s only natural that companies invest in business software solutions to bring about growth in their organisation. But in times of uncertainty, the narrative is around doing more with less, how to increase productivity and efficiency through automation, and how to get better control of supply chains. We see how one company is doing just that Continue Reading
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Podcast
28 Oct 2022
Top 50 women in UK tech, IR35 Truss fiasco – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast
The team reflects on the announcement of the Most Influential Women in UK Technology 2022, the IR35 reforms being scrapped, then not, and Dreamforce & Oracle Cloud World in the US Continue Reading
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Feature
21 Oct 2022
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Efficiency to empathy: Customer experience in cost-of living crisis
Find out how businesses can shore up their CX strategy to support consumers struggling with the cost-of-living crisis Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Oct 2022
What do the US’s new software security rules mean for UK organisations?
The White House announced recently that all software supplied to the US government and its agencies needs to be secure, so what does this mean for the UK and EU security sectors? Continue Reading
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Definition
19 Oct 2022
CRM (customer relationship management) analytics
CRM (customer relationship management) analytics comprises all of the programming that analyzes data about customers and presents it to an organization to help facilitate and streamline better business decisions. Continue Reading
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News
14 Oct 2022
Gitex 2022: Florius takes AI-powered CCaaS speech analytics to transform customer experience
Changed workloads during the pandemic have driven Netherlands-based mortgage lender to use AI and CCaaS technology Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Oct 2022
Top 4 CRM systems comparison
What differentiates the 'big four' CRM providers? Explore the advantages and disadvantages of Salesforce, Oracle, Microsoft and SAP in this CRM comparison. Continue Reading
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Opinion
05 Oct 2022
Everything you wanted to know about the metaverse
Possession may be nine-tenths of the law, but the unique qualities of digital assets mean they do not easily fit into the age-old legal concept of ownership Continue Reading
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News
29 Sep 2022
BSH Home Appliances takes on Twilio to revamp digital customer engagement
Customer engagement platform partners with Deloitte Consulting to support plan by home appliances firm to revamp its entire digital infrastructure within customer service organisation Continue Reading
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News
27 Sep 2022
American football giants jet into digital age with HCLTech
US football clubs the New York Jets and New York Giants outsource their digital transformations to Indian service provider as they target improved fan engagement Continue Reading
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Blog Post
25 Sep 2022
Bono-Benioff fireside chat at Dreamforce 2022: divinity in the destitute
The last time I sat in the Yerba Buena Theatre near the Moscone Centre in San Francisco at Salesforce’s annual conference Dreamforce, was to hear David Beckham having a fireside chat with the then ... Continue Reading
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Definition
23 Sep 2022
Salesforce Trailhead
Salesforce Trailhead is a series of online tutorials that coach beginner and intermediate developers who need to learn how to code for the Salesforce platform. Continue Reading
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News
06 Sep 2022
How the Australian Red Cross coped with a donation surge
The Australian Red Cross adopted Boomi’s integration platform to manage the surge in donations in response to the floods in New South Wales and Queensland earlier this year Continue Reading
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Definition
01 Sep 2022
unique selling point (USP)
A unique selling point (USP), also called a unique selling proposition, is a marketing statement that differentiates a product or brand from its competitors. Continue Reading
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E-Zine
18 Aug 2022
CW APAC: Trend watch: Enterprise resource planning
Organisations are starting to look at refreshing their enterprise resource planning systems. In this handbook, focused on enterprise resource planning in the Asia-Pacific region, Computer Weekly looks at what’s behind this renewed priority, how GLS Group strengthened its processes, why firms want cheaper software maintenance and the benefits of best-of-breed cloud apps Continue Reading
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Definition
17 Aug 2022
What is user-generated content and why is it important?
User-generated content (UGC) is published information that an unpaid contributor provides to a website. Continue Reading
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News
15 Aug 2022
How clean data helps Southern Water identify vulnerable customers
Escalating prices means households around the country are having to tighten spending, with many struggling to pay their bills. Water4All, a consortium led by Southern Water, is using data to identify low-income and vulnerable households so they can be better supported Continue Reading
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News
11 Aug 2022
Crown Commercial Service opens door to Salesforce
The Crown Commercial Service has agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with Salesforce to facilitate public sector access to the supplier’s products and services, including Tableau, Slack and Mulesoft Continue Reading
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News
09 Aug 2022
Tata teams with Genesys to boost enterprise engagement with enhanced InstaCC Platform
Global digital ecosystem enabler partners with cloud-based customer experience orchestration to further transform customer engagement across platforms ranging from social to mobile Continue Reading
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E-Zine
09 Aug 2022
Eurotunnel’s digital journey for the realities of post-Covid travel
In this week’s Computer Weekly, the travel industry was devastated by the pandemic, but we find out how Eurotunnel is turning to digital to better engage customers in the post-Covid world. We examine the impact of the economic slowdown on the tech giants. And we explain all you need to know about data gravity. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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08 Aug 2022
Channelling customer focus
Adapting to the realities of post-Covid European travel, Eurotunnel is revamping the customer experience - as product and experience director Ian Rabagliati explains. Continue Reading
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News
05 Aug 2022
CIO interview: Stephen Booth, CIO, Coventry University
After more than 20 years at the university, the CIO is still taking on new responsibilities – including his team becoming a commercial entity and acquiring its own software Continue Reading
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News
04 Aug 2022
Bayern Munich sides with Adobe to enhance global fan experience
Bayern Munich is using Adobe’s Experience Cloud and allied software to better connect with its fans in Germany and worldwide Continue Reading
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News
03 Aug 2022
Twilio eyes CDP opportunity in APAC
Twilio is tapping opportunities in customer data platforms and will deploy APAC instances of its Segment platform next year Continue Reading
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E-Zine
02 Aug 2022
How to create a datacentre capacity plan
In this week’s Computer Weekly, planning datacentre capacity is a growing challenge – we ask the experts for the latest best practice. Victims of the Post Office IT scandal explain why they think they were targeted for speaking out. And we look at the digital skills gap in retail and find out how employers can source talent. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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E-Zine
26 Jul 2022
Inside Russia’s Ukraine information operations
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we get the inside track on Russia’s disinformation operations attempting to spread propaganda and cyber threats about the invasion of Ukraine. Our new buyer’s guide looks at customer and employee experience management. And we assess 10 top Kubernetes backup suppliers. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jul 2022
CDO interview: Ian Rabagliati, product and experience director, Eurotunnel
The Channel Tunnel operator is coming to terms with the realities of post-Covid European travel, and focusing on customer experience to bring it closer to its passengers Continue Reading
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Definition
20 Jul 2022
return merchandise authorization (RMA)
An RMA (return merchandise authorization) is a numbered authorization provided by a mail-order or e-commerce merchant to permit the return of a product. Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Jul 2022
Employee experience joins CX for total enterprise view
Total experience is emerging to join up employee and customer experience for organisations intent on being holistic and progressive Continue Reading
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Definition
19 Jul 2022
test marketing
Test marketing is a method that aims to explore consumer response to a product or marketing campaign by making it available on a limited basis to test markets before a wider release. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Jul 2022
5 best practices for customer journey mapping
As CX teams create customer journey maps, they must set clear goals, collect feedback and embrace creativity. Failure to follow best practices can leave teams with inaccurate data. Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Jun 2022
Composability set to be next big thing for digital experience platforms
Digital experience platforms are the latest word in increasing customer loyalty by engaging across all channels. Gaining real-time views of customers while managing data compliantly is critical Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Jun 2022
4 real-world customer journey map examples
Real-world examples of customer journey maps in action can help brands understand how customers feel amid the buying process and benefit customer relationships moving forward. Continue Reading
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News
22 Jun 2022
How TDCX is building a people-centric business
Every digital tool deployed by the Singapore-based services firm is aimed at augmenting the performance and experience of its employees, says TDCX’s group CIO, Byron Fernandez Continue Reading
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News
17 Jun 2022
Fintech firm chooses Salesforce software to support growth
Revolut is to use Saleasforce software to support sales and marketing as part of its expansion plans Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Jun 2022
The link between employee experience and customer experience
A customer's experience with an organization is only as good as an employee's experience. Business leaders should know that empathy is key to employee and customer success. Continue Reading
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Definition
10 Jun 2022
distribution list
In email applications, a distribution list is a list of email addresses that can be mass mailed via automation without having to add members individually. Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2022
Investment firm takes Salesforce to task for lack of racial diversity
Retail investment platform Tulipshare is campaigning to hold Salesforce to account for its lack of racial diversity Continue Reading
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Answer
09 Jun 2022
What's the difference between SCM and CRM?
CRM platforms track customer interactions, whereas SCM platforms track materials and product shipments. Tech buyers should know how these platforms differ before making a purchase. Continue Reading
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News
09 Jun 2022
CIO interview: Yiannis Levantis aims at total quality for Unipart IT
Unipart has a heritage in quality manufacturing and services that CIO Yiannis Levantis is building on, in part by harnessing SAP’s cloud-based business transformation service Rise Continue Reading
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News
26 May 2022
Executive interview: Miles Hillier, NatWest
Retail bank’s digital channel development head talks about building a multi-channel customer experience Continue Reading
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E-Zine
24 May 2022
Set innovation free and make great ideas a reality
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at Gartner’s call to innovate – and innovation across retail, the circular economy and the automotive sector. We talk to Verastar’s CTO about customer engagement in its small business services. And we examine how poor data quality is frustrating corporate desires to be data driven. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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23 May 2022
Digitising customer engagement
Verastar CTO Spencer Clarkson explains how digital transformation and unifying customer relationship management systems are driving the business services group forward. Continue Reading