Business data are important to every business. Data is a business’ most important asset, and it’s only going to be more valuable in the years ahead. Data is important to the business world as they can scan through it in seconds. They also expect data to yield instant answers, and expect those answers to be true. WThey can access the same database from different places, on different devices, by thousands of different people. Nowadays, through mobile devices, and faster data connections, and employees are connected constantly. They use data to make more money, and they can do this in the following different ways: To find new markets, To win customers, To keep customers, To develop products, and to support customers in a cost-effective way. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/why-your-business-data-is-more-valuable-than-ever-70083

The digital landscape is changing every day. So, companies are also adopting the digital proximity market in their business strategy. According to a recent study, it was found, only 0.07% of overall marketing dollars is currently being spent on developing proximity programs and the number is expected to grow exponentially as more companies are adopting digital marketing. Read more at: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/technology-data/bryan-kramer/2015-10-06/digital-proximity-brings-us-closer

Technology is advancing and the risk of cyber security breaches is increasing as well. Every business should combat threats by encouraging an environment that prioritizes security. Business must set up a policy which will align with their culture and make sense for the employees that are using it. Extreme measures may be attractive, but, they may get ignored by employees. Enforcing milder measures with an emphasis on their importance will encourage an environment that will empower employees and create cyber awareness. Read more at: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/technology-data/henristeenkamp/2015-10-02/combatting-cyber-security-steps-keeping-your-business-data

The e-commerce market is always changing. It is making an impact on customer experience or cx. In a survey, it was found that, 56% of the shoppers surveyed said they're less likely to purchase an item online if they can't pick it up in store, while 62% reported that they're more likely to buy from an online shop if they know they can return their item in the store. Social media channels will help to drive sales and increase ROI. To know more about future of e-commerce, follow: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/technology-data/peteschauer/2015-10-04/what-future-holds-ecommerce-infographic

User Experience Design or UX, is more than a concept. It is an intelligent approach to website design. UX designers think more scientifically and build frameworks for websites, assisting the transition between users’ needs and expectations from websites. There are four key fundamentals of user experience design: Information architecture (IA), Interaction design, Usability, and Visual design. Read more at: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/technology-data/decibelpowell/2015-10-07/why-does-user-experience-design-matter

CRM has nowadays become Social CRM (sCRM), which gathers information about a customer based on everything to give a complete picture. sCRM builds a holistic view  of the customer, which includes what the customer says, says on social media, or even what they say to others. It also lets you participate in all these conversations as if they were the same conversation. Today’s businesses use sCRM to track, analyze, and gain insight about customer behavior. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/business-innovation/evolution-crm-scrm-01346425#wwdIgAAY30B6ClS3.97

Remote agents are becoming important these days. There are three reasons for that: lower contact center costs; improved customer service; and, improved employee satisfaction and retention. The other reasons are lower operating costs, less need for brick & mortar facilities, support staff, increased labor pool, and reduced training costs. But, proper tools must be used in order to maximize the use of agents. There are three essential tools for managing remote agents. They are: Agent Self-Scheduling Tools, Real-time Agent Adherence, and Online Productivity Tools. Read more at: http://www.callcentertimes.com/Home/tabid/37/ctl/NewsArticle/mid/395/CategoryID/1/NewsID/1054/Default.aspx

Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) systems cost 50 to 75% less than private branch exchange (PBX) systems, especially if you install it in the cloud. One can reduce the cost of VoIP installation by understanding the costs associated with VoIP onboarding. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/voip-news/5-costs-associated-with-voip-onboarding-70021

Nowadays, hackers are using VoIP as a tool for fraud. Banks and institutions are using voice biometrics for security and to speed up transactions. Voice biometrics is becoming popular with call centers because they use the technology as part of authentication process which verifies the identity of customers.  Voice analytics is another way VoIP can work to detect fraud. Through voice analytics, call centers and other institutions can automatically monitor and record calls & turn a call into text for further machine processing. To know more, follow Doug Mohney (editor-in-chief of HD Voice News)’s article at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/voip-news/4-ways-voip-can-reduce-fraud-70005

Generally people accept that using Voice over IP (VOIP) services will have a high level of quality, especially if they’re connecting from a hardwired internet connection.  We can measure the quality of your VOIP network. We can measure VOIP quality by its MOS or Mass Opinion Score. It is calculated by using the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) standards P.861 and P.862 or using ITU Standard G.107. Another way to determine the quality of your VOIP phone is to look at its R-Factor.  This score is an alternative to the MOS and runs on a scale that ranges from 0 to 120.  There are other factors that can be studied to determine the quality of your VOIP system.  They are: delay, jitter and lost data. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/tech-advances-business/how-to-assess-voice-quality-on-a-voip-network-70043

Recent research found 43% of companies using CRM solutions don't touch half of the features included. CRM is used mainly for sales but also supports marketing and support departments. They also track customer data, contact, and follow-up appointments. A CRM is a valuable tool to improve small business productivity, but there's no reason to get one that includes all features.  Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/how-much-crm-is-too-much-for-your-small-business-70037

Any business needs to sell products and answer the need of their customers in order to grow their business. Every business need to quantify customer satisfaction, but, you need to collect data first to quantify customer satisfaction. This is where CRM comes in. CRM helps you pull in more profit and also helps in maximizing marketing tool. CRM can also look into the customer trend. A CRM system can record all your past interactions, meetings and even business presentations. It will not just collate and analyze data, but it can also group your customers into different segments based on their budget or preferences. So, CRM as a marketing tool, not only relies on the products or services you offer, but it also relies on actual customer feedback. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/how-to-maximize-crm-as-a-marketing-tool-70038

CRM solutions handle sales operations and also provide valuable data for marketing & support departments. Nowadays, some CRM solutions are integrating social data, but companies should ponder over this question - does your SMB really need social features incorporated into your existing solution? We should know the difference between Social CRM and a regular CRM solution. A standard CRM solution gathers data from email, lead from input and phone calls, whereas, a social CRM examine individual prospect social media profiles, your overall audience impressions on social media, social conversations, and other insights into what your customers and prospects are concerned about. Sales, support and marketing departments benefit from adding social CRM data and features into their workflows. To know more about whether Social CRM is relevant to your industry or not, follow: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/does-your-smb-need-a-social-crm-70036

Customers nowadays, use apps and for a product owner it is important to know what value his app is generating to the customers. Product owners should connect with their customers and to connect with customers at a deeper level, you must take advantage of predictive analytics. Predictive analytics helps to discover core product value, and product managers can chalk out an efficient roadmap for delivering core product value to users as quickly as possible. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/mobile-apps/how-product-owners-can-use-predictive-insights-to-optimize-the-app-experience-01345327#EhVGic3TUeHPzH71.97

Nowadays, consumers want portable, quick and flexible technologies and that is why the ERP landscape is also changing quickly. According to technology expert Jennifer Lonoff Schiff, no one really knows the factors that will define tomorrow's solutions. Here are some factors that are gaining a lot of attention with regard to the ERP systems. They are: Social ERP, cloud, seamless integration, mobile, cloud, and analytics. Read more at:  http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/inside-erp/5-tech-factors-that-will-define-tomorrows-erp-70024

Experts estimate that 72% of ERP implementations fail to meet major targets. The most common disappointments are projects that exceed timeline targets, implementations that cost more than expected, and outcomes that deliver fewer expected benefits. Strong project management, the right internal and external talent, reasonable expectations, accurate selection processes, proper accountability for a project vision can help companies avoid the most common sources of failure. In short, without a clear road map, an ERP implementation is not possible. Read more at: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/inside-erp/6-things-every-organization-needs-to-avoid-an-erp-faceplant-70026

Car insurance companies use obsolete customer demographic profiles in order to create rates and premiums. According to a report, big data allows car insurance companies to use complex data analytics to examine millions of customers at once, which results in providing accurate data and real-time correlations between driver behaviors and demographics. Big Data is also preventing fraud, policy profiling. In short, big data is revolutionizing the insurance industry. Read more at:  http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/accessible-bi/big-datas-impact-on-insurance-70027

In a recent survey, it was found that top uses for Big Data in digital marketing include: 29% - better understand customer insights, 18% improve the supply chain, 16% power campaigns and promotions. Marketers must use online data as the fuel that drives success when it comes to digital marketing and they must collect and integrate these online data sets into a marketing database. The information being generated from Big Data can be segmented into six specific categories: Web Mining, Search Information, Social Media, Crowd Sourcing, Transactional Data, and Mobile. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/digital-marketing/big-data-drives-digital-marketing-success-01345766#uSzYX0oZgtDE3Sgp.97

App marketers are concerned about conversion and churn. Marketers like to get customers and make a relationship with them. The biggest stumbling block marketers’ face today is finding the right data to identify the risk of churning users and discover conversion opportunities. Bryn Adler (Content Marketing Manager at Localytics) writes in her article how to prevent churning, re-engage users, increase conversions, and facilitate better relationships. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/mobile-apps/4-ways-app-marketers-can-prevent-churn-increase-conversion-01341983#VzI2kKL3XBBMLz5B.97

Cyber security incidents are on the rise. Hence, traditional host-based security is now evolving to counter new attack vectors and infection types. So, two separate new technologies come together in a way that benefits both – and that is why, host-based intrusion detection systems (IDS) and the cloud has come together.  Palen Schwab (Head of marketing), writes in his article why host-based IDS thrives in cloud environments. Read more at: http://www.business2community.com/cloud-computing/5-reasons-why-host-based-intrusion-detection-systems-thrives-in-the-cloud-01340835#Ya1GtqxhGdIsvYib.97