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• 2 Salesforce acquisitions in 2023 close year of austerity

  In a year that began with layoffs, Salesforce changed its tune about acquisitions. Instead, it invested more, aiming to aid companies with products that its customers need. Continue Reading

• The benefits of diversity in sales teams

  A diverse sales team can improve customer connections and boost employee engagement. However, sales managers must create an inclusive work culture if they want to retain talent. Continue Reading

• Microsoft Dynamics 365 best practices for implementation

  Microsoft Dynamics 365 offers business apps to help organizations boost efficiency. Best practices for implementation include creating the right team and designing a simple UX. Continue Reading

• Top 5 benefits of marketing automation

  If an organization wants to help its marketers, it must invest in marketing automation. This software offers benefits such as better lead conversion and data collection. Continue Reading

• customer profiling

  Customer profiling is the detailed and systematic process of constructing a clear portrait of a company's ideal customer by gathering and analyzing information about their demographic, psychographic and behavioral attributes. Continue Reading

• Definitions to Get Started

  • customer profiling
  • customer insight (consumer insight)
  • buyer persona
  • high-touch customer service

  • digital marketing
  • customer effort score (CES)
  • 360-degree customer view
  • CRM (customer relationship management)

  View All Definitions

• customer insight (consumer insight)

  Customer insight, also known as consumer insight, is the understanding and interpretation of customer data, behaviors and feedback into conclusions that can be used to improve product development and customer support.Continue Reading

• buyer persona

  A buyer persona is a composite representation of a specific type of customer in a market segment.Continue Reading

• high-touch customer service

  High-touch customer service is a category of contact center interaction that requires human interaction.Continue Reading

• Why is sales enablement important?

  With a sales enablement strategy, sales leaders can make their teams more efficient, well-trained and ensure all reps are consistent when they interact with customers.Continue Reading

• An overview of Microsoft Dynamics 365

  Dynamics 365 unites various CRM and ERP tools into one platform. CRM apps include Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service, and ERP tools include Finance and Commerce.Continue Reading

• digital marketing

  Digital marketing is the promotion and marketing of goods and services to consumers through digital channels and electronic technologies.Continue Reading

• Why is a customer experience framework essential?

  A customer experience framework can help CX teams streamline their workflows, showcase the value of a customer-first culture and improve customer engagement and satisfaction.Continue Reading

• customer effort score (CES)

  Customer effort score (CES) is a system for evaluating how much effort is required on the part of a customer to achieve satisfaction in their experience with a company.Continue Reading

• 360-degree customer view

  The 360-degree customer view is a comprehensive approach to understanding customers by compiling their individual data from various touchpoints into a single view.Continue Reading

• 8 ways to measure sales enablement metrics

  Measuring sales enablement metrics can increase efficiency for sales teams and drive revenue growth. Learn which metrics to track and real-world uses for each.Continue Reading

• CRM (customer relationship management)

  Customer relationship management (CRM) is the combination of practices, strategies and technologies that companies use to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle.Continue Reading

• 5 real-world examples of customer obsession

  Customer obsession requires organizations to place clients' needs at the center of all operations. Real-world examples include Equinox, Tabrick and GreenPal.Continue Reading

• actionable intelligence

  Actionable intelligence is information that can be immediately used or acted upon -- either tactically in direct response to an evolving situation, or strategically as the result of an analysis or assessment.Continue Reading

• Salesforce

  Salesforce, Inc. is a cloud computing and social enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider based in San Francisco.Continue Reading

• How product-led growth can help scale your business

  With a product-led growth strategy, you can take the pressure off your sales and marketing teams and center what really matters: the product and the customer.Continue Reading

• Salesforce Einstein

  Salesforce Einstein refers to an integrated set of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies developed for the Salesforce Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform.Continue Reading

• virtual assistant (AI assistant)

  A virtual assistant, also called an AI assistant or digital assistant, is an application program that understands natural language voice commands and completes tasks for the user.Continue Reading

• Microsoft Dynamics 365

  Dynamics 365 is a cloud-based portfolio of business applications from Microsoft that are designed to help organizations improve operational efficiency and reduce business complexity while controlling costs.Continue Reading

• Salesforce Commerce Cloud

  Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a cloud-based suite of products that enable e-commerce businesses to set up e-commerce sites, drive more automation and provide customers with seamless shopping experiences.Continue Reading

• How to reduce customer service costs

  As organizations adjust to today's economy, CX managers should implement new technologies and strategies to reduce customer service costs without sacrificing quality.Continue Reading

• Salesforce DX

  Salesforce DX, or SFDX, is a set of software development tools that lets developers build, test and ship many kinds of applications on the Salesforce Platform.Continue Reading

• omnichannel

  Omnichannel -- also spelled omni-channel -- is an approach to sales, marketing and customer support that seeks to provide customers with a seamless and unified brand experience, regardless of which channel they use.Continue Reading

• mindshare (share of mind)

  Mindshare, also known as share of mind, is an approach to marketing that involves attempting to make a company, brand or product the first one that comes to mind when a customer thinks of a particular market.Continue Reading

• What does a sales enablement manager do?

  A sales enablement manager helps sales reps boost productivity and improves their workflows to generate more revenue. Some organizations may have a full sales enablement team.Continue Reading

• virtual agent

  A virtual agent -- sometimes called an intelligent virtual agent, virtual rep or chatbot -- is a software program that uses scripted rules and, increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) applications to provide automated service or guidance to ...Continue Reading

• account mapping

  Account mapping is a strategic process that involves researching and visually organizing the key stakeholders, decision-makers and influencers within a target customer's organization.Continue Reading

• chief experience officer (CXO)

  A chief experience officer (CXO) is an executive in the C-suite who ensures positive interactions with an organization's customers.Continue Reading

• brand recognition

  Brand recognition is the extent to which a consumer can correctly identify a particular product or service just by viewing the product or service's logo, tag line, packaging or advertising campaign.Continue Reading

• account-based selling

  Account-based selling (ABS) is a strategic sales approach in business-to-business sales and marketing that centers around building highly personalized and targeted relationships with specific high-value accounts.Continue Reading

• 6 must-have customer experience roles for success

  A well-rounded CX team is essential for meeting and exceeding customer expectations when engaging with a company.Continue Reading

• How sales teams can use generative AI

  Sales teams can use generative AI to create personalized content, coach sales reps and improve forecasting. However, risks include data protection and a lack of empathy.Continue Reading

• customer experience (CX)

  Customer experience (CX) is the sum total of customers' perceptions and feelings resulting from interactions with a brand's products and services.Continue Reading

• content personalization

  Content personalization is a branding and marketing strategy in which webpages, email and other forms of content are tailored to match the characteristics, preferences or behaviors of individual users.Continue Reading

• Top 10 customer experience metrics and KPIs

  Net Promoter Score is the most popular customer metric, but it's not the only one for CX teams to measure. Understand which metrics to track and how to calculate them.Continue Reading

• Why businesses should prioritize customer retention

  Proper customer retention can help businesses grow, save money and better understand consumers. Its benefits can lead to better customer experiences and greater business success.Continue Reading

• How to collect customer feedback

  Businesses that collect customer feedback are more likely to create positive experiences and address issues. Analyzing feedback can show deeper insights into customer sentiment.Continue Reading

• What does it mean to be customer obsessed?

  Customer obsession can boost a brand's reputation and profits. But it requires C-suite dedication to CX, high levels of personalization and a positive employee experience.Continue Reading

• multichannel marketing

  Multichannel marketing refers to the practice of companies interacting with customers via multiple channels, both direct and indirect, to sell them goods and services.Continue Reading

• Customer experience strategy: 5 tips to build a valuable CX

  The best CX strategy should provide value to both the customer and the business. However, it requires support from leadership and significant investments in technology.Continue Reading

• How to gather and evaluate customer sentiment

  Businesses can harvest customer sentiment from a variety of places, including social media, surveys, likes, comment cards, contact centers and word-of-mouth.Continue Reading

• 12 essential ABM metrics and KPIs to measure success

  Account-based marketing metrics let teams effectively engage with key decision-makers within target accounts, strengthen customer loyalty and identify areas of improvement.Continue Reading

• Account-based marketing vs. lead generation, explained

  Discover the key differences between lead generation and account-based marketing, as well as pros and cons and how to decide which approach is best for your organization.Continue Reading

• demand generation

  Demand generation is the process of creating and cultivating interest in a product or service with the goal of generating high-quality leads that can be nurtured into loyal customers.Continue Reading

• Customer experience vs. customer service: How do they differ?

  Customer experience and customer service are not the same, but they do have a shared goal: to ensure customers are satisfied and return for repeat business.Continue Reading

• 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

• CX personalization: Why it's important and how to deliver it

  A personalization strategy can increase brand loyalty and customer retention by providing relevant content to customers when they need it. Here's how to get started.Continue Reading

• Why customer journey touchpoints matter

  Customer journey touchpoints allow businesses to create an excellent customer experience and drive long-lasting customer loyalty -- if understood and optimized properly.Continue Reading

• How do companies protect customer data?

  Companies can protect customer data through various technical tools and strategies, like authentication and encryption. But some types of data need more protection than others.Continue Reading

• customer journey map

  A customer journey map is a visual representation of the stages a customer goes through when interacting with a company.Continue Reading

• A guide to account-based engagement

  Account-based marketing strategies can unify marketing, sales and customer service objectives to prioritize, personalize and monetize engagements with high-value accounts.Continue Reading

• 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

• How to effectively personalize your ABM strategy

  The traditional approach of marketing to the masses is yielding to a more targeted, personalized account-based marketing strategy that caters to high-value clients and boosts ROI.Continue Reading

• How does bulk SMS marketing work?

  To start a bulk SMS marketing strategy, marketers should create message templates, monitor engagement and ensure that customers can opt in or out of communications.Continue Reading

• 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

• quality of experience (QoE or QoX)

  Quality of experience (QoE or QoX) is a measure of the overall level of a customer's satisfaction and experience with a product or service and the vendor that's providing that product or service.Continue Reading

• 7 benefits of SMS marketing

  An SMS marketing strategy can benefit organizations and customers alike, with tactics like personalization, real-time results and communication, and loyalty between both parties.Continue Reading

• voice of the customer (VOC)

  Voice of the customer (VOC) is the component of customer experience that focuses on customer needs, wants, expectations and preferences.Continue Reading

• 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

• RFx

  RFx (request for x) encompasses the entire formal request process and can include request for bid (RFB), request for information (RFI), request for proposal (RFP), request for quotation (RFQ) and request for tender (RFT).Continue Reading

• 7 benefits of customer experience management

  A customer experience management strategy brings many benefits, including a reduced customer churn rate, lower marketing costs and improved crisis management.Continue Reading

• customer engagement

  Customer engagement is the way a company creates a relationship with its customer base to foster brand loyalty and awareness.Continue Reading

• phygital

  Phygital (physical plus digital) is a marketing term that describes blending digital experiences with physical ones. As customer interaction channels proliferate, organizations aim to seamlessly integrate these channels.Continue Reading

• Top 9 best SMS marketing examples, with templates

  How can marketers write the perfect text message to engage customers? Templates can help. Explore examples of common SMS marketing messages, like product alerts and event invites.Continue Reading

• How to create customer profiles, with examples

  Creating customer profiles gives brands a deep understanding of their customers' needs and results in more successful marketing strategies. Here are the steps to get started.Continue Reading

• outbound marketing

  Outbound marketing is a traditional form of marketing in which an organization initiates contact with potential customers, or leads.Continue Reading

• churn rate

  Churn rate is a measure of the number of customers or employees who leave a company during a given period.Continue Reading

• 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

• marketing campaign management

  Marketing campaign management is the planning, executing, tracking and analysis of direct marketing campaigns.Continue Reading

• sales-qualified lead (SQL)

  A sales-qualified lead (SQL) is a prospective customer that has been researched and vetted -- first by an organization's marketing department and then by its sales team -- and is deemed ready for the next stage in the sales process.Continue Reading

• Adobe Experience Platform

  Adobe Experience Platform is a suite of customer experience management (CXM) solutions from Adobe.Continue Reading

• What are the different types of SMS marketing?

  How should marketers text their audiences? First, ensure customers opted in to receive texts. Then, promote, incentivize and update customers on products and orders.Continue Reading

• inbound marketing

  Inbound marketing is a strategy that focuses on attracting customers, or leads, via company-created internet content, thereby having potential customers come to the organization rather than marketers vying for their attention.Continue Reading

• account-based marketing (ABM)

  Account-based marketing (ABM) is a business-to-business (B2B) strategy that focuses sales and marketing resources on target accounts within a specific market.Continue Reading

• speech analytics

  Speech analytics is the process of analyzing voice recordings or live customer calls to contact centers with speech recognition software to find useful information and provide quality assurance.Continue Reading

• Salesforce Platform (formerly Force.com)

  The Salesforce Platform -- formerly known as Force.com -- is a platform as a service (PaaS) product that simplifies the development and deployment of cloud-based applications and websites.Continue Reading

• customer segmentation

  Customer segmentation is the practice of dividing a customer base into groups of individuals that have similar characteristics relevant to marketing, such as age, gender, interests and spending habits.Continue Reading

• emotions analytics (EA)

  Emotions analytics (EA) software collects data on how a person communicates verbally and nonverbally to understand the person's mood or attitude.Continue Reading

• lead scoring

  Lead scoring is a methodology used by sales and marketing departments to determine the worthiness of leads, or potential customers, by attaching values to them based on their behavior relating to their interest in products or services.Continue Reading

• customer data management (CDM)

  Customer data management (CDM) is a set of administrative processes that allow data about customers and customer interactions from different source systems to be aggregated and normalized.Continue Reading

• cold calling

  Cold calling is the business practice of contacting a potential customer or client who has not expressed previous interest in speaking with a customer service representative or making a purchase.Continue Reading

• How to use ChatGPT for customer service

  Customer service teams can use ChatGPT to automate tasks, generate responses to customer inquiries, summarize email threads and power human-like chatbots.Continue Reading

• voice recognition (speaker recognition)

  Voice or speaker recognition is the ability of a machine or program to receive and interpret dictation or to understand and perform spoken commands.Continue Reading

• The evolution of chatbots and generative AI

  Customer service chatbots have evolved to include advanced NLP. The three evolutionary chatbot stages include basic chatbots, conversational agents and generative AI.Continue Reading

• Salesforce Service Cloud

  Salesforce Service Cloud is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform for Salesforce clients to provide service and support to their business customers.Continue Reading

• BANT

  BANT is an acronym that stands for 'Budget, Authority, Need, Timing.'Continue Reading

• contactless payment

  A contactless payment is a wireless financial transaction in which the customer makes a purchase by moving a security token in close proximity to the vendor's point of sale (POS) reader.Continue Reading

• outbound call

  An outbound call is one initiated by a call center agent to a customer on behalf of a call center or client.Continue Reading

• 6 customer success plan templates for common situations

  Customer success teams can follow the same general processes to onboard, renew or offboard customers. These templates can help shape those outreach strategies.Continue Reading

• social CRM

  Social CRM, or social customer relationship management, is customer relationship management and engagement fostered by communication with customers through social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.Continue Reading

• Oracle Customer Experience Cloud (Oracle CX Cloud)

  Oracle Customer Experience Cloud (Oracle CX Cloud) is a suite of cloud-based tools for customer relationship management (CRM), sales, marketing, customer service, e-commerce and other tools, such as configure, price, quote (CPQ) tools.Continue Reading

• partner relationship management (PRM)

  Partner relationship management (PRM) is a combination of the software, processes and strategies companies use to streamline business processes with partners that sell their products.Continue Reading

• 5 best practices for a sustainable marketing strategy

  Sustainable marketing can boost brand loyalty, but marketers need an effective strategy. Brands should commit to a larger purpose, take a long-term approach and remain consistent.Continue Reading

• needs assessment

  A needs assessment is a systematic process that examines what criteria must be met in order to reach a desired outcome.Continue Reading

• customer touchpoint

  A customer touchpoint is any direct or indirect contact a customer has with a brand.Continue Reading

• 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