On a day shortly before the October issue goes to print, and one day before I have to leave for Las Vegas to attend the ICCM show, David Butcher puts a link to a treasure-trove of Viggo Mortensen photos in his blog??
http://blog.tmcnet.com/crm-junkyard/2005/09/23/ronald-or-ronette.asp
Thanks, David!
PS: CIS readers...if the October issue is late arriving in your mailboxes, blame David. Or Viggo. Whichever.
TES
Well, it's final...signed, sealed and delivered. Aspect Communications Corp. and Concerto Software are no longer, they are a reborn entitity called Aspect Software, as of today.
“The new Aspect Software is committed to protecting our customers’ investments and is well-equipped to support them in achieving their strategic collections, customer service and sales and telemarketing objectives,” said Jim Foy, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Aspect Software. “Our leading products combined with the insight of industry luminaries and technology inventors like Gary Barnett, Jim Mitchell and Roger Sumner uniquely position Aspect Software to offer a level of expertise that is unmatched in the contact center industry.”
TES
Salesforce.com, which provides on-demand customer relationship management (CRM) (but you knew that, unless you've been living in a closet), today announced that John Freeland, managing director in charge of CRM at Accenture, will join the company's senior management team as President, Worldwide Operations.
I just waited for 10 minutes to speak with an American Airlines representative. You see, I'm scheduled to fly to Las Vegas via Dallas on Saturday. If you've looked at recent pictures of Hurricane Rita, you'll see that the category four storm is making a beeline for the Texas coast, after which, we presume, it will continue inland, unless it has an unknown agenda of its own.
I called American Airlines to see about switching my flight through Chicago instead.
The rep: Dallas is 450 miles inland, you know!
Me: No, really, I thought it was up north of Maine somewhere!
The rep: [Silence]
Me: Hurricanes go inland, too, you know. They seldom just stop at the beach.
The rep: To change flights, it would be a change fee, plus the difference in air fare at face value. That would be $700.
Me: Sorry, I had thought that American Airlines would welcome passengers taking steps to lessen the potential nightmare impact of cancelled flights. Silly me.
TES
Ever thought your broker was crazy, but kept him or her on because your portfolio is doing well? Science tells us this week that genuine, clinical psychotic attributes may be desirable in a broker.
I'm not making this up. Check here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1786949,00.html
TES
UniPress Software's Web-based service desk product, Footprints, has always been a dynamic solution. The company has been sensitive to the needs of the customer service industry and has always acted accordingly.
Today, UniPress announced the addition of a change management module to Footprints. The addition is being offered to assist help desk and support organizations in automating and controlling IT change management activities.
For more info, read David Butcher's summation here: http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/unipress/web-based-help-desk-articles/unipress-offers-new-management-tool.htm.
TES
Before today's sentencing of up to 25 years in prison for Tyco execs Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz, Dennis Kozlowski's's lawyer pleaded for leniency for his client by pointing out that even though Kozlowski and Swartz fleeced the company blind, it hadn't collapsed like Enron.
"Tyco is not Enron,” Thomas Curran, a former New York City prosecutor who is now a defense lawyer, said. “Tyco is a real company with a real business plan that still employs thousands of people. ... There are no retirees eating cat food because of Dennis Kozlowski.”
Maybe not, but hopefully Kozlowski will be dining on Fancy Feast "turkey giblet dinner" by the time he gets out of prison. Put a piece of parsley on it, Dennis, and pretend it's pâté.
TES
I know technology editors shouldn't have favorites, but I must admit to having a "pet" technology. I love speech recognition/TTS and all their associated applications. Maybe it's the science fiction geek in me, waiting for HAL 9000 to be created.
I'm always glad to hear about expansion news of a speech provider. Today Voice Print announced the official opening of its new European Headquarters in
More info at www.voiceprintonline.com
TES
I recently received an e-mail from RightNow Technologies, a provider of on-demand CRM solutions, with a weigh-in on the subject of the Oracle/Siebel Merger by RightNow CEO Greg Gianforte:
"Consolidation may well be the only way for the 'old guard' of enterprise software to grab market share since software purchasing clearly continues to shift to on-demand vendors. Siebel tried to make the transition to on demand, but were late to the party. These old guard application vendors including Siebel, Oracle and SAP have struggled with customer satisfaction and I don't see how this move will help solve this problem."
TES
So here we are, in the midst of Salesforce.com's Dreamforce event in San Francisco, where the hosted CRM company today announced news of the release of its AppExchange sharing service, on a day when the news ALSO bring information about a merger between Oracle and Siebel. We've got bold words from Larry Ellison, subdued words from Tom Siebel, and a true zinger from Salesfore.com's CEO Marc Benioff (see Bob Liu's article containing Benioff's quote here: http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-oracle-siebel-analysis-salesforce-/2005/sep/1181280.htm)
I've also noticed today at least one news release detailing customers switching from Salesforce.com to Siebel, perhaps to counter news from Dreamforce: http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-flashbaycom-selects-siebel-crm-ondemand-over-salesforcecom-extend-/2005/sep/1180705.htm
This is turning into a drama reminiscent of the kind of thing that goes on back stage at operas in the diva's dressing room. Though no shoes have been thrown yet, I'll keep my head tucked in just in case.
Read my take on the issue more fully here: http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2005/Sep/1181349.htm
TES
Interesting. Former HP head Carly Fiorina announced yesterday that she would join the board of Revolution Health, an investment vehicle that America Online Inc. founder Steve Case launched in April.
According to the Washington Post, this is notable because the board consists largely of executives who were prominently booted out of their former positions.
"Among [the board members] are Stephen F. Wiggins, once chief executive of Oxford Health Plans Inc., who was pushed out in 1998; and Franklin D. Raines, former chairman and chief executive of housing finance company Fannie Mae, who stepped down last December after the Securities and Exchange Commission ordered the company to restate about $10.8 billion in previously reported earnings. Then, of course, there is Case himself, who in 2003 was pushed out as chairman of what was then called AOL Time Warner."
Read the full Washington Post article here.
TES
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colorado reported that Wednesday (9/7) they saw the fourth largest solar flare recorded in the last 15 years. The flare has the potential to disrupt satellite communications, and cause very pretty "borealises" near the Arctic and Antarctic circles.
Hurricanes, solar flares, tsunamis...
Is the world ending soon? If so, please tell me. I'll stop bothering to contribute to my 401k program, cease worrying about replacing the roof in two years and drink that bottle of expensive Pinot Noir I've been saving.
TES
Check out the new blog by Steve Brubaker, SVP of Corporate Affairs for InfoCision Management Corp. Steve addresses much-talked-about issues such as fraud delivered via telemarketing and offshore outsourcing of call center services.
Steve's blog is here: http://spaces.msn.com/members/callcenterstoday/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c
TES
Proficient Systems Inc. has something about which to be proud today: the company was named as "one of the fastest-growing companies in Georgia by Deloitte & Touche LLP.
This is an annual event: every year Deloitte & Touche and TechLinks, along with the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), rank and then recognize the "top revenue producing technology companies in Georgia."
Proficient Systems is a data mining and sales product for Web-site visitors. Check their Web site at www.proficient.com for more info.
TES
Lisbon-Portugal-based Altitude Software today announced the opening of an office in Mexico City. According to the company, the new office was opened in response to Altitude's substantial successes in Mexico. (The Altitude product is a complete "contact center in a box" solution.)
The company appointed Alejandro Diaz Lima to head the new office.
TES
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