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The article discusses the use of contextual content for effective in-store message system to cater customer services. It cites the digital signage as a solution for retailers who try to build a connection between the customer's online experience and the store. It also emphasizes that such tool requires an effective strategy to balance the customers experience with services of the retailer.

The article presents a case study on SeeClickFix, a web-based tool for reporting citizens' complaints. Ben Berkowitz, a resident of New Haven, Connecticut, launched this tool in 2007 when he found out that the city lacked a centralized customer service system. It discloses that in 2008, New Haven adopted the SeeClickFix and its Department of Public Works embedded the application on its website. Also discussed is the potential of SeeClickFix to serve as a national 311 system.

The article focuses on Ann, a virtual online assistant of insurer Aetna which was developed by Next IT using its ActiveAgent human emulation software. Ann logs about 20,000 chat sessions everyday. Steve Schneider of Aetna cited the availability of the virtual assistant across the entire secure member Web site of the company to provide even more personalized assistance to its over 12.5 million registered members. Also mentioned is the plan of the insurer to bring Ann to the mobile space.

The article reports on companies' increased use of social media to provide customer service, with most businesses relying on software programs that allow them to monitor social media sites in real time and respond to customer queries and complaints.

The article focuses on the availability of a new service option called The GTESS System - Enterprise Edition(tm) for payers and health plans at GTESS Corp. It mentions that through the GTESS technology, payers and health plans can compete and correct claims for adjudication with in-house personnel. It states that the benefits of cloud computing as well as security using the said technology will be provided to customers.

The article discusses how the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) of San Diego County, California deploys TourSolver for MapPoint software and TomTom Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) units. HCD caseworkers use GPS routing in inspecting 14,000 units of Section 8 low-income housing, the largest rental subsidy program in the U.S. The article also reveals that the system saves 20 hours monthly of housing supervisors time which translates into better customer service and savings in county money, gas and time.

The article presents questions and answers related to digital industry including how to be patient while holding for technical support and customer service, what does it mean by Kinect Ready written on the box of Xbox 360 systems video game console and how can one update to a new version of operating system.

The article focuses on the privacy issues on the use of global positioning systems (GPS). It says that the services and information provided by location-based services could enhance consumer safety and convenience, but it could also give the exact location of the user. It adds that legislation that protects the privacy of the users cannot guarantee perfect protection. Furthermore, various ways to improve privacy including anonymisation, use of dummy position data and obfuscation, are discussed.

The article presents information on the pitfalls related to the self-service customer relations management (CRM). As stated, several customer support organizations oriented towards the promising strategy of self service CRM to reduce the cost of customer services. It is further recommended about five pitfalls related to the self-service CRM which should be ignore in the process of launching of customer self service software project.

The article discusses the conditions of the Learning Management System (LMS) market. It states that the LMS market has a very small number of providers including open source Sakai and Moodle P/L, and proprietary Blackboard Inc. It also mentions the instability in this market, which can be accounted from the failure of major providers to satisfy the customers. Moreover, the possible shift in focus from vendor to ultimate solution and the growth in the open-source software are discussed.

The article presents views of Daniel Eckert, senior vice president (SVP) of Wal-Mart Services, on reasons for advancing mobile retail customer experience. Topics discussed include increasing expectations of consumers for a fast, smooth and easy experience, using technology for improving customer experience for saving customer pain points, stress and time and launch of homegrown mobile-payment feature Walmart Pay within Walmart mobile app in June 2016.

The article reports that 11 million U.S. dollars has been raised by the business analytics software firm AtScale in a Series B round of financing led by the venture capital firm Comcast Ventures. It presents views of AtScale chief executive officer (CEO) Dave Mariani on using the funding to grow its customer support and sales operations to meet demand of its software.

The article reports that electric utility firm Avista has selected smart grid solutions provider Itron to upgrade its energy network with smart city apps in Washington. Topics include Avista to use the OpenWay Riva Internet of Things (IoT) solution of Itron for distributed intelligence to improve customer services; the platform to help Avista run multiple apps instead of having data for billing and views of Heather Rosentrater, Avista vice president (VP) of Energy Delivery, on the same.

The article reports on the plans of American Family Insurance to deploy Pitnew Bowes Inc.'s EngageOne Video software as part of its new customer engagement strategy.

The article offers information on a report by consultancy firm Accenture which reveals that U.S. hospital-provided mobile health apps are used by few patients. Topics discussed include views of Brian Kalis, managing director of health practice at Accenture, on suggestions for health care providers to need consumers' need, switching of health providers by patients because of improper online customer service by the providers, and mentions the significance of digital patient engagement.

The article features the Sunbelt Rentals in Fort Mill, South Carolina, recipient of the Best Mobile Sunbelt File Archiver (SFA) / Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Award during the 8th annual Mobiliser Awards in 2009. It states that Sunbelt deployed Apple iPhone 2.0 to several users enterprise-wide and implemented Microsoft CRM 4.0 and customized Web interface by working with Customer Connect. Moreover, mobile CRM application quicken data flow and represntatives' response to customer needs.

The article discusses how IKEA Germany was able to implement a high call processing standard for its contact center by installing an IVR (interactive voice response) system. IKEA collaborated with Excelsis Speech Software, a German reseller of Voxeo's VoiceObjects solutions, in installing a voice portal into IKEA's contact centers.

The article reports that the users of Dell Windows-based laptops, desktops, tablets and other devices bought before August need to check if their systems have the self-signed eDellRoot certificate. The certificate was installed by Dell Foundation Services (DFS), an application that Dell preloads on its devices to ease customer service and technical support functions.

The article reports on the launching of the Oak Fitting Room (OFR) for retailers as the first product of Oak Labs owner Healy Cypher who was a former Ebay executive. Topics include the unique OFR experience with full-length mirror for direct interaction of shoppers with its touchable screen while items have radio frequency identification (RFID) for point-of-sale and inventory synchronization. Also mentioned is the first OFR trial at the Fifth Avenue store of Polo Ralp Lauren in New York City.

The article looks at how Descartes Systems Group Chief Executive Arthur Mesher converted vision to reality and brought the company back from the brink of business failure. Under the leadership of Mesher, the company has enjoyed 20 percent year-over-year growth for the past 17 quarters. His strategy involves firing his sales staff and refocusing the company from selling the benefits of software toward delivering customized results as a service.

The article focuses on the problems of several customers related to information technology (IT) and the solutions offered by the concerned organizations. It includes the problem of New South Wales-resident Steve Schier, who could not get technical help when the Mind Your Own Business RetailManager software did not connect with the server. New South Wales-resident Nathan Carter complained that his N95 cellular telephone had poor reception and battery life. When he complained to Nokia Corp., the officials said that it would take six weeks time. Nokia Australia's Communication Manager Louise Turner replied to the journal that someone from the Care team will contact Carter and solve his problem.

The author reflects on the issues concerning Google Apps Premier Edition (GAPE) from Google Inc. He claims that Google has frustrated journalists and analysts by laying claim to 3000 new businesses customers per day ranging from one-man to large enterprises. He asserts that Google has hundreds of paying customers for its GAPE suite. He also believes that there is still work to be done to make Google's GAPE more reliable.

The article reports on the warning released by VMware Corp. concerning its ESX Server 3.5 Update 2 on August 12, 2008. The company has warned its customers and partners of problems on a licensing snafu of VMware ESX and ESX virtualization products. According to the company, the update has caused disruptions on virtual machines where its powering on did not function well. In relevance, the firm has posted a temporary fix and is settling the problem over the updated version of the computer software.

The article reports on typing-analysis software in customer services. Authentication of customers online has been a problem for companies due to security versus easy access. AdmitOne Security has developed computer software which has a user sign on with their username, password, and their own typing style.

The article discusses the rebranding of Compuware to its Compuware 2.0, in putting again the good services to its enterprise customers and realigns its products and services towards a common set of objectives in Detroit, Michigan. It says that the Compuware 2.0 brings viable old-school Information Technology (IT) company into the new world while holding onto its core values of customer service. According to the article, the company officially selected its new company logo, a three-dimensional guitar that signifies the role Compuware that intends to play in rocking IT world. Moreover, the chief executive officer of Compuware Peter Karmanos is looking to make the company more responsive to market change.

The article outlines developments that take place at SAP, a company that holds patents on scope creep and late deliveries in the U.S. Year 2007 has been a tough year for the company wherein it turned to Business By Design (BBD) software to address its troubles. Its code is not written for the Web, meaning the on-demand versions of its core enterprise software would never match Web-native enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) products, such as NetSuite and Salesforce.com. To address the situation and to find new growth opportunities, it promised to deliver a new product based on a reinvented code base, on-demand offerings, and focus on midmarket issues.

The article discusses the significance of scheduling software in the manufacturing aspect of chemical processing industries (CPI). Technological innovations and detailed schedules enable the CPI sector to maximize customer service, improve agility and compliance and minimize inventory and overtime. However, the author emphasizes that manufacturers need to understand buffers and changeover to achieve maximum output for a chemical manufacturing facility. He denotes that the proper combination of production scheduling and technology can lead to the success of CPI companies.

The article focuses on the plan by Microsoft Corp. called Oslo which is to develop the features and improve the accessibility of service-oriented architecture (SOA), a standardized architecture that supports the integration of various applications, during the SOA & Business Process Conference in October 2007 in Redmond, Washington. It was stated that the company officials intend to enhance SOA's capabilities and usefulness to customers by stretching its products in major areas including server, services, framework, tools and repository. In addition, Microsoft wants to help software developers to save time and money by allowing them to reuse existing codes to create new applications.

The article focuses on the adoption of Aspect Software's Quality Management call recording program by Reservation Center. The company functions as a supplemental call center for travel agencies. To address travel booking problems it previously encountered and prevent future accusations by customers, the company decided to log and record all of its calls. The system automatically tracks the next available agent and routes calls accordingly. The system allowed Reservation Center to enhance its call center operations by grading agents.

The article focuses on the use of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to improve a variety of processing operations. A good ERP software offers the ability to better manage every facet of the manufacturing business environment such as shopfloor data collection and customer service. Details of how manufacturers look for an ERP system that will last are also discussed.

Several letters to the editor which involve Mac Pro's price, Appleworks 6.2.9 and Apple Inc.'s customer service are presented.

The article cites the software from SeeWhy Software Ltd. used by eCourier to generate customer data more quickly. ECourier's co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Jay Bregman cites the uniqueness about SeeWhy, that is its ability to report what is happening with customers instantly. Though eCourier has been using the software for just a few months, the anecdotal evidence is cited to be encouraging.

The article examines the prevalence of defects in early releases of computer software. Software bugs are mostly tolerated by information professionals as a trade-off for the latest product features. Companies need to test software more thoroughly within specific environments and deliver appropriate feedback to vendors. Service-level agreements should hold vendors to more rigorous requirements. Customers can demand better quality on release, do more testing, and wait longer for vendors to get things right.

The article features products and services for human resource personnel, including iVantage 4.0 human resource information systems from Spectrum Human Resource Systems Corp., Nakisa OrgManagement Series 2007 software package from Nakisa Inc. and an automated recruiting and electronic job application service from JobApp Network.

The article presents information on the business provided by Business Objects Inc. The company has announced that it had expanded its own global services division to provide greater strategic and technical support to its customers. The company has also launched Data Quality XI, an updated version of the data quality suite it acquired from Firstlogic Inc.

The article reports on the plan of eFashion Solutions to spend its fund on developing new software and improving its information technology infrastructure and customer service in 2006. It reveals the budget of the company for the project. Moreover, it mentions the number of Web sites that are being hosted and managed by the company for its clients. The partners of Bernie Brennan, chairman of the company, in the cash infusion include ABC Capital Partners and Piper Jaffray PEP II.

A reprint of the article "EnterpriseDB," which appeared in a previous issue is presented. Computer company EnterpriseDB offers services that amplify the benefits of open source software PostgreSQL. EnterpriseDB is a reliable, accountable company from which customers can acquire the database and associated services. EnterpriseDB provides automatic software upgrades, maintenance patches with convenient install packages, and continuous commercial-grade technical support via telephone, email and forums.

The article reports that Radio Systems, selling as PetSafe, opted for an integrated customer relationship management, accounting, and telephony system from Extremely Productive to integrate its existing order management software with a customer relationship management solution. Before the integration, the Knoxville, Tennessee-based manufacturer of pet containment systems, electronic pet doors, indoor fences, and electronic feeders had to input the customer's data twice making it difficult to track warranty service, product exchanges, and shipment of replacement parts. With the integrated system, the company's research and development group and marketing group are also benefiting from the data that the call center employees are collecting and maintaining.

The article considers the claim of a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) that the customer service centers operated by government contractors lack guidelines to manage federal customer service and ensure accuracy. In fact most, of those centers do not include accuracy as a performance metric. Some agencies have tried to solve the problem by installing customer relationship management (CRM) software at contact centers. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Social Security Administration were among the government agencies that utilize CRM technologies to manage the operations of their service center.

The article provides information concerning the customers feedback on the previous advertisements published in the "Maximum PC." Complains of customers regarding the pricing of the electronic products are discussed. The publication however, explained that an unintentional error has occurred in the said issue. Meanwhile, another concern was raised by a customer regarding the new add-in Port Magic of AOL which was said to download and install itself. The customer first ask the help of the AOL and then the Pure Networks but they could not diagnosed the problem of the program.

This article reports that Microsoft Corp. is putting great effort to provide best services to its customers by making its people to do overtime. At its Lab in Redmond, Washington Microsoft has a three-pronged attack to give customers and potential customers more information by testing and comparing Windows and Linux in legacy environments. At this lab the company is assessing the effectiveness of each platform's security patching process and also working out on how well Microsoft is working to integrate or support open-source code in its products. In order to upgrade every possible customer to the latest version of Windows, it is testing Windows on old hardware. It was found by Microsoft in these tests that most modern commercial Linux distributions could be installed successfully on systems that have an Intel Corp. In the continuation of this process Microsoft is also testing a wide variety of Unix systems and Berkeley Software Distributions. The company has developed tests and analysis tools to look at how frequently systems need to be patched and what the impact of that is.

The article presents news briefs on speech technology as of January 2006. Braintree District Council chose the Telephonetics ContactPortal as a portion of its Customer First program. Chi Mei Communications Systems licensed VoiceSignal VSuite 2.0 computer software for its Chi Mei Smartphones. Lab9 Solutions has launched a new wireless handset system featuring the Fluentsoft speech technology system from Sensory.

The article presents information on Janeeva CEO and entrepreneur Vinay Gupta. The company developed a Web-based software program called Passport that functions as an information dashboard for clients. Through the program, a U.S. company can track the volume of customer service calls or check on the status of a software project. Gupta plans to add his network of outsourcing vendors and broaden the geographic scope by tapping into companies in the Philippines and Costa Rica. He even started working with outsourcers in Phoenix, Arizona and Omaha, Nebraska.

The article reports on the use of agile development methodologies such as Extreme Programming and Scrum by Microsoft as a way of revising its wares more frequently to respond to customer needs. Scrum is an agile method for management of software development projects. The other is Extreme Programming, the concept where one might have two people working on a given piece of code, and the idea is that two minds are better than one because one can find problems faster.

The article provides information on the evolution of customer relationship management (CRM) software in operations management. CRM had two dependent sectors of the paradigm shift. Operational CRM focused on managing customer interactions across multiple channels such as the Web, the sales force and customer service while analyticall CRM focused on understanding the nuances in customer profiles and behavior. The promise of CRM stated that different customers would be treated differently based on value.

This article focuses on the software-as-a-service offering of Salesforce.com in the U.S. In April 2004, ClearCube transferred its customer relationship management (CRM) operations from Siebel Systems to the Web-based system of Salesforce. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff determined that the only way to make his service more attractive than competing CRM systems was to host all of his customers' data in one place, which would reduce costs and simplify maintenance and upgrades. The company has given its customers the CustomForce software to develop their own complementary programs.

Examines how end users perceive Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Error Reporting (WER), formerly called Dr. Watson. Use of the WER reports to fix problems on Microsoft software; Concern on the support cost of error reporting; Resources associated with end-user reactions to WER and the resulting help-desk impact.

The article reports that Intuit Inc. and General Electric Co. (GE) are using a radical new research technique to keep customers happy and revenue growing. This year 12.5 million people used Intuit's TurboTax software to prepare their tax returns. Intuit asks customers one simple question: Would you recommend this product to friends and family? In 2004 such feedback revealed that TurboTax's onerous rebate process and electronic filing glitches left a bad taste in some consumers' mouths. GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt encourages his executives to use net promoter scores in all of GE's divisions. To boost circulation at the Wall Street Journal, a project is under way to harness the enthusiasm of loyal readers by offering discounted subscriptions that can be given away as gifts to younger subordinates. The idea of net promoters is easier to grasp because customer satisfaction is a quality everyone appreciates. Some strategy and marketing experts caution that while the net promoter technique may work for basic consumer purchases, it could be less meaningful when applied to products for which a more complex variety of factors influences purchasing decisions.