Customer data management
Customer data management includes monitoring data integrity, privacy and security for CRM platforms and, for some organizations, separate customer data platforms while maintaining updated, compliance customer records across sales, marketing service and e-commerce operations.
Top Stories
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Tip
19 May 2023
Top 10 customer data privacy best practices
To ensure customer data remains secure and inaccessible to bad actors, organizations should implement best practices such as frequent data audits and employee trainings. Continue Reading
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News
16 May 2023
SAP's new CX tools for retailers include generative AI assistant
The vendor's new tools include Digital Assistant for better personalization, accelerators to use customer data to improve CX, and a platform to sell excess products on the market. Continue Reading
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News
19 Apr 2023
Salesforce integrates Einstein GPT and Data Cloud into Flow
The CRM giant updated Flow, its automation toolkit, with generative AI and Data Cloud capabilities to trigger automatic responses using natural language prompts and real-time data. Continue Reading
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News
14 Apr 2023
Zendesk teams with OpenAI for new AI-backed CX tools
The CX giant's partnership with OpenAI brings new tools to help CX personnel summarize content, create knowledge bases and macros, and quickly compose ticket responses. Continue Reading
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News
06 Apr 2023
Overcoming data privacy challenges in digital marketing
As access to customers' personal data tightens, online marketers must reevaluate their strategies to reach their desired targets in an effective and creative way. Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2023
Amazon Chime SDK gets new tools for call analytics insights
The communications service's new call analytics tool set enables users to conduct voice tone analysis to track customer sentiment and send the data to their preferred data lake. Continue Reading
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News
22 Mar 2023
Adobe unveils new collaboration tool for marketing teams
The CX giant revealed new technology for faster workflows between marketing, product and data teams to collaborate on marketing campaigns in its new Product Analytics platform. Continue Reading
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News
21 Mar 2023
Adobe and RainFocus pair for more data insight at events
The CX software giant pairs with the event marketing services vendor to provide customers with tools for deeper personalized experiences at in-person and online events. Continue Reading
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News
13 Mar 2023
CX personalization drives strategy for customer data mining
Users are more likely to engage with custom-made, exclusive digital experiences, which ease the flow of zero- and first-party data back to the vendor for improved CX strategies. Continue Reading
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News
06 Mar 2023
Microsoft's new Dynamics 365 Copilot uses generative AI
Copilot accelerates routine tasks for marketing and sales teams like creating email responses and collecting customer insight data, intensifying the AI race in CRM software. Continue Reading
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News
01 Mar 2023
Generative AI-supported tools coming from Pegasystems
CRM platform Pega Infinity will incorporate artificial intelligence language tools for quicker task management, insight visualization and app development. Continue Reading
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News
03 Feb 2023
Salesforce upheaval likely as Elliott Management moves in
As the CRM and CX giant's financial fortunes have sagged in recent years, activist investor funds have targeted the vendor for cuts that could slow technology R&D and investment. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Jan 2023
Compare the top 13 CDP software products in 2023
CDPs, which vendors may sell as standalone products or as subsets of CRM systems, help organizations build detailed customer profiles. Top CDPs include Emarsys and Oracle Unity CDP. Continue Reading
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News
18 Jan 2023
Microsoft and Salesforce step up smart store retail tech
The tech giants are quickly evolving their technologies aimed at the brick and mortar commerce market, with new software for smart store analytics, CX and retail associates. Continue Reading
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News
04 Jan 2023
Telus completes WillowTree acquisition in $1.2B CX deal
Telus acquired the developer of customer experience products, including mobile apps and unified web interfaces, and strengthened its position in the custom CX and UI market. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Dec 2022
4 types of customer data platforms
Data consolidation CDPs simply collect and unify customer data. Other CDP types, such as automated analytics and automated actions CDPs, go a step further and analyze data. 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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News
13 Dec 2022
MuleSoft CEO Brent Hayward on Salesforce integrations, APIs
In four-plus years since its acquisition, MuleSoft has emerged as vital connective tissue inside and outside the Salesforce platform. Interview with CEO Brent Hayward. Continue Reading
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News
19 Oct 2022
Oracle pushes forward with CX tech amid layoff cycle
Rumors of the demise of Oracle marketing, CRM and customer service turn out to be unfounded, as the company forges ahead with vertical-specific CX offerings. Continue Reading
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News
21 Sep 2022
Salesforce customers react as details about Genie emerge
Salesforce grows up by connecting all its clouds to one data platform. The hard part will be demonstrating value behind the investments it will require. Continue Reading
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Answer
21 Sep 2022
How can analytics improve content management?
Customer data and behavior analytics from tools like Google Analytics can give content managers insight into the kind of content site visitors want. Continue Reading
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News
20 Sep 2022
Salesforce Genie integrates automation, CDP, AI features
Salesforce Genie delivers a suite of automation, analytics and customer data tools the company claims is one of its biggest innovations over its 20-plus year history. Continue Reading
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News
20 Sep 2022
More automation, embedded analytics part of Tableau plans
New capabilities scheduled for release as part of the vendor's final two platform updates in 2022 are designed to speed the ability to reach insights and take actions. Continue Reading
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News
14 Sep 2022
Salesforce adds automation features across Customer 360
Salesforce's upcoming Customer 360 features include automation tied together with CDP data for sales, marketing, service and e-commerce. Continue Reading
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News
30 Aug 2022
Panera's AI drive-through test addresses labor concerns
The restaurant chain is using Tori, a voice assistant from startup OpenCity. The company says its goal is to redirect employees from the drive-through lines to other tasks. Continue Reading
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News
17 Aug 2022
A hyper-personalized AI platform for community finance
Using the vendor's Cortex AI platform, DeepTarget created a digital experience platform that community finance institutions can use to predict what consumers will buy. Continue Reading
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News
12 Aug 2022
Third-party cookies remain as Google advertising in DOJ's sights
If Google gets sued by U.S. antitrust authorities on the grounds its advertising network is a monopoly, marketers need to plan for how it may affect their operations. Continue Reading
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Answer
12 Jul 2022
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
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News
07 Jul 2022
Salesforce CodeGen lead discusses AI-generated programming
The head of Salesforce's open source, AI-assisted no-code project discusses the company's approach to AI moving forward, as well as what users might see next on the roadmap. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Jun 2022
How to fit customer experience security into your strategy
Most organizations overlook security in their CX strategies. However, with collaboration, personalization, CIAM controls and more, organizations can offer a secure and positive CX. Continue Reading
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News
14 Jun 2022
Adobe adds CDP functionality for B2B use cases
Adobe catches up with the competition with the release of new customer data platform features for marketers, including a 'data clean room' and tools for B2B users. Continue Reading
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News
24 May 2022
Pegasystems acquires process mining tech, partners with CDP
Pegasystems partners with Celebrus CDP and Google Cloud to expand the reach of its CX tools and acquires Everflow, a process mining tech company. Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2022
Oracle plugs customer data platform into customer service
Oracle Service adds Unity CDP integration to afford contact center agents a historical view of customer interactions and new features. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 May 2022
The future of DMPs in a post-cookies world
DMPs are still important in marketers' jobs, but the move away from third-party cookies threatens the DMP's future. Here's what marketers and DMP providers need to know. Continue Reading
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News
30 Mar 2022
New Google Cloud retail tool targets search abandonment
The new tool is aimed at providing better results for online shoppers. It understands user intent and context, provides results for broad inquiries, and includes semantic search. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Mar 2022
Will Google kill third-party cookies?
The end of third-party cookies has been on the horizon for years. For marketers, this termination means finding new strategies and alternatives to third-party data. Continue Reading
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Feature
03 Mar 2022
Finance industry giants disclose AI challenges
Education, explainability, privacy and integration are some of the problems institutions face when implementing machine learning tools and technology. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Mar 2022
First-party vs. third-party cookies: What's the difference?
First-party cookies track user engagement, while third-party cookies are central to many marketing and sales strategies. Yet the two types are more similar than one might think. Continue Reading
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News
09 Feb 2022
Adobe Journey Optimizer adds mobile marketing capabilities
Adobe adds marketing personalization and messaging orchestration capabilities to Experience Cloud for B2B and B2C users whose customers favor smartphones. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jan 2022
Google debuts Topics, its latest third-party cookie replacement
Topics, a replacement for browser tracking cookies, is Google's latest idea to preserve browser privacy while preserving the value of its digital ad platform. Continue Reading
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News
12 Jan 2022
Customer data platform market heats up again
As companies plan for the post-pandemic reality, customer data platforms are expected to be a bigger part of marketing workflows and other emerging use cases. Continue Reading
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News
16 Dec 2021
Biden targets federal CX improvements with executive order
President Biden issues a detailed executive order that lays out agency-by-agency federal digital experience improvement mandates -- and builds accountability into the process. Continue Reading
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News
09 Nov 2021
Real Madrid teams up with Adobe to enhance global fan experience
Real Madrid is using Adobe’s Experience Cloud software to better connect with its fans in Spain and worldwide Continue Reading
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News
16 Sep 2021
Salesforce automation tools for 2022: RPA, document ingestion
Salesforce Einstein Automate tools to come next year include RPA, document intake and drag-and-drop process automation. Continue Reading
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Answer
13 Aug 2021
CRM vs. CDP vs. DMP: What's the difference?
Sales and marketing terms are like alphabet soup, and the different acronyms can get confusing. Find out the difference between three major platforms: CRM, CDP and DMP. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Aug 2021
10 voice of the customer tools to consider
A voice of the customer tool is invaluable for creating an action plan to improve the customer experience. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jul 2021
OpenText releases customer data platform
OpenText customers get a natively integrated runtime CDP to drive marketing personalization and other customer interactions; AI content security features debut. Continue Reading
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News
20 Jul 2021
Redpoint Global moves into data quality as a service
Redpoint Global users get tools to manage first-party partner, product and customer data quality, identity and governance with In Situ feature bundle. Continue Reading
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News
01 Jul 2021
Google gives third-party cookies a stay of execution
Experts -- and Google -- tell us why 'The Cookiepocalypse' for which advertisers are braced is delayed until at least 2023, and what it means for internet advertising. Continue Reading
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News
22 Jun 2021
Retail tech propels stores past the pandemic
At NRF Converge, speakers discuss technologies to propel recovery from the recession of 2020, and how social media becomes a minefield for companies that don't have a strategy. Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Apr 2021
10 sentiment analysis tools to consider
Sentiment analysis is a vital component in customer relations and customer experience. Several versatile sentiment analysis software tools are available to fill this growing need. Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2021
Twilio Segment CEO Peter Reinhardt on the future of CDPs
In a wide-ranging Q&A, Twilio Segment CEO Peter Reinhardt discusses Twilio's $3.2 billion acquisition of the company he co-founded, and the future of CDPs. Continue Reading
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News
24 Mar 2021
Acquia digital experience platform adds CX-friendly tools
After two years of transition, Acquia users get a first glance at how all of its recent acquisitions and product introductions align to build digital experiences. Continue Reading
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News
23 Mar 2021
Optimizely shores up DX platform with Zaius CDP acquisition
CMS and A/B testing vendor Optimizely, formerly Episerver, acquires the Zaius customer data platform to extend digital experience and personalization capabilities. Continue Reading
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News
03 Mar 2021
Upland Software acquires BlueVenn marketing automation CDP
Upland Software buys BlueVenn customer data platform for $54.3 million in cash, adding to Upland's growing cloud platform of marketing and analytics apps. Continue Reading
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News
18 Feb 2021
Amazon bolsters e-commerce for small business with Selz buy
Australian e-commerce platform Selz may have caught Amazon's attention because it employs Liquid, Shopify's template language, which will simplify migrations. Continue Reading
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Guest Post
19 Jan 2021
What the loss of third-party cookies means for IT departments
Due to browsers and companies making it all but impossible to use third-party cookies, companies should consider a strong foundation of customer data to stay relevant. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jan 2021
Data privacy law is coming, big tech privacy officers say
At the digital CES 2021 event, privacy leaders at Google, Twitter and Amazon said the time is right for a data privacy law. Continue Reading
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News
28 Dec 2020
SAP files for Qualtrics IPO
SAP announced plans for a Qualtrics IPO in July. On Monday, the official paperwork was filed. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Dec 2020
Customer data platforms dominate CX technology headlines
As the tech titans release their CDPs, it raises a question: Can this technology save itself from becoming another data silo in the marketing stack? Continue Reading
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News
16 Dec 2020
Social media data practices land in FTC crosshairs
The Federal Trade Commission is seeking information on how social networking giants like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube collect and use consumer data. Continue Reading
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News
15 Dec 2020
Efforts to break up big tech expected to continue under Biden
Antitrust forces expect the Biden administration to pursue federal antitrust litigation and lawmaking. But Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have strong ties to big tech. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Dec 2020
Standalone customer data platforms weather big competition
Standalone CDP vendors got a years-long head start on Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, SAP and Adobe. They stand firm in a year when online channels stayed open during the pandemic. Continue Reading
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News
24 Nov 2020
Adobe CDP adds B2B-friendly features
Adobe CDP customers will get new features in 2021 that create workflows for marketing teams and connect to popular B2B marketing platforms -- starting with its own Marketo Engage. Continue Reading
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News
05 Nov 2020
SAP CX application stack grows with addition of Emarsys
SAP scoops up a marketing automation platform with CDP capabilities, as well as personalization and the ability to reach customers across digital channels. Continue Reading
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News
02 Nov 2020
Twilio's Segment acquisition recasts UCaaS vendor as CX
Twilio, a contact-center-friendly UCaaS vendor, has completed the purchase of the Segment CDP for $3.2 billion in stock. Together, experts said, they could challenge Microsoft, Salesforce and Oracle. Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2020
CEOs discuss Twilio's Segment customer data platform buy
Twilio plans to acquire Segment's customer data platform for $3.2 billion. The CEOs for both companies discuss the deal and 'the great digital acceleration' caused by COVID-19. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Oct 2020
Channel partners help solve retail industry challenges
Retailers are exploring a range of IT strategies to overcome pressures caused by the pandemic and fierce online competition. Find out how channel partners can help. Continue Reading
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News
01 Oct 2020
Microsoft CDP adds cross-channel analytics
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights CDP adds integrations with other CX systems that perform analytics, customer data governance and sentiment analysis. Continue Reading
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News
30 Sep 2020
Technology central to vote count in a tight election
Tech tools will be key in a close election that requires recounts. While electronic signature verification systems have advanced, many digital voting machines are flawed. Continue Reading
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Answer
29 Sep 2020
CDP vs. marketing automation: What's the difference?
CDPs and marketing automation software collect customer data, automate processes and increase efficiency, but they also have features that set them apart from each other. Continue Reading
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News
29 Sep 2020
Adobe Experience Platform, Oracle CX add CDP connections
Adobe bridges its CDP with Experience Cloud apps as well as third-party apps such as Salesforce. Oracle adds privacy compliance tools to its CDP stack and deepens hooks into Eloqua. Continue Reading
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News
23 Sep 2020
Salesforce delivers CDP, DXP and sales meeting tools
Salesforce drops a customer data platform, new virtual sales meeting tools and makes the case for its own Experience Cloud to give users an Adobe alternate. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Sep 2020
Supply chain-customer service partnership is vital
A company's success depends on a supply chain that can meet customers' expectations. To do that well, supply chain leaders must partner with their customer service counterparts. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Aug 2020
How to collect customer data to improve overall retail CX
Businesses need data to predict and adjust to customer wants and needs, but first, they need to figure out how to collect it. One option is to use a digital CX software. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Jul 2020
Combat event fatigue with a virtual event marketing strategy
Virtual events can be a great way to generate leads and improve customer retention -- but only when done right. Here are some ways that marketers can host a successful online event. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Jul 2020
10 types of biases that affect customer data analysis
Analytics can help businesses make data-driven decisions, but common cognitive biases can skew how organizations interpret the information and CX. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jul 2020
SAP floats Qualtrics IPO 2 years after acquisition
SAP's decision to spin off Qualtrics in an IPO will likely benefit both companies, analysts said. Continue Reading
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News
09 Jul 2020
CCPA regulation enforcement begins; Salesforce an early target
Users of marketing, sales and e-commerce clouds -- and vendors, too -- are vulnerable to legal action under the CCPA, as enforcement begins and civil suit plaintiffs cite the data privacy law. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Jul 2020
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
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Tip
06 Jul 2020
8 CX challenges facing organizations and how to address them
There are many barriers to effective CX initiatives, but most revolve around communication on both the consumer and enterprise sides of the equation. Continue Reading
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News
02 Jul 2020
Voice biometrics for CX detects customer age, fraud
As of now, Nuance voice age-detection features are for security teams that want to prevent fraud and to route service calls. Analyst sees potential for marketing personalization. Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Jun 2020
What IT leaders need to know about customer data platforms
Customer data platforms offer a lot, but many IT decision-makers remain skeptical -- there's still plenty of confusion over what they are. Find out what companies get with them. Continue Reading
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News
14 May 2020
Adobe releases AI tools for sales, marketing and e-commerce
Adobe beefs up its AI tools for Experience Platform, including a customer intelligence tool and ones for leads, content matching, channel monitoring and customer journeys. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 May 2020
Life and business post-COVID-19 for employees and companies
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how companies interact with both employees and customers. Karl Sharicz offers a look at what he sees from a CX perspective going forward. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Apr 2020
How data science can help your company withstand the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic is adversely affecting businesses worldwide, but data science can help you solve immediate problems and create data-driven strategies for the long term. Continue Reading
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News
19 Feb 2020
Microsoft CDP leads 400-plus features in Dynamics 365 update
Microsoft's Dynamics 365 2020 Wave 1 release opens up the floodgates for outside data sources connecting to Customer Insights, its customer data platform. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Jan 2020
Software CDP features don't equate to CDP branding
While many tech companies have software with customer data platform attributes, some vendors, such as Salesforce and Oracle, don't put the CDP label on them. Continue Reading
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News
09 Jan 2020
Customer experience world catches up on CCPA regulations
GDPR compliance has put many marketing, sales, e-commerce and customer service teams somewhat in line with the California Consumer Privacy Act. There are some differences, however. Continue Reading
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News
23 Dec 2019
Customer data platform tools top priority list for big vendors
CDPs, which unify marketing, sales and customer service data in real time, became a huge priority for Salesforce, Microsoft, SAP, Adobe and Oracle in 2019. Read about what's next for 2020. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Dec 2019
How to get value from customer insights data
Gathering and acting on customer insights can make the difference between a successful and struggling business. Here's how businesses can use it to their advantage. Continue Reading
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News
17 Dec 2019
How Amazon customer experience became e-commerce standard
Amazon made personalization, one-click shopping, quick shipping and easy returns de facto standards for all B2C and now, B2B businesses. Read about how the company did it, and what's next. Continue Reading
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News
16 Dec 2019
Deloitte launches Adobe Experience Platform accelerator
Deloitte-Adobe global joint strategic partnership for Adobe CDP deployments adds AI tools for Deloitte clients to measure customer experience on standard metrics. Continue Reading
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News
11 Dec 2019
Acquia acquisition of AgilOne CDP signals CX platform expansion
Acquia's acquisition of AgilOne, a customer data platform specializing in analytics, shows it's serious about competing against CX platforms from Adobe, Oracle and SAP. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Dec 2019
Personalization engines help engage and retain customers
Content personalization is essential to getting the right material to the right customers. Here are some personalization engines that can help you better target your content. Continue Reading
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News
21 Nov 2019
New Salesforce Customer 360 aims to unify data sources
In aggregate, the new Customer 360 features Salesforce added to its sales, marketing, e-commerce and service platform resemble a customer data platform. Customers, analysts and partners weigh in. Continue Reading
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News
19 Nov 2019
Salesforce Service Cloud Voice, Einstein Voice Assistant unveiled
Salesforce unveils a voice assistant and call center tools to enable real-time natural language processing for agents to connect customer data and supervisor help on a single screen. Continue Reading
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News
14 Nov 2019
Adobe Experience Platform CDP adds marketer-friendly features
Adobe adds features for non-IT marketing users to more easily deploy the Adobe Experience Platform CDP. Photoshop-like layering tools for data sets, previewed earlier this year, go live. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Nov 2019
Microsoft CDP helps businesses unify customer data
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights takes data from disparate sales, service and marketing systems to bring it all into one golden record of the customer. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Nov 2019
Small customer data platforms fend off big tech with service, features
With Microsoft, Oracle and Adobe releasing customer data platforms, to be followed by Salesforce and SAP, small CDPs defend their turf with more features, better service and pricing Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2019
New tools add AI power to Teradata Vantage platform
Teradata unveiled Vantage Analyst and Customer Experience, two new tools now part of the vendor's analytics platform, on Tuesday at its user conference in Denver. Continue Reading
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News
21 Oct 2019
SAP launches Qualtrics CoreXM customer research tools
SAP renames Qualtrics Research Core Qualtrics CoreXM and adds AI, enterprise analytics, dashboard tools and admin controls for data access. Continue Reading