Want to speed up customer service, make better use of engineering teams’ scarce time, and improve the bottom line? Consider integrating your customer service and product development systems. Because creating a clearer picture of which products and configurations succeed or fail might just give your engineering team the edge for designing your next market-dominating product.

Every business book says, “Never cut marketing during a recession.” But my rough estimate is that today, the majority of Fortune 500 companies have cut their marketing budgets. This puts the chief marketing officer (CMO) in a curious position. Of course, CMOs want to be able to turn to the CEO and say, “We need to spend more on this campaign, because it’s got a great return.” I guarantee that if you show your CEO how you’re converting leads to deals, it’s a no-brainer: you’ll get the funding. Here’s how any CMO can get the marketing campaign information they require.

Do you need a “data visualization” tool to better segment customers and design more effective marketing campaigns?

Without a doubt, CRM can help you survive the downturn. But half measures will never get you where you need to be. Especially when times are tough, you’ve got to take risks. Want to make your sales teams more productive? Here’s where to start.

The adage about how much less it costs to keep the customer you have, instead of finding a new one, is even more true in a down economy. Indeed, if the cost ratio between acquiring new customers and retaining old ones was 10:1, today it’s probably more like 100:1, given the relative scarcity of customers with available spend. But what can the service department do to help?

Data visualization tools: What they are, and the three essential steps required to make them perform.