About the Analyst
Mark Smith
Mark is responsible for the overall direction of Ventana Research and drives the global research agenda covering both business and technology areas. He defined the blueprint for Information Management and Performance Management as the linking together of people, processes, information and technology across organizations to drive effective results. Mark is an expert in technology for business from Performance Management, Business Intelligence, Analytics to Information Management across finance, operations and IT. Mark has held CMO, product development and research roles at companies such as SAP, META Group, Oracle and IRI Software. He has experience across major industries including banking, consumer products, food and beverage, insurance, manufacturing, pharmaceutical and retail and consumer services.
I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well software providers’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Digital Communications Ventana Research Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by Ventana Research.
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Topics:
Digital Communications
With Ventana Research’s 2024 Digital Business Market Agenda, we continue the guidance we have offered for two decades to help enterprises derive maximum value from digital business technology investments. Through our market research and expertise, we identify trends and best practices and share insights on how to achieve technological effectiveness, particularly in key processes and systems to engage the workforce.
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Topics:
Performance Management,
Experience Management,
Digital Communications,
Digital Applications,
Sustainability and ESG,
Digital Intelligence
Ventana Research has announced its market agenda for 2024, continuing a 20-year tradition of credibility and trust in our objective efforts to educate and guide the technology industry. Our research and insights are backed by our expertise and independence, and we do not share our Market Agenda or our market research, including analyst and market perspectives, with any external party before it is published. We continuously refine our Market Agenda throughout the year to ensure we offer the...
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Topics:
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
AI,
Analytics and Data
I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The 2023 Global Payroll Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by Ventana Research. Drawing on our Benchmark Research, we apply a structured methodology built on evaluation categories that reflect the real-world criteria incorporated in a request for proposal to Human Capital Management vendors supporting the spectrum of...
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Topics:
Human Capital Management,
Payroll Management
The 2023 Ventana Research Buyers Guide for Global Payroll research enables me to provide observations about how the market has advanced.
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Topics:
Human Capital Management,
Payroll Management
I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The 2023 Domestic Payroll Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by Ventana Research. Drawing on our Benchmark Research, we apply a structured methodology built on evaluation categories that reflect the real-world criteria incorporated in a request for proposal to Human Capital Management vendors supporting the spectrum of...
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Topics:
Human Capital Management,
Payroll Management
The 2023 Ventana Research Buyers Guide for Domestic Payroll research enables me to provide observations about how the market has advanced.
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Topics:
Human Capital Management,
Payroll Management
I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Buyers Guide, an assessment of how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The 2023 Payroll Management Buyers Guide is the distillation of a year of market and product research by Ventana Research. Drawing on our Benchmark Research, we apply a structured methodology built on evaluation categories that reflect the real-world criteria incorporated in a request for proposal to Human Capital Management vendors supporting the spectrum...
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Topics:
Human Capital Management,
Payroll Management
The 2023 Ventana Research Buyers Guide for Payroll Management research enables me to provide observations about how the market has advanced.
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Topics:
Human Capital Management,
Payroll Management
The past five years have witnessed unprecedented innovation and investment in HCM technology. As quickly as the world of work has changed, so too have new technologies emerged to support those changes to optimize human engagement and business outcomes. Point solutions and platform providers alike have made headlines with advances in talent intelligence, personalization within the flow of work, pay equity analysis, skills gap identification and AI-powered career pathing, to name a few. But one...
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Topics:
Human Capital Management,
employee experience
I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Value Index research, an assessment of how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research Value Index: Product Experience Management 2023 is the distillation of a year of market and product research by Ventana Research. Drawing on our Benchmark Research, we apply a structured methodology built on evaluation categories that reflect the real-world criteria incorporated in a request for proposal to vendors supporting the...
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Topics:
Marketing,
Product Information Management,
Operations & Supply Chain
Having just completed the 2023 Ventana Research Value Index for Product Experience Management, I want to share some of my observations about how the market has advanced over the last two years. The product information management software market is quite mature and products from any of the vendors we assess could be used to effectively deliver information to help your organization improve its operations. But as we established the definition of product experience management (PXM), the...
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Topics:
Marketing,
Product Information Management,
Operations & Supply Chain
Having just completed the 2023 Ventana Research Value Index for Product Experience Management, I want to share some of my observations about how the market has advanced over the last two years. The product information management software (PIM) market is quite mature and products from any of the vendors we assessed can be used to effectively deliver information to help your organization improve its operations. But as we established the definition of product experience management (PXM), the...
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Topics:
Marketing,
Product Information Management,
Operations & Supply Chain
With Ventana Research’s 2023 Market Agenda, we continue the guidance we’ve offered for two decades to help organizations derive maximum value from digital business technology investments. Through our market research and expertise, we identify trends and best practices and share insights on how to achieve technological effectiveness, particularly in key processes and systems to engage the workforce.
Read More
Topics:
Performance Management,
Business Continuity,
Digital transformation,
Experience Management,
Digital Communications,
Sustainability and ESG
Ventana Research has announced its market agenda for 2023, continuing a 20-year tradition of credibility and trust in our objective efforts to educate and guide the technology market. Our research and insights are backed by our expertise and independence, as we do not share our Market Agenda or our market research – including analyst and market perspectives – with any external party before it is published. We continuously refine our Market Agenda throughout the year to ensure we offer the...
Read More
Topics:
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Data,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Office of Revenue
In today’s organization, the myriad of analytics and permutations of dashboards challenge workers’ ability to take contextual actions efficiently. Unfortunately, conventional wisdom for investing in analytics does not recognize the benefits of empowering the workforce to understand the situation, examine options and work together to make the best possible decision.
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Topics:
business intelligence,
Analytics,
Data,
Digital Technology,
analytic data platforms,
Analytics and Data,
AI and Machine Learning
The management of work is a focal point for every organization that has people and resources directed to accomplish the smallest to largest of tasks. But many organizations are not easily able to manage complex activities because the details of how people are assigned and complete work are not as simple as they should be. Traditional project management methods and technologies have failed to work in an enterprise manner, so new approaches have emerged to meet today’s challenges. The essence of...
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The technology industry has established itself as a pivotal force in its ability to help organizations become more intelligent and automated. But doing so has required a journey of epic proportions for most organizations that have had to endure a transition of competencies and skills that was, in many places, transitioned to consulting firms who were hired appropriately to manage changes. Unfortunately, this step led, in many cases, to an extended focus on digital transformation rather than the...
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Topics:
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Data,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Office of Revenue
Pressures to engage consumers through every interaction and provide a delightful customer experience are influencing advancements in business and technology. Organizations are challenged to manage friction points experienced by billions of consumers amid expanding digital channels. These issues must be addressed to engage and respond to customers every second of the day.
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Topics:
Customer Experience,
Contact Center,
agent management
I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Value Index research, an assessment of how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research Value Index: Workforce Management 2022 is the distillation of a year of market and product research by Ventana Research. Drawing on our Benchmark Research, we apply a structured methodology built on evaluation categories that reflect the real-world criteria incorporated in a request for proposal to workforce management vendors...
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Topics:
Human Capital Management,
Learning Management,
Talent Management,
Workforce Management,
Payroll Management,
Total Compensation Management,
employee experience
Workforce management processes and activities, a major focus of investment and optimization efforts for decades, have undergone a huge transformation in recent years. In our view, this is mostly a function of two significant trends: the explosion of technology innovation associated with the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning and embedded analytics in many areas of a business including a range of human capital management processes and operations; and a major reframing of the...
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Topics:
Human Capital Management,
Learning Management,
Talent Management,
Workforce Management,
Payroll Management,
Total Compensation Management,
employee experience
Ventana Research recently announced its 2022 Market Agenda for Human Capital Management, continuing the guidance we’ve offered for two decades to help organizations derive maximum potential from workforce- and people-related technology investments and initiatives. In crafting this Market Agenda, we focused on three critical themes top-of-mind for both HCM vendors and buyers: Organizational readiness, workforce resilience utilizing digital technology to increase retention, and advance worker...
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Topics:
Human Capital Management,
Learning Management,
Workforce Management,
Payroll Management,
Total Compensation Management,
employee experience,
candidate engagement
With the announcement of Ventana Research’s 2022 Market Agenda, our expertise in Digital Business continues to advance the market need for effective investments into technology, and I will outline here the key areas of focus to provide insights to organizations that can increase their organizational resilience and workforce readiness. We are proud to provide expertise on ensuring technological effectiveness through our market research and experience in providing guidance on trends and best...
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Topics:
Performance Management,
Business Continuity,
Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC),
Digital transformation,
Experience Management,
Digital Communications
The necessity of learning is essential for every organization to realize the full potential of the workforce. But many organizations treat learning like training or academic instruction to ensure policy or compliance to a minimum level of work performance, instead of continuing career education and improving skills in the operational workflow. The context for where and how workers work is critical to ensure that on-the-job learning is possible. While traditional learning management systems...
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Topics:
Human Capital Management,
Learning,
LMS,
inkling
Ventana Research has announced its market agenda for 2022, continuing the tradition of reliability in our efforts to educate and guide the technology market. Our assessments are backed by our expertise and independence, as we do not share our market agenda or our research – including analyst and market perspectives or our Value Index – with any external party until it is published. We review and refine our market agenda throughout the year to ensure we offer the expertise and insights...
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Topics:
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Data,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Office of Revenue,
Market Agenda
The age of digital communication platforms is upon us. The need has never been greater for an open and secure platform that satisfies the demand for enterprise-grade business and technology requirements. Overcoming today’s technology challenges is possible with a next-generation cloud-based delivery model that is both extensible and reliable. Organizations considering a digital communication platform can take decisive steps to ensure digital communications for everyone — inside, outside,...
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Topics:
Customer Experience,
Business Continuity,
Contact Center,
Digital transformation,
Experience Management,
Digital Communications
To maximize the value of the workforce and the work conducted, organizations need to increase the effectiveness of workers assigned to critical, interrelated tasks. Doing so requires a commitment to planning the best use of workers and resources. Failing to do so can limit an organization’s ability to reach essential milestones and complete work related to business processes with customers, partners and across the supply chain.
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Topics:
Business Continuity,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Digital transformation
As the pace of digital innovation has accelerated, many organizations have found it harder to manage the portfolio of work conducted by the workforce to ensure timeliness and mitigate the risk of increased costs and resources. The challenges in managing the work related to project plans are not only to ensure the timeliness in performing and tracking the individual tasks and activities every single moment of the day, but also having the intelligence to adjust and guide all future work. The...
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Topics:
Business Continuity,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Digital transformation
The work environment today demands that your organization advances the efficiency to execute business processes for continuous operations to have a positive impact on business performance. The capability to be responsive to any range of minor to disruptive business events is required to support business continuity and level of organizational readiness to meet the needs of digital business. Ventana Research asserts that in 2025, one-quarter of organizations will remain digitally ineffective in...
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Topics:
Customer Experience,
Voice of the Customer,
embedded analytics,
Analytics,
Business Intelligence,
Cloud Computing,
Contact Center,
Data,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
Digital transformation,
natural language processing,
continuous supply chain,
agent management,
Process Mining,
Streaming Analytics,
Experience Management,
AI and Machine Learning
Strategic planning has always been difficult. But it is even more so in this age of rapid digital transformation and the pressure of business continuity, which has introduced disruptive changes. What’s needed, ironically, is a methodical approach to how an organization manages strategic planning to allow for beneficial disruption that is not avoidable, balancing finance and operations, engaging existing expertise and factoring in technology to ensure that new initiatives can be strategically...
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Topics:
Performance Management,
Business Continuity,
Digital transformation,
Experience Management,
Digital Communications
The annual Ventana Research Digital Innovation Awards showcase advances in the productivity and potential of business applications, as well as technology that contributes significantly to the improved processes and performance of an organization. Our goal is to recognize technology and vendors that have introduced noteworthy digital innovations to advance business and IT.
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Topics:
Customer Experience,
Analytics,
Internet of Things,
Digital Technology,
blockchain,
natural language processing,
Awards,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
extended reality,
AI and Machine Learning
The annual Ventana Research Digital Innovation Awards showcase advances in the productivity and potential of business applications, as well as technology that contributes significantly to the improved processes and performance of an organization. Our goal is to recognize technology and vendors that have introduced noteworthy digital innovations to advance business and IT.
Read More
Topics:
Continuous Planning,
Analytics,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
continuous supply chain,
work experience management,
AI and Machine Learning
The annual Ventana Research Digital Innovation Awards showcase advances in the productivity and potential of business applications, as well as technology that contributes significantly to the improved processes and performance of an organization. Our goal is to recognize technology and vendors that have introduced noteworthy digital innovations to advance business and IT.
Read More
Topics:
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Operations & Supply Chain
We are happy to share some insights about Viamedici EPIM drawn from our latest Value Index research, which assesses how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements.
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Topics:
Marketing,
Data Governance,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
continuous supply chain,
data operations,
Office of Revenue
We are happy to share some insights about Contentserv CS drawn from our latest Value Index research, which assesses how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements.
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Topics:
Marketing,
Data Governance,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
continuous supply chain,
data operations,
Office of Revenue
We are happy to share some insights about Perfion drawn from our latest Value Index research, which assesses how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements.
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Topics:
Marketing,
Data Governance,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
continuous supply chain,
data operations,
Office of Revenue
We are happy to share some insights about Winshuttle EnterWorks drawn from our latest Value Index research, which assesses how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements.
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Topics:
Marketing,
Data Governance,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
continuous supply chain,
data operations,
Office of Revenue
The annual Ventana Research Digital Innovation Awards showcase advances in the productivity and potential of business applications, as well as technology that contributes significantly to the improved processes and performance of an organization. Our goal is to recognize technology and vendors that have introduced noteworthy digital innovations to advance business and IT.
Read More
Topics:
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Voice of the Customer,
Continuous Planning,
embedded analytics,
Learning Management,
Analytics,
Business Intelligence,
Collaboration,
Data Governance,
Data Preparation,
Information Management,
Internet of Things,
Business Planning,
Contact Center,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Sales Performance Management,
Workforce Management,
Financial Performance Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Digital Technology,
Digital Marketing,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
ERP and Continuous Accounting,
Revenue,
blockchain,
natural language processing,
data lakes,
Total Compensation Management,
robotic finance,
Predictive Planning,
employee experience,
candidate engagement,
Conversational Computing,
Continuous Payroll,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
continuous supply chain,
Subscription Management,
agent management,
extended reality,
intelligent marketing,
sales enablement,
work experience management,
robotic automation,
AI and Machine Learning,
lease and tax accounting
We are happy to share some insights about inRiver PIM drawn from our latest Value Index research, which assesses how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements.
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Topics:
Marketing,
Data Governance,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
continuous supply chain,
data operations,
Office of Revenue
We are happy to share some insights about Riversand PX 360 drawn from our latest Value Index research, which assesses how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements.
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Topics:
Marketing,
Data Governance,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
continuous supply chain,
data operations,
Office of Revenue
We are happy to share some insights about Magnitude Agility PIM drawn from our latest Value Index research, which assesses how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements.
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Topics:
Marketing,
Data Governance,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
continuous supply chain,
data operations,
Office of Revenue
We are happy to share some insights about Salsify ProductXM drawn from our latest Value Index research, which assesses how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements.
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Topics:
Marketing,
Data Governance,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
continuous supply chain,
data operations,
Office of Revenue
We are happy to share some insights about Pimcore Platform drawn from our latest Value Index research, which assesses how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements.
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Topics:
Marketing,
Data Governance,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
continuous supply chain,
data operations,
Office of Revenue
We are happy to share some insights about Akeneo Serenity drawn from our latest Value Index research, which assesses how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements.
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Topics:
Marketing,
Data Governance,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
continuous supply chain,
data operations,
Office of Revenue
We are happy to share some insights about Informatica's Product 360 drawn from our latest Value Index research, which assesses how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements.
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Topics:
Marketing,
Data Governance,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
continuous supply chain,
data operations,
Office of Revenue
I am happy to share insights gleaned from our latest Value Index research, an assessment of how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research Value Index: Product Information Management 2021 is the distillation of a year of market and product research by Ventana Research. Drawing on our Benchmark Research, we apply a structured methodology built on evaluation categories that reflect the real-world criteria incorporated in a request for proposal to product information...
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Topics:
Sales,
Marketing,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning
Having just completed the 2021 Ventana Research Value Index for Product Information Management, I want to share some of my observations about how the market and category have advanced since our first examination over 15 years ago.
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Topics:
Marketing,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
continuous supply chain,
Office of Revenue
I’m proud to share Ventana Research’s 2021 market agenda for digital technology. Our focus in this agenda is to deliver expertise to help organizations prioritize technology investments that increase workforce effectiveness and organizational agility, ensuring ongoing operation during any type of disruption.
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Topics:
Big Data,
Analytics,
Cloud Computing,
Internet of Things,
Digital Technology,
Robotic Process Automation,
blockchain,
Conversational Computing,
mobile computing,
extended reality,
AI and Machine Learning
With the announcement of Ventana Research market agenda, a new expertise in Digital Business has been launched, I will outline the areas of focus that provide insights to organizations that can be used to optimize technology, increase agility and organizational readiness. We are proud to provide expertise on digital effectiveness through our research and insights on trends and best practices.
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Topics:
Performance Management,
Governance,
Business Continuity,
Risk,
Digital transformation,
Experience Management,
Digital Communications
Ventana Research has announced its market agenda for 2021, continuing the tradition of transparency in our efforts to educate and guide the technology market but also our independence as we do not share our market agenda or analyst perspectives with any external party. Each year, we proudly formulate our market agenda that is not biased by clients or the technology industry, focusing on education rather than the prospect of consulting or software revenue. We review and refine our plan...
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Topics:
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Data,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Office of Revenue
Augmented reality (AR) is a critical component of digital technology. The role of AR is to virtualize the visualization and engagement of assets and products with information that can enhance the value of it for many purposes including manufacturing, marketing, sales and service. Consider how manufacturing and field service organizations are starting to use AR technology for hands-free call-up of service manuals using glasses so technicians can verify progress without looking away from their...
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Topics:
Sales,
Business Continuity,
Internet of Things,
Business Planning,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Digital transformation,
mobile computing,
extended reality
Through 2021, one-half of organizations will realize that digital transformation (DX) investments have not met the organizational readiness requirements of business continuity, leading to a new focus on innovative digital technologies that more reliably sustain operations. Which processes does your organization need to prioritize most to operate continuously? Who are the organization’s stakeholders and champion coordinators that will be called upon when an incident arises? What business...
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Topics:
Business Continuity,
Business Planning,
Digital transformation
The annual Ventana Research Digital Innovation Awards showcases advances in the productivity and potential of business applications, as well as technology that contributes significantly to improved efficiency and productivity in the processes and the performance of an organization. Our goal is to recognize technology and vendors that have introduced noteworthy digital innovations that advance business and IT.
Read More
Topics:
Analytics,
Collaboration,
Data Governance,
Data Lake,
Data Preparation,
IOT,
Data,
Information Management (IM),
Digital Technology,
blockchain,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
extended reality,
AI and Machine Learning
The annual Ventana Research Digital Innovation Awards showcases advances in the productivity and potential of business applications, as well as technology that contributes significantly to improved efficiency and productivity in the processes and the performance of an organization. Our goal is to recognize technology and vendors that have introduced noteworthy digital innovations that advance business and IT.
Read More
Topics:
Continuous Planning,
Data,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
blockchain,
continuous supply chain
The annual Ventana Research Digital Innovation Awards showcases advances in the productivity and potential of business applications, as well as technology that contributes significantly to improved efficiency and productivity in the processes and the performance of an organization. Our goal is to recognize technology and vendors that have introduced noteworthy digital innovations that advance business and IT.
Read More
Topics:
embedded analytics,
Analytics,
Business Intelligence,
Collaboration,
Digital Technology,
natural language processing,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
AI and Machine Learning
The annual Ventana Research Digital Innovation Awards showcases advances in the productivity and potential of business applications, as well as technology that contributes significantly to improved efficiency and productivity in the processes and the performance of an organization. Our goal is to recognize technology and vendors that have introduced noteworthy digital innovations that advance business and IT.
Read More
Topics:
Customer Experience,
Marketing,
Digital Marketing,
Digital Commerce
The annual Ventana Research Digital Innovation Awards showcases advances in the productivity and potential of business applications, as well as technology that contributes significantly to improved efficiency and productivity in the processes and the performance of an organization. Our goal is to recognize technology and vendors that have introduced noteworthy digital innovations that advance business and IT.
Read More
Topics:
Sales,
Marketing,
embedded analytics,
Analytics,
Sales Performance Management,
Digital Technology,
intelligent marketing,
sales enablement,
AI and Machine Learning
The annual Ventana Research Digital Innovation Awards showcases advances in the productivity and potential of business applications, as well as technology that contributes significantly to improved efficiency and productivity in the processes and performance of an organization. Our goal is to recognize technology and vendors that have introduced noteworthy innovations in technology that advance business and IT.
Read More
Topics:
Customer Experience,
Voice of the Customer,
Contact Center,
Digital Technology,
Digital Commerce,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
agent management
The annual Ventana Research Digital Innovation Awards showcases advances in the productivity and potential of business applications, as well as technology that contributes significantly to improved efficiency and productivity in the processes and performance of an organization. Our goal is to recognize technology and vendors that have introduced noteworthy digital innovations that advance business and IT.
Read More
Topics:
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Marketing,
Analytics,
Internet of Things,
Contact Center,
Data,
Digital Technology,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
blockchain,
employee experience,
candidate engagement,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
agent management,
extended reality,
business digital commerce,
work experience management,
AI and Machine Learning
The annual Ventana Research Digital Innovation Awards showcases advances in the productivity and potential of business applications, as well as technology that contributes significantly to improved efficiency and productivity in the processes and the performance of an organization. Our goal is to recognize technology and vendors that have introduced noteworthy digital innovations that advance business and IT.
Read More
Topics:
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Office of Finance,
Contact Center,
Workforce Management,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
ERP and Continuous Accounting,
robotic finance,
employee experience,
continuous supply chain,
agent management,
work experience management
Economic dynamics and market pressures during a black-swan event can wreak havoc on efforts to effectively manage revenue operations and pricing for business continuity. For many organizations, environmental changes disrupt the methods by which these essential business processes are managed can be disrupted, damaging the revenue streams that create profitability. The array of pricing strategies and related promotional tactics across channels for configure, price and quote (CPQ), digital...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Marketing,
Analytics,
Business Intelligence,
Collaboration,
Internet of Things,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Sales Performance Management,
Workforce Management,
Workforce Planning,
Price and Revenue Management,
Total Compensation Management,
Conversational Computing
Over the past several months, I have discussed a wide range of topics that organizations must consider and appropriately prioritize to maintain business continuity during periods of upheaval. But sometimes it’s important to take a step back and reflect on a critical and recurring theme: experiences. The array of experiences across the workforce and business processes both inside and outside of the organization are an essential part of an organization’s success. Leadership must give these...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Business Intelligence,
Collaboration,
Internet of Things,
Data,
Sales Performance Management,
Workforce Management,
Workforce Planning,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Total Compensation Management,
Conversational Computing
Business planning is an essential part of an organization’s focus on its future performance and overall potential because it ensures continuous operations, even in black-swan events. Planning across the entire organization needs to be a critical priority and leadership should give it the attention it deserves. In challenging times, a focus on execution tends to take hold — this is not unreasonable but in focusing on satisfying immediate customer and workforce needs and putting out fires,...
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Topics:
Sales,
Human Capital Management,
Office of Finance,
Continuous Planning,
Analytics,
Business Intelligence,
Collaboration,
Internet of Things,
Data,
Sales Performance Management,
Workforce Management,
Financial Performance Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
ERP and Continuous Accounting,
Total Compensation Management,
Predictive Planning,
Conversational Computing
The workforce is an essential part of an organization’s overall business potential because it ensures continuous operations, even in black-swan events. The workforce is the core of the organization and should get the attention it deserves. In challenging times, a “customer-first” mentality tends to take hold — this is not unreasonable but in focusing on satisfying customers and opportunities, business leaders too often forget that the workforce experience is essential to achieving desired...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Office of Finance,
Voice of the Customer,
Continuous Planning,
Business Continuity,
Analytics,
Business Planning,
Workforce Analytics,
Workforce Management,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Robotic Process Automation,
employee experience,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
agent management,
People Analytics,
AI and Machine Learning
Analytics and data provide visibility into an organization’s past, present and potential performance. However, not all organizations are using analytics that provide timely insights — insights that not just reflect what happen but direct a successful course for the future. Demand for personalized and relevant insight only intensifies in a black-swan event. To maintain business continuity in times of pressure, it is critical that organizations not waste any time or resources when using analytics...
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Topics:
business intelligence,
embedded analytics,
Analytics,
Business Intelligence,
Collaboration,
Internet of Things,
Data,
Digital Technology,
natural language processing,
Conversational Computing,
AI and Machine Learning
Marketing is inextricably linked to business success, and digital technology is essential to an organization’s overall marketing potential because it generates interest and brand awareness. In a black-swan event, the marketing department often is overwhelmed by short-term demands, so in these situations it’s of the essence that digital transformation gets the attention it deserves. In challenging times, a “putting-out-fires” mentality tends to take hold — this is not unreasonable but in...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Voice of the Customer,
Analytics,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Conversational Computing
Today’s businesses must manage a continually expanding array of data, content and digital assets as well as satisfy the demands of consumers for comprehensive product information. Addressing these challenges requires unified processes and automated systems and, most importantly, the ability to augment and enrich product information. Our earlier PIM research found that more than half (52%) of organizations have incompatible tools and almost half (48%) must cope with disparate forms of data....
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Marketing,
PIM,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Intelligent CX,
product experience management,
PXM
Subscriptions are the future of business. Subscribers are essential to an organization’s overall business potential because they generate recurring revenue. In a black-swan event, demand for a subscription may spike or dip, so in these situations it’s of the essence that subscriptions get the attention they deserve. In challenging times, a “subscriber-first” mentality tends to take hold — this is not unreasonable but in focusing on satisfying subscribers, business leaders too often forget that...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Voice of the Customer,
Analytics,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Subscription Billing,
Conversational Computing,
Subscription Management,
Subscriber Experience
Partners play a key role in the revenue and growth of every organization. Whether channel selling is in assistance to internal sales or independent, what happens in partnering has ramifications that are simply too important to underestimate. The imperative to maintain business continuity with channel partners becomes painfully clear in a global pandemic, and that imperative demands that organizations cultivate partner excellence and channel performance. This effort should start with partner...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Voice of the Customer,
Analytics,
Internet of Things,
Data,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Conversational Computing,
partner management,
Partner Experience
Products and services are the foundation of every organization, regardless of its industry or size. Products are essential to an organization’s overall business health because they generate revenue and engage buyers and customers. In a black-swan event, demand for a product may spike or dip, so in these situations it’s of the essence that products get the attention they deserve as they are marketed, sold, serviced and enhanced with innovations. In challenging times, a “customer-first” mentality...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Voice of the Customer,
Analytics,
Data,
Product Information Management,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Conversational Computing,
product experience management
The workforce is the center of any organization, no matter if the workforce consists of employees, contractors or what we call gig workers. It stands to reason that a black-swan event has an immediate impact on a workforce and thus an organization’s overall business health. In challenging times, a “family-first” mentality tends to take hold — a reality that, far too often, business leaders and HR organizations underestimate. But organizational readiness is essential for sustainability and...
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Topics:
Sales,
Human Capital Management,
Learning,
Office of Finance,
Voice of the Customer,
Analytics,
Digital Technology,
Digital Marketing,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Workforce Optimization,
AI and Machine Learning
Sales plays a lead role in the revenue and growth of every organization. Whether the selling is direct or indirect, what happens in the sales department has ramifications that are perilous to underestimate. The imperative to maintain business continuity becomes painfully clear in a global pandemic, and that imperative demands that organizations cultivate sales excellence. This effort should start with leadership and engage sales operations, management and professionals with the objective of...
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Topics:
Sales,
Sales Performance,
Sales Operations,
Business Continuity,
CFO,
Sales Performance Management,
sales enablement
Suppliers play a critical role in supporting the operations and processes of every organization. Whether direct or indirect, an organization’s relationship with its suppliers has ramifications that are perilous to underestimate. The imperative to maintain business continuity becomes painfully clear in a global pandemic, and that imperative demands that organizations cultivate excellent supplier relationships.
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Voice of the Customer,
Analytics,
Internet of Things,
Data,
Digital Technology,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Conversational Computing
Supercharging the customer experience (CX) is more than just an opportunity. It’s essential for every organization that looks to optimize engagement at every moment of the customer journey. In times such as these, when business continuity is a top priority, organizations must address the customer experience, especially if it has not been a focal point of the executive team.
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Voice of the Customer,
Analytics,
Collaboration,
Data Governance,
Data Preparation,
Information Management,
Internet of Things,
Contact Center,
Data,
Digital Technology,
Digital Commerce,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Intelligent CX,
Conversational Computing
The imperative to infuse digital technology into your organization is not new, but it’s more essential than ever that organizations embrace digital transformation and business continuity to improve processes. I have recently written about the need for digital innovation in business continuity, outlining the steps every organization needs to take. These steps involve a close examination of the digital technology they can apply effectively for business continuity during a pandemic, natural...
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Topics:
Customer Experience,
Human Capital Management,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Data,
Digital Technology
At Ventana Research we’re familiar with the need for digital transformation as we have been researching and providing education on this topic for almost two decades. And recent global challenges make even clearer the sea change at hand: digital innovation is essential for not only success, but survival. Business continuity during a pandemic, natural disaster, cyber event or geopolitical situation requires business and risk mitigation processes, but unfortunately very few organizations had been...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
HCM,
Marketing,
Office of Finance,
Business Continuity,
Analytics,
Digital Technology
I would like to share some of my thoughts on COVID-19 and the challenges organizations are facing as they strive for business continuity and digital engagement with customers and buyers. As the global and US numbers get worse by the day, the pandemic is impacting life as we knew it and also leaves people (many in new forms of isolation) yearning for a bit of normalcy during these strange times.
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Topics:
Sales,
Marketing,
Digital Technology,
Digital Marketing,
Digital Commerce
Ventana Research recently announced its 2020 research agenda for marketing, continuing the guidance we’ve offered for nearly two decades to help organizations derive optimal value from business technology and improve outcomes. Chief Marketing Officers are under pressure to spearhead technology investments that help better align marketing experiences with their brand and to optimize consumer demand for products and services. This challenge is frequently heightened by a lack of centralized data...
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Topics:
Marketing,
Voice of the Customer,
Product Information Management,
Digital Marketing,
Digital Commerce,
intelligent marketing
Ventana Research recently announced its 2020 research agenda for operations and the supply chain, continuing the guidance we’ve offered for nearly two decades to help organizations across industries derive optimal value from business technology and improve outcomes. Organizations must shift their focus on technology investments to include not just operational productivity but the efficiency of the processes that impact customers’ and workers’ experiences.
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Topics:
Continuous Planning,
Product Information Management,
Price and Revenue Management,
Operations & Supply Chain,
Enterprise Resource Planning,
continuous supply chain
Ventana Research recently announced its 2020 research agenda for sales, continuing the guidance we’ve offered for nearly two decades to help organizations derive optimal value from business technology and improve outcomes. Chief sales and revenue officers face an imperative to manage the sales organization but they don’t always have the guidance they need to embrace technology and gain the best possible outcomes. As we look forward to 2020 we’re focusing on the selling experience and the...
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Topics:
Sales,
Product Information Management,
Sales Performance Management,
Digital Commerce
Ventana Research recently announced its 2020 research agenda in the area of the customer experience. For most organizations, a focus on the customer is not new, but maximizing successful customer interactions has recently become a major investment priority. The customer experience (CX) is an analytic framework that organizations can use to improve customer satisfaction, optimize revenue and achieve operational excellence. As we begin 2020 we are encouraging organizations to invest in a focus on...
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Ventana Research recently announced its 2020 research agenda for digital technology, continuing the guidance we’ve offered for nearly two decades to help organizations derive optimal value and improve business outcomes. While we have seen more than four decades of digital transformation in the systems and tools businesses rely on, recent years have yielded transformative approaches to technology that can finally actually change the way people and processes work, rather than just make...
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Topics:
Analytics,
Internet of Things,
Data,
Digital Technology,
blockchain,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
extended reality,
AI and Machine Learning
Here are some insights on Incentive Solutions drawn from our latest Value Index research, which provides an analytic assessment of how well vendor offerings address buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research Value Index on Sales Performance Management 2019 is the distillation of a year of market and product research efforts by Ventana Research. We evaluated Incentive Solutions and eight other vendors in seven categories, five product-related adaptability, capability, manageability, reliability...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Contact Center,
Data,
Sales Performance Management,
Financial Performance Management,
Digital Technology,
Digital Commerce,
Predictive Planning,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
Subscription Management,
agent management,
intelligent sales,
AI and Machine Learning
Here are some insights on NICE drawn from our latest Value Index research, which provides an analytic assessment of how well vendor offerings address buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research Value Index on Sales Performance Management 2019 is the distillation of a year of market and product research efforts by Ventana Research. We evaluated NICE and eight other vendors in seven categories, five product-related adaptability, capability, manageability, reliability and usability) and two...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Mobile Technology,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Contact Center,
Data,
Sales Performance Management,
Financial Performance Management,
Digital Technology,
Digital Commerce,
Predictive Planning,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
Subscription Management,
agent management,
intelligent sales,
AI and Machine Learning
Here are some insights on beqom drawn from our latest Value Index research, which provides an analytic assessment of how well vendor offerings address buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research Value Index on Sales Performance Management 2019 is the distillation of a year of market and product research efforts by Ventana Research. We evaluated beqom and eight other vendors in seven categories, five product-related adaptability, capability, manageability, reliability and usability) and two...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Contact Center,
Data,
Sales Performance Management,
Financial Performance Management,
Digital Technology,
Predictive Planning,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
Subscription Management,
agent management,
intelligent sales,
AI and Machine Learning
Here are some insights on SAP drawn from our latest Value Index research, which provides an analytic assessment of how well vendor offerings address buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research Value Index on Sales Performance Management 2019 is the distillation of a year of market and product research efforts by Ventana Research. We evaluated SAP and eight other vendors in seven categories, five product-related adaptability, capability, manageability, reliability and usability) and two...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Contact Center,
Data,
Financial Performance Management (FPM),
Sales Performance Management,
Digital Technology,
Digital Commerce,
Predictive Planning,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
Subscription Management,
agent management,
intelligent sales,
AI and Machine Learning
Here are some insights on Optymyze drawn from our latest Value Index research, which provides an analytic assessment of how well vendor offerings address buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research Value Index on Sales Performance Management 2019 is the distillation of a year of market and product research efforts by Ventana Research. We evaluated Optymyze and eight other vendors in seven categories, five product-related adaptability, capability, manageability, reliability and usability) and two...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Contact Center,
Data,
Sales Performance Management,
Financial Performance Management,
Digital Technology,
Digital Commerce,
Predictive Planning,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
Subscription Management,
agent management,
intelligent sales,
AI and Machine Learning
Here are some insights on Anaplan drawn from our latest Value Index research, which provides an analytic assessment of how well vendor offerings address buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research Value Index on Sales Performance Management 2019 is the distillation of a year of market and product research efforts by Ventana Research. We evaluated Anaplan and eight other vendors in seven categories, five product-related adaptability, capability, manageability, reliability and usability) and two...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Contact Center,
Data,
Sales Performance Management,
Financial Performance Management,
Digital Technology,
Digital Commerce,
Predictive Planning,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
Subscription Management,
agent management,
intelligent sales,
AI and Machine Learning
With the backing of Great Hill Partners and Spectrum Equity, the company Varicent Software launched on Jan. 1st, purchasing IBM’s Sales Performance Management (SPM) assets and hiring employees from IBM’s SPM group. They will join a new team that includes Varicent’s original founders and key leadership.
This set of insights is drawn from our latest Value Index research, which provides an analytic assessment of how well vendor offerings address buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research Value...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Contact Center,
Data,
Sales Performance Management,
Financial Performance Management,
Digital Technology,
Digital Commerce,
Predictive Planning,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
Subscription Management,
agent management,
intelligent sales,
AI and Machine Learning
Here are some insights on Xactly drawn from our latest Value Index research, which provides an analytic assessment of how well vendor offerings address buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research Value Index on Sales Performance Management 2019 is the distillation of a year of market and product research efforts by Ventana Research. We evaluated Xactly and eight other vendors in seven categories, five product-related adaptability, capability, manageability, reliability and usability) and two...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Contact Center,
Data,
Sales Performance Management,
Financial Performance Management,
Digital Technology,
Digital Commerce,
Predictive Planning,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
Subscription Management,
agent management,
intelligent sales,
AI and Machine Learning
Here are some insights on Oracle drawn from our latest Value Index research, which provides an analytic assessment of how well vendor offerings address buyers’ requirements. The Ventana Research Value Index on Sales Performance Management 2019 is the distillation of a year of market and product research efforts by Ventana Research. We evaluated Oracle and eight other vendors in seven categories, five product-related adaptability, capability, manageability, reliability and usability) and two...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Contact Center,
Data,
Sales Performance Management,
Sales Performance Management (SPM),
Digital Technology,
Digital Commerce,
Predictive Planning,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
Subscription Management,
agent management,
intelligent sales,
AI and Machine Learning
For interactions with customers to go well, organizations must manage an ever-increasing array of engagement channels. Our research finds that organizations expect to see interaction volumes increase on all channels, especially digital ones such as text-based messaging, chat, mobile and social apps. Unfortunately, the systems that manage these channels are typically disparate and uncoordinated and may not use the same underlying technology. This makes it difficult for organizations to...
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Topics:
Customer Experience,
Voice of the Customer,
business intelligence,
embedded analytics,
Analytics,
Collaboration,
Data Governance,
Data Preparation,
Information Management,
Internet of Things,
Contact Center,
Data,
Digital Technology,
Digital Commerce,
blockchain,
natural language processing,
data lakes,
Intelligent CX,
Subscription Management,
agent management,
extended reality,
AI and Machine Learning
Using customer analytics effectively involves several challenges. Organizations must make it a business priority, cultivate leadership and set a course for ensuring data and analytics are being processed and governed effectively. But effectiveness also requires technology that will assist in the effective operations and management of customers and help an organization achieve its goals.
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Topics:
Customer Experience,
Voice of the Customer,
embedded analytics,
Analytics,
Business Intelligence,
Collaboration,
Data Governance,
Data Preparation,
Information Management,
Contact Center,
Data,
Digital Technology,
Digital Commerce,
blockchain,
natural language processing,
data lakes,
Intelligent CX,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
Subscription Management,
agent management,
extended reality,
AI and Machine Learning
I am happy to share some insights from our latest Value Index research, which rates how well vendors’ offerings meet buyers’ requirements in seven categories, five relevant to the product (adaptability, capability, manageability, reliability and usability) and two related to the vendor (TCO/ROI and vendor validation). The Ventana Research Value Index: Sales Performance Management 2019 is the distillation of a year of market and product research efforts by Ventana Research. Drawing on our...
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Topics:
Sales,
Customer Experience,
Office of Finance,
Analytics,
Contact Center,
Data,
Sales Performance Management,
Financial Performance Management,
Digital Technology,
Digital Commerce,
Predictive Planning,
Conversational Computing,
collaborative computing,
mobile computing,
Subscription Management,
agent management,
intelligent sales,
AI and Machine Learning