Expert Advice

CRM is not itself a technology -- it's a discipline enabled by a technology. But the ideas are so completely enmeshed with technology today that it's almost impossible to talk CRM without lapsing into jargon. That's led to the abduction, abuse and expropriation of technical terms, which often resul...

The billing function conjures up many images, few of them positive. Essential to success of your business, yet often a burden for most organizations independent of size or market, billing is seen as a necessary evil to collect cash and enable organizations to stay alive. Over the past few years, how...

One of the most dreaded words for any computer user is "malware." Rogue software and infected files can implant bits of code that log keystrokes, spy on activities, slow down searches and snatch financial information. Users can help protect their PC by installing antivirus software, but even this c...

There has been a lot of hype about mobile payments, especially last year, with executives proclaiming adoption to be a rapidly growing trend. While we know that consumers are using their mobile devices to access information on the Internet, are they actually using them to shop? The idea of purcha...

Driver software manages communications between a computer and its system components and peripherals, such as printers, graphic and sound cards, motherboards, game controllers, Bluetooth devices, and other hardware. Driver software acts like a translator, helping a computer's operating system communi...

Lots of people think that updates aren't really that important. In the past, updating a program often involved implementing small features or fixes that, most of the time, didn't seem worth the bother. While this may still be true for some applications, there's no doubt that updates are crucial fo...

In today's economy, there are many tools designed for sustaining small and mid-sized businesses. Web conferencing is a tool that an increasing number of companies find very useful. Over the last few years, Web conferencing and online meetings software have taken off as communication tools with sever...

There's a great chase scene in Minority Report when Tom Cruise, having been identified as a future murderer, is making his escape through a futuristic mall. He's trying to keep a low profile. Unfortunately, the advertising billboards start crying out to him, vying for his attention and blowing his c...

What is hard-drive clutter, and why is it bad? When people think of things that take up space in their hard drive, usually they think of the files they've made, including documents, pictures and media. They may also think of the programs they use to run those files. While you can delete some files o...

A company's reputation is based on the customer's experience. Fixing or preventing problems is half of the service equation; communicating with customers is the other half. Customer service is as important, if not more important than the immediate resolution of the problem. An integral part of the c...