For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Jump-Starting The Unified Communications Market

Prospective UC Buyers Are Waiting For System Interoperability

by Henry Dewing, September 10, 2010

Prospective buyers of unified communications (UC) systems are becoming more aware of the potential benefits, but UC trial and deployment activity remains stagnant. Many buyers are waiting for interoperability — or at least a credible promise of future . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

How To Integrate Email With Search Marketing

Coordinating Email And Search Can Jump-Start Integrated Marketing

by Shar VanBoskirk, September 10, 2010

Interactive marketers can ease into integrated marketing by starting small and coordinating the efforts of two of the more established channels: email and search. This process requires simple changes to current programs with little incremental cost and . . .

For Market Research Professionals

A Market Researcher's Introduction To The Global Online Population Forecast, 2009 To 2014

by Reineke Reitsma, September 9, 2010

In the past five years, the global Internet population has grown from about 1 billion to 1.6 billion, and this growth isn't about to stop any time soon. However, the future growth isn't equally spread across the regions: Whereas Europe and North America . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Extending Online Customer Service To The Mobile Channel

by Diane Clarkson, September 9, 2010

eBusiness decisions to employ mobile commerce, apps, and self-service features have garnered the lion's share of mobile strategy. But what happens when users need customer service from within a mobile Web site or app? Those customers need immediate and . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

How Sports Web Sites Should Use Video

Using The Online Video Product Scorecard To Identify Best Practice

by Nick Thomas, September 8, 2010

Over the past year, our video strategy series has presented the business case goals and best practices for building video products and adding video to your Web site. This report demonstrates how Forrester's online video product scorecard enables sites . . .

For Content & Collaboration Professionals

Q&A: Message Archiving Fundamentals For Content & Collaboration Pros

by Brian W. Hill, September 7, 2010

Message archiving impacts a variety of functional roles within enterprises. Understanding implications across IT, legal, and other perspectives isn't trivial — especially when factoring in complex eDiscovery demands. Content and collaboration (C&C) . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Social Media Marketing For Financial Services

How To Navigate The Regulatory Minefield And Build Effective Social Media Programs

by Nate Elliott, September 7, 2010

Financial services firms are beginning to adopt social technologies: In fact, we found that 79% of companies in the industry have some social media presence. But, held back by regulatory concerns and a lack of experience, few are using social media very . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Designing A Mobile Empowered Product Strategy

An Empowered Report: Applying The IDEA Framework To Smartphone Users

by J.P. Gownder, September 7, 2010

Product strategists developing mobile offerings should take inspiration from Forrester's new book Empowered. When designing a mobile product strategy, they should employ a mobile version of the IDEA framework: Identify Mobile Mass Influencers, deliver . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

How American Express Empowers Call Center Employees To Deliver Great Customer Experience

A Report From Forrester's Customer Experience Forum 2010

by Megan Burns, September 3, 2010

American Express listens to its employees. At Forrester's Customer Experience Forum 2010, Reena Panikar, vice president and business leader of American Express' Customer Service Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., told attendees how AmEx has leveraged feedback . . .

For CIOs

Insights For CIOs: Make Mobility Standard Business Practice

by Tim Sheedy, September 3, 2010

The Internet and the mobile Internet have effectively combined — driven by the improvement in networks, devices, and operating systems. This means that we no longer have to consider mobility a separate strategy within our business. As the leaders of the . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Travel eBusiness Can Win Friends And Influence Travelers

An In-Depth Look At Travel Social Fans, The Travelers Who Friend, Follow, Or Fan Travel Companies And Destinations On Social Media Sites

by Henry H. Harteveldt, Elizabeth Stark, September 3, 2010

Travelers view social media as more than a way to stay in touch with people they know. Forrester data reveals that two in five US online leisure travelers have friended, followed, or become a fan of a travel company or destination on a social networking . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

Business Continuity And Disaster Recovery Are Top IT Priorities For 2010 And 2011

Six Percent Of IT Operating And Capital Budgets Goes To BC/DR

by Stephanie Balaouras, September 2, 2010

According to Forrester's recent survey of 2,803 IT decision-makers, improving their business continuity and disaster recovery (BC/DR) capabilities is the No. 1 priority for SMBs and the second highest priority for enterprises for the next 12 months. The . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Financial Services B2B Interactive Marketing Trends

by Michael Greene, September 2, 2010

Caution continues to dominate business-to-business (B2B) financial services interactive marketing strategies as budget squeezes, regulatory concerns, and a lack of digital experience impede investment. Still, in the midst of sectorwide challenges, financial . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Forrester's Email Marketing Review Scorecard

by Shar VanBoskirk, September 2, 2010

Forrester updated its Email Marketing Review (EMR) methodology to reflect interactive media changes that affect email marketing efficiency and relevance. As with our past email review methodologies, Forrester’s Email Marketing Review Scorecard evaluates . . .

For Business Process Professionals

Empower Customers And iWorkers With On-Demand Customer Communications

by Craig Le Clair, September 2, 2010

Too many enterprises communicate with customers using antiquated approaches. After all, smart devices, pervasive video, and social media have given new power to customers and citizens — allowing them to interact easily with customer service agents, pass . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Smartphone Platforms Need A Branding Reset

US Consumers Have Little Clue About Their Phone's Software

by Charles S. Golvin, September 1, 2010

In the white-hot US smartphone market, the once-invisible underlying software platforms have become one of the fiercest areas of competition. RIM and Apple lead this market, while platforms from Google, Microsoft, and Palm seek to gain share and new entrants . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Ten Considerations For Voice Portal Upgrades

Develop Your Priorities Before Making An IVR Vendor Selection

by Elizabeth Herrell, September 1, 2010

Infrastructure decision-makers who plan to upgrade their interactive voice response (IVR) system should consider changes in customers' expectations, technology improvements, and cost models before launching vendor evaluations for voice portal (VP) upgrades. . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Web Site Brand Experience 2010: Auto Manufacturers

Forrester Applies Its Web Site Brand Experience Review Methodology To Five Top Sites

by Adele Sage, September 2, 2010

The multibillion-dollar auto industry features some of the most recognized brand names in the US, like Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota. But how good is the brand experience offered by major auto manufacturer brands' Web sites? To find out, . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Forrester Research Mobile Advertising Display And Search Forecast, 2010 To 2015 (US)

by Ed Kahn, September 1, 2010

Spending by companies on mobile marketing segmented by mobile advertising and search. Includes data on mobile internet users and spending by company size.

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Updated Q3 2010: The Consumer Product Strategist's Guide To Segmentation Analysis

Don't Leave Segmentation To The Market Research Department Alone

by J.P. Gownder, September 1, 2010

Early last year, we introduced consumer product strategy (CPS) pros to the power of segmentation analysis. We found that designing new products, innovating existing products, and messaging their value proposition was made easier with audience-specific . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

How The Adoption Of Several Important Emerging Technologies Affects Sourcing

by Chris Andrews, August 31, 2010

Many sourcing and vendor management (SVM) professionals who Forrester speaks with know that they need to play a proactive role in sourcing emerging technologies but have difficulty identifying which technologies matter most for their business. Interest . . .

For CIOs

IT Governance In A BT World

by Craig Symons, August 31, 2010

For longer than three years now, Forrester has been writing about the transformation from information technology (IT) to business technology (BT), a profound shift in the way that technology is sourced, implemented, operated, and leveraged for business . . .

For Content & Collaboration Professionals

Disciplined Social Innovation

Three Firms Achieve Tangible Results

by Rob Koplowitz, Leslie Owens, August 30, 2010

Companies depend on innovation to sprint out of the current economic doldrums and to return to profitability and growth. Innovation is a discipline with established best practices, needed skill sets, and proven processes and tools. Many organizations . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Case Study: To Launch EA, Woodmen Focused Intensely On Clearly Defined Goals

by Gene Leganza, August 27, 2010

Smaller IT shops of fewer than 150 staff members have a hard time dedicating separate staff to strategic activity such as EA. But in any environment, goals and processes without owners are likely to languish as they compete with operational priorities . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Q&A: Impact Of IBM's POWER7 And PowerVM On Workload Optimized Systems Design

PowerVM Is A Critical Advantage For IBM's Power Systems

by Brad Day, August 27, 2010

IBM's POWER7 system — arguably the most dramatic server design development since the first POWER4 dual-core microprocessor architecture — makes advanced virtualization stacks a core differentiator in creating next-generation workload-optimized systems . . .