I cut my teeth as a data analyst helping brands communicate more effectively—building segmentation and targeting models that differentiated contact frequency, offers, and messaging across a brand’s customer base. But in the face of today’s more empowered customers building static scoring models and relying on batch-based campaigns is insufficient to win, serve and retain customers. Today most enterprises rely heavily on technology to help them interact with customers across channels, and as we evaluated in the newly published Forrester Wave: Cross Channel Campaign Management, Q3 2014, brands have several compelling choices.  

We identified, researched, and scored solutions from nine vendors: Adobe, IBM, Infor, Pitney Bowes, RedPoint Global, SAP, SAS Institute, SDL, and Teradata. Our approach consisted of a 41-criteria evaluation; reference calls and online surveys of 96 companies; executive briefings; and product demonstrations.

We identified four leaders in this mature, but evolving category. What sets leaders apart?

  • Depth of cross-channel capabilities. Leaders consistently received high scores in cross-channel data integration capabilities, which includes cross-channel customer identification and centralized response history management. But the purpose of collecting this data is so marketers can make smarter—more customer obsessed—decisions. Not surprisingly then, leaders also receive high marks in areas of interaction management such as cross-channel decision management and real-time analytics.  
  • Clarity of cross-channel vision.  Leaders outlined multi-faceted corporate strategies and roadmaps that will help marketers and Customer Insight professionals manage and execute more data driven campaigns. These visions often covered four areas: to provide more intuitive interfaces that encourage more intelligent workflows on top of more integrated data that can more quickly respond to changing customer preferences.

Are you thinking about upgrading your CCCM system?  Well, changes to the marketing technology landscape mean you can’t simply dust off your RFP from five years ago. So if you’re considering a change to your CCCM solution I encourage you to look at the work from two of my talented colleagues that helped me with this study:

  1. Cory Munchbach’s recent report, “Let's Revisit The Enterprise Marketing Software Landscape (Again)” can help you think about how the marketing automation functions of a CCCM solution can support a new idea—contextual marketing engines.
  2. Rusty Warner’s new report, “The Marketing Technology Buyer's Dilemma” gives specific advice on how marketers and customer insight professionals can tune-up their process of purchasing technology.

Campaign management systems are often integrated with other pieces of marketing technology from asset management to real-time interaction management. Several vendors are building “suites” that combine these technologies. Stay tuned for news of Forrester’s Wave on Enterprise Marketing Software Suites that cover these technologies in early Fall.

In closing, I want to thank all those that contributed to this project. To the 100+ references who volunteered first-hand knowledge of what is what like to work with these products—Thank you! To my co-workers on the Customer Insights team at Forrester who invested many hours helping me clarify my thoughts—Thank you! And finally, to the vendor employees who patiently answered my questions and demonstrated their products—Thank you!