What Do Your Customers Think? Customer Intelligence Management Solutions Offer Insights

Robert Peterson, VP, Principal Analyst

Oct 9 2015

It’s the age-old question: What’s on the minds of your customers? Are they satisfied with your products and solutions?
These questions and others have led to the rise of customer intelligence management software solutions
The following excerpts provide a high-level view that explains when to consider each customer intelligence vendor

It’s the age-old question: What’s on the minds of your customers? Are they satisfied with your products and solutions? How does this information help inform retention and growth strategies? These questions and others have led to the rise of customer intelligence management software solutions.

Customer intelligence platforms are designed to help B2B companies collect and aggregate customer feedback. This feedback helps organizations better understand the nature and quality of customer experiences and relationships within customer accounts. SiriusDecisions recently published its SiriusView on Customer Intelligence, describing the benefits and core capabilities of customer intelligence management solutions, and providing guidance on how to differentiate the primary vendors in this space. The following vendors are covered in this report: Confirmit, MaritzCX, Medallia, Qualtrics and Walker Information Systems.

The following excerpts provide a high-level view that explains when to consider each vendor:

		Confirmit is best suited for organizations that need a robust solution, and that have experienced staff with the capabilities and sophistication to effectively use the analytics and statistical testing available with this platform. For organizations with minimal data, inexperienced internal resources and no long-term need for deep analysis capabilities, other providers may be a better fit.
		MaritzCX is best suited for companies that need deep research expertise and a robust technology platform where professional services are available to provide, complement or replace internal program resources. Organizations that need integration into sales force automation vendors other than Saleforce.com should consider an alternate provider.
		Medallia is a good option for larger, more complex organizations seeking a pure customer intelligence solution composed of software and services. The company has particularly strong experience in the enterprise space and in specific industries (e.g. financial services). Companies looking for a self-service customer intelligence solution may want to look elsewhere for a better fit.
		Qualtrics is a viable option for organizations seeking a comprehensive platform to collect, analyze and act on solicited and unsolicited feedback. The solution provides a one-stop shop for users to quickly and easily begin gathering, analyzing and reporting insights. However, organizations with a strong business need for native integrations with sales force automation services and marketing automation platforms other than Salesforce.com and Marketo may want to consider an alternate solution.
		Larger enterprises looking for a comprehensive customer intelligence management solution complemented with services and consultancy should consider Walker Information. Walker may not be a good fit for smaller organizations with basic customer intelligence needs, due primarily to the depth of functionality delivered.