There's probably a place for mobile CRM in your marketing plan. But it's not going to supercharge anything unless you've got the basics in place. So start small, hire a trustworthy partner, test and scale.

As we settle into the New Year and comfortably get one month under our belts, you know what that means -- conference season is upon us. I spend a lot of time on the road, and feel fortunate to have the opportunity to hear thoughts, ideas, predictions and trends surrounding the world of customer experience management, especially from a varied range of industry practitioners bringing perspective from different vertical markets.

The recipe in creating a power-packed initiative in 2011 includes 1) getting frontline service representatives passionate about what they do and letting them know they really do make a difference and 2) establishing an "outside-in" view, with technology supporting the cause.