CRM Solutions

It is true to say that CRM solutions are about much more than customer relationship management software. These are customer focused business strategies that demand much, but reward a lot in return.

So it is more helpful, when looking at customer relationship management generally, to talk about solutions rather than just pieces of software. These must include ways of adapting and fusing with current company strategy, re-designing customer relevant processes, developing customer centric values with staff and so on. These are the kind of holistic customer centric solutions that your investment in the CRM Master Key will help your company focus on and develop

Many Management / IT consultancies and Value Added Resellers (VARs) now offer CRM solutions services. Some do a fine job of providing quality delivery at reasonable cost. Some do not and their failures taint everyone else in the industry. So when you select such a solutions partner, be sure to ask yourselves the following questions:

1. Do they have several years experience across areas such as marketing, sales, customer services, e-commerce and over-arching customer relationship management experience for a good portion of these years?

2. Do they bring in a comprehensive array of practical customer relationship management methods that would drive the project forward in the right way or do they largely talk in "buzzwords" only?

3. Are they prepared to quote fixed fee deliverables or do they insist on negotiating a daily rate? Agree deadlines, budgets, deliverables and their specifications and even a
risk / profit share or bonus if you can push to get it all up front and nailed down as much as possible. It takes more thought in the beginning but this protection means paying only when you have obtained what you needed and agreed.

4. Look at how much experience and expertise you obtain for the money you are being charged? Is the bulk of the work being done by graduates barely out of university with little real world business experience and with the CRM in 1 Week course behind them?

5. Are they really business focused as distinct from technology driven? This means not diving straight into XML, J2EE, N-Tier, Servers, GPRS, PDAs, etc. All that will come later but only when the business direction and strategy are right. Remember the Dot com boom and bust. Its practitioners ignored the customer experience and business rules and put the technology first and foremost.

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