The CRM Value Proposition
Why should a company implement a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application when it already has contact management software? The truth is that if CRM offered only an enhancement of contact management functionality then one would be hard-pressed to find valid rationales for investing in it, but CRM is much more. And the value it adds can contribute significantly to a company’s profitability. Register to read.
The Case for CRM on IBM System i, iSeries or AS/400
Here’s the scenario: You’ve determined that implementing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application will deliver a significant return on investment. Now you have to make a decision. Where should the CRM run? Should you opt for a Software as a Service (SaaS) offering because you won’t need to incur up-front capital costs to buy a CRM software license? Or should you run the application in-house and choose a Windows-based CRM because the required hardware is relatively inexpensive and widely used? The answer to both of these questions is probably “no,” particularly if IBM i is your company’s primary business application operating system. Register to read.
Defining the Ideal CRM Feature and Function Requirements
If you’re reading this paper you’ve probably already determined that a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application can benefit your organization. (If you’re still undecided, please start with The CRM Value Proposition or contact Touchtone to have a needs assessment done.) The question now is which CRM should you choose? How well you implement and employ the software will certainly be an important factor in determining how much value the CRM delivers, but you can’t get more out of an application than it has in it to give. The extent of the features and functions it offers is crucial.
This paper explores the traits of an ideal CRM—one that allows you to maximize the return on your CRM investment. Register to read.
Selling CRM to Your Sales Team
A computer application—any computer application—provides value only if it is used. Yet, before they’ve experienced its benefits, salespeople often resist the use of a CRM. Consequently, sales team buy-in is a critical CRM success factor.
Computer applications are not magic. To state the obvious, they deliver value only if they are used. And they deliver optimal value only if they are employed optimally. Thus, when implementing any application it is essential to ensure that it is used and used well. However, this hasn’t always happened when it comes to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications. When a CRM initiative fails to deliver the expected benefits, sales team resistance to the use of the CRM is, more often than not, a primary cause of the failure. To understand why, you have to look at the typical nature of sales professionals and the work they do. Register to read.
Justifying CRM in an Economic Downturn
Many companies set budgets for sales and marketing expenditures, including spending on information technology to support sales and marketing, based on revenue estimates for the coming year. Those projections are often produced by looking at the previous year’s sales, increasing that number to account for normal business growth and then adjusting the forecast to incorporate the expected results of any new business initiatives, such as product launches, and the anticipated consequences of changes in economic and business conditions. Finally, sales and marketing spending limits are set as a percentage of the projected revenues. At first glance, that appears to be a logical way to set expenditure levels for the coming year. The more money you have coming in, the more you can afford to spend and still remain profitable. Right?
Because of the prevailing budgeting philosophy, managers often find it difficult to convince the CFO and CEO to buy a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application when the company is facing a general economic downturn or a company-specific rough patch. This paper explores the reasons why the CFO should, instead, be the strongest supporter of a CRM investment when the going gets tough Register to read.
