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The Emerging Enterprise - Customer Technologies Aren't Just For Big Biz Anymore - Part 3
If You Buy Packaged Software versus ASP/Hosted model.
The ASP model offers lower initial costs, an immediate business write-off, and faster implementation. Potential disadvantages could include the need for customization, integration issues with your back office, the financial stability of provider, and a "family jewels" issue with a 3rd party controlling critical business data.
Tips
The Aberdeen Group offers a number of tips for businesses that want to improve their customer relationships as well as increase revenue from current customers.
- Make sure you truly understand what makes your company unique. For many, it's not about the product that's sold. Because so many companies sell the same products, service separates one company from another is service.
- Start looking for systems that will help you implement methods unique to your business, and learn to compete on your methods. This is why modular tools are so important. Most companies only require specific CRM tools. Taking control of the way CRM works within your organization will help you define and enforce key business rules and workflows to differentiate your business from competitors.
- For customers, the first purchase is really the opening of a dialog about the changing nature of a business problem. Customers will stay interested in vendors only as long as the vendors maintain and show interest by staying abreast of the customer and demonstrating that understanding.
- Future CRM initiatives should evolve into "learning relationships," which means that each contact with a customer is an opportunity to gather information. The information gathered from customers provides companies with insight to customer needs and alerts them to satisfaction deficits. Over time, the reciprocity of a learning relationship builds a churn-resistant wall around the customer.
- A key way to improve the success rates of CRM is to perform better baseline studies. Most businesses have no clear picture of where they started. They can't adequately judge the success or failure of any CRM initiative without examining current operations and setting specific goals for improvements. One such goal might be to handle more calls with no increase in headcount, for example.
Choosing a CRM vendor/provider
When it comes time to buy, evaluate the vendor or provider carefully. The following list of questions will help:
- How long has the vendor been in business, and what is the history of its business?
- Does it have experience and customers in your industry?
- What is its technical direction, such as its Web strategy and plans for expanding CRM modules?
- Who is on the management team, and what's their background?
- How is it financed?
- Is source code included with the product? If not, customizing will be limited.
- What training does it offer? User, systems administrator, training your trainers?
- How does it support the software?
- What's included in the maintenance agreement?
- What's the warranty period, and what is its bug-fix policy during this period?
- Does it implement the software itself or use a third party?
- How important is your piece of business?
DATA: BARTON GOLDBERG'S "THE GUIDE TO CRM AUTOMATION" ISM publishes the annual "Guide to CRM Automation," available at www.ismguide.com.
Dayna Haberle-Delmonico is Managing Editor of TechWeb Small Biz.
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