Are Businesses Getting Everything They Can From CRM Systems?
One of the not so fun parts of my job is turning down story proposals. But the proposals I'm guaranteed to turn down are those for articles that take as a given that using CRM systems is tantamount to failure. I reject whole cloth articles that begin, "Despite the high failure rate of CRM."
Although CustomerThink's Bob Thompson and Gartner's Ed Thompson convincingly beat that dead horse, the belief that CRM systems aren't doing what they're supposed to do and that businesses are running from them kicking and screaming lives on.
Now, though, we have more ammunition. Gartner has been predicting a rise in CRM adoption, and posted on CustomerThink on Sept. 26, are results of a survey commissioned by T.H.G. Sales Automation and Microsoft, showing that CRM adoption is on the rise. Hallelujah!
The T.H.G./Microsoft survey shows adoption in small and midsize companies. So the question now is this: Are businesses getting everything they can from their systems? What's the next step?
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Graham Hill
Getting the MOST from CRM Systems
Gwynne
As the CRMGuru Study and numerous others have shown, CRM Systems are enablers of CRM success, not critical success factors for CRM. Organistions should implement just enough of any CRM System to allow them to meet their strategic CRM goals over the next few years. And no more.
They should also redevelop their complementary information flows, business processes, work practices, performance measures, organisational cultures and so forth, to enable the CRM System to deliver its promise.
It is in failing to develop these complementary parts of the CRM business model that the majority of CRM System iimplementations that I see, are unable to deliver their true potential. This is where businesses should invest management resources to improve their ability to get the most out of their CRM Systems.
Graham Hill
Independent CRM Consultant
Interim CRM Manager
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