Research Report Highlights Best Practices for Successful CRM Implementation
October 24, 2007
Although customer relationship management (CRM) technology holds much promise for increasing efficiency and profitability, roughly 70 percent of CRM initiatives fail—mostly because of “organizational resistance.” That’s according to a new research report from Best Practices, a benchmarking and consulting firm.
Savvy members of CRM program teams have identified barriers to success for this technology and thus suggested ways to overcome challenges. By following certain steps, companies can implement results-driven technology enhancements.
The Best Practices report, Countdown to Customer Focus: A Step-by-Step Guide to CRM Implementation, the firm listed such strategies for success—culled from the recommendations of CRM executives at 15 organizations including Eli Lilly, Merrill Lynch, PSE&G, Land's End and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
Two of these “best practices” are:
- Identify points in the company’s business strategy where CRM can deliver maximum value. Then, highlight these opportunities through internal “marketing” of customer-focused programs.
- Prioritize customer-centric programs based on potential for early wins and immediate positive impact on business. Dedicate resources necessary to ensure success and then execute a staged implementation to all parts of the business.
“Companies that actively improve their CRM systems can better meet the needs of their clients as well as work more effectively as an organization,” said Cameron Tew, research and publishing manager at Best Practices, in a statement. “Best-in-class companies find ways to align their CRM strategies with corporate goals and seek processes that provide hard, practical results.”
Want to learn more about the topic covered in this article? Check out ContactCenterSolutions’s White Paper Library, a collection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP
communications industry. This information is free to registered users.
P.R. Sai is a contributing editor for ContactCenterSolutions. Internet Protocol (IP) | X |
| IP stands for Internet Protocol, a data-networking protocol developed throughout the 1980s. It is the established standard protocol for transmitting and receiving data
in packets over the Internet. I...more |
