CRM

3Initial technology needs specification and research alternative solutions: Earlier in this process you began to consider technology requirements. Now you can return to this question with a clearer focus on the process and data issues. There are a huge number of software applications that fall under the heading of CRM. You need to decide what applications will deliver  our CRM vision and meet the business case requirements. You can learn  about these applications by visiting vendor websites, joining online communities such as www.customerthink.com , or attending physical or virtual (online) exhibitions.

4Hosted or on-premise CRM: One important decision is how to access CRM functionality. CRM software is distributed in two ways. It can be installed on your company’s own servers or it can be accessed from another party’s servers via the Internet. The former is known as on-premise, offline or installed CRM, an option that has been the preferred mode for many large-scale enterprises and early adopters. The alternative is known as hosted or online CRM, web-service, the ASP (Application Service Provider) model or the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. The hosted option is becoming more popular as CRM solutions are adopted by mid-market and smaller enterprises.

3.4.-Phase 4: Project implementation  By now, you have developed the CRM strategy, built the CRM project foundations, specified your needs and selected one or more partners. It is now implementation time! 1 Refine project plan The first step of Phase 4 requires you to cooperate with your selected partners in refining the project plan. Remember, this was originally defined without consideration of the needs and availability of your partners. You may find that your partner’s consultants are already committed to other projects and that you’ll have to wait. Your partners will be able to help you set new milestones and refine the budget.

2Identify technology customization needs It is very common that off-the-shelf technology fails to meet all the requirements of users. Some vendors have industry-specifi c versions of their CRM software. Oracle, for example, offers a range of CRM suites for banking, retail, public sector and other verticals. Even so, some customization is often required. The lead developer, database developer and front-end developer, in partnership with vendors, can perform these roles.

3Prototype design, test, modify and roll-out The output of this customization process will be a prototype that can be tested by users on a duplicated set, or a dummy set, of customer-related data. End-user tests will show whether further customization is required. Final adjustments to marketing, selling and service processes are made at this stage, and further training needs are identified and met. After a final review, a roll-out program is implemented.____________________

CRITICAL INFO ALL IN ONE PLACE Organizations are extraordinarily busy, inboxes pile upGood CRM – emails land on a system where they belongCritical information –  single record (all info about one lead on one screen: contact, activities, map, source, status, owner, stakeholders or competitors)

BUSINESS PROCESSES IDENTIFIED AND TRACKED You wish to track in CRM: steps in each stageWhat stage and steps need to be completedHaving a defined business process guides your staff and serves for everyone to see where we are in any given effort

AUTOMATION OF ACTIVITIES Automatic creation of something – emails set upThe point is efficiencyPhonecalls, appointments, invitations, emails can be automated

MOBILE ACCESS TO INFORMATION CRM provides access to information whenever the user residesInfo presented needs to confirm to the restraints of the mobile device (formats)

IMPROVED AND STRUCTURED COMMUNICATION Create templated information to go out in a regular basisHelps customers with consistency and follow up

IMPROVED SALES REPORTING Easy to understandCRM stores all sales info in a variety of formats – within minutes you need to be able to provide graphical charts, distributable in different formats (like pdf)

EMPLOYEE VISIBILITY Activities tracked in CRMNumber of opportunities closed, number of case resolutions and emails per employeeDetailed report categorized by the person and the type of activity with specific details

INCREASED EFFICIENCY FOR ACTIVITIES Ability to track things like emails – what they are regarding – what the task is related to specificallyActivities you do on a daily basisVisibility on due dates

DATA SECURITY AND RETENTION Loss of a hard drive could be seriousCloud based deployment – you do not lose anything, always protected by a password (higher rate of security)

OVERALL BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE Provide tools like ques of what is your customer service aboutTemplates (email, contracts, etc)Case or service request management (all info related about case, ticket, products, customer) Guided process flow to the resolution of issues