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Customer
Relationship Management Software Selection Guide
Executive Summary
The Customer Relationship Management
Software Selection Guide was written by CRM software expert, Lee
Adler of Adler/PPT and published by CTS President, Sheldon Needle.
The intended audience for The Guide is mid-market companies (small
and medium sized businesses with 25 to 250 employees). It explains
all aspects of CRM so that a company can find a CRM package that
meets their needs.
The Guide explains the CRM functions
in simple terms as well as uncovering some of the buzzwords
associated with CRM. An organization's need for CRM is drawn out
along with ways to maximize an installation. The step by step
selection methodology provides the final steps into the successful
selection of a CRM application.
Tables
There are two major tables that are
included in the guide, the Ratings Table and the CRM Notes &
Technical Table. The Ratings Table lists 237 features/functions and
compares 9 popular CRM software applications against those
features. (View a
sample of the Ratings Table.) The table has an item count for
easy reference, the category that the feature falls in, any
sub-features related to that feature, the description of the
feature, and what is benefited with having that feature. The table
describes whether the product has the feature right out of the box,
and if not then how easy it would it would be to add the feature.
The CRM Notes and Technical
Information Table is used as support for the Ratings Table. The
information was obtained from the vendors and allows the product
vendors to further explain some of the features in their products.
The tables are concluded with a list
of the companies and what areas they are found to excel in. The
"Best at Ratings" list includes the companies who are the best at
simple contact manager, the best at ease of use, the best at sales
forecasting, to name a few. The latter part of this list directs
companies who have identified their major need to an appropriate
CRM.
Case Studies
The case studies provide a detailed
description of some CRM implementations so that we can all learn
from their triumphs and mistakes. These case studies also
demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses that would not be evident
by evaluating the modules and features alone. The company is
described and their initial expectations are mentioned as well. In
some cases, a more lengthy summary of the project is included to
further detail what went into the implementation. Some of the
numerous details that can be found in the case studies are cost, IT
personnel used, challenges they faced, and their motivation to move
from their current system to CRM. |
