Bell Canada's Phenomenal Success with CRM

There is a lot of negative information about CRM right now that is flooding the news.
However the success rates are equally high. CRM is definitely a strategy that can be
implemented effectively and successfully. CRM caters to companies of varied sizes. It helps
focus on different problems and solutions. Statistics show that there are clear cases of
excellence in CRM implementations that can be found right across a whole range of different
industries. Research indicates that organizations can clearly measure the return they received
from the implementation. What is important to note is that cases of past CRM failures are not
in a position to judge the entire CRM technology. Research shows that a CRM success story
is easy to find.

Some of the companies whose CRM implementation has been successful include:
Canon (Japan)
AMD
Hitachi
Nokia
Engage
Pepsi Americas
Sovereign Bank
HP
What most of these companies had was a clear idea of all their business processes. They
understood their business needs before implementing CRM. They had managed to identify
leaders and the best performers in the organization. They have also managed to involve key
executives at the highest level and get the message to everyone in the organization about the
importance of CRM.

Bell Canada's Success

Bell Canada is easily Canada's largest communications company and a CRM success story. It
boasts of almost 28 million customer connections and manages to provide some of the most
comprehensive communication services. These services aside from being innovative have
also been a source of stability to residential and business customers in the Canadian region.

The company basically serves to provide their customers with solutions that smack of ease of
integration and simplicity to their customers. They basically cater to all their customers'
communication requirements like the telephone, internet, wireless, voice over IP and digital
television. They try to provide information and technology for communications to top
business enterprises within the Canadian region and beyond. They cater to a variety of
organizations ranging from the small and mediocre enterprises to the large corporates. Small
and medium industries have benefited immensely from their services. Their services include
internet access, data services, voice services, wireless services, satellite television, long
distance phone services etc.

Since customer needs are growing Bell is currently trying to simplify the existing processes
and introduce bundled services by moving towards a single, bill. It manages an extensive
local access network providing local and long distance phone services to customers.

It also enables the provision of a wide range of services for consumers. Bell's phone services
include call display, call waiting, voice mail etc. A classic example of CRM success is that
which Bell Canada found. Its successful implementation of CRM saw profound results in just
2 months.

Pre - CRM Scenario

The solutions, business processes and methods being employed prior to the CRM solution
clearly did not fulfill or meet any of the business needs. Bell Canada needed a full fledged
customer centric strategy that was catering to the company requirements. After scrutiny they
embarked on the implementation of CRM and decided that they will opt for its advantages.

They basically encountered a problem that the existing disparate solutions created a lot of
extra work for employees and basically increased the task load. This had resulted in a
decrease in employee satisfaction and posed numerous problems. In addition to this BELL
required its front and back end operations of its shared services centre to be integrated. This
step could not be achieved through existing processes. Also the access to current employee
case status and the reporting capabilities was required. All this led to the installation of CRM
solutions.

Implementing CRM

The result was that CRM customer service & support initiatives were availed of. The CRM
benefits were deployed to a total of 200+ users in 2 months. The staff was trained in the
ability to use multi language systems; This helped them immensely especially when dealing
with multi lingual customers and customer data. The key elements employed in the
implementation were speed, data integration, and easy usage and increased efficient reporting
capabilities.

The Result?

What did BELL ultimately witness? The result was increased and better customer service
from employees amongst almost seven groups. Another advantage was the internal efficiency
that was created within the organization. The flexibility and customization traits of CRM
enabled a reduction in the total case volume.

The ease of usage and its adaptability also resulted in an increase in the integration of data
between the systems. The main point to note here is the fact that the entire implementation
required very little time and was carried out with very little effort. Speed was a dominating
factor in this implementation. The organization was able to acquire the business requirements
it needed so much.

It's imminently clear that focusing on the failure rate of CRM is the wrong approach.
Organizations need to focus more on the 'CRM success story'. What's needed most is being
able to focus on the success rate and get the most out of the CRM implementation by
employing the right practices prior, during and after the CRM implementation.

Related Articles
Canons CRM's Success Soars
DHL's Phenomenal Success with CRM
Implementing CRM Pays - Success Stories
Travelex's Phenomenal Success with CRM
CRM APPLICTIONS


E-Business is CRMs New Area of ApllicationCRM application is a high-end tool which
helps in organizing business processes and security network maintaining quality of products
that up holds effective business interactions offering user friendly solution in performance,
cost cuts, and flexible services meeting the customers satisfaction.

read more

CRM HYPE
Why CRM takes back seat at times?
Check out the potential failure points for failure of CRM projects in the business
organizational practice. Factors that contribute for CRM project risks are...
Cross functional coordination
CRM business strategy
Support and service
Business interpretation
IT investment

DHL's Phenomenal Success with CRM

Company Information

DHL is the world's global delivery network. It helps express shipping in countries all over the
world. It is the leader in international express and its offices are scattered over 220 countries
worldwide. Basically DHL strives to provide its customers with solutions for their
transportation requirements and it endeavors to assist with a company's logistics needs.
Initially DHL was founded to handle bills of lading between the San Francisco and Honolulu
area. However later on the company went on to establish a presence in countries as diverse as
Japan and the Philippines. This took logistics to a new international level and the expansion
finally led to DHL's presence being seen in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe etc.

As trade grows, so too does the growth of DHL as an international logistics company.
Currently DHL caters to 120,000 destinations in 220 countries. The reason DHL is able to
grow with such rapidity is that it is constantly being involved in the expansion of offices the
world over.

DHL boasts of having high quality staff, which are both experts in their field and dedicated as
well. DHL has almost 4,400 offices worldwide. Two-thirds of its offices are owned by it.
Therefore DHL has an advantage over its competitors who use third parties to control them.
DHL has staff in almost every country where it operates. They help to achieve better transit
time, efficient billing, easy tracking etc. It has 238 gateways and around more than 450
terminals, hubs, warehouses etc. They have more than 400 aircraft that help achieve the
fastest means of transportation to any destination, effective shipments and reliable, efficient
service to 4 million customers. In addition its current adoption of CRM has established it as a
CRM success story.

DHL and CRM

DHL Global Mail is a leader in logistics. DHL Global Mail needed a CRM solution that
could cater to a global network and ultimately provide a holistic view of the customer right
across the globe. Since the staff engaged at the various offices needed to commit, understand
and meet each customer's need an innovative and cost-effective solution was required. DHL
Global Mail tried out a number of workshops. It was after assessing the feedback from
Europe and Asia and after having looked at the cost reductions possible and the flexibility of
the solution alone did DHL Global Mail opt for availing of the benefits of Salesforce.com's
CRM advantages globally.

DHL used Salesforce.com as its CRM platform in the dispatch and delivery of parcels, and
business post etc. This adoption has gone a long way in making DHL a CRM success story.
Salesforce.com had the advantage of being able to customize DHL solutions in order to cater
to customer needs. Adopting any other CRM solution would have needed more
implementation time. The results were amazing. This particular solution was installed
simultaneously around the globe within six months and integrated with the existing systems.
This was basically done to ensure that there was centralization of data. The chosen CRM
solution managed to achieve the acceptance of employees and integration to DHL Global
Mail's other systems. It achieved an integrated approach to the customer worldwide and a
single view of the customer as well, that has resulted in making DHL Global Mail a leader in
mail solutions. On account of the usage of Sales force CRM solutions DHL was able to focus
on the needs of the customers. They were able to cut down on the implementation time and
are now availing of a consistent, effective solution that aids them globally. Salesforce.com
has now established a highly profitable relationship with DHL Global Mail.

DHL Partnership CARE

DHL has recently launched the DHL Partnership CARE (Customer Activation Resolution
and Enhancement) Program. It provides excellent customer service. Its main aim is to come
up with solutions that suit each individual company and make certain that customers who
have complex logistics requirements will have the necessary expert advice to assist them.
This process will continue during the life of the relationship. The purpose of it is to provide
for customer needs through personal support. It strives to create and maintain personnel in
billing, customer relations etc.

Each team provides the customer with a single point of contact for all service related issues
so that all DHL customers are provided with the most support. It offers expertise through
relationships and increases efficiency and accountability. This helps an organization to give
the kind of customer satisfaction that is required. It lays down very high standards for
customer service and increases its value to the customer. It assesses a customer's shipping
requirements and then develops a plan to cater to it. It provides the best shipping services to
meet customer requirements and ensures timely response and easy access to DHL's shipping
solutions.

This was all part of DHL's commitment to provide better service to all customers and DHL
has succeeded at it. The implementation of Salesforce's CRM option has gone a long way in
helping it achieve its objectives and made it a definite CRM success story.


Canons CRM's Success Soars

The Company
Canon is a leader in business equipment and information systems and a CRM success story.
Its product line enables businesses and consumers to acquire and store information. Its
regional headquarters are Canon U.S.A. in North and South America; Canon China in Asia
outside Japan; Canon Europe in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East; and Canon Australia in
Oceania. Canon proposes solutions that enable customers to use complex networks. It
achieves production engineering technologies and production equipment technologies with
cost reductions.

Canon built a company that has become a leading digital imaging and networking company.
It is a leader in personal and office printers, fax machines, copiers, and controllers. Canon
products range from printers, image filing systems color and black and white copiers,
facsimile machines, camcorders, semiconductor, broadcast, and optical equipment, flatbed
scanners, cameras and lenses etc. The company is one of the most admired companies in
America. It has managed to develop new technologies in order to improve the working
environment as well as the products themselves.

Canon ranks in the top five with 26,528 U.S. patents. Canon Inc. gives approximately 10% of
its sales to R&D each year. Its R&D divisions throughout the world are dedicated to
developing products and solutions for customers worldwide. Canon emphasizes on quality
and original technologies and is respected the world over. Canon products are assured of
convenience, enjoyment, simplicity and peace of mind

Canon is a CRM success story that pursues innovation for a better tomorrow. By choosing
Canon customers are supporting the company's environmental efforts. Their research and
development centers engage in developing technologies that benefit the company as a whole.
Canon is a registered trademark in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Canon and CRM
Due to a period of recession Canon faced a difficulty with the sale of copy machines,
cameras, computers etc. It was unable to increase its sales and needed additional help. What
was essential was a comprehensive customer database that could be made available to sales
personnel, management etc. Achieving the transfer of individual sales to overall sales was not
possible. Vital customer information was left unheeded and poorly managed as well. The
affiliation of sales calls to customers as well could not be accomplished.

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, which is the methodologies, software,
and Internet capabilities that help a company manage customer relationships in an efficient
and organized manner. For example, an enterprise might build a database about its customers
that described relationships in sufficient detail so that management, salespeople, and the
customer could access information, meet customer needs with the right products, know what
products a customer had purchased etc. CRM uses technology and resources to get an insight
into customer behavior. It enables the study of customer history. It allows a company to view
its customer history, sales, purchase history.

Canon opted for the purchase and installation of a Siebel CRM package. Siebel provided
Canon with a means by which it could meet the needs of each customer in a more
personalized way and thereby increase its sales. The Call Center CRM strategy was
implemented in the sales department, call centers etc. It adopted Siebel CRM to learn about
customers' needs and behaviors in order to develop a stronger relationship with them. They
adopted the CRM process to bring together information about customers, sales, marketing
effectiveness etc.

The result was that information that was stored for a period of 15 years was used in an
attempt to achieve customer satisfaction. Siebel CRM technology helped Canon in three main
areas call center, sales and service. Due to the success of CRM Canon now has 2200 users
involved in its implementation. As a result of this the company was able to increase its
customer retention due to additional focus on the customer. Siebel CRM helped to improve
the customer experience with better interactions. It also helped increase the communication
between customers and companies.

Effective Siebel CRM managed to deliver personalized service to its customers. It provided
the company with an informed response that gave them a complete profile of the customer,
with information on its past and present dealings. It helped Canon to basically save time and
prepare reports easily. It helped to make its work easier through the usage of automated task
series. It enabled the organization to save its money through a reduction of its marketing and
support expenses. It enabled the organization to assist the sales team and increase the sales
team's performance. It increased the effectiveness of the organization and boosted team work
very well.

Canons success as a pioneer in the field has worldwide recognition. There are several reasons
why it has emerged as a CRM success story, an innovator and a leader. Its products cater to a
vast audience ranging from the mediocre to small scale industries and it has endeavored to
achieve success with the employment of high quality products.



Travelex's Phenomenal Success with CRM

Company Profile

Travelex is currently the world's largest foreign exchange company. It has branches in 35
countries worldwide with 700 retail branches andcatering to 6,000 customers. Its customer
database is constantly growing thanks to the implementation of a CRM solution. The
company currently acquired Thomas Cook Global&Financial Services. It employs around
6,000 people. Its services can be availed of 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is currently a
global leader in technology and innovation.

Travelex services include Worldwide Air Ticketing, Business Itinerary Planning, Vacation
Itinerary Planning, Free&Easy Tours, Coach Touring Holidays, Foreign Exchange/Travelers
Cheques, Vacation Itinerary Planning, Local&International Cruises, Travel Account
Management, Hotel Arrangements, and Limousine Transfer/Car Rentals etc. Its retail
branches are found at all the important tourist and business centers globally and also at
crucial centers near airports, seaports and railways. Travelex Insurance endeavors to provide
for travel investment, emergency medical expenses etc. Travelex insurance protection
packages provide financial security against accidents that are unforeseen.

Travelex is right now the largest non-bank provider of foreign exchange services. It manages
to provide integrated solutions for businesses worldwide. It boasts of offering a plethora of
high quality travel packages and offers innovative products at very affordable prices.
Travelex stays true to its commitment to help companies to manage their travel through the
provision of value-added services. Their knowledgeable travel consultants are able to give
crucial advice to customers at low costs. Travelex offers various services for business
customers and helps them manage global payments and receipts.

Travelex Implements CRM

The Problem

It was found that the absence of a consolidated customer database had become a major hassle
that prevented the growth of the business. This affected the customer service offered by the
company. It was clear that a solution was required. Travelex branches had already adopted
CRM solutions like Siebel, salesforce.com, Goldmine etc. Since different regions of Travelex
had adopted different CRM solutions Travelex did not have a consolidated view of its
corporate customers. Although the different regions could have been dealing with the same
customer it was difficult to identify this, collate the required data and ultimately develop the
required global reports.

In addition to this there was time wastage for various personnel as forecasting was a tedious
and time consuming task. Also the data that was collated in the various regions was often less
than accurate. This affected the customer process significantly. Another problem was the fact
that the CRM solution chosen were complex in nature and posed a lot of difficulty for the
people using them. As a result of this it was not opted for by many individuals. Therefore
Travelex sought a solution that would cater to all these problems adequately. The requirement
was a solution that would be user friendly, require less implementation time, was cost
effective and could be installed globally.

The Solution

After studying the various solutions being implemented in its branches worldwide and
finding that the best response had come from North America who had implemented
salesforce.com, Travelex went on to select salesforce.com's Enterprise Edition. This
Enterprise Edition enables users to update contacts anywhere. An advantage of this Web-
based solution is that it can be customized centrally, which provides a consistent picture
across the globe. The solution was then implemented across almost 100 Countries. This was
initially implemented for 305 users in three months in five different continents
simultaneously. The result was a consolidated customer database achieved in a brief time
span.

The reasons for choosing Sales force included the fact that it was easy to use and that the
administration time was less. Salesforce.com was able to provide for enterprise-class CRM
software per user. Therefore it cut down the need to install, maintain or buy the software and
hardware that was required. This resulted in considerable cost reduction. Also because
salesforce.com was Web based, it was infinitely easier to implement globally. The company
found that there were no hidden costs involved. The other advantage was a reduction in
maintenance, support etc. since all customers are able to avail of these services free of costs.
Travelex has proved to be a real CRM success story.

CRM Results

The normal time that was needed to market new products was reduced. In addition to that the
time spent in forecasting and reporting had also decreased. It helped the company acquire
more knowledge about its major customers. Travelex, as a result of this CRM implementation
acquired a more coordinated approach to its customers. This enabled the company to have a
holistic picture across all continents. It also helped the sales executives in their dealings with
their customers which increased the revenue potential of the company. In addition the
customer experience was greatly improved. salesforce.com's CRM solution also managed to
increase the response time and enabled the sales and service sector to share vital information
which was fundamental to the growth of the organization.



Implementing CRM Pays - Success Stories

CRM benefits can be measured and quantified using CRM applications. This could result in
an increase in revenue. The benefits that a company gains from its implementation of CRM
are assured despite the fact that there are those who dispute that.

The benefits of CRM implementation are huge. They include:
Higher percentage of cross-selling
Attracting new customers
Closing deals faster
Quicker and more efficient response to customer leads and customer information
Simplification of marketing and sales processes
Understanding customer needs
Better customer service
Improved responsiveness and understanding
Building customer loyalty
Build a knowledge base for customer support
Control marketing campaigns
Analyzing marketing campaigns
Viewing the actual profit of each campaign
Quickly view customer statistics and analytics
Maintain exact info about the target market
Store product prices and information
View sales statistics and analytics
Control current projects
Achieve excellent customer service
Being aware of customer needs/ reacting to them
Understanding and responding to customers' needs
Maintaining consistency
Achieving an efficient, integrated business system
Achieving organizational discipline
Most companies who employ CRM have their own success stories to tell. We've incorporated
a few. Here's a look at some of the company profiles.

Bell Canada

Bell Canada is the largest communications company in Canada. It has 28 million customers
and provides communication services to residential and business customers.

The company provides its customers with easy to use solutions that are simple as well. They
cater communication requirements like the telephone, internet, wireless, voice over IP and
digital television and provide information and technology to top business enterprises. Bell
Canada boasts of providing excellent products to a wide range of industries.

DHL

DHL is the world's biggest delivery network. It aids fast, uninterrupted shipping of
commodities the world over. It leads in international express. Its offices can be found in over
220 countries worldwide. DHL provides large, small and mediocre industries the world over.
It assists them with their transportation requirements. DHL manages to assist with a
company's logistics and shipping requirements. Despite the fact that DHL was founded to
handle only the bills of lading between the San Francisco and Honolulu the company did
manage to establish offices in places all over the world. This expansion resulted ultimately in
the setting up of offices in places as diverse as Africa and the Middle East.

Canon

Canon pioneers in information systems. It helps businesses and consumers to acquire and
store information. Canon is a company that leads in digital imaging and networking etc. Its
products include printers, image filing systems, black and white and color copiers, facsimile
machines, camcorders, printers, semiconductor, equipment, cameras and lenses etc. The
company has developed new technologies that improve the working environment and
products so as to ensure success.

Travelex

Travelex is the largest non-bank provider of foreign exchange services worldwide It provides
solutions for businesses worldwide. It offers innovative products at very affordable prices and
does manage to help companies handle their travel, through a host of ways including the
provision of travel consultants who are able to advice customers. Travelex manages global
payments and receipts.

Steps to Becoming a CRM Success Story
Companies should adopt stringent rules that ensure that the organization finds
appropriate solutions for its customers.
Objectives need to be fixed prior to starting on a CRM project. Also the existing
processes need to be integrated with the solution.
Assessing data quality issues should be undertaken compulsorily and companies need
to make sure that they undertake the required measures before implementing CRM.
A company should strive to understand the problems of the customers in order to
secure CRM benefits.
Create a single view about the customer with all the information available about him
and make this information easily available to every one in the organization. Doing this
is most essential.
Outside resources need to be brought in if required. The need for outside resources
has to be carefully studied and adopted if essential.
Dynamic changes are possible only when sufficient technology is in place. IT enables
this as it facilitates change within the organization and enables it to adapt. Hence the
IT department needs to be incorporated in all respects.
All information should be cleansed before entering.
The solution should aid organizational objectives to the hilt.
The various departments should be collaborated.
Organizations should endeavor to clearly Establish Clear Business Objectives and a
business plan as well that is in sync with the CRM goals also.
A company needs to secure the acceptance of its employees to the CRM
implementation
Organizations also need to initially and right through the implementation involve top
management as this is crucial to success.
Consultants should be availed of. Their expertise would go a long way in getting the
most out of the CRM benefits.


Why CRM is your organizations biggest asset

Why CRM? When we look around us we see that the hand of business touches us in every
walk of life. We're faced with products and services at every single turn. How many of those
products and service providers actually know the person who uses them?Major corporations
fail to realize that it is the customer who is their biggest ally.

Their employees prefer to treat them at times with indifference, at times with arrogance and
sometimes even with anger. The customer is in reality the king, the one who makes the
difference between a companys success or failure and yet from the corporate giant to the
small entrepreneur struggling to keep his business alive, they are all prone to making the
same mistake at some point of time.

What is this grave mistake, so often overlooked yet so profound in its impact, making the
difference between the success and failure of million dollar enterprises? The answer lies in a
companies "attitude" towards its customers. This approach is by far the most vital in any
organization.

Know your Biggest Asset

Several million dollars are lost yearly as corporations scramble to make profits, beat
competitors, and stay ahead in the rat race. Huge amounts of money are spent on marketing,
endeavoring to gain customers, often in vain. What is it that the "lucky few" or shall we say
"successful few" organ izations have, that actually give them that edge over the others? Why
is it that organizations very often find their best customers drawn to competitors?

Most organizations have an extremely faulty customer centred system being adopted. They
are not open to customer suggestions and more often than not they do not provide the
customer with a proper avenue to vent his ideas. This often leads to unhappy customers and
eventually their loss.

Why choose CRM?

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software aids in increasing efficiency, serves to
aid the sales department in all of its efforts, manages to boost sales, and fundamentally
contributes to the overall development of the company. It also manages to work towards
organizational goals. This is achieved through a concise study of potential customers.

Their preferences are taken into consideration and used to coordinate and implement a
customer centric business strategy that focuses primarily on the customer, yields to recording
the importance of his ideas and suggestions and results in increased customer retention.

Opt for CRM

Why CRM? CRM solution helps to reduce the time required for sales cycles while hanging
onto potential sales leads. Customer retention is also maximized. Sales orders and sales
revenues increase as a matter of increased organization growth.

CRM facilitates growth in that it aids the reduction of costs and the increased availability of
information to the organization - that can be used according to customer information
requirements. This information is increasingly important to an organization and can prove to
make the difference between success and failure.

CRM is Rewarding

The benefits of CRM are enormous.The marketing department is yet another department that
stands to gain enormously as CRM aids in marketing functions. The customer centred
strategy that provides information on potential customers, boosts the marketing function by
providing the marketing department with a clear idea of what the customer needs are and
enables them to work accordingly.

Why CRM? CRM helps in integrating all the essential information available in the
organization itself and from outside resources and serves to assimilate information about
sales, marketing, market trends, employees, customer attitude, customer retention etc. CRM
raises the market share by keeping a keen eye on the various market segments and adopting
strategies accordingly.

CRM has Universal Application - Find out How

CRM can be implemented having even one customer. That is the barest minimum required.
As such small industries too benefit from CRM implementation. In CRM terms a small
business would generally constitute an organization having around 10 employees. Medium
enterprises are enterprises having 11-100 employees. CRM works for a small entrepreneur, a
100 employee firm and a million dollar corporation as well. Fundamentally its application
transcends to almost all industries.

CRM for Large Industries

CRM is not just for big players only. Large corporates are not the only ones who stand to
benefit from CRM implementation In effect it is harder for large corporates as they will
undoubtedly encounter more difficulties when compared to smaller ones. Apart from the
huge investment involved in the installation itself there are also additional costs. Training of
employees, integration of the various departments, phased implementation -all result in
tremendous costs for the organization.

CRM helps large corporates in increasing their up selling and cross selling opportunities and
enables a company to do it more effectively and efficiently. CRM enables sales staff to deal
better with their customers through the bettering of the sales process and ultimately helps
them to close sales deals faster. It manages to simplify the marketing and sales processes in
an organization.

Increasing Customer Retention Customer Retention is a natural byproduct of CRM. It is
achieved through the additional focus being placed on the customer. The pleasurable
experience he receives as a result of the increased focus being placed on customer
relationships induces him to stay loyal to the company.

Collect vital data, like customer details and order histories -CRM system helps in the
collation of vital customer data. This includes the collection of information on customer order
histories, their preferences etc. This collated data is made easily available to all employees,
aiding them in their efforts towards the CRM process. Since this information is easily
assessable to them, they can use it in their dealings with the customer. It helps employees
make the right decisions whenever required.

CRM in Small Industries

CRM application tends more to profit small industries than large ones .This occurs because
re-engineering the front office is a crucial part of CRM. This part of CRM becomes more
difficult as the number of people, departments and businesses involved grow.

Consultants are seldom brought in on account of their high cost and extensive CRM software
comparison is done. In this respect SMES generally lose out on essential CRM advice that
can be utilized to avoid CRM collapse. It is imperative that the CRM implementation is
closely monitored by the entrepreneur to ensure success. Any failure on his part to do so will
only result in a collapse of the system. Importance should be given to the amount of money
poured into the CRM process.

Sometimes more money than is required gets put in on account of insufficient CRM
knowledge on the part of the entrepreneur. With small industries, since resources are less -
optimization of resources should be encouraged. CRM is currently evolving into something it
wasn't a few years ago. It has become a strategy that works towards increasing the
relationship that the customer has with the organization

The Benefits of CRM to Industries Worldwide are:
Call center efficiency increases
Marketing campaigns are made easier
Account information
Overall revenue increases
Cost reduction is achieved
Better customer service is achieved
Organizations can gain the competitive edge
Organizations can concentrate more on production
Constant supply of vital customer data
Customers receive satisfaction
Routine tasks are easier to handle
Marketing and support expenses are reduced
Sales teams can be effectively monitored
Teamwork within the organization is achieved
Communication channels are improved
Customers have detailed profiles assigned to them
Employees have access to customer details more easily
New selling opportunities can be discovered
Companies are enabled to be aware of customer needs and are able to react to them in
the right manner
CRM achieves an integrated internal business system
CRM imposes welcome a much needed discipline within an organization
CRM technology goes a long way in benefiting the organization itself
Companies have easy access to purchase histories
Automation of routine tasks becomes possible
Companies can monitor their performances regularly
Organizations are now trying to create a wonderful experience for their customers and are
focusing more on the experience that their customer has than on what is being sold to him.
This stems from a deep desire on the customers part to have a good relationship with the
company. Organizations are now capitalizing on this need and understanding the importance
of CRM application. This is needed as the customer in 2006 is different from the customer
some years ago.

CRM's Top Business Models are in High Demand

The purpose of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is to enable various
organizations serve customers better through introducing them to a series of processes and
procedures that better the buying experience for customers. This is done through
implementing a successful CRM strategy through a software package that has been
specifically designed to support these business processes and procedures.

The work of CRM involves focusing on service automated processes, information gathering
and processing, integrating and automating various customer serving processes in a company.
It also manages to keep track of customer preferences, buying habits, deals with service
requests, information requests, complaints etc. It deals directly with the customer. For ex call
centers use Customer Relationship Management to store customer information. It enables
them to retrieve and store information and serve the customer efficiently. It also helps them to
encourage new customers, cater to the needs of the older ones and basically achieve customer
retention. Finding a CRM software vendor is easy work but what's important is getting one
that works for you.

The leaders in the field include:

Oracle

Oracle is the leader in the CRM field. The company currently offers 50 CRM applications
that are able to provide for all the customer service requirements of small, medium and large
industries. Oracle provides CRM applications that aid the organization through improved
business processes. What does Oracle have to offer? The answer is accurate information. In
addition to that the functionality it offers is just as important. It manages to provide excellent
support for all departments within the organization like customer support, added services and
additional

SAP

SAP was established in 1972 and is now a leader in the provision of business solutions for all
types of industries. It is a CRM software vendor that caters to businesses worldwide and
currently serves more than 32,000 customers. SAP has a presence in more than 50 countries.
It is the world's largest business software company. It is the world's third-largest independent
software provider overall and employs more than 35,000 people.

They are able to provide excellent customer service and support. It boasts of having the
Knowledge, Experience, and Technology that is needed to optimize Business efficiency. It
manages to provide a range of solutions that cater to every aspect of the business.

The benefits from SAP are:
Better efficiency
Cost reduction
Better performance
Adaptability to business environment
Overall Growth
One advantage SAP has is that SAP Ventures invests in new companies that are interested in
finding new technologies. This enables them to stay ahead in the rat race.

SAP offers several solutions for Customer Relationship Management and is able to deliver
customer-centric solutions that revolve around each customer. It helps the organization to
support the various departments like marketing, sales, and service and provides them with
good analytics as well as excellent interaction capabilities.

SAP CRM supports the customer-related processes and deals with all customer-related
activities across all departments. It sources and gathers together all customer data in the
organization in order to facilitate better decisions. It enables company's address their business
needs adequately, manages to achieve the business objectives and reaps the required return on
investment.

Sales Force

This unique provider manages to provide simple yet effective customer relationship
management products that equip the business with the capacity to increase its effectiveness. It
offers a wide range of solutions from marketing to sales force automation to customer service
and support. It boasts of being the world's first on-demand application-sharing service. It
provides customizable CRM solutions that integrate extremely well. It aids on-demand
applications and succeeds extremely well at this. Its main feature is its ability to manage and
share information easily.

Its provisions include:
Analytics
Sales Force Automation
Custom Applications
Marketing Automation
Customer Service&Support
Right Now Business Models

Right Now Technologies provides organizations with the necessary on demand CRM
solutions that are needed to build a customer centered business. Its appeal lies in its
technology, commitment to customer success and its ability to deliver a high ROI and
capacity to achieve customer retention. Its clients number more than 1,400 organizations.

It is able to achieve better customer relationships that cater to customers needs adequately. It
helps organizations to understand and deal with their customers better.Right Now manages to
provide a holistic view of the customer and the customer data.

It also helps in identifying customers, satisfying them and ultimately retaining them. Sales
revenue increases along with overall productivity and growth. It increases the quality of
service effectiveness. The sales department as well benefits as shorter sales cycles, increased
revenue from sales, and better sales efforts.

From the marketing perspective marketing efforts are sharpened and marketing campaigns
are improved. Right Now Technologies as a CRM software vendor has so much to offer the
customer as they have exhibited leadership in the customer service field and enables the
organization to actually focus a whole lot more on the customer.

The Secrets out - CRM is the Best Customer Strategy to Implement

The basics of CRM include a business strategy that focuses on developing and retaining the
relationships existing between customer and organization. The general perception is that
CRM is but a hype and the chance of CRM failure is high. Despite this, experts have
speculated that billions of dollars are going to be poured into the CRM industry making it one
of the fastest growing sectors in the market.

CRM Basics:

Vendor Scrutiny Essential

Industries need to know that most CRM solutions are far from easy to implement and that
they need acute understanding of CRM services and vendors before its actual
implementation.

Vendor scrutiny is absolutely essential to ensure that an organization chooses the most
appropriate solution for its business activities. This step although the first proves to be as
much a perquisite as the actual implementation.

CRM systems basics focus on the idea that customers hold the key to success and this is
easily evident from their phenomenal impact on sales, marketing, and market trends .While
choosing a solution it is important to scrutinize each vendor and make sure that the chosen
solution contributes to organization goals.

Technology vs. Customer Strategy

Merely focusing on the implementation of varied technology would not suffice. It is evident
that personal contact, employee knowledge of customers, establishing an excellent rapport
with the customer himself all contributes to the success of the organization. With the
installation and use of technology alone customer pitfalls cannot be overcome.

CRM Rewards

CRM also provides the customer with a much needed avenue to vent his problems, ideas and
suggestions. Hundreds of sales leads are lost yearly as disinterested employees pay slack
attention to customer suggestions. A venue is required for these suggestions. This is supplied
by CRM implementation.

The Net Result

Observing an excellent response from the organization , the rapport established with them
and the interest paid to their suggestions and ideas,boosts customer interest in the
organization itself along with the products and services it carries , with the net result being a
hike in customer retention and customer loyalty. CRM services are vital to an organization
and are a perquisite that needs to be adopted.

What CRM Offers:

CRM has a lot to offer most industries but it is the mode in which it is actually implemented
that holds the key to actual CRM success. It is the common misconception that technology
comes before customer strategies but in reality it is the other way around. Customer strategies
are the keystone to business activities and technology is the latter half. There can be such a
thing as CRM collapse if the organization fails to do what it needs to in order to ensure
success and use adequate management and other resources required .

The basics of CRM require a comprehensive study of the customer, collation of his data and
provision of this data to the organization. It is imperative that organization employees gain
access to this data especially those that are engaged in direct dealings with the customer
himself. This collated data proves rewarding in that it is an insight into the customer and
thereby provides the person / persons using it to find solutions to customer problems.

What makes CRM withstand the ravages of time despite the fact that ERP has failed?

CRM services include a concentrated focus on the customer, adhering to his likes and
dislikes, endeavoring to create and sustain a relationship with him -all this serves to increase
CRM s salability and to boost its status to that of one of the most rewarding customer centric
strategies of the decade.

CRM Implementation - What you should know

CRM implementation differs from organization to organization but there are a few common
steps one needs to follow to ensure a successful implementation.There are many factors that
could influence the success of CRM implementation. Some of them are:

Organization Objectives

Clear cut objectives are essential and they need to be communicated effectively to the entire
organization. Business goals are absolutely essential and need to be clearly defined. Similarly
goals of the CRM implementation and how it supports organization goals should also be
intimated to employees. Let employees know how important CRM success is to the
organization.

Solution to Suit Business Objectives

A business needs to look for a CRM solution that fits its needs, not the other way around.
This step is vitally important and spells success. When choosing a CRM solution every
business organization has to ensure that it chooses a CRM solution that fits into the
organizations requirements. It is wrong to try and adjust organization requirements to the
chosen CRM solution. If this is done organization goals will not be achieved and the CRM
process will have disastrous results.

Focus on All Business Aspects

In most cases the technology will have less to do with the CRM success. Therefore it is
important to focus as much importance on communication training and other aspects as much
as the technology involved.

It is important to involve management at several levels, focus on communication need and
indulge in adequate training of the concerned employees throughout the organization. If these
items receive a level of focus comparable to the technical system, CRM implementation
stands a better chance of succeeding.

Define the Business Problem

A business needs to clearly define the business problem see what benefits it wants to achieve
and adopt the required measures. It is imminently important to clearly identify the business
problem that the company needs to resolve. An organization needs to absolutely identify the
desired benefits and make sure that the expected returns are generated at every stage. It is
important to break down the entire process into smaller pieces that can be individually
handled effectively.

Establishing Proper Metrics

Since companies normally wait for a five year period to see a return on investment. Every
organization has to compulsorily define performance metrics to ensure that it measures the
return on investment adequately.

Business Processes not Technology

In order to succeed at CRM all companies need to understand that it is not about technology
alone but about business processes as well. While CRM changes a company's business
processes technology supports the processes. Most businesses make the mistake of actually
assuming that the CRM is only about technology alone. This hampers business process
development.

Implement Change

Most employees tend to stick with their old ways and are reluctant to adapt to changes, It
needs to be understood that the implementation of CRM involves immense changes and
employees need to adapt themselves to it. From the very beginning of the implementation
employees will have to adopt new attitudes to help deliver the customer experience properly
to customers. Organizations need to make sure that their employees are provided with
sufficient training to ensure that they handle this aspect of the customer experience
adequately and efficiently.

Using Skilled Managers

Organizations need to make sure that they use the most highly skilled and experienced group
of professionals possible. CRM aspects are complex and what is needed most is a team that
has CRM expertise and business knowledge. The team should be adequately trained and
sufficiently equipped both intellectually and technologically to carry out the CRM
implementation successfully.

Choose the Right Methodology

Decide whether to use the classical or modern methodology bearing in mind that ease of
usage, cost effectiveness and efficiency need to be gained. This is an important step in the
CRM implementation as it has a bearing on the entire process.

Choose the Right Vendors

Companies need to know the vendors through looking at them from this perspective alone.
This involves the process of scrutinizing the vendor and seeing whether or not the vendor can
fulfill the requirements of the business. Only if this is possible can the vendor be selected.
You may not find a vendor that basically fulfills every single objective but at least an
organization will be aware of it.

Ease of Usage

The entire objectives of the CRM process are hampered if the CRM choice is difficult to use.
It is highly essential to ensure that the system speaks of ease of usage and the ability to be
easily customizable. Employees implementing CRM and forming a part of the CRM process
range from the mediocre level right to management and to the employee at the very forefront.
It is imperative that the business ensure that the CRM software chosen is easy to use and
implement not only by a few employees but by everyone using the system. This is a step that
needs to be taken at the time of choosing the CRM technology.

CRM Lends a Hand to the Banking industry

Despite the fact that in most banks profits sometimes fail, they seldom pay attention to or
adopt any customer strategy. It has long been the misconception that banks need not pay
much attention to customer focus just because they had customers. Some banks even if they
possess good customer relationships are unable to cross sell as they have not figured out who
to target with what product/service. What happens is that customers are often approached for
the wrong products.

However the new millennium has resulted in banks and financial agencies rethinking their
strategies and goals. They have come to understand the importance of hanging onto the
customer and keeping him happy. The rules that once governed the banking industry have
changed. They have realized that adopting a customer centric strategy is essential and needs
to be compulsorily undertaken. The vast majority of banks now realize they need a customer
strategy and are opting for CRM - Customer Relationship Management.

Banking CRM software serves to increase the market share and boost growth in the banking
industry. What happens in CRM banking solutions is that they change the way the employees
think and mould them into customer conscious people. CRM induces bankers to know that
they are required to maintain good relationships with their customers and should strive to
retain them.

They are made to realize that the business process should consist of efforts to discover and
satisfy customer requirements. Since the banking field now boasts of so much of
technological innovations there has been a wide variety of innovations in CRM banking as
well. Statistics show that bankers will spend $7 billion on CRM. The sector will also
evidence an increase in expenditure of 14 percent each year. With such phenomenal statistics
it is but a surety that CRM banking solutions sales will soar in the coming years.

What Does CRM Have to Offer Banks?
Customer Information Assimilation and Storage
Analyzing Profitability
Aiding Marketing Efforts
Gaining New Customers
Relationship Management
Assisting Customer retention
Cross-Selling
CRM Banking Benefits

CRM Banking Focuses on the Customer CRM manages to places the customer at the focal
point of the organization in order to cater to his needs, satisfy him and thus maximize the
profits of the organization. Banking CRM understands the needs of the customer and
integrates it with people, technology, resources and business processes. It focuses on the
existing data available in the organization and uses it to improve its relationship with
customers. Banking CRM uses information and analytical tools to secure customer focus.
Thus it is completely essential that banks implement CRM in order to secure this.

Overall Profitability
CRM enables banks to give employee's better training that helps them face customers easily.
It achieves better infrastructure and ultimately contributes to better overall performance. The
byproducts of CRM banking solutions are customer acquisition, retention and profitability.
Banks that don't implement CRM will undoubtedly find themselves with lesser profitability
coupled with a sharp decline in the number of customers.

Satisfied Customers

It is important to make a customer feel as if he / she is the only one - this will go a long way
in satisfying and retaining them. Bankers need a return on investment and it has been proved
that increase in customer satisfaction more than contributes a fair share to ROI. The main
value of CRM banking lies in satisfaction and increased retention of customers.

Centralized Information

CRM banking solutions manage to clearly integrate people, processes and technology. CRM
banking provides banks with a holistic view of all bank transactions and customer
information as well and stores it in a single data warehouse where it can be studied later.

CRM Banking Boosts Small Banks
Banking CRM software meets the needs of banks of all sizes in terms of attaining the
required accuracy and understanding of customers. Merely assuming that banks that are
considerably smaller in size have a better customer approach and are able to deal with their
customers in a better manner is wrong. They are just as much in need of CRM aid as the
others. Small banks on account of a limited amount of money have had to realize that a large
contribution to profits is directly the result of good customer service. CRM makes sure that
the bank delivers exactly what the customer expects.

Customer Segregation

CRM enables a bank to see which customers are costing them and which are bringing
benefits. CRM provides them with the required analytical tools that will help them focus on
the importance of segregating these two and doing what is required to avail of the maximum
returns. After this segregation is done CRM easily enables banks to increase their
communication and cross-selling to their customers effectively and efficiently.

How to Get the Most Out of CRM Banking Systems:
The main problem the CRM industry now faces is reluctant, hesitant bankers who
seldom opt for CRM implementation. This is because banks feel that the transition to
being customer centric involves a lot of problems and costly. They are of the opinion
that returns hardly ever equal the expected profits and that the entire implementation
is unnecessary and time consuming. In addition to this the number of failed CRM
implementations has also resulted in invoking a feeling of reluctance in banks,
making them hesitate. This needs to be obliterated in order to succeed.
It is imperative that business policies and processes are put early in place in order that
the best can be got out of the CRM business solution. Doing this at a later stage will
result in untoward complications.
It is imperative that business policies and processes are put early in place in order that
the best can be got out of the CRM business solution. Doing this at a later stage will
result in untoward complications.
Training of customer-facing staff is being given more importance now. This not only
equips them to better deal with the customer but CRM learning also empowers the
employee with sufficient knowledge to carry out his job confidently and to the best of
his ability.
The assimilation and storage of bank customer data is a tedious task. Since this sector
mostly involves numerical data this is highly essential and needs to be undertaken. It
involves a lot of added work and minute attention to detail. There are loads and loads
of data that need to be evaluated. Minute attention to detail is essential so that
discrepancies and errors don't take place. With technology getting more complicated
banks need to attend to minute details to ensure success.
It is important to test the CRM system before implementation. Aside from minimizing
errors this will go a long way in alleviating problems and difficulties. The new trends
in CRM have seen banks adopting methods like phased CRM implementation -
adopting incremental approaches and getting ample rewards.
It is not sufficient to merely install CRM software. For CRM to be truly successful it
is imperative that there is a well established strategy. For CRM to be truly effective, it
requires a carefully planned strategy that makes proper use of people and business
processes in order to secure the maximum CRM ROI.
When adopting CRM it is essential that banks realize that incremental adoption is
essential with a firm commitment to learn at every stage. A well developed CRM
strategy catering to phased implementation should be established and implemented.
The gains are enormous. Banking CRM software endeavors to improve customer profitability
and manages to keep banks way ahead of the others by helping banks to study customer
activity and satisfy customer needs through the help of CRM banking solutions. It is definite
that the future will see CRM being adopted by banks as a part of their everyday business.