CRM: The Channel's Next Brass Ring
A new and improved technology. A need for integration. An increase in end user demand. An unsaturated market. All of these factors make customer relationship management (CRM) ideal for technology VARs and integrators. Are you reaching for this opportunity?
Do you remember the days of tickler file systems? I do. Just a decade ago, Business Solutions' ad sales reps kept their customer contact information in these paper filing systems. Thanks to technology, customer relationship management (CRM) has come a long way since those days. But, CRM still has a ways to go. And, there is big opportunity for the VAR or integrator to help in this journey.
CRM's Upside And Downside
There's been a lot of hype surrounding CRM. The technology has evolved from the days of DOS and now offers sophisticated methods to manage customer relationships via e-mail, call centers, chat rooms, etc. When you pair the new-and-improved CRM with the fierce competition for customers that many businesses face, you have a market ripe for this technology.
During the last two years, analysts and research firms forecasted strong CRM market growth. META Group predicted that the market would grow from $20.4 billion this year to $46 billion by 2003. But, like most technologies that are over-inflated, the CRM balloon has slowly made its way toward the ground. Back when there was a lot of hype about CRM, many companies rushed into an implementation - leading to a failure rate for CRM installations as high as 55%, according to research from Gartner.
Your Chance To Save The Day
Many of the problems that led to failed CRM investments could be addressed by a qualified VAR or integrator. Forrester Research, Inc. reports that overlapping software and lack of coordination among marketing, sales, and call centers were sources of CRM difficulties. Gartner found similar causes and professes that CRM should be viewed more like ERP (enterprise resource planning) as an enterprise-wide technology in order to be successful. VARs and integrators can step in to help companies examine how CRM touches all departments within an enterprise. And, more importantly, the channel partner can integrate CRM with other crucial software applications within a company.
Learn From Your Peers
Business Solutions has profiled some successful CRM VARs/integrators in past issues. To review these articles go to www.BusinessSolutionsMag.com, hit search, and type in CRM. Don't wait too long to grasp at that brass ring. CRM is ideal for the VAR/integrator with software expertise that wants to expand its offerings and break into new markets.