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Cost of CRM Implementation
Two major factors that impact the cost of CRM implementations are size and complexity of the project. According to a survey (2001)
of more than 1,600 business and IT professionals conducted by The Data Warehousing Institute that close to 50% had CRM
project budgets of less than $500,000. And the same survey showed many respondents with CRM project budgets of over $10 million.
Data Requirements of CRM Projects
Unlike the in-house development of e-business applications, much of the implementation of off-shelf CRM implementation involves
the integration of CRM systems to existing information systems. For a CRM to be successful, it has to capture sufficient information
from end-users or receive necessary information from other applications. Data requirements is the reflection of details of
business requirements.
CRM systems should normally capture the information of customer demographic data through Web registration or customer survey, order
and fulfillment data, service and support records as well as account information.
Critical Successful Factors of CRM Implementations
Project Planning Project planning involves setting project goals, identifying high level business requirements, establishing project teams
and high level project estimates.
Architectural Design While high level architectural decision is made as part of the process of choosing a CRM vendor, it remains as a critical
successful factor when integrating CRM with particular existing information system. Make sure your CRM plans include a scalable architecture framework.
Phased Approach It is important to break your CRM project down into manageable pieces by setting up pilot programs and short-term milestones.
Dependent on the IT experience, some organizations choose the easiest application as the pilot project, while others implement a mission-critical
application first. The pilot project can demonstrate the benefits of CRM to motivate all the necessary departments and groups to fully commit to
the project.
Data Gathering The start point of data gathering is to focus on the data necessary for your business decision making and to logically derive
other data requirement. Lack of sufficient data will lead to the failure in one way, while gathering and storing excessive and necessary data will
result cost overrun and delay of system deliver.
Organization Commitment The implementation of a CRM project involves everyone in the customer relationship chain. The commitment from all parties
is the key to the success of CRM implementation. The commitment comes from the understanding the benefits of CMR, particularly the specific benefits to
related departments. For example, if the sales force isn't completely sold on the system's benefits, they may not input the kind of demographic data
that is essential to the program's success.
Related Topics
Web Based CRM, Online CRM - Benefits and Vendors
Hosted CRM and CRM ASP - Benefits and Vendors
Mobile CRM and Wireless CRM - Infrastructures and Vendors
Web-Based Help Desk Software
Benefits of Online Customer Support
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