Customer Relationship Management System Software - Essay Example

Customer Relationship Management System Software Introduction Grant and Anderson define Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as an approach used by enterprises in an effort to increase income through improvement of customer value thus retain and ensure customer satisfaction. This involves identifying new operational expansion areas as well as minimizing costs and time incurred in operating business. CRM uses sets of Information Technological tools, technologies and software. A White Paper by Governor Technology points out that through CRM, customers become highly valued and the relationship between them and the organisation is greatly improved. This is because the main force behind CRM is the idea that for a business to be successful one needs to be able to engage the customer in a meaningful relationship. The customer is therefore well understood and a deliberate effort is made to ensure interaction. Customer information collected is analysed and interpreted such that it may be used to measure future profitability, new product development as well as channels of sales and marketing to use. How CRM works According to Grant and Anderson, when a client’s call reaches a customer representive in a firm, the representative will immediately identify his or her account and service status. A feature in the telephone identifies the caller, prompts the client to enter the billing number which is then exchanged with data in the firm’s call center software. The software then directs the call to the customer representative who uses it to answer the client effectively as it is specifically designed to do this, thus the customer needs only call one number in order to obtain answers to all his or her needs. Current state of the organisation A quick analysis of the current status needs to be compiled as described by Qiem CRM planning guide. Currently, the organisation has a paper based customer record system, the customer files are not accessible to all the customer representatives because they are kept on the site where the first contact was made. The customer, however, can visit any of the sites at any time in case of a problem. The two accountants invoice and process payment of customers accounts. A good number of CRM software programs depend on the users and growth chances. Certain factors need to be considered before implementing a CRM Solution. Some of these factors include the number of employees in the organisation the growth and sales that is expected, what the customer management capabilities of the people, maintenance costs and customise data. The CRM organisation chosen ought to be robust, capable of opening up to meet growing needs. It may offer tools for the managing contracts, reporting, marketing and analysing and generating leads. The CRM system should enable the government prepare for sales and increasing customer relationship. Desired status analysis Qiem CRM planning guide advices the need to state the desired state which in this case include the creation and automation of a customer database, the need to centralize the filing system so that it is accessible from any point of site for not only the customer but also for the customer service representatives and management staff. There is need to improve customer service representatives communication and general staff communication as a team. There is a need to performa market research and conduct customer surveys as well as run targeted sales campaigns. There is also need to send newsletters to current customers regularly. This desired status will produce desired outcomes such as high sales, improved information management, satisfied customers, improved revenue forecasts, and reduced sales cycles and stronger ties with partners and clients. Identifying the appropriate CRM system According to Qiem CRM planning guide, there are two methods in which the CRM system could be installed into the organisation. One method is through using proprietary systems where an organisation designs their own CRM solution from scratch and the second one is through taking up a packaged solution which is complete with customized applications to suite specific business practices. The second method is the preferred mode of the two as it saves time, money and is readily integrated with other automated solutions such as the accounting systems. While selecting a CRM system, one needs to consider the position of the system in the market, is it a leader? It is vital to note the nature of its growth goals, are they short term or long term. How stable is the solution financially? Does it have the capability of growing with the company as it grows? Can it adapt easily to a complex customization when need arises? Selecting the appropriate software In selecting the software, the features, costs and benefits were considered and the best two out of ten reviews were selected according to top10 reviews.com. The following figures were compiled; Features Description Sales Force Sage Act! Premium 1. Email Integration √ √ 2. Web Hosted Solution √ √ 3. Daily Scheduled / To do √ √ 4. Contract/ Account Notes √ √ 5. Mobile Access √ √ 6. Calendar Integration √ √ 7. Remote Synchronization √ √ 8. Dialling Capabilities √ - Under features, Sales Force has dialing capabilities while Sage Act! Premium does not. Costs Sales Force Sage Act! Premium 1. Number of users Unlimited 10 2. Hosted cost $65 per user - 3. Hosting payment frequency Monthly - 4. On premise solution - $199-99 First $139-95 each additional 5. On premise payment frequency - One time 6. On premise maintenance - - Under costs, Sales Force has unlimited number of users while Sage Act! Premium has ten. Although Sales Force has cost on hosting cost and payment frequency, Sage Act! Premium charges high costs on on premise solution and has a onetime payment for on premise payment frequency. Sales Force on the other hand has no charges on the three on premise tags of solution, payment frequency and maintenance. The ratings according to toptenreview.com are summarised as follows; Description Sales Force Sage Act! Premium 1. Overall Rating 10/10 9.20/10 2. Features 10/10 10/10 3. Contact Information 10/10 10/10 4. Sales and Marketing 10/10 10/10 5. Ease of Use 10/10 05/10 6. Help and Support 10/10 10/10 Sales Force has an overall rating of ten out of ten while Sage Act! Premium has an overall rating of nine points 2 out of ten. Under ease of use, Sales Force has then out of ten while Sage Act! Premium has five out of ten. Benefits Sales Force is the preferred software so far due to the fact that it has several advantages over its counterpart. In addition to that, it comes with a provision for chatter, enabling staff communication and it also has more detailed features compared to Sage Act! Premium. It has alerts that are real time for every user is connected the net and it keeps updated information thus minimizing duplication of data hence saving time and money. Marketing information is easily accessed and it creates leads for marketing and sales campaigns. Reports can be generated and provide appropriate leads. It also has additional username and glossary as well as specific training roles for each specific position. It is easy to use and first time users are at ease with its simple user friendly features. Sales Force is capable of accomplishing the desire to strengthen customer relations efficiently as it provides collaboration between staff. It offers toll free phone enabling calling through the management software contact. Cost justification It is envisioned that the Sales Force software will provide increased revenue and minimised costs. The staff hours may be reduced to up to five hours per staff. There will be enhanced communication as well as better managed accounting procedures. In considering cost implications Grant and Anderson remind us to keep in mind two cost categories, these being, implementation costs that are associated with initial implementation of the system and annual costs which are costs associated with maintenance and system support. Maintenance and system support costs take care of system software updates, new versions and upgrades and training linked to the updates, new versions and upgrades. Conclusion As Satoshi states, a good CRM system produces value for the organisation as it leads to better communication networks within the organisation as well as with the clients. It aims to better understand and serve the client having observed his or her purchase habits and preferences. Thus services that will be offered will be value added due to specific product development thus producing a happy customer who keeps coming back for better services. CRM enables staff to be sensitive to customer needs hence heightening service delivery processes and quality products. Sales Force has features that are scalable meaning in the event that the organisations growth necessitates the provision of more licences, and then this will be easily achieved. Toptenreviews.com mentions that Sales Force has the ability to customize pages for first time users in accordance to their preferences. This enables clients to receive fast and efficient service. All in all, Sales Force has the tools to enable one become more efficient, strengthen your customer relationship and increased sales and revenue. Bibliography Top ten reviews, 2012, Toptennbest candidate, CRM software review 2012, best customer relationship viewed on 5th November, 2012 From: www.crn-softwre review. Toptenreviews.com. Governor Technology, 2008, An Introduction to Customer Relationship, viewed on 2nd November, 2012 from: www.governor.co.uk/media/20173/introductioncrm.pdf Grant and Anderson, 2002, Customer Relationship Management: A vision for Higher Education viewed on 2nd November, 2012 from: www.net.educause from Ueno S, 2006, The Impact of Customer Relationship Management, viewed on 30th October 2012 from: www.wcfia.havard.edu/us-japan/research/pdf/06-13.ueno.pdf Read More