The 1st issue of The Software Executive Journal
 Customer
Relationship Management : The Evolution Continues by Industry
Sector
For the past ten years the role of maximizing lifetime
value of customers has dramatically changed with the implementation
and utilization of CRM. Generic CRM solutions have failed, and
core issues of leveraging technology to improve internal processes
and ultimately the bottom line, are still at the forefront of
the CRM efficacy discussion. Larry Caretsky, CEO of Commence
Corporation, a leading CRM provider, is the software executive
profiled.
A decade ago top business executives identified their priority
as maximizing the lifetime value of their customers. Executives
wanted to insure that the customer buying experience was good
one so that they returned, guaranteeing the future of their
business. Companies relied on manual paper processes and the
experience of their staff to properly handle customer inquires.
Ten years later the top priority remains the same; the differences
include technology tools available to help businesses manage
and meet the rising expectations of the savvy customer. Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) systems allow businesses to capture,
track, and manage vital customer information. The explosive
growth of CRM technology has attracted numerous companies, however
the industry has been plagued by vendors offering overly complex
solutions to solve basic business problems. “This has
resulted in a low adoption rate and failed customer expectations”
says Larry Caretsky, CEO of Commence Corporation. “The
concern of most businesses today is not the lack of technology,
but rather how they can leverage technology to improve their
internal processes and ultimately their bottom line.”
Caretsky should know. His company has been providing software
solutions to growing businesses for seventeen years and has
witnessed all the trends in CRM. With this vast experience,
Caretsky discovered long ago that rapidly deployable, cost effective
solutions were the only way for customers to quickly and affordably
reap the benefits of their investment.
Few CRM firms have taken the unique approach to meeting the
key objectives businesses by streamlining internal business
processes, improving sales processes, and delighting customers.
Caretsky refers to this proven implementation methodology
as S.T.E.P., the System Technology Execution Process. S.T.E.P
begins with the fundamental knowledge that most customers
must first deal with the problem of data capture, data consolidation
and data management. Typically, vital customer data is spread
throughout the organization in contact managers, back office
systems and spreadsheets. Employees spend a significant amount
of time trying to determine where or who in the organization
has the information they need to address customer inquiries.
The inability to gain access to a complete customer profile
only serves to rob people of precious time that should be
spent selling to or servicing customers. Management is clearly
aware of this and they realize that in order to become a more
efficient sales and service organization they must get the
right information in the hands of the right people at the
right time.
Customer information, captured from multiple channels, is
stored in a unified database where it is immediately available
to all authorized personnel who need it to efficiently do
their jobs.
“Many companies are entering the CRM market with generic
solutions designed under a one-size fits all approach,”
says Caretsky. “Their business model is to try and sell
the same solution to as many companies as possible regardless
of the industry their in. This may have worked ten years ago,
but it won’t today. You simply cannot expect to sell
your solution to a bank then walk across the street and sell
it to an insurance company. You have to respect the complexity
of their businesses and be prepared to understand and address
their unique business requirements.”
In the Manufacturing and Distribution sector for example,
a sector in which Commence is dominant, too many generic CRM
products must address a complex environment. Working on low
margins, success is often driven by the ability to have access
to historical information; this allows the ability to see
what the customer buying patterns have been, what the margins
are for a specific product, and what it has cost to sell to
the customer. This information is often the result of the
seamless integration to the customers back office accounting
or ERP systems. Caretsky asserts, “In order to provide
this level of specified service you have to understand the
customers business and provide a solution that can be tailored
to meet unique business requirements. Companies that sell
generic CRM solutions don’t have the industry expertise
to understand the customers’ requirements. Too often
the generic CRM solution offered is not designed to be tailored
to specific industry needs. “
A generic one–size fits all solution will not work.
It requires a system architecture that can be tailored to
meet these unique requirements. Caretsky calls this “CRM
Framework” and notes, “It’s the culmination
of almost twenty years of application development expertise
and it has been a key differentiator for our business.”
Author Profile:
Thomas R. Cutler is the President & CEO of Fort Lauderdale,
Florida-based TR Cutler, Inc., the largest manufacturing marketing
firm worldwide – www.trcutlerinc.com. Cutler is the
founder of the Manufacturing Media Consortium of twenty seven
hundred journalists and editors writing about trends in manufacturing.
Cutler is also the author of the Manufacturers’ Public
Relations and Media Guide. Cutler is a frequently published
author within the manufacturing sector with more than 300
feature articles authored annually; he can be contacted at
trcutler@trcutlerinc.com.
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