Putting the customer back in focus

But not just yet.

I have stood in front of many audiences, proudly presenting the workings of their new CRM software.

In all cases, the road to that moment of presenting the final result has been a struggle. What preceded these presentations was usually months of analysis, process documentation and improvements, political and organisational alignment and lots more malarchy of that kind.

The business analysis, systems analysis, development and implementation work was often made more challenging because the choice for the target CRM software and infrastructure had been made long prior to project kickoff.

The choice of software is supposed to fit with your customer’s needs and your organisation, but in most companies, miraculously, the selection process and criteria are managed from a seemingly very remote location to the actual business itself, in a different timezone.

So my humble plea to you – analyse your business so that you understand what you need in a CRM software and supporting architecture. Once this is chrystal clear, then evaluate the different options you have and make your choice.

Go through the pain of analysis and understanding first, and selecting your CRM infrastructure will still not be easy, but it will enable you to keep your customers cool in the long run.

And it’ll be quite a bit cheaper too.