CRM as a strategic management tool. Sotbit: CRM tools CRM tools
I observe all this quite often, since as a business consultant I am constantly in contact with small and medium-sized businesses. And every time I have to tell my clients how to automate relationships with clients, how CRM systems work, what they are, and why in a particular case it is worth choosing one or another system.
What happens if the sales department operates without an accounting system? Each sales manager works in the way that is most convenient for him, records calls and other types of interaction with clients at his own discretion: some - on paper, some - in Excel tables, and some do not consider it necessary to record the process of their sales at all. work.
It is very important that data import is fast, simple and transparent. Without convenient automatic transfer of all contacts and other information important for work, the system launch will most likely end in failure. Of course, you can enter all the data manually, but this is very time-consuming and inconvenient. And if you enter this data in parts, then the risk of duplicating client cards increases, and as a result you will face confusion and overlaps.
Personally, I really like the option of transferring data from an Excel table; this option is universal, quite visual and convenient. Excel allows uploading from almost any system, including 1C. And loading data in this format into the system is also quite fast and convenient.
Availability of localization
This parameter is not the most relevant today, since most powerful, well-known CRM systems have long had Russian localizations. But, nevertheless, when choosing software, you should always pay special attention to this parameter, since without Russian localization you and your employees may experience difficulties in their work. In addition, I believe that there is no point in depriving yourself of comfort at work if you can avoid it.Licensing: Open Source or Proprietary Architecture?
The difference between Open Source and proprietary architecture is that in the first case you get an open source system, and in the second you get a closed source system. It is clear that here we are talking about licensing options for Stand-Alone software products, since any Saas system is closed source by default.Proprietary (closed) architecture is sold mainly by large developers. In this case, you get a powerful system into which you can make changes within the limits specified by the developer. I personally don’t see anything bad here, because, as I wrote above, it is extremely rare for medium and small businesses to require any non-standard solutions at all.
The Open Source license (open source) is used for developments created primarily on the basis of some kind of CMS. In this case, you get extremely wide opportunities for integration and work with a website or other system. On the other hand, such CRM modules are in many ways inferior to large CRM systems specifically designed to record relationships with clients.
Contacts and counterparties
When choosing a CRM system, pay special attention to how the directories are implemented and what their structure is. So, if you work only with individuals, then one level will be enough for you - this is the contact (client). In this case, in principle, any version of the contact directory structure will suit you.It's another matter if you work with legal entities. In this case, your contact is the organization. But different people can call on behalf of this contact, for example, an accountant, a supplier, a storekeeper, a manager, etc. It is very important that the CRM system provides the ability to create a card for each contact person (counterparty) separately, as well as combine them into one common contact or organization. This is very important, since otherwise it will not be possible to organize a sufficient level of automation of control over work with clients.
System cost
Any businessman, before implementing this or that software solution, asks the question, how much will it cost? When determining the price of CRM, you need to understand that the numbers that you see on websites in the “product cost” or “license cost” section are only part of the total costs. Therefore, it is worth understanding what the total cost of implementing a CRM system consists of.The total cost of the product consists of several parts:
- License (purchase) cost. This may be an access fee for “cloud solutions” or the cost of 1 copy.
- Transferring data to the system. You will definitely need to somehow transfer contacts and other data. Therefore, the presence or absence of a ready-made module, as well as the complexity of preparing data for import, will also affect the final cost.
- Revision cost. Even if you purchased a “boxed solution” or access to the saas version, some modifications will still be required. You will need to configure access rights, reports, tasks, etc.
- Cost of support.
When implementing any software, some difficulties arise. Even if the seller of a software product tells you that all you need to do is make a payment and you can start working right away, in practice, problems, malfunctions, and delays still arise due to the human factor (employees do not yet know how to use the new system or do not know how to do it well enough, etc. ).
You will also face indirect costs during implementation. So, instead of performing direct duties, your employees will devote part of their time to training and checking the operation of the system. Also, the manager will be forced to allocate part of his working time to solving issues related to the implementation of CRM, as well as to monitoring the work to solve this problem.
If you understand in advance that there will definitely be costs at the implementation stage, if you are prepared for the need to devote time and effort to implementing a CRM system, if you prepare for possible overlaps, then all these costs can be minimized, and the process itself can be made as simple as possible and painless.
License cost
Depending on the type of CRM system you choose, there are various options for purchasing a license. You can:- Buy a perpetual license.
- Buy a license (subscription) for a certain period (month, year, etc.)
- Buy a copy of the program to install on your own server.
- A perpetual license is purchased once and is valid on an ongoing basis. This is convenient, but the amount that needs to be paid up front is usually quite significant.
When comparing the cost of licenses, you must also take into account the marketing tactics that sellers often resort to. Thus, very often sellers of CRM systems on the website advertise the minimum price of a package of services, which will only be valid under certain conditions. But in reality, you will have to pay more for this system.
For example: on the service package description page the price is listed as $40 per user per month. But if you carefully read the entire text, including callouts and notes, it turns out that this price is only valid if you purchase at least 10 licenses simultaneously for a period of 1 year. And if you only need 9 licenses, the price will be different.
Such marketing tricks are very typical for the IT market. But I plan to talk in detail about the tricks of licensing in a separate article. For now, it’s enough just to remember that you need to be attentive to the conditions for pricing, so as not to be deceived in your calculations.
If you purchase the program, you pay once for an unlimited number of licenses. You will not need to pay for access to the program either periodically or in case of staff expansion. But any updates for your program will be paid.
Improvements and launch of the system as part of its cost
Work on setting up, finalizing and launching the software also needs to be taken into account when calculating the total cost of the CRM system.You will need:
- Install the software (when purchasing a program, a large amount of work will be required, setting up a server and much more; in the case of Saas solutions, you may need to install client programs on computers, tablets, mobile phones)
- Set up user groups, set access rights for all groups of employees who will work with the CRM system.
- Integrate the CRM system with other services and programs (set up information exchange with a website, 1C databases, telephony, etc.)
- Transfer data from other systems and programs.
For example, I usually offer my clients a service such as phone repair. This is a very common problem: in 1C counterparty cards, in Excel tables and in many other programs, customer phone numbers can be entered in any way. As a result, some of the entries end up in the format “+7...”, some begin with an eight, some are city numbers without any area code at all, etc. In order for these telephone numbers to be correctly entered into the CRM system, they must be standardized and presented in a certain form (most often in an international format).
It is also important to understand that you will need modifications in any case. Even if you purchase a completely ready-made boxed solution, you will most likely need to modify something. It is better to be aware in advance that you will need to pay for the services of a specialist in this matter as well.
What needs to be improved if a Saas solution is chosen?
On the one hand, when using a Saas solution, you do not have access to the code, and therefore there is nothing to modify by the programmer. On the other hand, Saas platforms provide quite a wide range of options for customizing various forms and reports, business processes, user rights, the appearance of your working system, etc. This work should also be entrusted to a specialist.
In addition, you will need to integrate your CRM system with your website, 1C programs, telephony, etc. This work is also performed by a specialist, and therefore its cost must be taken into account.
Standalone solutions require additional investments: purchasing or renting a server, setting it up, purchasing additional software, etc. It is important to understand that when purchasing a Standalone solution, you are simply buying a copy of the program. And all further costs associated with its installation, configuration, and use are your responsibility.
Escort
You need to understand that failures occur in any system, and this primarily concerns Standalone solutions. And support is the work of a specialist, and it should also be paid.When choosing Saas solutions, you may not need support or it will cost a minimal amount. Most often, a solution configured once works great, unless, of course, you try to experiment with the settings yourself.
Why Saas systems do not require constant support:
- Such systems are usually very well debugged, and specialists constantly monitor the functionality of the software.
- The functionality of such systems is quite limited, since it is designed to solve a certain range of problems and nothing more.
- The interface is usually intuitive, and most actions do not require specialist assistance.
Epilogue
In this article, I did not set myself the task of fully and thoroughly describing CRM systems. I wanted to clarify the following questions: what is it, who needs it and why, and on the basis of what parameters is it best to choose a CRM system for small and medium-sized businesses. I hope that I was able to help you understand these issues. Much has already been written about the diversity and features of various CRM systems; perhaps I will also return to this issue more than once. And here and now I tried to explain the basic things with which acquaintance with any CRM system begins.At the same time, the process of implementing a CRM system is practically no different from implementing software. I wrote in detail about how this happens in the article
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is NOT a software product or a technology. This is NOT even a set of products. CRM is a concept and business strategy aimed at building a sustainable business, the core of which is a “customer-oriented” approach.
This strategy is based on the use of advanced management and information technologies, with the help of which the company collects information about its customers at all stages of its life cycle (attraction, retention, loyalty), extracts knowledge from it and uses this knowledge in the interests of its business by building mutually beneficial relationships with them.
The result of applying the strategy is to increase the company's competitiveness and increase profits, since properly built relationships based on a personal approach to each client allow you to attract new clients and help retain old ones.
ERP systems appeared when the first place was put product and the business processes that ensure its production, that is, accounting, control and distribution, were considered basic. This was the era of "back office" automation.
CRM systems have become necessary in a highly competitive market, where the focus is client. The main task of CRM systems is to increase the efficiency of business processes concentrated in the “front office”, aimed at attraction And retention clients – in marketing, sales, service and maintenance, regardless of the channel through which contact with the client occurs.
At the technology level, CRM is a set of applications connected by a single business logic and integrated into the company’s corporate information environment (often as an add-on to ERP) based on a single database. Special software allows you to automate relevant business processes in marketing, sales and service. As a result, the company can contact the “right” customer at the “right” point in time, with the most effective offer and through the most convenient channel of interaction for the customer.
In practice, an integrated CRM system ensures the coordination of the activities of various departments, providing them with a common platform for interacting with customers. From this point of view, the purpose of CRM is to correct the situation when the marketing, sales and service departments act independently of each other, and their vision of the customer often does not coincide and their actions are inconsistent.
From a business management point of view, the effect of implementing CRM is that the decision-making process, due to automation, is transferred to a lower level and unified. Due to this, the speed of response to requests increases, the speed of funds turnover increases and costs decrease.
Finally, CRM includes the ideology and technology of creating stories relationship between the client and the company, which allows you to more clearly plan your business and increase its sustainability.
Figures and facts:
- The cost of attracting a new customer is on average five times higher than retaining an existing one.
- Most Fortune 500 companies lose 50% of their customers every 5 years.
- A satisfied customer will tell about a successful purchase to an average of 5 of his friends. Unsatisfied – minimum 10.
- Most clients pay off only after a year of working with them (accordingly, if the client “left” before this period, then he incurred losses)
- A 5% increase in customer retention increases company profits by 50-100%.
- About 50% of the company's existing clients are not profitable due to ineffective interaction with them.
- On average, the company contacts 4 times a year with an existing client and 6 times a year with a potential one.
- Suppliers of CRM products promise to increase the profitability of enterprises by tens of percent, and the profitability of projects - from 200 to 800 percent in 2-3 years.
Historical roots
The basic concept of CRM (focus not on the product, but on the client + personalization) is rooted in the past.
A classic example: when there were no supermarkets, the bulk of goods were sold through many small shops. The surrounding residents bought everything they needed there, without bothering with trips to the city for groceries. The owner of the store knew all his customers who lived in the neighborhood by sight and name. Knew their needs, habits, tastes, financial status, facts of personal life, etc. He knew who would come, when and why. And everyone knew him. The business was built on the loyalty of these regular customers. Nowadays this would be called personalization.
Then came the era of consumption. Supermarkets have grown. Mass product. Mass buyer. Everything is of high quality. Everything is beautiful. Sold on every corner. But - faceless. We forgot about personalization. After all, you can’t assign a seller to every buyer. But I want to.
In an era of competition, the quality of goods is approximately the same everywhere. The profit margin has fallen. The only way to survive in the competition, to stand out from other sellers of goods and services, is to offer a product to each client personally, taking into account his individual needs and characteristics.
And then it turned out that at the current level of development of computer technology it is possible to “go back to the past” and provide personalization even in mass sales. The owner of the store used to store information about one hundred of his customers in his head. The database can store and process one hundred thousand. And offer everyone exactly what they are used to and what they might want.
The value pyramid in the era of CRM
Thus, the emphasis has now noticeably shifted. If previously the client got an idea of the company based on its product, now he builds his attitude towards the company as a whole - as a partner with whom he interacts through various channels - from a telephone call to the Internet and a personal visit. At the same time, consumer demands have become significantly more differentiated, and forms of interaction have become personalized (see Fig. 2).
In addition, the pyramid of values has changed. A typical manufacturer strategy in an industrial economy was aimed at customer satisfaction and was built on the basis of the following “pyramid” of motives (Fig. 3):
- Product availability (The company has what I want)
- Value (Price meets my expectations)
- Convenience (Product is easy to obtain and use)
- Trust (I am confident that the product is reliable and of high quality)
In the era of the electronic, “new” economy, the highest goal is loyalty, and mutual– not only the client is loyal to the company, but the company is also loyal to the client). Based on the achieved level of satisfaction, a new pyramid is built (Fig. 4):
- Satisfaction (My needs and requests are met)
- Consistency (The company acts based on my interests)
- Personalization (The company demonstrates that it knows and meets my personal wishes)
- Merger (Relationships are built on my terms and under my control)
Within the “second” pyramid, the task of CRM is to cover ALL channels and points of contact with clients and coordinate them, so that there is a unified methodology and technique of communication. Every contact should work to attract a buyer! The customer wants to be served with the same quality regardless from the interaction channel, and get a quick professional response! Information delivered to the client upon his request must be accurate, complete and consistent. There should not be different answers to the same questions from different company representatives.
Thus, it was understood that customer base – this is the most important assets companies that need to carefully and efficiently manage. “Nurturing” a client is considered a necessary condition for successful work with both current and potential clients. It is interesting to note that price is far from the decisive factor in developing loyalty and making repeat purchases. For example, a study conducted by DELL showed that the motives that led to repeat purchases through their online store were in the following order:
- Quality of service.
- Delivery of the order on time.
- Possibility of delivery to any place
- Easy ordering
- The company has a wide selection of products
- Access to complete information on all products
- Convenient site navigation system
Thus, investments in technologies for working with existing customers directly affect their loyalty, and therefore the efficiency and sustainability of the business. In terms of money, loyalty leads to the following results:
- The client becomes less sensitive to price, which means a higher price can be set for the product (service) (up-sell) without the risk of loss of turnover.
- The cost of selling products and services to existing customers is significantly lower. As a result, profitability can be higher, even if the price is lower than that of a competitor.
- The client can be offered a number of additional services (products) (cross-sell), thereby increasing the company’s turnover.
Thus, the concept of CRM is very multifaceted. Although some of its elements have been cultivated before (for example, there has long been an emphasis on ensuring the highest quality of product and service), they are not sufficient on their own. After all, even high-quality service is not necessarily personalized. We still work with the “average hospital temperature.” Albeit tall.
The essence of the CRM concept is that the most desirable and profitable client has the right to priority and exclusive service. In addition, the CRM concept focuses the company on long-term relationships with the client. In particular, a client who, albeit little by little, regularly consumes a product or service over a long period of time, is usually more profitable for the company than a “wandering” customer who made a large, but random order. The first has the right to count on the best service and big discounts.
Finally, the essence of CRM is to learn from your client, have feedback and work the way the client wants. The point is that now it is not enough to tell the client: “We are here.” We must say: “We are here for you, and we work here for you and give you what is valuable to you, anticipating what you want.” Goals, processes, structure
The functionality of CRM covers marketing, sales and service, which correspond to the stages of attracting a client, the act of completing a transaction (transaction) and after-sales service, that is, all those points of contact where the interaction of the enterprise with the client takes place.
In the early 90s, when CRM had not yet taken shape as a single concept, nevertheless, there was already a set of building blocks, the development of which led to what we see today, namely:
- Various systems for collecting information about clients, partially including the beginnings of SFA (Sales Force Automation) - Automation of the activities of sales representatives.
- A number of marketing databases that provide analysis at the product (its sales) level, but are poorly integrated with sources of other information.
- Systems for delivering information to the client (direct mail, etc.).
- Basic analytical tools used to analyze consumer behavior during discrete purchases, but without considering the purchase life cycle.
It was only in the 90s that all of these systems were integrated into one within the framework of the CRM concept. For example, when conducting marketing campaigns, it is necessary to ensure that the information used by the marketing department and the sales department are exchanged in order for the process to be efficient and optimal. In this case, automatic distribution of a list of potential clients between sales agents, or automatic assignment of tasks to sales staff can be used.
Therefore, almost any CRM software has corresponding modules (marketing, sales, support and service). However, there is no absolutely universal solution. Each software product has its own strengths and weaknesses and has the best functionality and efficiency usually in one of these areas. Therefore, a company implementing CRM must identify priority areas of automation and start with them, gradually building out the entire system.
Accordingly, CRM should provide a means of entering information into a single database (both by company employees and by the client himself, for example, through a WEB website during registration or purchase), and the data should be centrally updated with each new contact.
The next level is data processing tools (ranking, clustering, aggregation, visualization, etc.). Finally, a means of access to all information – both input and output by all departments of the company. At the same time, a sales agent may need, for example, a client’s purchase history and a forecast of his preferences - what can be offered to him next time, while the marketing department, for example, needs an analysis of target groups. That is, CRM allows for different forms of information presentation for different purposes and different departments.
In Fig. Figure 5 shows a simplified structure of information processes within CRM.
It is important to note that with increasing detail of information and its value from the point of view of analysis, its cost, complexity, formalizability and variability increase. For example, geo- and demographic characteristics are relatively stable, but have long been studied. While the history of personal transactions, including financial ones, the history of contacts, preferences, which make it possible to build a client profile and predict his behavior, are obtained with difficulty, usually interactively, require time to accumulate and are in constant dynamics.
So, we can distinguish 3 main purposes for using CRM systems:
- Operational (quick access to information during contact with the client in the sales and service process)
- Analytical (joint analysis of data characterizing the activities of both the client and the company, obtaining new knowledge, conclusions, recommendations)
- Collaborative (the client directly participates in the activities of the company and influences the processes of product development, production, and service)
At the same time, the results of the analytical use of CRM go beyond the scope of CRM itself. For example, analysis of time and costs for the sales cycle, at different stages and phases of sales, allows for optimization of cost reduction. Identifying priority customers based on different criteria (income/costs) allows you to increase the profitability of your sales channels. Identifying typical problems/requests and developing a typical response to them allows you to minimize the employee’s reaction time (and therefore, again, reduce costs - after all, the company pays for the phone!). Analysis of sales channels allows you to identify problem departments and business processes, understand which channels you need to focus your efforts on, how to restructure the problem area (department), etc.
The table below systematizes the opinions of surveyed experts on priority industries in terms of demand for CRM.
Table 6.4. Which industries have the greatest demand for CRM solutions?
Priority sectors
Banks and insurance companies, telecommunications companies, retail companies
Finance, insurance, telecommunications, trade, distribution
In the banking sector, insurance companies, telecommunications, high technology industry (production and sale of computers and software, system integration), trading and distribution companies, large multinational corporations.
Sergey Chernov, expert analyst at the Analytical Center of the Parus Corporation
For trade enterprises, service centers for household appliances or automobiles, companies providing communication services, tourism, transportation, producing and supplying various types of automation systems
Banking sector, telecommunications, high-tech and pharmaceutical companies; potential users include almost all companies selling mass-produced products.
In wholesale/retail trade, telecommunications, banking and financial sectors
Anatoly Levikov, Head of CRM Practice, Corporate Management Systems Department, IBS
Finance (banks and insurance organizations), as well as telecommunications. Around the world, there is also great demand for CRM systems from car dealers, manufacturers of pharmaceutical products and computer equipment
Marina Anshina, Head of Development and System Support Group, TopS
Telecommunications
Boris Kharas, Senior Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Telecommunications, financial services, trade and distribution
Telecommunications companies, banks, investment companies
Alexander Skorokhodov, executive director of the Banking Production Center.
Finance (banks and insurance organizations), telecommunications.
Insurance companies and banks
Review of CRM solutions in Russia
If in the Western market the number of CRM systems is measured in the hundreds, then in Russia there is a rather narrow range of solutions, mainly from large suppliers that have been offering their ERP systems for a long time. At the same time, the number of domestic CRM developers is increasing almost every month. Thus, the Russian buyer already faces the problem of choosing from two dozen systems. True, the solutions are radically different from each other, since they are aimed at different segments.
According to experts, SAP and Oracle have good chances in the field of complex integrated solutions that include CRM as one of the blocks - both of them have declared CRM one of the main priorities for this year in business development. In addition, both companies have strong positions in the market. Serious activity in the field of CRM has been launched by hardware suppliers - Cisco, Avaya, focusing primarily on call-centers.
Solutions from Siebel, a global leader in CRM, have come to
Russia thanks to the efforts of Russian companies, but he himself
Siebel is not interested in Russia as a potential market. A fully localized version is expected to hit the market within a few years. So far, the introduction of this product, which is already available in Russia, is associated with major language problems for staff.
The solutions presented in Russia have very significant differences in methodology. Thus, Russian developers insist that their applications better take into account the differences in the local market, although they have less experience working with a large number of clients.
At the moment, specialized CRM packages of an industry nature are almost not represented in Russia - pharmaceuticals, banking and insurance sectors, tourism, etc. Although in the West such solutions are very popular, since if you buy a universal development, it still needs to be significantly modified, leading to specialized needs. And this is associated with unnecessary costs for implementation and staff training, which is not desirable. And in any case, it leads to a loss of time, this is especially important for companies that operate in industries where seasonal fluctuations are strongly affected (tourism, realtors, etc.).
How the data for this study was collected. From open sources - the press, the Internet, personal conversations with experts - a list of all CRM suppliers, both Russian and foreign, was compiled. Only those who have a partner or representative office in Russia were selected. Along with domestic developers, about 20 companies were included in the list. Later the list was refined.
Everyone was sent an email containing the questionnaire and a deadline for completion. After that, the answers were clarified over the phone and additional material was collected on this decision - based on customer reviews, information on the website, the press, and expert opinions. The information received was carefully analyzed and structured.
Let us note that the research below cannot be considered complete; new solutions appear every day and more and more companies declare to provide a range of services for the implementation and maintenance of CRM solutions. During the research process, we met with dozens of companies, many of which are planning to actively enter this market.
Now we invite you to take a more complete look at the table and study it carefully (see at the end of the article). I responsibly declare that this is the most complete comparison of CRM systems presented in Russia.
| Company name | The product's name | Release date (product) | Number of copies sold, clients | ASP capability | Scalability (minimum, maximum number of users) | PDA support |
| Oracle Corporation | Oracle E-Business Suite (incl. ERP, CRM and B2B) | May 2000 | >1,000 clients in the world (including previous versions of CRM), version 11i - about 400 | Yes (100% Internet architecture) | 5-7000 (real implementation in Oracle), plans to implement up to 20,000 users | Yes, Palm Pilot |
| InvensysCRM | Since 1990, current version (4 2) released in December 2000 | Worldwide - more than 700 installations in Russia no installations yet ABB Components, ABB Robotics, Bang & Olufsen, EDS, GSX (GE Information Systems), Lanier, RMC, UNU, Barco and Venzon | Yes | Yes | ||
| Sputnik Labs | SalesLogix, manufacturer - Interact Commerce Corp, www.saleslogix. com | First version -1997, Current version -SalesLogix net (SalesLogix version 5 0) - January 2001 | More than 3,500 clients in 67 countries, the number of licenses sold is measured in hundreds of thousands, among clients are British Airways, Deutsche Bank Dow Jones, Ericsson, Hewlett Packard. In Russia, there is a completed project (Comstar CJSC) - the SalesLogix Sales module has been in productive operation since February 2000, SalesLogix Support module is being implemented | Yes, through partners (Delinea Corporation, ScionASP) | There are no technical restrictions (there are configurations from 1 to 1000 users), license supply - from 10 users | Yes, Palm Pilot |
| 000 "IBS" | Siebel System eBusiness 2000 MME | 2000 g | Yes | Minimum - 1, maximum - unlimited | Yes, Palm Pilot Organizer | |
| Electronic Automation roved systems and communications |
Intelligent CRM Suite (manufactured by Computer Associates www.ca.com) | October 2000 | Yes | From 1 to 13500 | Any devices with Internet access, including WAP | |
| Clientele | More than 3000, including British American Tobacco Industries Nestle SA, American Express Times Mirror Magazines, Walt Disney Among the companies operating in Russia are Mary Key, Karl Storz, etc. | - | The number of concurrent users can reach 500 | - | ||
| IT | UCI (Unified Customer Interaction) - produced by Altitude Software | Latest version 6 1 June 2001 | 300 system installations in Europe (ABN AMRO Bank - Netherlands Mobitai Communications - Taiwan, NSB Railway Norway - Norway) | No | 3 - 200 (possibly more) | Yes |
| Actis Systems | SalesLogix.NET | Latest release - March 2001 | More than 3500 clients worldwide | Yes | Minimum - 1, maximum - unlimited. To date, installations for several thousand users are known. | Yes, Palm OS and Windows CE compatible devices |
| Customer support systems Customer contact management | 2000-2001 | MTU Intel (10 licenses), MKS (18 licenses), TopS (10 licenses) | Yes | 3 - 20000 | Yes - Palm Pilot | |
| LANIT | Navision Financial System Contact Manager module | 1996 | No | 1 - 300 | - | |
| Parus Corporation | Business process management / SAIL-Client | October 1999 | 5 implementations, including LUKoil | Yes | 5 - 100 | No |
| Pro-Invest-IT | Sales Expert | It went on sale in the spring of 2000, version 1 4 was released in May 2001 | More than 200 LUKoil, Hewlett-Packard JSC, Promo ru, Rainbow Technologies, Economic Newspaper Publishing House (AKDI Economy and Life), Garant-Park1 | No | Not limited | No |
| ConSi | ConSi- MARKETING ConSi- PRICE MONITORING | First version 1992 Latest - autumn 2000 | More than 50, including the Kazan Helicopter Plant, the Perm Printing Factory of Goznak, Irkutskkabel, Kostromakabel, etc. | No | Within the capabilities of MS-Access | - |
| Internet company Bmicro | Client-Communicator | December 1999 | 50 | No | 3 - 300 | No |
| Company name | C o n t a c t M |
A c c o u n t M |
S a l e s M |
T i m e M |
C u s t o m e r S |
F i e l d F A |
T e l e m a r k e t i n g t e l e s a l e s |
M a r k e t i n g |
L e a d M |
P M R |
K n o w l e d g e M |
e - B u s i n e s s |
B u s i n e s s I |
U s e r S |
| Oracle Corporation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Group of companies "Alfa Integrator - BAAN Eurasia" | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sputnik Labs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 000 "IBS" | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| "EpicRus" (until November 2000 - Platinum Software) | - | |||||||||||||
| IT | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Actis Systems | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Dia | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TopS LTD CRM solutions based on Remedy Inc. products. | Yes | No, but we can- but did- bark |
No, but we can- but did- bark |
No, but we can- but did- bark |
Yes | No, but we can- but did- bark |
No, but we can- but did- bark |
Yes | Yes | No, but we can- but did- bark |
Yes | No, but we can- but did- bark |
No, but we can- but did- bark |
Yes |
| LANIT | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Parus Corporation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (except CTI) | Yes | Yes (except CTI) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Dia | Dia | Yes | Yes (except CTI) |
| Pro-Invest-IT | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (hour- tich- But) |
Yes | - | Yes | Yes | - | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| ConSi | ||||||||||||||
| Internet company Bmicro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Dia | No | - | Yes |
| Company name | Strengths (according to the companies themselves) | Support, paid/free (documentation in Russian, technical support by phone, e-mail, additional training, books, etc.) | Interface language; support for other languages | Other |
| Oracle Corporation | Full support for CRM functionality (see above) subject to modularity, consistent channels of interaction with customers, Internet architecture (= low cost of ownership), integrated CRM+ERP solution (full view of customers and no huge integration costs), powerful business tools -analysis. | Free - documentation in electronic form, paid - technical support by phone, e-mail, access to a website with technical information, training, implementation services | 28 languages, Russian - in the process of translation | Financial stability of the supplier, presence of an office in Moscow, huge investments in the product (1,300 CRM system developers), a wide network of partners in Russia |
| Group of companies "Alfa Integrator - BAAN Eurasia" | Time-tested solution (more than 11 years on the market). Modular architecture, fast implementation cycle (3 months). Integration with BAAN IV/V ERP systems. Integration with e-commerce systems (BAAN E-Enterprise). Maintaining client data starting from the moment he was attracted (marketing campaigns). Availability of a web user interface. Used within the software manufacturing company itself. Focus on Microsoft technologies. | Free - documentation in Russian paid - technical support (telephone, e-mail, Web) training, consulting services | English, German, French, Dutch, Russian | Contains standard templates for answering customer questions, supports dynamic preference lists Developed reporting system (internal and external) Tools for customizing existing applications and developing new ones. |
| Sputnik Labs | Sales leader in the Mid-Market segment, the best price/quality ratio for the Russian market, the most complete functionality among similar systems, coverage of all stages of the client’s life cycle, interaction with partners, the ability to fully work using the web, including interaction with partners. Quick implementation (1-3 months), openness (ease of integration with other information systems, ability to make custom settings, change the interface, add functionality on your own) | Standard - 24/7 online support, hotline by phone, fax, e-mail, free update of releases within the current version, supply of service packs Price - 20% of the software cost Additional - extended service programs, multi-level training | Standard software supplies - with an interface in English and a number of European languages Support for Russian, the ability to create screen forms in Russian | A unique toolkit of automatic processes with an intuitive graphical interface. |
| 000 "IBS" | A single application for the work of all company employees (sales people, support, marketing), scalability (possibility of upgrading to Enterprise, availability of industry solutions, support for Service Agreements (SLAs), project management Workflow Management, intelligent routing system for applications, potential deals, etc., visual representation client's organizational structures TAS (Target Accounting Selling), Strategic Selling, easy modification for a specific customer Access control to the level of individual records User-friendly interface. | Paid - technical support by phone, e-mail, training | English, Russian, Spanish, French, German | Standard templates for documents (Word, Excel, etc.) Large number of pre-configured reports Thin client Possibility of remote synchronization and work within the holding structure |
| Electronic Automated Systems and Communications | A highly scalable solution with extensive integration and automation capabilities Convenient, self-configuring access to the information you need for both clients and staff Patented “artificial intelligence” system for automatic proactive responses to technical or business problems Consists of individual products, allowing you to choose only what is suitable to the buyer based on functionality and price. | The first year is free (included in the price), paid - additional training | English. Others - built-in localization capability | |
| "EpicRus" (until November 2000 - Platinum Software) | Russian English | |||
| IT | The solution is implemented on the “thin client” principle Transfer of voice messages and sessions between agents Reliable operation even under peak loads Open architecture with the ability to support various hardware platforms Possibility of flexible configuration to specific customer requirements. | Technical documentation is free, other support is paid | Today - English, in the near future IT Co. plans to begin localizing the system for domestic users | It is possible to obtain a large number of business reports on interaction with the client, his requests and business activity. Integration mechanisms with billing systems, e-commerce systems and financial applications are offered, allowing you to get a clear picture of work with the customer at the level of the entire company. |
| Actis Systems | Possibility of flexible individual configuration for each client, being an integrated package, the system is capable of solving a very wide range of tasks, easily integrates with various applications, has a low cost of ownership, a large number of installations around the world guarantees high quality and reliability of this system allows multi-level access to information - LAN , Web or Wireless aims to provide a quick payback (return on investment) | Warranty - 6 months - free Technical support - 10% of the cost of licenses. | The main language of the product is English. Quick localization of the product into almost any language is possible. | |
| TopS LTD CRM solutions based on Remedy Inc. products. | Flexibility, scalability, reliability, multi-platform, great integration capabilities, openness, compliance with standards, speed of implementation (several months) | Documentation in Russian, annual support included in the price of the system, training | English, Russian, French, German, any languages can be supported | |
| LANIT | Easy to learn and use for the user | Free - documentation in Russian Paid - technical support by phone, e-mail, training | Russian English | |
| Parus Corporation | Decision support mechanisms The complex is successfully operated on the basis of the Parus corporation, including the regional network (according to the results of the international competition "Business-Soft", the "hotline" of the Parus1 corporation was recognized as one of the best in the country) Mechanisms that allow you to expand and quickly adapt the software to specific enterprise needs Built-in WorkFlow and DocFlow mechanism Seamless integration with ERP Full-featured WEB interface | Free - documentation in Russian Paid - technical support by phone, e-mail, Internet, training | Russian | Built-in message/notification delivery mechanism (mail, GSM, paging) Possibility of expanding functionality using the enterprise's own IT specialists |
| Pro-Invest-IT | Easy to use and install Low price Constant development of the program High speed of operation High efficiency of use for solving organizational problems and managing sales and marketing | Free - all documentation, technical support | Russian Others - no. | A proven standard solution for companies that use direct sales when working with clients. The best CRM system according to Business Software 2001 |
| ConSi | Proven solution (many installations), low price, fast implementation speed (less than 3 months), collects all information about the client and his operations, intended for both internal users (organizing targeted marketing) and external users (receiving a report on the account balance, personalized financial information) There are real clients who have been working for many years | Computer training system, multimedia, animated help, books with techniques | Russian | Fully targeted at users proficient in MS Office |
| Internet company Bmicro | Full adaptation to any type of activity - an arbitrary number of data types (lists and directories) + up to 150 attributes per record, several built-in report generators | Free - documentation in Russian Paid - implementation + configuration | Russian | There is a special implementation form. We can prepare a ready-made, configured database for a remote client and send it by e-mail |
I will comment on each point.
The first points are standard: the name of the company - the solution provider or its representative in Russia, the full name of the product and the release date. Also pay attention to the release date. Some systems have been on the market for a long time, others, despite their youth, also have several hundred and sometimes thousands of installations.
The number of copies sold by all companies is large, with Western manufacturers counting in the thousands, and Russian manufacturers in the hundreds. It is worth distinguishing between the number of clients and the number of licenses (copies) sold, since one client can buy several thousand titles at once.
We can say that all solutions have already proven their capabilities. Another thing is that not all of them have a Russian version and experience of implementation in Russia. Most foreign solutions have never been delivered to our country.
If you are faced with the question of choosing such a system, we advise you to clarify the company’s experience in general and with CRM systems in particular.
No matter what they say about the advantages of this or that system, the price was, is, and will continue to be the main selection criterion for a long time. The most often quoted price is per user seat (license). But to the final price you still need to add the price for a server license, consulting, training, and subtract volume discounts. Some companies are just introducing their products to the market and do not yet have a clear pricing strategy. Plus the difficulty of calculating the final cost without having real experience in implementing systems of this class. The cost of a solution at one level may differ by a significant amount. In this article we do not list the price level, but it can be ordered separately (see at the end of the article).
In Europe and the USA, CRM solutions based on ASP are now becoming widespread, which means that it is possible to maintain the system on the side. This allows you to reduce costs, reduce the size of investments and, of course, relieve the headache of solving almost all technical problems (security, reliability, electricity, 24/7 availability, etc.).
As far as we know, in Russia, none of the supplying companies currently offers such an opportunity. Although many systems are already ready to offer such services. As in many other areas, there is a question of financing and launching such a project, and most importantly, trust in ASP. After all, no one wants to lose the company’s most valuable asset—its customers—and people in Russia are not used to trusting each other. So we can hardly expect this service to appear in the near future.
A special point is the technical requirements. This expense item can cost no less than the CRM system itself. Since the requirements for technology are the highest - powerful servers, a large amount of disk space, a good local network and Internet channel.
It is important what additional software the selected system requires - you will have to pay separately for licenses for the database and some operating systems, and a lot, given the large number of copies, because ideally every employee should have a CRM system. It’s just that access to other people’s segments will be limited. It also matters that if you install a new operating system or other software, then you will have to look for new additional personnel. And it’s hard to find it now. It is almost impossible to find good programmers and system administrators in the regions; those who exist have already been taken apart. And in Moscow, the demand for these professions is constantly growing.
As a rule, CRM is installed by those companies that have already used ERP systems, and therefore there is a certain database, software, and all this must be saved and transferred to the new system. It's more difficult here. Not all CRM solutions are interfaced with ERP, which can negate all its advantages - both functional and price.
If a company has agreed to invest considerable funds in CRM, then it hopes not only to survive in the market, but also to develop successfully. And therefore, sooner or later it will need more users. It is possible that there is no immediate money to provide all jobs with access to the system, but over time the need for this will arise and investments will appear.
Modern systems most often allow you to start work even from one workplace and increase it to several thousand, or even tens of thousands. All companies mentioned this. The difference is that some systems already have real experience of implementation and operation on a similar scale, others note only the theoretical possibility of such scaling.
When a company employee is on a business trip or simply not at work, he may still need information from the system. If you spent money on implementation and installation, then you need to use all the benefits of CRM at a distance. Moreover, it is not so difficult; you can access it through a standard web browser on the Internet or using any mobile device (PDA). Its cost is an order of magnitude less than, for example, a laptop.
Let's say you go to a meeting with clients or partners in another city (country), and even on the go in a car or airport you can get all the necessary data via PDA. And when using the Internet in a hotel, problems may arise with the keyboard and encoding (there is no Cyrillic alphabet).
This point is worth studying especially. All features of the system are presented here. The classification used is Western, therefore the names of the modules are left in English (explained below). At the same time, functions within the system may be distributed differently and even named differently. CRM is a young area, and the terminology has not yet fully formed.
All modules are very closely interconnected, and you can easily move from one to another, often without even noticing the transition (roughly speaking, like hyperlinks on the Internet or like switching functions in a text editor). The classification was made more to systematize the capabilities of CRM systems.
To illustrate the possibilities, here is the opinion of one of the users of the EpikRus CRM system, Sergei Kanev, head of the Moscow representative office of BSS (system integration): “Every company that works with a client must have a tool for structuring this work, since any client base is an intangible asset , Clientele offers an algorithm for working with the client.
In addition, it helps to accumulate information on the history of customer relationships, which is a strong support for sales. For example, if there is a successful sale to a client in St. Petersburg, then there is a possibility of a sale to a branch of the same client in Krasnodar. Since BCC managers work in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Krasnodar, now any manager can look at the sales history of a client in other cities and obtain more complete information.
The BCC company uses Clientele in two directions: sales and service. In general, we can say that a CRM system is, first of all, an algorithm for working with a client and a tool for summarizing information.
Previously, each manager had information only about his region, with its regional specifics. Now he provides this information to other managers and, in turn, receives information for other regions. Many situations that previously required additional meetings are now resolved automatically."
It is usually useful to know the strengths and weaknesses, especially since the choice of a CRM system can radically change the work of the company: either work successfully, or waste time and hastily earn back the money spent.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to assess the weaknesses of these systems. To do this, you need to at least try each of them and see how the already implemented systems work at several enterprises, especially considering that all foreign programs need to be localized, that is, translated, adjusted to Russian reporting, etc. This will take a lot of time and money. And time does not wait. In this regard, Russian developers have some advantages.
Talking about strengths is difficult for the same reasons. Therefore, we trusted the companies themselves to talk about the advantages, and, for obvious reasons, did not ask about the weak ones.
Judging by the responses of Western experts, the implementation of a full-fledged CRM system takes a long period, depending on the system and what the company used from several months to several years. In any case, the buyer will need technical and consulting support for a long time, plus staff training and detailed documentation.
As you can see from the tables, most often all support is paid and probably makes up a significant part of the sellers’ income. At the same time, documentation (it is unknown whether it is in Russian?) is included in the cost of the system. It is noteworthy that some note the availability of 24-hour online support. For example, this service is offered by Sputnik Labs; this can be especially important for regional clients, where the time difference can reach 5-9 hours. The client receives an access password to the support site, where he can find the answer to his question in the intelligent knowledge base.
Not only highly qualified personnel will have to work with the system, but also ordinary “soldiers” of the company: from the secretary (by the way, it is very important how this service is organized and its relationship with CRM) to warehouse managers. Therefore, it is necessary that the system is simple and in the native language of the staff. Sadly, Russian versions are often the latest to appear, although our market is also very interesting and promising.
We included this item so that each company could add anything else that it deems necessary.
In the summary table we have collected all the providers of CRM solutions that are actively present in the domestic market. Although the solutions are very different and it is not always correct to put them on the same page. For example, domestic developers often position themselves as solution providers more for the sales department than for each employee of the company (although this is possible). This is how “ConSi” works, for example. There is no need to buy hundreds of copies - a few jobs in the sales department are enough for now.
Expensive Western CRM systems not only automate standard processes of working with clients, but also allow you to better customize the system to the needs of a specific client. Therefore, they require implementation and modification, which significantly affects the price. But the “boxed” product Sales Expert (“Pro-Invest-IT”), which you can configure yourself, costs only $1,570 for an unlimited number of installations (this is comparable to the price for two places in Western systems, most often their price fluctuates in around 500-800 dollars per workplace). Sales Expert is a tough but ready-made CRM solution that sets clear rules for working with clients. Perhaps the given functions will be quite enough for you.
Of the complex Russian solutions at the moment, only the product of the Parus company can be named. As the commercial director of Parus, Alexey Kazarezov, noted, this product was “tested” within the corporation for about a year, in work with regional partners (dealers, business partners, regional branches, etc.) - for Parus they are also a kind of clients ( consumers of his developments). For example, using the new module, messages of three types were quickly collected (by e-mail): “error”, “wish”, “question (consultation)”. Then they were processed by the appropriate managers, who evaluated them and transferred them to production (messages like “error” and “feedback”) or answered the question.
Each request was analyzed and processed according to the appropriate regulations; Overall, this resulted in a 30% increase in processing and error correction speed.
In addition, the module was tested in the area of specific work with clients: collecting information about a potential customer starting from the first contact; Absolutely all available information about him was entered into the client database - visits to the demo room, questions over the phone, manager visits and much more. As a result, a serious data bank was accumulated, containing a complete history of relationships with a given client (both organizational and financial). Of course, replenishing information and collecting requests contained in the module database is possible not only using the keyboard (for example, during telephone or personal contacts), but also through e-mail and the Internet (as in the example with regional partners). In this case, the client can monitor all stages of his request (depending on access rights or using special notifications by e-mail, pager, etc. - in accordance with customizable regulations).
In the future, the client database can provide a lot of useful information. For example, if a company that sells household appliances has in its data bank information about what equipment the client has already purchased, then with the next purchase it can not only give an appropriate discount, but also select a model that is optimally combined with the existing set. In this case, there will be no need to question the client, in addition, it does not matter which sales manager led him previously.
These functions are also available in Western systems, but there is still very little experience in implementing such CRM solutions, so we are not yet able to fully reveal the capabilities hidden in foreign developments. There is often confusion about what was supplied to the client - ERP or CRM? It is beneficial for the buyer and seller to say that it is CRM, but there are only a few real examples. By the way, interesting examples of CRM implementation in the West can be found in Bill Gates’s latest book, “Business at the Speed of Thought.”
When reading summary tables, please note the following:
Contact Management – maintaining an extended record for each contact, a separate profile for each client, maintaining contact histories, organizational charts and the ability to collect clients into various groups, etc.
Account Management – maintaining information on counterparties (including clients, partners, agents, competitors). All information, including relationship history, planned/implemented transactions, contracts, financial/accounting data, etc.
Sales Management - maximum information and opportunities directly related to sales - cycles, statistics, territorial reference, report generation, sales history, etc. Looking at sales as a process, dividing it into stages and steps, allows you to forecast and effectively manage sales.
Time Management is a module that helps coordinate the work of all departments in time - a calendar, a list of tasks, as well as various modules for connecting to fax, e-mail and other means of communication.
Customer Service – interactive customer support (Internet, virtual private networks, etc.), the ability for customers to obtain the necessary information themselves, planning work with customers, statistics of requests, generating reports, accounting for the time spent by specialists, the ability to estimate the cost of support, etc.
Field Force Automation - opportunities for group work with clients divided by regional, industry and other criteria, collaboration between geographically remote departments.
Telemarketing/telesales – integration with call-center, maintaining statistics, recording standard questions and answers and full use of many other capabilities of means of communication with clients via e-mail, IP telephony, etc.
Marketing – statistics module, planning and maintaining various marketing campaigns, monitoring returns and calculating efficiency, modeling, auxiliary (educational) material, consumer segmentation and more.
Lead Management – Managing relationships with potential clients: collecting initial information, distributing contacts between employees of sales departments, tracking the effectiveness of sources of primary contacts.
Partnership Relations Management (PRM) – management of relationships with partners.
Knowledge Management – knowledge management, collection of all necessary reference information (maps, industry information, analytical materials, statistics) for the company’s work, creation of separate news sections (for example, for managers who manage the fuel and energy complex, processing industry), integration with Internet sources, powerful search tools.
e-Business is a module responsible for the CRM web part, which may include a company website, an online store or B2B site, interaction with customers via the Internet, etc.
Business Intelligence – the presence of automatic capabilities for monitoring and escalating problems, taking proactive actions, generating individual reports and reports using templates (as a rule, there are many ready-made forms), planning, modeling. – education, employment, contacts, everything related to people in the field of CRM.
Goals, methodology and sources of research
This study is an initiative work of the Cominfo Consulting company, conducted jointly with the Business Online magazine.
The purpose of the study is to analyze concepts CRM from the point of view of its demand in Russia, analysis of structure and prospects demand in Russia for products and solutions positioned as CRM (including motivation, implementation features, trends), as well as market analysis offers CRM solutions presented in Russia, including the collection and systematization of information about relevant products and their suppliers.
Thus, the main consumer of this study are companies interested in implementing CRM solutions and in need of systematized information on products and suppliers. In addition, the study is of interest to software developers and suppliers, system integrators and consulting companies that are involved in the implementation of CRM.
Sources of information and research methodology
The collection of information during the study was carried out on the basis of:
- Analysis of publications from more than 100 open and closed sources, including professional publications, reports of foreign research and consulting companies, Web sites and other sources (a partial list of Internet resources is given in Appendix 2).
- Personal interviews with experts from consulting companies, system integrators and CRM solution providers (list below).
- Questioning of representatives of enterprises - potential customers of CRM solutions.
- Questioning of representatives of companies - manufacturers and suppliers of CRM solutions represented in Russia.
The number of respondents included about 200 enterprises in Moscow, the Moscow region and the Central region, as well as Moscow offices of large holding structures with a branched territorial structure throughout Russia. A separate survey was conducted of 70 companies in the telecommunications industry - traditional and alternative fixed-line operators, mobile operators and private networks.
List of invited experts
- Sanal Ushanov, manager of the Moscow office of Accenture
- Pavel Cherkashin, President of Sputnik Labs
- Roman Samokhvalov, Oracle Business Development Manager
- Sergey Chernov, expert analyst at the Analytical Center of the Parus Corporation
- Sergey Aslanyan, director of the consulting department of Actis Systems
- Alexander Yakunin, CEO of Navision CIS
- Anatoly Levikov, Head of CRM Practice, Corporate Management Systems Department, IBS
- Marina Anshina, head of the development and system support group at TopS
- Boris Kharas, senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Maxim Filamofitsky, technical director of RosBusinessConsulting
- Alexander Skorokhodov, executive director of the Banking Production Center
- Maxim Solovyov, sales manager at Avaya Communications.
Time frame for the study
The study was conducted in May–July 2001. Since the authors began to receive additional information from suppliers and clients after the publication of excerpts from the study in the July issue of Business Online magazine, it was decided to update the study once a month.
Introduction
Goals, methodology and sources of research
1. Basic concepts of CRM.
1.1. Historical roots
1.2. Client-oriented approach
1.3. Customer life cycle.
1.4. Pyramid of values in the era of CRM.
1.5. How to move from concepts to technologies?
2. Functionality of CRM systems.
2.1. Goals, processes, structure.
2.2. Main functional blocks.
2.2.1. MA – Marketing Automation.
2.2.2. SFA Sales Force Automation (Automation of the activities of sales representatives).
2.2.3. CSS - Customer Service & Support (Automation of customer support and service).
3. Implementation of CRM: process, features, effect.
3.1. Implementation stages: CRM step by step.
3.2. Foreign implementation experience.
3.3. Features of national CRM.
3.4. Integral effect of application implementation.
4. Call centers and Contact centers as a key channel of interaction within CRM
4.1. Basic concept.
4.2. Call center and contact center functionality.
4.3. Call center applications related to sales and marketing
4.4. Call center applications related to service (user support)
4.5. Advantages of Call and Contact centers within the framework of the CRM concept.
5. Market of CRM solutions abroad.
5.1. Review of main solutions.
5.2. Functionality of CRM solutions. Summary table for 67 companies.
5.3. Trends and prospects.
5.4. Solutions for Contact centers. Summary table for 60 companies.
6. Market of CRM solutions in Russia.
6.1. Main factors influencing market development.
6.2. Demand.
6.2.1. Market awareness about CRM
6.2.2. Structure and characteristics of demand
6.2.3. Motivation of enterprises when implementing CRM.
6.3. Offer.
6.3.1. Criteria for choosing a solution.
6.3.2. Consolidated catalog and analysis of 20 products, manufacturers and suppliers represented in Russia.
Conclusion and conclusions.
Appendix 1. Glossary of terms.
Appendix 2. Additional information resources on CRM on the Internet.
Manufacturers and suppliers.
Information portals.
Research and consulting companies.
Professional organizations, publications, conferences.
Call center resources.
CRM has three levels, the characteristics and implementation tools of which are given in the table. Each of the CRM system providers specializes to one degree or another at a certain level.
Table 2. CRM levels
|
Implementation tools |
||
|
Operational |
||
|
Access to information during contact with the client, in the process of preparing the initial contract, sales, service and support. |
Support of all levels of interaction through all possible communication channels: telephone, fax, email and regular mail, chat, SMS. Synchronization of interaction with the client across all channels. |
Automation tools for sales departments and technical support services, call centers, marketing campaign management systems, electronic stores, e-commerce systems. |
|
Analytical |
||
|
Processing and analysis of data characterizing the client and his company, as well as the results of contact in order to develop recommendations to the company’s management. |
Extracting all information about the client, history of contacts and transactions with him, his preferences, profitability. Analysis and forecasting of the demand of each individual client. Individualization of offers to each specific repeat client based on his preferences. |
Systems for determining the value of clients, building behavior models, segmenting the client base, monitoring and analyzing client behavior, analyzing the profitability of working with individual clients and categories of clients, building their profiles, analyzing sales, service, and risks. |
Table 2. CRM levels (Continued)
Sometimes these levels are called types (classes), that is, if a system provides the functionality of only one level, it is classified as this type.
Each class of CRM systems (analytical, operational, collaborative) differs significantly in terms of requirements for hardware and software; it works With different DBMS, OS, ERP systems, it is not always possible to integrate. Therefore, suppliers often offer a comprehensive solution when CRM comes as part of an ERP system. A typical example is SAP, J.D. Edwards, AXAPTA.
Operational
This class of systems provides prompt access to information during contact with the client; the functionality of operational CRM covers marketing, sales and service, which corresponds to the stages of attracting a client, the act of making a transaction (transaction) and after-sales service. In other words, it covers all those points of contact where the enterprise interacts with the client.
This area grew out of various systems for collecting information about clients, so it is the most widespread and in demand. The main component of such a system is an application that allows employees to enter accumulated information about an individual client into a database and use it effectively.
Examples of this kind of CRM solutions for small businesses include ACT!, GoldMine, Maxi-mizer; from Russian ones - Sales Expert (Pro-Invest company), ConSi-Marketing (ConSi). For medium-sized enterprises these are Clientele, Onyx, SalesLogix, and for large enterprises - Oracle, SAP, Siebel, BAAN (from the Russian ones - “Business Process Management. Parus-Client” from the Parus company). The division by size is arbitrary. A large enterprise may have a CRM system for small companies if it does not have a large number of employees working with clients.
Analytical
The need for this level arises when a company has a large database of clients and related information. This type of CRM system is responsible for the joint analysis of data characterizing the activities of both the client and the company, for obtaining new knowledge, conclusions, recommendations, etc.
The ability to obtain, save and process the complete history of a client’s interaction with a company provides many advantages. The company can, in particular, predict what the client will want in the future, segment the audience, analyze the effectiveness of a specific distribution channel or the success of an advertising campaign, optimally load its sales and service network, etc.
To obtain effective results within CRM, the entire modern arsenal of techniques and methods of mathematical data analysis is used. For example, to solve the problem of customer retention, you need to:
- · building models of customer preferences, which allows reducing the percentage of their churn;
- · analysis of customer preferences for certain interaction and sales channels;
- · analysis of the customer’s life cycle, his purchasing behavior at all stages (from attracting attention to the emergence of loyalty);
- · analysis of the lifetime value of customers at all stages of interaction.
The most important thing is that the acquired knowledge becomes available to every employee of the company and can be used immediately.
Note that the classification of analytical products is rather arbitrary. Their name may not have an acronym, but in essence it is a powerful toolkit for full-scale customer base analysis and modeling. The most famous ones here are Brio, Business Objects, Broadbase, E. Piphany, Hyperion, MicroStrategy and SAS. Among the Russian systems, we can highlight Marketing Analytic 4.0 from the KURS company, which has good analytical capabilities.
Collaborative
This class of systems allows the client to directly participate in the activities of the company and influence the processes of product development, production, and service. For example, airlines often make adjustments during the aircraft construction phase.
The collaborative group includes both CRM systems and software and hardware components for their creation (IntraNet Solutions, Plumtree, Symon, Vignette, Aspect, Broad-vision, Cisco).
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If you are satisfied with the work of the solution or the Sothebit technical support team, then we ask you to leave a review in the module card. The review format is as follows:
1. Tell us about your situation before you found our software product. What were the problems? What didn't suit you?
2. Why did you decide to use our software product? What prompted you?
3. What effect did you get from using our software product? What are the results of his work? It is advisable to tell in the format “BEFORE” and “AFTER” use.
4. What did you like about our technical support? What surprised or impressed you?
Write a review and help other users make the right decision!