CRM - October 2008 - (Page 32)

THE NEW CRM CONSULTANT to ask basic questions before deploying: What’s your business one, often uses a methodology to deliver not just estimated model? What are you trying to manage? Where are the tools? ROI calculations but also human performance ROI, says Opting for plain-vanilla SaaS likely means less-than-full cusKevin Bandy, the firm’s global lead for sales and markettomer support, Cicci says, which means it’s critical that the tool ing transformation within the electronics and high-tech adhere to your practices.“You have to introduce it to your staff industries. (Bandy was also named one of CRM magaand understand why you’re implementing the tool,” she says. zine’s 2008 Influential Leaders; see the September 2008 Sklar says Bluewolf’s approach relies on the sort of agile issue.) “Consultancies used to focus on systems integramethodology typically seen in software development—an ittions, outsourcing, and cost reduction,” he says—services, erative approach that sets measurable goals for each small twohe adds, that are “not aligned to profit or the revenue-growth week-to-four-week segment of an engagement: Instead of side.” But today’s CRM consultants can help companies fix looking at what a client will gain far down the road, success problem areas such as sales processes. (Bandy estimates that is measured in short increments. The old up to 20 points in revenue can be lost by consultancy framework, she says, just companies that can’t police sales processes on their own.) And, echoing his Ac- The business model for doesn’t fit in today’s SaaS environment. Incenture colleague Woody Driggs, Bandy consultancies can get stead, some clients get a bucket of hours to continually innovate on any efforts—it’s a suggests that the modern CRM consultout of whack with the relationship that grows with the client. ant best serves the client by aiming for In the end, though, does SaaS make customer centricity: “If I fix [a broken drive toward shorter, organizations more or less likely to enprocess] at the point of the customer, [the] business would be healthier,” Bandy briefer implementations. list the help of a professional services firm? Goldman says that the switch says. To that end, he says, Accenture’s from on-premises to on-demand can long-running partnership with Salessave anywhere from 40 percent to 60 percent of implemenforce.com means the consultancy has SaaS capabilities to tation costs, but he says it’s difficult to gauge whether the deliver high-performance sales transformation. consultancy industry has picked up or dropped off dramatGartner’s Goldman agrees that ROI’s important to the ically. Consultants and analysts say the best of the firms business case for hiring a CRM consultant—but it’s only one pitching in on a CRM implementation—SaaS or not—are part. “Look at the assumptions that are used in the model,” those trying to develop a positive customer experience. So, he cautions.“If you don’t agree on the assumptions—or valin the hunt for a CRM consultancy, look for one that enues—then the model won’t tell you some [things].” genders loyalty—and one that’s not too hard on the user. And sometimes ROI is hard to gauge, even with SaaS. Any consultancy effort needs to work with other parts of “When the [SaaS] consultant leaves, the end client has the the enterprise, not create a silo of its own. SaaS product with features turned on—[but] with no real But does any of that answer Benioff ’s decade-old boast? process or adoption practices,” Cicci says, adding that the cliPerhaps not, but Salesforce.com itself may provide an inent may “fumble initially out of the gate.” She says the key is sight: In its most recent quarterly financial report, the original “no software” vendor’s line item for “professional services and other revenues” came to $23.4 million, an increase of 41 percent on a year-over-year basis. Perhaps “the end of software” isn’t the end of professional services after all—just a shift in cost from implementation expense to business process consulting. Contact Editorial Assistant Lauren McKay at lmckay@destinationCRM.com. 32 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | OCTOBER 2008 www.destinationCRM.com http://Salesforce.com http://www.destinationCRM.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - October 2008

CRM - October 2008 Contents Front Office Feedback Reality�Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point Sprinting Toward Disaster? SAP�Retains Market-Share Lead in�CRM A�Week of Strong Customer�Service CRM�on Twitter Build a Good Event and They Will Come Required Reading There's No Place Like Home The New Breed of CRM�Consultant The Price is Right...You Hope How Much Marketing is Too�Much? The�Sweet Smell of High-Quality�Service The Next Act! For An Acquisition Some Stories Never Get Old CRM�Eases the Pressure For WIKA�Instruments Secret of My Success Re:Tooling Scouting Report Pint of View

CRM - October 2008

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