CRM - December 2008 - (Page 28)

YEAR IN (P)REVIEW the complexities out of the equation. That means integrating channels of communication so that all the customer touch points feel seamless and rich—and it also means listening to customer suggestions, complaints, and feedback. “We now have 100,000 contributions to CRM discussion forums online. It’s a very interesting interaction channel where we can reach out to the users— and not just the decision-makers—and basically get their feedback.” The community forum, he says, is an essential feedback channel for the company: “This will also help shape our future direction.” It’s one thing to pay lip service to such feedback channels; it’s another thing to take action. According to a Bain & Co. survey of 362 companies, 80 percent of companies thought they were keeping their customers more than satisfied; unfortunately, only 8 percent of those customers reported receiving a “superior experience.” Talk about not being on the same page! (See Scouting Report, page 48, for more on customer feedback and the importance of putting it to use.) EXERCISING THE CONVERSATION “We just passed a significant milestone,” says Volker Hildebrand, vice president for CRM product management at SAP. Gartner’s Top 10 for ’09 Every year, Gartner spotlights the top 10 strategic technologies and trends—those with “the potential for significant impact on the enterprise in the next three years.” (http://snurl.com/1208gartner2009) David Cearley, a Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst, said in a statement that “strategic technologies affect, run, grow and transform the business initiatives of an organization.” Of the firm’s 10 trends, several have a more infrastructural bent: virtualization, servers (“beyond blades”), specialized systems, Web-oriented architectures (Gartner’s new phrase to replace “services-oriented architectures”). But more than half the list has particular implications for CRM, and these technologies can offer “an opportunity for strategic business advantage for early adopters or [the] potential for significant market disruption in the next five years,” according to a statement by Carl Claunch, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. Below are edited excerpts from that report. Cloud Computing. Cloud computing characterizes a model in which providers deliver a variety of IT-enabled capabilities. The key traits of cloud computing include 1) delivery of capabilities “as a service,” 2) delivery of services in a highly scalable and elastic fashion, 3) using Internet technologies and techniques to develop and deliver the services, and 4) designing for delivery to external customers. Although cost is a potential benefit for small companies, the biggest benefits are the built-in elasticity and scalability, which not only reduce barriers to entry, but also enable these companies to grow quickly. As certain functions become less customized, there are more possibilities for larger organizations to benefit from cloud computing. Enterprise Mashups. Enterprises are now investigating taking mashups from cool Web hobby to enterprise-class systems to augment their models for delivering and managing applications. Through 2010, the enterprise mashup product environment will experience significant flux and consolidation, and application architects and IT leaders should investigate this growing space for the significant and transformational potential it may offer their enterprises. Social Software and Social Networking. Social software includes a broad range of technologies, such as social networking, social collaboration, social media and social validation. Organizations should consider adding a social dimension to a conventional Web site or application and should adopt a social platform sooner, rather than later, because the greatest risk lies in failure to engage and thereby, being left mute in a dialogue where your voice must be heard. Unified Communications. During the next five years, the number of different communications vendors a typical organization works with will be reduced by at least 50 percent. This change is driven, in part, by a general shift of communications applications to common off-the-shelf servers and operating systems. As this occurs, formerly distinct markets—each with distinct vendors—will converge, resulting in massive consolidation in the communications industry. Organizations must build careful, detailed plans for when each category of communications function is replaced or converged, coupling this step with the prior completion of appropriate administrative team convergence. Business Intelligence (BI). The top technology priority in Gartner’s 2008 CIO survey, BI can have a direct positive impact on a company’s business performance, dramatically improving its ability to accomplish its mission by making smarter decisions at every level of the business, from corporate strategy to operational processes. BI is particularly strategic because it is directed toward business managers and knowledge workers who make up the pool of thinkers and decision makers that are tasked with running, growing and transforming the business. Tools that let these users make faster, better, and more-informed decisions are particularly valuable in a difficult business environment. Green IT. Shifting to more efficient products and approaches can allow for more equipment to fit within an energy footprint, or to fit into a previously filled center. Regulations are multiplying and have the potential to seriously constrain companies in building data centers, as the effect of power grids, carbon emissions from increased use, and other environmental impacts are under scrutiny. Organizations should consider regulations and have alternative plans for data center and capacity growth. www.destinationCRM.com 28 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2008 http://snurl.com/1208gartner2009 http://www.destinationCRM.com

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

CRM - December 2008 Contents Front Office Feedback Reality Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point The Rave Is Over CRM on Twitter Financial Frenzy Will Customer Experience Survive in a ‘Soft’ Economy? Holiday Humbug Empowered Consumers Are Ready to Flip the Switch Required Reading Transparency Spiff Up Your Site! They Aim to Please Mixing In a Little Sugar Sweetens the Deal A Newsletter Employs New Tactics A Site Stops Feeling Overtaxed Make ’Em Laugh—Personally Secret of My Success Re:Tooling Scouting Report Pint of View

CRM - December 2008

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