People are the critical success factor.
It won't have escaped you but - CRM is in! The relationship between you and your customer holds centre stage again and software will help customers reclaim the feeling that they are an individual within an organisations and not just a number. But what is CRM’s real challenge?

Erosion of Unique Selling Propositions
How do you distinguish yourself in today’s market? More often than not, the answer turns out to be the unique 'brain positioning’ that you want to achieve between your customers and communication target groups, in order to ensure you are both on the same 'wavelength'. Good relationships require good communication. Not simply by knowing the someone's name and correct address information, but also knowing and understanding individual history, needs and wishes for the future. Organisations that succeed in focusing on the individual, and can act on it, and have taken the first step in the marketing of the future: 1-on-1 marketing.

Virtual Organisations
Social changes and technological developments are making the place where we work more mobile. Communication is increasingly via telephone and e-mail.

The Paradox
The importance of individual (external) relationships is increasing while at the same time relationships within the company are becoming less intense. This is the challenge faced by the suppliers of CRM software. The technology must allow your staff to communicate with all external relationships more productively. Whatever is communicated has to be accessible and you have to be able to analyse it across the organisation.

Focus on your people
"Much of what we call management consists of making it much more difficult for workers to do their job.", Drucker once said. As soon as management information is the basis for CRM implementation and not individual productivity and enjoyment at work, it is doubtful whether the objectives of the CRM solution can be achieved. Importantly, the acceptance of the CRM software by the users is also often mediocre at best.

There is the impression that more time is spent recording information than is devoted on actual work and there is an increasing fear of being controlled.

Successful implementations are characterised by software and procedures that help the staff to better perform their daily jobs. Staff enjoy their work more and gain confidence in themselves and their organisation. This is in turn translated into more revenue for the organisation..

This last point is of course why all CRM software is implemented.