Robert Fleming

But Customer Relationship Management will also be of interest to visitors. For Oracle has made CRM part of its famous E-Business Suite and continues to promote the virtues of CRM in the region.

'CRM suffered from a lot of over-hype and too many false promises post 2000,' explains Robert Fleming, Senior Director, Applications Marketing Europe, Middle East and Africa. 'But now practitioners are learning from the mistakes of the past and there is more attention to effective CRM.

'This means rapid implementation and a rapid return on investment. There is also a stress on the total cost of ownership, and the CRM industry is consolidating with Oracle being in a very strong position because of its suite-based approach.'

Involved in CRM since 1999 and formerly a management consultant with Price Waterhouse Coopers, Mr. Fleming says that the twin pillars of CRM are now 'rapid return on investment' and 'lowering the total cost of ownership'.

He notes, 'The management of a CRM product can cost four times as much as the purchase price, so entry price is not everything. That is one reason why outsourcing is a growing trend and this is a service that Oracle offers its customers.'

But effective CRM is still a very valuable tool, and well worth the investment. 'At its best business intelligence is built into the applications with key performance indicators such as the conversion of sales leads. CRM is an incredible differentiator for customer service and customer retention'.

Mr. Fleming cites Dell Computers and Amazon.com as prime examples of companies whose excellent customer service is driven by CRM. In the region groups such as Juma Al Majid, Al Ghurair, Batelco, and Royal Jet have all benefited.

'There has been a reality check on CRM,' he admits. 'People are being more careful. But we are really still at the beginning of truly effective CRM and smart companies are looking at how to automate business processes and to work across departments.

'For instance, the progress of a call to a call centre can be mapped through an entire organization to develop a holistic approach to customer service. This can even be applied in government departments to breakdown departmental walls and create a better flow of information.

Naturally Mr. Fleming claims that CRM works best as a part of a suite-based approach so that pre-integrated modules work seamlessly together, and that is the essence of the appeal of the Oracle E-Business Suite.

Doubtless visitors to the extensive Oracle stand at Gitex will question him further on the benefits of CRM, but those that have already got it right seem very happy with the results.