Integrated, analytical CRM processes add most value, says leading local software vendor

The company's comments follow an IDC report predicting that spending on analytical customer relationship management (CRM) will outstrip investment in reporting and operational procedures over the next three years.

The report says that, two years ago, the mass market for CRM concentrated on operational deployments, with a minority of businesses investing in data analysis. According to IDC the focus is shifting, with customers increasingly adopting analytical CRM software for their day-to-day processes.

"In order to deliver maximum business value, CRM systems can't 'stand alone' - they must collect and manage operational information from a human resources and logistics perspective as well as from customers themselves," said Nizar Badwan, general manager, Exact Software Middle East. "This way, organizations in the region can ensure that they have the resources and processes in place to actually meet the customer demand that they create through new services."

"One of the primary benefits of ERP investment is the ability to manage a variety of tasks on one platform, with resulting cost and time savings. However, Middle East-based businesses must ensure that any CRM implementation is truly analytical, collecting more than just customer information, and supporting their overall business strategy," Badwan added.

Centrally Managing Resources, Logistics, and Customers
Exact's products offer full support for both operational and analytical CRM processes. The Exact Globe2003 Enterprise solution is a comprehensive suite that supports all business management tasks, and responds to changing requirements by letting users define business rules and exceptions as an integral part of their distribution and accounting software activities. This includes key areas such as changes in a customer's buying pattern, which can be defined and monitored from start to finish.

Based on Exact's innovative One-X architecture, which deploys a single database for all business processes, Exact's e-Synergy is a web-based portal system designed to make companies' departments work together. Tasks are streamlined by the storage of all information in one place, which makes business requests traceable and transparent. e-Synergy is available in modules designed for different areas, which include e-CRM, e-HRM, e-Financials and e-Documents.

The e-CRM module covers every part of the customer relationship lifecycle, from managing existing accounts to pitching for new clients. This includes the management and logging of all communication, the building of customer profiles and histories, and the establishment of self-service customer portals. It also provides full support for initiatives such as marketing and lead generation campaigns, including the analysis of results.

"Analysis is essential for the nurturing of good customer relationships, as CRM has as much to do with business development as it does with daily operational processes," said Badwan. "Businesses are right to be investing more in analytical CRM applications, but should not do so at the expense of transactional procedures or the advantages offered by an integrated approach to ERP."