Did you know that approximately 80% of all CRM implementations fail? At xRM.com we believe that any successful CRM implementation begins with education. The process then continues with the choice of the right platform and software solution for your business, followed by the development of a strategic vision. To make things simple, we like refer to these concepts as “Platform,” “Choice” and “Strategy.”
Choose a Good Platform
Every major software publisher has a development platform and choosing one can often be a frustrating experience. You can however, make the decision-making process easier on yourself by keeping a few things in mind. The platform you choose must offer you flexibility, it must enable you to adapt as your business changes and grows. A good platform should provide out-of-the-box applications to suit a broad range of needs. These applications must be interoperable, providing its users ease-of-use and allowing your business to run in a smooth and efficient manner. Important as well is a full-featured development language that can support any custom development or integration requirements. Also crucial is a development community specific to that language.
While research into a variety of platforms is always recommended, at xRM.com we believe that the Microsoft .NET framework/platform is the best choice. It offers ease-of-use, scalability, interoperability, and finally, the full-featured development language which is supported by a global development community. For more information on the Microsoft .NET Platform, click here...
Make the Right Choice
The choice model, or in other words, the purchase and implementation of software, is a key element in the overall success of your technology strategy.
When thinking about software implementation, there are three paths you can take. The traditional path involves purchasing licenses and installing everything on your on-premise hardware. Currently, working in a cloud or hosted environment has gained a lot of momentum. The third way is called the hybrid model, which is a mix of the first two.
Microsoft refers to all of this as the “Power of Choice.” At xRM.com we simply like to think of it as pain and risk mitigation. Click here for more information on Choice.
Design Your Strategy
Whether you produce your technology strategy internally, or you work with a consultant to create one, at xRM.com we feel that following a solid technology strategy is essential for your business.
Now more than ever, leveraging information technology is a must. The ability to start small, keep cost in check, have the necessary technology in place to grow your business, and then scale on the fly when needed is what it is all about. Unless you put this plan into motion before you start building your business, you will almost certainly face some very expensive challenges. Selecting a platform or specific products after users are accustomed to working one way is a difficult task. It’s wiser to invest some time in developing a technology road map at the very beginning. This will save you a lot of time, money and grief. Click here for more information on Strategy.