Getting a better view of your customers is essential for
you business growth but you may well find it hard to find
technology out there to service your needs.
Indeed, poor performance is slowing investment in customer
relationship management (CRM) systems, according to a survey by
independent analyst PMP Research.
Just a paltry 4% of CRM customers feel the technology has
delivered on all its promises. Some 20% say they haven't gained any
particular benefit from using them, while 56% are merely lukewarm
about the advantages.
The elusive 'single view of a customer' is still eluding most
companies; only 5% believe they have merged all customer channels
and interactions successfully.
This lacklustre attitude to CRM is reflected by diminishing
investment levels. The days of big spending on CRM have gone,
suggests the research: 12% of the companies interviewed reckon they
have spent £1-5m in the last three years, but just 2% anticipate
future spending to hit this mark.
Overall, however, figures from IDC in August show the general
CRM market growing nearly 9% a year.