- CRM is a major part of Oracle's future
- User needs are changing
- On Demand is the fastest growing business
- Social CRM is still for experimenters
“It's a good time to invest,'” declares Anthony Lye, Oracle's senior vice president of CRM, echoing the increasingly familiar sentiment that a recession is a terrible opportunity to miss out on.
“This is my third slowdown. There was the 1990s, then the techology slow down, now this one. What's different this time is that people recognise that CRM can play a significant role in making you different,” he argues. “That's largely because products and services have become commoditised so companies need to differentiate around customer service. Downturns represent both opportunity and threat around customers, but those companies that do invest will do significantly better than those who do not."
Lye reckons he sees this in the increased contribution CRM is making to the overall Oracle performance. “CRM has become very important to us as Oracle,” he says. “The Siebel and CRM On Demand products account for more than 90% of our CRM business at Oracle – this year CRM will be bigger than eBusiness Suite. It will be the third largest year in Siebel history, better only by the two dot.com bubble years.”