Gartner reveals framework for "CRM success"

At last month’s CRM Summit in London, Gartner identified several issues that were placing CRM in a precarious state that according to Gartner VP Steve Prentice “is probably a lot worse than we think it is."

 

These included data overload (“We are not yet used to the scale of data,” said Prentice); greater customer choice (“The power to choose my world, my way, is at the root of the problem for CRM”); a collapse of customer trust (“If you want to get more customers and retain existing customers you have to have trust.”); and social computing (“They are talking about you and your products. This has changed the balance of power.”)

 

But the Summit concluded that for those organisations that had leading-edge CRM strategies it was an “exciting time”.

 

And in the lead up to its Customer 360 Summit in Los Angeles in June, Gartner has unveiled how organisations can give themselves a fighting chance of being leading-edge.

 

Emphasising that a CRM strategy is a unique process for each organisation, Gartner VP Ed Thompson has suggested that there are three steps that are key to creating a successful CRM strategy.

 

"A CRM strategy cannot be developed in isolation. It must be relevant and linked to the overall corporate strategy, and it must build on existing sales or marketing strategies that are already in use," highlights Thompson. "Following these three steps will provide a solid framework for CRM success."