Preface
It is with great pleasure that I introduce the first edition of CRM Automation. Over the past 17 years, I have had the pleasure of working with more than 300 enterprise-class customer relationship management (CRM) deployments. This book attempts to share the lessons learned.
The book contains 27 chapters that include:
A definition of CRM;
A description of the people, process, and technology issues that impact CRM;
“How to” chapters on creating CRM strategy, putting together your CRM value proposition and Business Case, writing your CRM system specification document, selecting your CRM software vendor, and addressing CRM security risks;
Discussions on the significance of data integrity, the role of e-business, e-marketing, e-service, knowledge management, and international CRM issues;
A 10-step blueprint for effective CRM; and
A list of ISM's Top 30 CRM software selections for 2002.
Many individuals who purchase this book are also considering buying a CRM software package. To obtain comparative, extensive reviews of ISM's Top 30 winners, each of which has been evaluated against 166 business functions, technical features, and user friendliness/support criteria, I strongly encourage you to follow the simple instructions listed on the tearout card at the back of this book. You will be instructed to log onto ISM's Web site, http://www.ismguide.com/ph2, put in an access code PH2, which will provide you direct access to purchase a paper or electronic version of our 2002 CRM Software Reviews product. You will be able to purchase one, three, the Top 15, or all Top 30 review(s).
Please note that ISM's Top 30 software selections have been chosen as a result of testing dozens of CRM software packages currently sold worldwide. Each Top 30 software evaluation, which tests the vendor's latest commercially available release, lasts between one to three days in ISM's Software Testing Laboratory in Bethesda, Maryland. Fifteen of the Top 30 packages get designated to ISM's “Top 15” list. When you purchase a paper or electronic version of our 2002 CRM Software Reviews product, you also will receive full contact information for the winners.
Here are my best wishes that CRM Automation assists you in your CRM automation efforts.
Barton Goldenberg
President & Founder
ISM, Inc.
Bethesda, MD