Chapter 16. Eight Key Implementation Issues for Effective CRM Systems

At this stage in the development of the CRM industry, the weakest link remains the less than optimal implementation of CRM systems. In the past, some distinguished CRM analysts published research that indicated very high CRM system failure rates. ISM has never concurred with these high figures. Too often, success in the form of metrics is not specified at the outset of the CRM project, leading to one division of the company calling the CRM project a failure while another division calls it a success. Nonetheless, ISM does concur that the CRM industry needs to improve the level of implementation professionalism, and that there are few, if any, implementation shortcuts.

With this in mind, let us turn to the eight key CRM system implementation issues. Please note that the following eight issues refer to post-CRM software selection implementation (i.e., assume that the company involved in the CRM initiative has specified the software vendor of choice, or has agreed upon internal specifications for building the system).