SellMoreNow.com Review Process
Taxonomy of CRM Solutions
tax·on·o·my (tàk-sòn¹e-mê) noun
1. The classification of organisms in an ordered system that indicates natural relationships. 2. The science, laws, or principles of classification; systematics.
3. Division into ordered groups or categories: "Scholars have been laboring to develop a taxonomy of young killers" (Aric Press).
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition.
When I started writing about software for sales and marketing professionals late in 1984, I really thought most companies would be effectively utilizing this awesome technology by now. It is a tragedy that so many companies have yet to discover the power of customer relationship management. Not only because you are wasting the valuable time of so many people in their own companies; but also because you are not caring for your customers as well as you might! As I have struggled to understand what could hold people back from using these great new tools, I slowly came to realize one of the main problems was simple confusion. There are just too many programs making similar claims. Everybody can do everything! When faced with this confusing array of claims, many sales managers just give up.
A New Taxonomy of Sales Automation Software
Time for a True Confession: At times, I too have been bewildered by the ever increasing array of programs hitting my desk for review! In my never-ending quest to help people make meaningful software comparisons, I realized we needed a new taxonomy of customer relationship management software.
The solution came to me in a flashback to Sales 101 - sell benefits, not features! The software developers are always drowning me with endless lists of new features for their programs. My reply is always, "So what! How does that help people sell more?" After thinking about it a while, it seemed obvious, the best way to categorize the various customer relationship management programs is according to the sales or marketing problem they are designed to solve.
The primary job of many customer relationship management programs is to keep track of the various people you are selling to and the different interactions you have with these people. Since your contacts are the lifeblood of your business, I think of these as strategic solutions. Other customer relationship management programs are designed to solve specific problems like effectively preparing a proposal or quotation for a prospect. I think of these as tactical solutions.
Strategic Solutions
The primary function of those programs I call strategic solutions is to keep track of the many people you deal with and to manage your interactions with these people. Traditionally most of the programs serving these tasks have been lumped into the one giant category called contact managers. Software developers who have focused on delivering systems for large sales forces, such as the pharmaceutical industry, tended to do a good job of data consolidation from the large group of sales people, a good job of management reporting, and a good job of communicating with legacy computer systems used by these larger corporations. Unfortunately, these software developers seldom did a good job on the basic "contact management" functions. When challenged on this point, the typical reply was, "Our program isn't a contact manager."
This attitude overlooks a basic fact, sales people carry out certain tasks whether they work alone, on a team of twenty, or as a member of a two thousand person sales force. As the size of the group grows, a customer relationship management program must add capabilities to facilitate work among the various team members. However, in all cases, the program should provide at least basic contact and calendar management functions. Only after satisfying these basic minimum requirements, should a program branch out to other customer relationship management functions. Another important consideration is the flexibility of the program. No two businesses sell the same way. The more complex your sales environment, the more flexibility you will require.
I further subdivide the available solutions into the several sub-categories. These are not hard and firm - there is still lots of gray area. Just remember, I don't have any ulterior motives here - I am just trying to help you zoom in on logical groups of programs for your comparative exploration.
The programs discussed here fall over the full continuum form the simplest single user contact manager to sophisticated enterprise CRM solution suites. Though some of the developers might disagree with my classifications, all of these programs have been assigned to a category based on my judgment after reviewing the programs and/or materials provided to me. There are no absolute demarcation lines between categories, so don't get too hung up on my category classifications. These are designed to help you compare "Apples with Apples." However, there are always exceptions!
Tactical Solutions
Sales, marketing & support people face many challenges as they continue on their quest of finding new prospects, discovering their requirements, developing quotations or proposals, presenting their products, closing orders, and taking great care of their customers. As the customer relationship management software category continues to mature, many great programs are emerging to solve specific problems encountered in the sales cycle. These are the programs that I refer to as tactical solutions.
There is no magic formula here. The trick is to look for ways to use technology to leverage your efforts to close more sales and take better care of your customers. I know of companies that do not even use a strategic program, yet are quite delighted with the added impact they get from some specific tactical program. More commonly, companies are looking for the best program to meet their strategic requirements and haven't even thought about many of the great tactical solutions available. Again, the categories are not absolute and are primarily my judgment.
As new programs evolve, this list will grow. If you just browse through the tactical solution listings, you are sure to discover solutions to problems you may not have realized you had! If you face a particular sales or marketing challenge that does not seem to be met by one of these programs, let me hear about it!
The SellMoreNow.com - Software SnapShot
Whenever I discover a new program of potential interest to sales and marketing professionals, I try to begin a relationship with the developer by asking them to complete my Software SnapShot. In addition to basic facts about the company and program, I ask the following questions:
I also ask them to include a complete "Press Kit" of background information and a complete working copy of the program. When completing the Software SnapShot, I urge developers to eliminate the marketing hype and to candidly respond to these questions. On a continuous basis, I ask all of the developers in my database to update their Software SnapShot and tell me what is new with their program and company. The information provided in the Software SnapShot documents was compiled through this process.
Putting This Information To Work
Remember, the primary objective of this web site is to give you a good picture of the many programs that might help you improve your sales and marketing. The information is organized so that you can zero in on solutions to your specific problems. There are no "silver-bullet" solutions here. Use this information to focus on two or three potential solutions, then do your homework to determine the best one for your situation. If you get stuck, just let me know how I can help.
Putting this technology to work is too important to your future success! Don't get bogged down, let me help you sell more!
Major New Version Releases
Whenever a company releases a major new version, I give them the benefit of doubt and assume all of my previous comments (Good or Bad!) are rendered obsolete. What you will then see in the product description section of my Software SnapShots is the information provided by the companies in the press releases announcing their new version. I generally begin work on a complete update of the In-Depth Review as soon as the company provides the software and other review material to me.
In-Depth Review Process
I believe that my reviews are the most comprehensive documents available on these Customer Relationship Management programs. If you would like to get a better idea of exactly what information is covered, scan the following list of section headings. Then, I'll tell you a little more about the process.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
THE COMPANY
Financial Condition
Employees
Management Team
PRODUCT LINE
Installed Base
TARGET MARKET
PRICING
Service & Support Plans
Sales Channels
A SOLID FOUNDATION
SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
CLIENT HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
SERVER HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
INTERACTION CAPABILITIES
Telephony Support
Fax Support
PDA Support
Wireless Device Support
Email Support
Collaboration Support
Portal Support
Chat Support
DATABASE SYNCHRONIZATION CAPABILITIES
INSTALLATION
Security Capabilities
Data Importing/Exporting Capabilities
Data Quality Capabilities
Database Utilities
Implementation Process
DOCUMENTATION
TRAINING SUPPORT
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
End User License Agreement
Customer Satisfaction
CREDIBILITY
Accountability
Return-On-Investment
SOFTWARE QUALITY
CUSTOMIZATION & FLEXIBILITY
Technical Details
User Defined Fields
Custom Screens
User Management
APPLICATION INTEGRATION CAPABILITIES
BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES
INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT
EASE OF USE
User Interface
Command Structure
Wizards
Error Handling
Help Files
CORE CAPABILITIES
ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
Entering Accounts
Editing Accounts
Searching for Accounts
Managing Groups
360° Account View
CONTACT MANAGEMENT
Appearance and Organization of Contact Screen
Entering Contacts
Editing Contacts
Searching for Contacts
Access Account Information from the Web
ACTIVITY MANAGEMENT
TIME MANAGEMENT
Appointment Management
Group Scheduling
OUTLOOK INTEGRATION
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES
REPORTING CAPABILITIES
Standard Reports
Custom Reports
CRM ANALYTICS
OLAP
Data Mining
Executive Reporting
WORD PROCESSING & OFFICE SUPPORT
TOTAL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
MARKETING SUPPORT CAPABILITIES
Web Marketing 101
Marketing Operations Management
Campaign Management
Web Response Management
Lead Qualification and Distribution
Event and Seminar Management
Collateral Fulfillment
Survey Management
Online Incentive Promotions
Marketing Analysis
FIELD SALES SUPPORT CAPABILITIES
Account Management
Opportunity Management
Competitor Management
Quotation & Proposal Generation
Order Entry & Management
CALL CENTER SUPPORT CAPABILITIES
Inbound Call Support
Outbound Call Support
Computer Telephony Integration
SALES IMPACT
SALES MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES
Planning & Deployment
Quotas & Forecasting
Sales Process Management
Performance Measurement
Sales Compensation
PARTNER MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES
CUSTOMER SUPPORT CAPABILITIES
Web Support 101
Case Management
Product Database
Problem Resolution
Knowledge Base
Performance and Productivity Management
Change Requests
Customer Feedback
Service Agreements
eBUSINESS SUPPORT CAPABILITIES
BACK OFFICE INTEGRATION CAPABILITIES
ASP (Application Service Provider) SUPPORT
Data Center & Operations
Service Level Agreement
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
THIRD-PARTY PRODUCT SUPPORT
CASE STUDY
FINAL THOUGHTS
Strategic Vision
Tactical Execution
Technological Foundation
Core Capabilities
Total Customer Life-Cycle Management
Looking Forward
Whenever I discover a new program, I begin a dialog with the company by asking them to send me a press kit. Then I ask them to answer a series of questions to give me a better idea of just who they are and why they think they have something to offer this already overcrowded market. This information forms the basis for the first four sections of the In-Depth Review and the Software SnapShots published elsewhere on this site. By the way, many software developers have trouble getting past even this basic step!
Then, I ask them to provide me with a complete working version of the program (including full documentation), just like you would get if you bought the program. I also have another detailed round of questions that I ask at this point, on average, about 15 questions for each of the section headings listed above. Once I get answers to these questions, I load the program and put it through my own complete battery of tests. First, I look at things from the perspective of the sales people who will have to use the program every day. Here, the key question is, How does this program help the sales team take better care of their customers? Then, I look at things from the perspective of sales management. Here, the key question is, Do the opportunity management capabilities provide the tools needed to improve forecasting and management of the sales process? Finally, I look at things from the perspective of the IT manager (or, whoever will be responsible for installing and maintaining the system). Here the key issues include just how extensively, and easily, the system can be customized. I also load my test database and evaluate the database synchronization capabilities at this point.
Once I do this work, I sit down with my notes and write the final In-Depth Review documents. You should know that I work hard to write all the reviews in a consistent and structured format. This way you can easily compare the features most important to you across several programs. If I have a current review on a program, you will find an order button at the bottom of that program's Software SnapShot. I also show the actual number of pages and the date of the last update at that point.
I try to maintain an ongoing dialog with all serious software developers in this market segment. I update the review documents continuously as I obtain new information from the software developers or from the many actual users that I communicate with.
Review Status - Symbol Decoder
If you see the following banner:
Then, a current review is available. Just click on the banner and you will be taken to the Review Order form. (Please be patient - this might take a few seconds!) Also, I will list at that point complete details on the length of the review, version covered and date of the last review updates.
If you do not see this banner, I generally list a brief statement of the review status. If it is close to completion, you can click on a link there to get on a waiting list for that review.
Many programs are "Review Candidates." This is a program that I have discovered from my own independent research or a program that one of you has asked me about. The information presented in the Software SnapShot for these Review Candidates was gathered from the company web site or other publicly available sources and is presented here for your convenience.
You should know in advance that many Review Candidates choose not to cooperate with my review process. The most common excuse I hear is that they "don't have time." I think this is a wimp excuse and urge you to proceed with caution with any of these software developers. The program could still be a good match for you. However, since I am unable to provide you with my own independent appraisal of this program, I seldom recommend a Review Candidates! Sadly, the CRM industry continues to be an over-hyped software category.
If you are trying to research a program you don't see listed here, please let me know. As part of my recent web site update, I did drop several companies who have not maintained a dialog with me over the past year. Also, there are still new companies entering the game. I remain committed to independent analysis of any serious entrant to this market.
Thanks, Rich Bohn
No part of these publications may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, or transmitted by email, without permission in writing from the publisher.
The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Denali Group disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. Denali Group shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained herein or for interpretations thereof.
The reader assumes sole responsibility for the selection of these materials to achieve its intended results. This publication is not intended for use as a source of any advice such as legal, medical or accounting. The Publisher wants to stress that the information contained herein may be subject to varying international, federal, state and/or local laws or regulations. The purchaser or reader of this publication assumes responsibility for the use of these materials and information. Adherence to all applicable laws and regulations, including international, federal, state and local, governing professional licensing, business practices, advertising and all other aspects of doing business in the US, Canada or any other jurisdiction is the sole responsibility of the purchaser or reader. Neither the author nor the publisher assume any responsibility or liability whatsoever on behalf of any purchaser or reader of these materials.
Any perceived slight of specific people or organization is unintentional. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.
Rich's Recommended Web Sites
Meet Bart Goldenberg
I think my reviews are the best available anywhere - objective, detailed, hard-hitting, no BS, and each one written by me personally! However, for many reasons, they might not meet your own unique requirements. So, given that my primary objective is to help you make a purchase decision and get on with your project, here is another source of reviews. Bart has been around nearly as long as I have. Unlike me, his primary business is consulting. But, he also publishes reviews. I think my process is more rigorous and my reviews still cost less. However, here is another resource for your consideration.
Copyright © 2004 by The Denali Group, Inc. (www.sellmorenow.com)