Review and Assessment of CRM solutions
CRM software applications embody best practices and employs advanced technologies to help organisations achieve these goals.
Categories of CRM solutions
Any enterprise, which wants to implement CRM solutions can choose from four categories of solutions
Integrated applications suite
Interfaced applications bundle
Interfaced best of breed solutions
Best of cluster
Selecting an interfaced best of breed approach for pure functionality or a front office application suite solely for integration limits enterprise choices. Enterprises need to start with a clear picture of the basic truths of integration, interfacing and functionality.
An integrated application suite is a set of application that employs a common architecture, referencing a common logical database with a single schema. Some suites are more often interfaced application bundle i.e. a set of interfaced application from a single vendor containing more than one technical architecture or more than one logical database- frequently assembled by the vendor through the process of acquisition or partnership
An alternative approach to suites is an interfaced best of breed solution – an approach whereby an enterprise selects from multiple vendors a set of applications that must be interfaced to work together, either by the enterprise, one of the selected vendors or a third party integrator.
The individual applications are not the best in any objective sense. Rather, some enterprises select the applications because they best meet the particular needs.
The challenge of this approach is that, in some cases, the enterprise fails to complete the necessary interfaces to get the individual applications working together; consequently, the applications remain stovepipes.
Best of cluster is similar to best of breed except that here best is chosen from the cluster and they are interfaced.
CRM software applications embody best practices and employs advanced technologies to help organisations achieve these goals.
Categories of CRM solutions
Any enterprise, which wants to implement CRM solutions can choose from four categories of solutions
Integrated applications suite
Interfaced applications bundle
Interfaced best of breed solutions
Best of cluster
Selecting an interfaced best of breed approach for pure functionality or a front office application suite solely for integration limits enterprise choices. Enterprises need to start with a clear picture of the basic truths of integration, interfacing and functionality.
An integrated application suite is a set of application that employs a common architecture, referencing a common logical database with a single schema. Some suites are more often interfaced application bundle i.e. a set of interfaced application from a single vendor containing more than one technical architecture or more than one logical database- frequently assembled by the vendor through the process of acquisition or partnership
An alternative approach to suites is an interfaced best of breed solution – an approach whereby an enterprise selects from multiple vendors a set of applications that must be interfaced to work together, either by the enterprise, one of the selected vendors or a third party integrator.
The individual applications are not the best in any objective sense. Rather, some enterprises select the applications because they best meet the particular needs.
The challenge of this approach is that, in some cases, the enterprise fails to complete the necessary interfaces to get the individual applications working together; consequently, the applications remain stovepipes.
Best of cluster is similar to best of breed except that here best is chosen from the cluster and they are interfaced.