Contact Management Studies
The two documents below, in different ways, study the usefulness of CRM.
Case Study: Moving on Up from Contact Management
Read how a call center with offices in the United States and the Philippines realized that their homegrown CRM solution was holding back business growth. The company quickly ramped up with online CRM and were glad they did.
Article: Is CRM Worth it?
This article, from ItJungle.com, cuts through the hype and examines an IDC study on whether CRM can really help most companies. The writer recognizes that the case for CRM is often more complex and subtle than the case for other business automation programs, like Supply Chain Management. ITJungle, although not the prettiest site to look at, does have a number of interesting articles, it just takes some bushwhacking, so to speak, to find them.
Research Companies
The case studies and white paper found on a CRM vendor's site can be valuable, but there is nothing as useful as completely objective information. The three companies below are recognized leaders in the business software/CRM field.
Gartner Research
On its site, Gartner has a number of valuable papers that objectively discuss the merit of different CRM packages, available for free. Other papers, typically the ones that drill down deeper into the specifics of a particular system, come at a price. The Customer Relationship Management section of the site has a useful section where the important information hidden in press releases from major CRM vendors is found and analyzed.
IDC
IDC analyzes and predicts technology trends. Through research documents, subscription research services, consulting, and live conferences, IDC helps their clients make strategic, fact-based decisions on IT purchases and business strategy. With offices in more than 50 countries, IDC leaders say that business executives and IT managers have relied on their advice for more than 40 years.
Yankee Group
Whether it's planning, executing or optimizing the use of technology, Yankee Group's analysts transform market intelligence and real-world experience into valuable advice. Headquartered in Boston, Yankee Group research and sales staff are located around the world.
Portals
The following CRM portals all have their differences, but they also have a lot in common. Most of them have the latest news on CRM vendors and software packages, resource libraries, articles on trends in the Customer Relationship Management field, industry-specific sections (automotive, banking, insurance, legal), and a few have discussion boards and forums.
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