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REPORT

Measuring Value & Success from CRM

MAXIMIZER SME BENCHMARK STUDY 2017

PART II: KEY PRODUCT FEATURES AND BUSINESS OUTCOMES

An annual study of the value and success that SMEs are gaining from CRM in Europe, Middle East and Africa

Published By

2R E PO RT Measuring Value & Success from CRM Maximizer SME Benchmark Study 2017 - PART II

Management Summary

• Thereisalackofresearch-basedliterature on the genuine value and success that small tomedium-sizedenterprisesareachieving through use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM systems)

• Inordertohelpfillthisgap,Maximizerispublishing,forthefirsttime,itsannual researchintothesubject–theMaximizerSME BenchmarkStudy

• Thestudyexaminesresearchundertakenwith 300 SME customers of CRM solutions in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Thestudyoutputsinclude2publications, focussedonparticularelementsthatcontribute to delivering CRM value and success:

o Part I: Key Business Objectives and Operating Benefits-examinesfactors around tactical and strategic approaches in addressingthenewcustomerjourney.

o Part II: Key Product Features and Business Outcomes -examinesthemorepracticaluse ofCRMwithreferencetogainingCRMmastery.

• ThestudyshowsthatSMEsregardCentralisation ofCustomerDataastheprimarybusiness outcome achieved from CRM, thus providing auniversal,high-quality,transparentviewof all aspects of performance, potentially availabletoallareasofthebusiness.

• Interestingly, while Business Intelligence and Insight ranked within Achieved Business Outcomes, this was not necessarily reflected in the CRM Features results, which were low for reporting functions such as Dashboards and Advanced Excel Reporting. This however highlights a great opportunity to gain even wider value from both data and CRM.

• ThereportreflectsthewayaproportionofSMEs are putting their CRM solution at the heart of theirbusiness,drivingandmanagingthecomplete customerexperienceacrossalltouchpoints-sales, marketing,finance,operations,productdevelopment, customer service, product development, and so on.

• ThepurposeofpublishingtheMaximizerSME BenchmarkStudyistoprovideSMEswithaclear pictureofhowCRMdeploymentsuccessisamongst theircounterparts,andwhatobjectivesand benefitsaremostcommonlyprioritisedasshowing ameasureablereturn-on-investment.

• Thisdocumentshouldbereadinconjunctionwith Measuring Value and Success from CRM, The MaximizerSMEBenchmarkStudy–2017,Part1-BusinessObjectivesandKeyOperatingBenefits.

AnySMECRMuserwhowishestotakepartintheannualbenchmarkingresearchshouldcontactcustomersuccess@maximizer.co.uk

IfyouwishtoreceiveanyoftheabovepublicationsorrequireadditionalhelporsupportregardingtheBenchmarkStudyorCRMMastery,pleaseemail:[email protected]


CRMrequiressomelevelofresourceandfinancialcommitment, so understanding the return on that investment is critical to assessing its success and value tothebusiness.

Forsmallandmedium-sizedenterprises(SMEs),convenientlyavailableevidencefrompeerexperienceofCRM,thebenefitstheyaregaining,andthesolutionfeatureswhichhelpthemachievethesebenefitsprovideinsightwhichtheycanimmediatelypressintoaction,eithertomakethatinitialCRMinvestmentortogainabetterreturnontheirexistingCRM.

However,thereislittlefactualstatisticalmaterialavailableonvaluethatSMEsareabletogainfromtheirCRM investment.

One survey reveals that almost half of SMEs are adopting ‘cloud’ solutions for their CRM1. Another analyst notes the need to overcome hype around CRM and deliver hard ROI evidence2. The same commentator has started to offer an approach to buildinganROIcalculationmethodology3.

1Vistage,MobileandCloudTechnologies,19Jul20142Forrester,TopTrendsforCRM2015,9Feb20153Forester:KLeggett,SPowers,MCain,PHarrison, Quantify the Business Value of CRM

TheMaximizerCRMBenchmarkStudyaimstofillthisinformation gap, providing hard evidence of the value andsuccessthatsmallerandmedium-sizedenterprisesare gaining from their CRM solutions. Also included is practical guidance on achieving CRM mastery and measuringresultsforbusinessgrowthandsuccess.

TheAnnualBenchmarkStudy2017–MeasuringValueand Success from CRM contains independent analysis ofresearchwith300SMEBusinessesacrosstheEMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and consistsof2publications:

• Part I: Key Business Objectives and Operating Benefits-examinestacticalandstrategicapproachesinaddressingthenewcustomerjourney.

• This report, Part II: Key Product Features and Business Outcomes-examinesthemorepractical useofCRMwithreferencetogainingCRMmastery.

Introduction

69%

54%

54%

38%

26%

24%

18%17%

by Industry Sector

Manufacturing

IT & Communications

Other Industries

Consultancy

Finance

Administrative

Education

Construction

by Geographic Breakdown

53.5%

22%

18.9%

5.6%

United Kingdom

Europe

South Africa

Other


CRMisexperiencingaperiodofevolution.Putsimply,theoldsalesmodelisdead.Gonearethedayswhencustomersandprospectsinteractedwithsalesasanexpertsourceofinformation.Nowadays,peoplecomeready informed.

Thischangehasbeenbothsuddenandrapid,inlinewiththeadvancementoftheworldwideweb.Customersarenowmakinganewkindof“journey”towardsapurchase,wheretheystartwiththeirownresearch.

Sothetechniquesthosemarketingandsalesteamsnowhavetopursueneedtoembraceavarietyofwaystoattract,informandhelpthecustomeronthatjourneywithadviceandinformationthatgenuinelysupporttheirself-educationandresearch.Thisiswhyawholeindustryof‘contentmarketing’hasgrownupoverthelastfiveyears,fuellingthisprocess.

The Changing Habits of Customers

AWARENESS CONSIDERATION PURCHASE RETENTION ADVOCACY

PR

Radio

TVPrint

Word ofMouth

Online Ads

Email

PPCSocial Ads

Reviews

Blogs

Media

Direct Mail / Email

E-commerce

Store

Website

Community Forum

FAQ Knowledge Base

Promotions

Blog

Social Networks

Newsletter

Salesandmarketingalsoneedamethodoftrackingcustomerandprospectbehaviour,andtheirexpressionsofinterestinasubject,whichindicatethatTHEYareonthejourneytowardspurchase.

Peopleareincreasinglyresistanttobeingsoldto.Soanorganisationthatisseenasinformative,expertand helpful as the customer progresses along their ‘journey’towardspurchase,makesitselfmorelikelytobeputonthelistofpotentialsuppliers.


However,weshouldnotonlybetalkingaboutthesalesandmarketingfunctions,eventhoughtheyareatthesharpendofbusinessdevelopmentandgrowth.CRMhasnowbecomeatoolacrossallfacetsofabusinessandforallapplicationsofbusinessintelligence.

Accordingly,businessesarenolongerimplementingCRMsolutionsinisolation,butareestablishingthemasahubintowhichallothersystemsfeed(e.g.accounting,marketingautomation,ERPetc.),andfromwhichtheydrawoutoperatingintelligenceandinsight.

Asaresult,notonlycanallfunctionsofthebusinessbenefitfromtheCRMhub,theyarealsobeingheldmoremeasurablyresponsiblefortheircontributiontocustomersatisfaction,profitabilitymanagementandbusinessgrowth.Everydepartmentofacompany’soperationsisnowvisiblyresponsibleforcreatingapositivecustomerexperienceandtohelpgenerateenhancedrevenueandprofitablegrowth.Thisisimportant for all companies’ future potential.

SomakingtherightCRMchoiceandgettingthemostoutofthatsolutionisnowmuchmorecriticalforbusinessesthaneverbefore.ButSMEsalsoneedtoknowmorepreciselyhowtheirpeersareachievingthis goal. What elements of their CRM solution are theyfindingmostvaluable?Andwhy?Thefollowingresearchresultsandobservationsaimtohelpaddresssuchquestions.

CRM - the Knowledge Hub of Business

CRM Knowledge

Hub

Sales

Customer Service

Marketing

Finance

Management


Before delving into the results on product features andbusinessoutcomes,itisworthreflectingontheconclusionsreachedinPartIoftheSMEBenchmarkStudylookingatBusinessObjectivesandOperatingBenefits,andhowthesemayreflectthegrowingevolution of positioning CRM at the heart of a businesstohelpaddressthenewcustomerjourney,engagementandexperiencedemands.

Itisworthnotingthataroundathirdofcompaniessurveyed are already placing their CRM solution attheheartoftheirbusiness,inthattheyarestrategically using their CRM solution to Increase Growth(seegraphicbelow).

These companies are using the CRM solution as the knowledgeandoperatinghubor‘layer’withwhichto drive customer satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue/profitgrowth.Forthesepioneers,alldecisionmakingprocessesacrossthecompany–whethercompany-wideordepartmentbydepartment–drawontheCRMsolution.

Although this totally strategic approach is not reportedbythewholeresearchgroup,thefactthat a third of respondents are implementing this ‘mature’positionisanindicatorofhowrapidlythestrategicuseofCRMistakingholdamongsmallerandmedium-sizedenterprises.

How Important is CRM with the Business?

84%Improve Process Efficiency

75%Increase Productivity

37%Improve Decision Making

41% Increase Revenue

44%Increase Customer Loyalty and Satisfaction

Top 6 Critical BusinessObjectives for CRM

31% Increase Growth


Aswithanysoftwareortechnologye.g.mobilephones,tablets,in-cartechnology,mostaredesignedwithahostofproductfeatures,withamajorityofusersonlyaccessingasubsetofthesefunctions.Potentialopportunitiesandbenefitsthatadditionalfeaturesmayprovide,bothatapersonalandbusinesslevel,remainunexplored.CRMisnodifferentinthisregard.

ThisstudynotonlyexaminesthecommonfeaturesusedbycustomersintheirCRM,buttakesittothenextlevelbyconsideringwhentheyarelikelytobeemployed at different stages of CRM use and mastery as indicated in the associated Bar Chart.

IndividualcompanieswillofcoursevaryintermsofCRMfeaturerequirementsdependentontheirownindividualbusinessprocessesandoutcomeneeds.However,thetableprovidesanindicationofaprogressive approach to CRM adoption and maturity withthelikelyfeaturesthatareemployedateachstageleading to CRM Mastery.

DashboardsThenextsectionofthereportfurtherexplorestheuseofthesefeaturesinrelationtothebusinessoutcomesachieved.Oneproductfeatureofnote,Dashboards,isconsistentlyidentifiedacrossmanyofthebusinessoutcomesdiscussedbelow.

Withonly25%oftheRespondentscurrentlyusingthisfeature,thisindicatessignificantopportunitiesforbusinessestogainadditionalbenefitandvaluefromtheircustomerandbusinessdatainvestments.

WhileDashboardsarerepresentedwithintheIntermediate Level of CRM Mastery, their employment atearlierstagescanbeadvantageoustobothbusinessmanagersandstafftoaccessexistingbusinessintelligence, monitor performance and identify areas of concern,inaveryvisualwaywhichiseasytointerpretand understand.

CRM Features: Adoption Levels

DashboardsareoftenviewedascomplextosetupbutyourCRMshouldincludeanumberofpredefinedtemplatestogetyoustartedstraightaway.

Initssimplestform,aDashboardisagraphicalinterfacethatanswersyourdailybusinessquestions– Whereismybusinesscomingfrom?Howmuchrevenuehasmarketinggeneratedforthebusiness?,Areweclosetoourbusinessgoals?

ADashboardandreportingshouldsimplystartfromaquestionwherebyyoucaneasilymoveforwardfromanddevelopaviewofyourbusiness–thissavestime,helpsyoutomakedecisionsandallowsyoutospotareasofgrowthorrisk.


ThesecondpartofthisreportexaminesindetailthetopsixBusinessOutcomesthatarebeingachievedthrough the use of CRM.

Reference is given to the product features that are likelytobeemployedinachievingthesebusinessoutcomes, colour coded to indicate the level of CRM Masteryasdiscussedintheabovesection.

Further considerations are also provided for achieving each of these outcomes.

#1 - Centralisation of Customer DataCentralisationofCustomerDatawasthetoprankingbenefitachievedwithCRMasstatedby87%ofrespondents (See Part I Report). Unsurprisingly, its importanceisfurtherreiteratedhere,beingthetopBusinessOutcomeaswell.

Atabasicorentrylevel,CRMisoftenusedasan‘AddressBook’orrepositoryforcompanyandcontactdetails.

However,CRMismuchmorethanthisandcanbeusedtostoreinfinitetypesofinformationrelatedtoallareasofabusiness,fromfinance,marketing,sales,deliveryand customer support.

Acentralrepositoryofkeycustomerinformation,captureddirectlyintotheCRMsolution,and/ordrawnfromexistingsystems(ERP,finance,callcentre,etc.), provides for the ultimate CRM implementation, deliveringwhatbusinessstrategistsoftencallthe“oneversionofthetruth”andresolvingthechallengeof inconsistent data across different systems and departments.

ThisisanessentialprerequisiteforCRM,ifitistobedeployed throughout the organisation, and ensures that customers are treated consistently across all touchpoints.

Business Outcomes

#1 Centralisation of Customer Data

Key Business Outcomes Achieved with CRM

#2Segmentation Analysis

#3 Customer Profilesand History

#4Activity Tracking and Triggers

#5 Customer ExperienceManagement

#6 Business Intelligence / Insight

Centralisationofcustomerdata,bydefinition,encouragesbettercollaborationbetweenteams,especiallywheneasilyaccessiblefromanylocationthrough a ‘cloud’ deployment4. From a senior management perspective, centralised data held in the CRM also helps to give a more comprehensive viewtoallofthevariousinteractionsandexperiencesacustomerishavingwith the organisation.

4 See, for instance: IDC, Small and Medium Businesses: CloudAdoptionforApplications,17Sept2015;eWeek,CRMadoptiontoreach$24Billionin2014:Gartner,Feb2014


Ofcriticalimportanceistheassessmentofbusinessobjectives,activities,outcomesandreportingrequirementstoaccuratelyidentifythekeydataneedsforbusiness.Afinebalanceneedstobereached in capturing useful data and ensuring input/updating activities are not too onerous for users. Too difficult a process can lead to poor user adoption.

#2 – Segmentation AnalysisAkeyfunctionofaCRMsolutionistheabilitytosegmentandanalysedata.Itspositionasthenumber2rankingforBusinessOutcomesmirrorstheimportancegiventothisactivity.ImprovedSegmentationwasalsoaKeyBusinessBenefit(50%ofrespondents)asreported in Part I of the Report.

Segmentationistheprocessofdividingabusinessmarketconsistingofpotentialandexistingcustomersintosub-groupsbasedonsharedcharacteristics.Thisisoftenassociatedwithmarketingandsales,butcanbeappliedtoallfunctionsinabusiness,fromcustomerservicethroughtofinance.

Itdrivesmanyactions:howtofocusdifferentlevelsofcustomerservicetowardsdifferentlevelsofcustomers,howtodeveloptherightproductwithoutcannibalisingcurrentrevenues,howtoensuretimelypaymentwithoutdrivingprofitablecustomersawayand more.

Segmentationhelpsbusinessestoknowwhotheircustomersare,howtheybehave,howmuchattentionand resource they consume, and ultimately the overall revenueandprofittheygenerate.Segmentationallowsresourcestobeappliedtoeachclientinaccordancewiththeirrealvaluetothebusiness,reducingwastedeffortandmaximizingthesatisfactionofcustomerswhoreallyrepresenttheorganisation’sfuture.

ThelevelofflexibilitythataCRMsolutionoffersiscriticalhere,particularlytheabilitytoeasilyexpandthesolution.Forexample,UserDefinedFields(UDFs)allowuserstosetupcustomerattributesandsearchesthatexactlyreflecthowthebusinessworks,andnotbeconfinedbythecompromiseofpre-setfields. Havesuchfieldsalsoallowsforsomecleversegmentation analysis.

Key Features to Employ

• Advanced Searches• Column Views• Export to Excel• Favourites Lists• Catalogue Searches• Dashboards

Further Considerations?

Further Considerations?Key Features to Employ

• Address book• UDFs• Notes• Opportunities• Document Tab• Favourites Lists


#3 – Customer Profiles and HistoryImprovedDataQualityandValuecameoutasthe2ndtopOperatingBenefitachievedwithCRMasstatedby70%ofrespondents.ThisispartlydowntothisthirdrankingBusinessOutcomethatallowsforcustomerprofilesandhistoriestobecapturedwithinCRM.

Peopledobusinesswithpeople,andahumantouchisoftenbestenabledthroughacombinationofadatabaseprofileandqualifyingnotesaboutthebusinessandthepeoplethatyouareengagedwith,whethertheyaredetailsaboutmeetingsorcalls,buyerbehaviours,commoninterests,politicalpositionandmore.

Customer notes, and the discipline of having to fillthemin,meanthatsomeofthemostpowerfulcustomerknowledgeandengagementhistoryisavailabletotherelevantdepartments/usersifandwhenaparticularmemberofstaffisunavailableorhasmoved on from the organisation.

FurtherintelligencecanbegainedthroughahostofotherunstructuredinformationthatcanbestoredwithintheCRM. Usually designated as ‘document management’ or ‘documentlibrary’,theCRMhubmakesadiverserangeofkeydocumentsavailable,suchas:contracts,reviews,supportdocuments,servicereports,quotations,meetingminutes,diagrams,webreferencesandmuchmore.Notonlydotheseneedtobeatthefingertipsofmanypartsofabusinesstoanswerqueries,managecomplaintsandnegotiate opportunities, there are often legal and audit considerationswhykeydocumentsshouldbeaccuratelystored/categorised.

Settingclearguidelines,objectivesandbusinessbenefitsaroundthecaptureanduseofsuchdatawillhelpdeliveruserbuy-inandcompliance.Ensuringa logical and consistent approach is adopted for cataloguingdifferenttypesofdatawillhelpthosesubsequentlyaccessingtheinformationtodelivermore personalised, efficient and effective responses to customers.

#4 – Activity Tracking and Alerts ImprovedVisibilityofCommunicationsandActivitieswasstatedby60%ofrespondentstohavebeenaKeyBenefitAchievedfromCRM.FurthervaluecanbeexploitedfromthisdatabytheapplicationofkeyCRM features that deliver additional outcomes, such as ActivityTrackingandAlerts.

SalesTeamsbynaturearecompetitiveandmayoftenbepronetoprotectingtheircontacts,intelligenceandactivities,resultingindatasilosandlackofknowledgesharing.Howeveronceon-board,SalesTeamscanenjoynumerousbenefitsfromCRM,suchasresearchandprofilingactivitiespriortoaprospectorcustomermeetingorcall.ThisallowstheSalespersontodemonstraterelevantknowledgeandunderstandingofthesituation,businessandpeopleinvolved,resultingininteractionsbeingmorerewardingandbeneficialtobothparties.

Leadqualification,activitycapture,salespipelineanalysisandreporting,withsalesopportunitiesqualificationandorderprocessworkflowsreflectedwithintheCRM,canimproveSalesTeamproductivityand close rates. Sales triggers and alerts can prompt furtheractionwhenacustomerexhibitsaparticularbehaviour,orpassesathreshold,ornearsarenewaldate, ensuring further opportunities are not missed.


• Notes• Company Library• Documents Tab• Data Import• Email• Dashboards



However,intheworldofthenewcustomerjourney,these triggers are not simply to prompt salespeople intoaction.WitheverypartofthebusinessusingtheCRM‘hub’,cleverCRMispossible:customerservicecanbepromptedtopayextraattentiontoaclientwhenanupgradeorcross-sellisnearingcompletion;financecanbepromptedtochangethecharacterofitsrevenuecollectionwhenacustomerisparticularlyprofitable,orshowsmajoradditionalrevenuepotential;productmanagementcanbedirectedtoselectparticularly enthusiastic or pioneering customers for pilot developments.

Managementcanensureresourceisbeingoptimisedand allocated to the most important activities via activity tracking,aswellasbealertedtoanyareasofthebusinessorcustomerinteractionsthatarecausingproblemsandrequiremanagementinteractionorresolution.Activitytrackingalsoprovidesaclearoverviewofthesalespipelineandpotentialcashprojections.

Havingclearlydefinedbusinessactivitiesmappedanddocumented,togetherwithflexibilitywithintheCRMtodeliverprocesseswithcustomisablestagesandstageagingattributes,willprovideadetailedviewofbusinessactivities,timescalesandresources.UsedinconjunctionwithDashboards,thisdataprovidesaverypowerfulbusinessinsightsandintelligence tool.

#5 – Managing Customer ExperienceWithwell-establishedstatisticssuchas‘newcustomeracquisitioncostsbeingfivetimesasmuchascustomerretentioncosts’and‘theprobabilityofsellingtoanexistingcustomerbeing60-70%comparedto5-20%foranewcustomer’,thereisnoargumentagainstthesuccessfulmanagementofcustomerexperiencebeingcriticaltobuildinglongtermbusinessgrowth.

44%ofrespondentsstatedIncreaseCustomerLoyaltyandSatisfactionasthethirdrankingBusinessObjective.It’sthereforenotsurprisingthatManagingCustomerExperienceisplacedinthetop6BusinessOutcomesfromCRM.

Gartnerdefinesmanagingcustomerexperienceas“thepractice of designing and reacting to customer interactions tomeetorexceedcustomerexpectationsand,thus,increasecustomersatisfaction,loyaltyandadvocacy”5 .

Itisastrategythatrequiresprocesschangeandtechnologytoaccomplish,withCRMbeinga critical component.

Withtheabilitytoorganise,manageandautomatedaily customer management activities, CRM allowsresourcetobeavailabletoprovidemoreeffective and efficient customer engagement andexperience.Customerissuescanbeclearlyidentified and resolved effectively leading to longer term customer satisfaction.

TheCRMsolutionhelpsdeliverday-to-dayefficiencywithfunctionsthatprovideanauditabletrailofactions,enablingtheidentificationofinefficiencybottlenecks,refinementofexistingbusinessprocesses,automationofroutinetasksandbetterpersonalorganisation/prioritisation of staff.

Peopleareusuallyoneofthemostexpensiveresources a company employs, so focusing their effortsonskilledcustomermanagement,ratherthanadministration,willdeliverconsiderablebenefit,includingmoreresponsivecustomerservice,betteruseof salespeople’s time, closer measurement of product developmentcyclesandmarketingcampaigns.5Gartner:http://www.gartner.com/it-glossary/customer-experience-management-cem


• UDFs• Opportunities• Colouring Rules• Email• Outlook Integration• Hotlist Tasks• Dashboards



Understanding customer lifetime value plays an importantroleinfocusingcustomerexperiencemanagementtowardsthemostprofitablecustomers.CapturingkeyinformationwithintheCRMallowsfordetailedanalysisofthedatatobeundertakenthat can determine priority customers for improved engagementandexperience,aswellasthosecustomersrequiringreducedserviceandsupportduetolowerlevelsofprofitability,thusensuringresourcesare focussed on the most advantageous activities for businessgrowth.

#6 – Business Intelligence and InsightThemanagementbenefitsofstrategicallyimplementedCRMcannotbeover-estimated.Theabilityformanagers,directorsandownerstoobtainimmediatevisibilityofup-to-datebusinessactivitiesandcustomeractionsandinteractions provides critical intelligence to deliver more informedandeffectivedecisionmaking.

Theseviewshelptodoeverythingfrommanagingday-to-dayefficiencyanddealconversionrates/metrics,rightthrough to analysing, modelling and crafting future strategy andbusinessdevelopmentdirections.

WheneverydepartmentisusingtheCRMhub,processesandprocedurescanbeexaminedforeveryfunctionofthebusiness,withgapsandbottlenecksidentifiedandaddressedtoensureimprovedcustomerengagement,serviceandexperience.

Havingsuchanup-to-dateoverviewofthebusinessprovidesaverypowerfultoolnotonlytomanagement,butforallemployeestohelpbenchmarktheirownsuccessesand challenges and to help retain focus on the activities andkeymetricsthatcontributetobusinessgrowth.

Whilstsome60%ofrespondentshaveratedImprovedVisibilityofCommunicationsandActivitiesasthe3rdtopOperatingBenefit,asdiscussedaboveonlyaquarterofrespondentsaremakinguseofDashboardstoviewandreportonKPIsandothermetrics,withonlyafurther8%accessingadvancedExceltofurtheranalyse the data.

ThisindicatessignificantpotentialforbusinessestogainevengreatervalueandbenefitfromtheirdataandCRMsolutiontohelpdeliverimprovedevidence-baseddecisionmakingandhighergrowthopportunities.


• Favourites Lists• Catalogue Searches• Dashboards• Advanced Excel


• Calendar• Hotlist Tasks• Email• Outlook Integration• Dashboards• Customer Services Cases• Advance Excel Reporting




Conclusion

There is nothing more informative than hard evidence frompeers.Accordingly,MaximizerhaspublishedthesecondpartofthekeyfindingsfromitsannualSMEBenchmarkStudyforthefirsttime,togivesmalltomedium-sizedcompaniesandautonomousdepartments of larger enterprises a clear understanding ofhowtheirpeersaredeployingCRM.ParticularfocusisgiventothefeatureswithinCRMthatareregardedasparticularlyimportantindeliveringkeybusinessbenefits,valueandsuccessfromCRM.

WhatisabundantlyclearisthatwhilstmeasurablebenefitsandoutcomesarebeingachievedthroughCRM,opportunitiesexisttogainevengreatervaluefromcapturedbusinessandcustomerdata.ContinualinvestmentinCRMandworkingtowardsCRM mastery can help deliver detailed intelligence andidentifiableareasforproductivityandprocessimprovements,allofwhichcontributetothehigherstrategicgoalsofsustainablebusinessgrowth.

ItistheintentionthatthispublisheddatawillencourageagrowingmovementtoshareSMEexperienceofgeneratingROIfromCRM–methods,techniques,obstaclesencountered,solutionsdeveloped. In the light of a scarcity of hard evidence forthissectionofthebusinesscommunity,allrelevantinitiativesaretobewelcomed–bySMEorganisationsandbytheircustomersalike.

IfyouwishtoreceiveanyoftheReportsorrequirefurtherinformationontheBenchmarkStudyorCRMMastery, please email: [email protected]

Copyright © 2015 Maximizer Services Inc., Maximizer Software Ltd., Maximizer Software Solutions Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved. Maximizer® CRM is a registered trademark of Maximizer Software Inc. Maximizer CRM, Maximizer CRM Live, Maximizer Contact Management, and other product names may be trademarks of their

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About Maximizer Maximizer CRM is fueling the growth of businesses around the world. OurCRMsolutionscomefullyloadedwiththecoreSales,MarketingandServicefunctionalitycompaniesneedtooptimizesalesproductivity,acceleratemarketingandimprovecustomerservice.Withflexibleon-premise,ourcloudandyourclouddeploymentoptions,tailored-to-fitflexibility,state-of-theartsecurityinfrastructure,industry-specificeditionsandanywhere/anytimemobileaccess,MaximizeristheaffordableCRMsolutionofchoice. FromofficesinNorthAmerica,Europe,MiddleEast,AfricaandAsiaPac,andaworldwidenetworkofcertifiedbusinesspartners,Maximizerhasshippedoveronemillionlicensestomorethan120,000customersworldwide.