SaaS Integration Projects Likely

As SaaS implementations increase, integration projects are emerging to enable end-to-end business processes. Data synchronization becomes an increasing challenge as the organization embraces solutions, such as CRM via SaaS. ...

... "In particular, large organizations are doing an about-face and starting to adopt SaaS as a primary strategy. The two things that were concerns were security and integration. " ...

Via Search CRM: SaaS CRM integration

CRM Projects: Stick to the Basics

Position yourself for success in the customer relationship management space. Do the project management basics - build a case, detail the plan, and check a few performance indicators after the implementation stabilizes. ...

... "Of respondents that have created only a project plan, 50% reported a successful implementation, 60% of those that did an ROI analysis reported CRM success, and 70% that did a post-project review saw success, according to the survey. " ...

Via SearchCRM: CRM business success

IT Project EQ Business Project 4 Heineken

Heineken Ireland implement CRM project successfully with business in the lead. Local IT manager grapples with common IT challenges, such as security, vendor consolidation, outsourcing, etc. ...

... "For Heineken Ireland it was the first real acceptance by the business that something like this wasn't an IT project. It was a business project with a strong piece of IT in it, says Manning, careful to make the distinction. " ...

Via SiliconRepublic: Tech Decisions Pay Off

Time Management Maturity Model

Journyx offers interesting twist on its time management maturity model: evolving from chaos to order as part of the proprietary process that proposes to identify and deliver profit opportunities. ...

... "Chaos – Overcommitted, processes abandoned in crisis, can't repeat past success. Transition – Track project labor hours on all projects; basic costs/schedules visible to management. Structure – Track time/rates and expenses on all projects; complete direct costs known. System – Allocate indirect costs. Order – Integrated with CRM or accounting systems (also known as time-tracking nirvana). " ...

Via Journyx: Journyx P5 Protocol

CRM Project: Old Hat?

Interesting article explores current evolution of CRM projects, which have been bolstered by on-demand-software, integrated view of the customer, efficient training delivery options, and referenceable value benchmarks. ...

... "As far as business cases go, start early and establish your baseline before you start seeing a return from the tightening-up of the business processes in preparation of the application installation. " ...

Via TechLinks: Hal Harz on The State of CRM ...

Virtual IT Infrastructure: Small Business ...

Nick Carr shares further evidence of the emerging shift to a virtual infrastructure, referencing fresh insights that make this IT model the smartest choice for small businesses. Meanwhile, salesforce.com (software-as-a-service model) continues to create value in its on-demand CRM service: Salesforce.com Previews New Winter 07 Analytics and Dashboard: "Salesforce.com announced additional new customization features of Winter 07, including delivering full componentization of its analytical dashboards - allowing customers, developers, and partners to create, share, and combine new components that analyze and present data from Salesforce and partner solutions. " ...

... "the highest IT costs aren't component costs but labor costs, maintenance costs, electricity costs, and other secondary expenses ... " ...

Via Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog: An IT sea change for smaller companies

Project On-Time, On-Budget: The Truth Is Out There ...

IT Week reports on insourcing of CRM project by Centrica, that was experiencing delays in its final phases when implementing SAP billing capabilities. This situation would be challenging for any implementation partner. Its a perfect storm: Siebel CRM, SAP Billing, legacy systems, third-party implementation, systems integration, and organizational change management. It may not be late, but really on-time, if the magnitude of effort was estimated correctly. ...

... "Energy giant Centrica has moved its GBP400m transformation programme in-house, taking back the running of the project from consultancy Accenture. " ...

Centrica takes back IT project: Via IT Week

SAP CRM Projects: Barriers Acknowledged by SAP ...

In this article, SAP leader shares lessons-learned with SAP CRM implementation: the closer you get to the customer, the more different the requirements ... CRM software needs flexibility at the customer interface ... enterprise offerings are not flexible ... without early wins in the sales force and front-office, the workforce satisfies its requirements with other tools. ...

... "For many SAP customers, CRM adoption was scheduled in the second and third phases of an ERP project and by that time, customers were either worn out or not willing to undergo system disruptions ... " ...

SAP CRM Pojects: Barriers Acknowledged by SAP: Via SearchSAP: SAP acknowledges barrier to mySAP CRM implementations

ITIL CRM Solution: Amdocs

Compucom leverages Amdocs ITIL-compliant CRM solution to provision services. ...

... "CompuCom Systems, Inc. has selected Amdocs CRM to help deliver support to its enterprise customer base. CompuCom Systems is a leading Information Technology (IT) managed services provider that offers IT outsourcing, application development, systems integration, and consulting, as well as the procurement and management of hardware and software. CompuCom provides outsourced 24-hour help desk support services to Fortune 1000 companies, as well as hardware and software repair services utilizing the company's 3,100 field service technicians. To deliver an enhanced customer experience, the company chose to partner with Amdocs. Amdocs has pioneered Integrated Customer Management (ICM) - a strategy designed to help service providers worldwide deliver a better customer experience by placing the customer at the center of everything a service provider does.

CompuCom is currently using several modules of the Amdocs CRM suite of products, including customer support, contract management and quality assurance, to manage the entire customer lifecycle from proactive remote device management through the delivery of onsite field services. Amdocs CRM consolidates all customer data onto a single, unified platform that can be integrated into existing back-office systems, allowing CompuCom to easily access customer information and increase response times to help desk requests. One of the main reasons CompuCom chose to adopt Amdocs CRM is that it is ITIL-compliant. Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) represents a set of best practices around the support and delivery of IT services, including guidelines surrounding customer service and service management implementation, designed to align IT with business objectives. " ...

ITIL CRM Solution: Amdocs: Via Amdocs: Amdocs Expands Partnership with CompuCom Systems to Deliver an Enhanced Customer Experience to CompuCom's Enterprise Customers

CRM Project: Best Practices for Success ...

Colin Beasty synthesizes input from experts to identify best practices for successful CRM initiatives. One obvious situation to avoid, is a weak business case with emphasis on the technical aspects of CRM. ...

... "One strategy sure to cripple any CRM initiative, experts find, is leading with the technology and not a legitimate business case for implementing a CRM system. To achieve a 360-degree view of customers, CRM project leaders need to gain a 360-degree view of their own business first. " ...

Via destinationCRM.com: 11 Ways to Ensure CRM Success

ITIL Leader: David Ratcliffe Pink Elephant

ITIL is the recipe for IT services management success. Philip Quinn catches up with David Ratcliffe, CEO of Pink Elephant. Pink Elephant is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with operations worldwide. Pink Elephant works with organizations, including many of the Fortune 500, to improve the quality of IT services through the application of established best practices, such as the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). ...

Via National Post: Flies around the world four times a year ...

... "We were the ones who launched this best-practice framework we support called the IT infrastructure library. If you think [in terms] of a restaurant ... it's the recipes you follow and the routines around how you keep the place clean... " ...

Additional PMThink References on ITIL:

• For Well-Rounded IT Project Management - Learn ITIL and PRINCE2


• IT Service Transformation Through ITIL Service Catalogs ...


• ITIL Certification BTO Software ...


• ITIL Helpdesk Transformation: Services Model


• ITIL IT Management Processes ...


• ITIL IT Service Management Differentiators


• ITIL Market Assessment: Podcast


• ITIL Microsoft Operations Framework Assessment ...


• ITIL Process Approach: Federated CMDB ...


• ITIL Process: Run IT Like Business ...


• ITIL Project: Cultural Implications ...


• ITIL Projects: Avoid Pitfalls ...


• ITIL Technology Standard Framework ...


• ITIL: IT Service Catalog: Alignment Focal Point ...


• Microsoft ITIL Sans CMDB ...


• Process Models: ITIL ITGovernance ...


• Ready or Not; Here comes ITIL


• Siebel CRM ITIL Ready: Helpdesk Capabilities ...

Siebel CRM ITIL Ready: Helpdesk Capabilities ...

Siebel CRM ITIL Ready: Helpdesk Capabilities: Via Siebel Systems: Newest Release of Siebel CRM Professional Edition Builds on Siebel's Momentum in SMB Market

Latest version of CRM solution support ITIL standards in helpdesk process capabilities ...

... "Leading Help Desk Capabilities-Siebel CRM Professional Edition delivers a full solution for managing and administering internal IT support that adheres to IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) standards. " ...