Warning: This is my opinion about CRM and business automation and I am getting on my soapbox.

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My industry reading has taken me to many articles espousing the value of client relationship management (CRM) system as a workflow automation system (WA). It goes without saying that CRM is invaluable for what it was originally designed to do – manage client relationships. The more I read of CRM systems being touted as a viable WA system, the more I cringe. I am not sure how CRM made the evolutionary leap from client information management to managing complex work, data and message flows in a heterogenous environment. I feel I must give my personal view on CRM versus WAS. I speak with exception to SalesForce, which claims it is not a software company at all, just a fluffy cloud.

CRM = a client relationship management data store with its primary messaging agent being email. WA = a complex rules based system used to manage work, data and message flows bonding disparate systems into an orchestrated relationship directed toward a central goal or goals. Asking a CRM system to perform this task is akin to presenting a basic email client/server as a CRM system. The WA system is the core of a fully integrated system of systems. Sound like double talk? Email, CRM, portfolio management and trading software are all purpose built systems. The WA system is designed to connect these disparate systems, managing them like a conductor in an orchestra creating a beautiful symphony.

The beauty of employing a WA system is that it abstracts all the flow and messaging complexity away from the participating sub-systems. What does that mean to you? It means you don’t have to be a rocket-scientist to configure your CRM. All rules are kept centralized and apart from specific purpose built systems. Thereby centralizing and abstracting the complexity away from the day-to-day applications used.

I have read many articles and listened in horror to CRM deployments gone bad, nightmares to be shelved or resulting in 10% of the expected outcome. If you have been fed the idea that CRM is the wizard of you integration dreams – buyer beware. Examine closely your vendor’s product capabilities, cost implementation (both your dollar and time cost) and support capabilities. Know your own capabilities. There is a well-worn path to frustration and failure due to implementation over selling and under delivery.
</soapbox>

Saturday, October 03, 2009