This chapter describes how to manage a successful implementation once the tool and the integrator have been selected. It's true that the success of the overall project is very much correlated with the quality of the tool and of the integrator, so if you made careful selections you should be on your way to a successful implementation. However, CRM implementations are long and can be a little tricky, so well run implementations definitely make the difference between very successful projects and not so wonderful ones. A strong implementation will make a fair tool work well, while a poor implementation can make even a good tool perform poorly. CRM implementations large and small include the following components :
The two key principles for successful CRM implementations are to use rapid-development techniques that have proven to bring about high quality solutions faster than traditional techniques and to promote early customer acceptance throughout the development time. The techniques described below all relate to one or the other key principle. Because this book is focused on the business side of CRM, this chapter discusses how to conduct the implementation and how to approach technical decisions from the business owners' perspective. The technical details of the implementation are only alluded to when they are relevant to the business owners . |