Online Discussion #2: CRM Technology Exploration

Background

Once you have a clear idea of who your target customer really; what customer-centric functions you want to perform in sales, marketing and service (strategy); and how you want to perform them (process), you are ready to select the best technology to enable these functions. Choosing the right technology can be a daunting task because the options are limitless.

In this discussion, you will explore the various CRM technology providers on the market today. Although there are several companies that dedicate themselves to researching and recommending the best CRM solutions, I have used two credible sources: Gartner and DestinationCRM (CRM Magazine).

Gartner is a technology advisory organization. They offer unbiased and objective research, analysis and consulting in all areas of technology. Gartner’s Magic Quadrant (Links to an external site.) research methodology provides a graphical competitive positioning of four types of technology providers in fast-growing markets: Leaders, Visionaries, Niche Players and Challengers. Check of the hundreds of different ‘categories’ available at https://www.gartner.com/en/research/magic-quadrant (Links to an external site.) 

CRM Magazine’s Market Awards acknowledge leading vendors, influential leaders, rising stars, and elite practitioners of the CRM industry. 2018’s winners were announced in the September 2018 issue of CRM magazine (Links to an external site.), as well as online at http://www.destinationcrm.com/ (Links to an external site.) 

The Market Leader Awards list the top five vendors in nine categories based on a composite score that includes revenue, company growth, market share, customer wins, reputation for customer satisfaction, depth of product functionality, and company direction. Leaders are rated in the following categories:

• Enterprise Suite CRM
• Midmarket Suite CRM
• Small Business Suite CRM
• Business Intelligence
• Sales Force Automation
• Incentive Management
• Marketing Solutions
• Data Quality
• Consultancies

Please see the Categories page (Links to an external site.) for more details on each category.

Your Task

After you have reviewed Module 6 and the websites noted above, please answer these questions:

Question 1. Based on the case information, what CRM solution (s) would you initially recommend for Ajanta Packaging and why? Assume that Ajanta does not have CRM technology solutions in place today.

Question 2. Discuss two (2) concepts/ findings that were new to you as a result of this exploration.

Question 3. Pose a question you have about this topic, i.e. something that you are interested in learning more about and that you couldn’t find information on.

NOTE: This exploration is critical for Case #1. To take full advantage of this exploration, read the Laurs & Bridz case first to make some initial observations as you go through the material.  

You have to do 3 replies.