The unrealised potential of ERP and CRM

Have you or your company implemented either an ERP or a CRM system? Are you getting all the expected value from that system?

If so you are in the minority. Is that surprising? This is a very interesting article on the issues companies are having with the implementation of both ERP and CRM systems.

Although people like me who are responsible for the design, sales and implementation of CRM systems work diligently to help our clients extract all the value possible from our systems, the implementation issues seem somewhat out of our control and are dependent on the client. These numbers certainly look accurate to me.

While these systems are not easy to implement, it is possible to use phased approaches to implementation and make certain to get value at each step and make certain that the users are able to understand and use the system to get more effective at their jobs. However, many times we see installations which incorporate so much technology and have such lofty goals that the entire implementation takes too long and the business changes during the implementation which requie specification changes, team changes and soon a loss of focus.

To resolve this problem. See and understand the big picture. Target your objectives, solve immediate problems and require ROI at every step.