eCentric Media Best Practice White Paper               Critical CRM Decisions - Choosing Your CRM Systems Integration Specialist   Also Available In PDF                                                                                            Print-Friendly Version                                                                        [Page Two]

Systems Integration Specialist Selection: Common Pitfalls

 1. Systems Integration Consultancies Tied To Just One Product

  If you have already chosen your main CRM tool this may not be such an issue. Indeed it could be an
 advantage. If, however, you have yet to make a tool selection or are hoping your systems integration
 specialist will help guide you though it, an integration consultancy tied to just one product is unlikely
 to give a fair and impartial view.

 There are many small consultancies operating as extended marketing streams for particular CRM tool
 sets. Whilst this partnership works extremely well for the tool set vendor and the consultancy performing
 the integration, it is not necessarily beneficial for you the end client.

 It is unlikely that one CRM tool will provide your entire solution anyway. Evidence suggests that clients
 usually go to multiple vendors to realise the CRM challenge.⁶ However, if you have already made your
 tool selection, choosing an Integration Partner affiliated with the tool vendor can be a positive advantage.
 You can be assured the systems integration specialist is well trained and experienced in the tool set and
 will follow the vendor’s implementation philosophy.



  2. Systems Integration Consultancies With Financial Links To The Product

 A surprising number of both large and small CRM consulting companies have direct financial ties to the CRM
 vendors they are recommending.⁷ Whilst this should not and may not influence their consulting advice, it is
 hard not to be cynical.

 Several years ago, for example, Accenture owned over 3% of Siebel. It comes as no surprise then that
 Accenture had the lion’s share of Siebel implementations – in the period up to Accenture’s eventual sale
 of its Siebel holdings it gained a total of over 700 projects and more than 2000 trained Siebel consultants.

 Another example, IBM Global Services is reputed to have invested more than $50 million dollars in Siebel
 licenses and employs over 1000 Siebel consultants. This alliance has driven more than $1 billion in joint
 sales for the parties.⁸

 Strategic partnerships between vendor and integrator are common practice amongst CRM practitioners –
 and for good reason. These relationships ensure quality of the delivery, access to training, and knowledge
 of the product suite construction and integration. But one should expect any corporation that has a tie to a
 tool set they are recommending – especially a financial one such as holding stock – to be upfront about it
 and offer full disclosure.



 3. Systems Integration Consultancies Claiming 100% Success Records

 Most of us would define a systems integration success as on time, on budget, and meeting all of the
 originally specified business objectives. However, the statistics for CRM projects show that many do still fail
 and for a variety of reasons. Even the largest and most experienced of consultancies have their share of
 failure with some high profile litigation action ensuing. A quick Google search for the term CRM failure
 produces around 50,000 hits. White papers on why CRM projects fail abound.

 The consensus from these reports concludes that the majority of projects fail due to problems stemming
 within the client’s own organisation - a factor beyond the scope of most Systems Integration Specialists.

 So, if a consultancy does promote itself on 100% success, ask how they measure it. And be sure to ask
 their clients too. Did they meet every project deadline? Was all the original functionality delivered? Or were
 scope sacrifices a necessity due to time constraints?

 If a claim sounds too good to be true, it usually is.



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