The Evolution of CRM
In fact the problem today may be that there are too many options to choose from. More specifically, the challenge today may be finding the right solution for your industry or even your organization. With so many solutions out there, which one is for you? Who is solving your problems?
CRM Takes Center Stage
CRM software, which was once an isolated on-premise application relegated to the dank, dark corners of cubicle clusters, has now become the nexus between major organizations' customer care, sales, and marketing strategies. It’s become the key to a differentiated customer experience. It’s the center point of information gathered and consolidated from the network, support systems, customer behavior, and third-party sources such as social media.
About CES 2014
Pipeline continues its legacy of bringing together the world’s leading service providers and technology innovators this fall at The 2014 COMET Executive Summit. This exclusive event
gathering Pipeline journalists, Industry Advisory Board (IAB) Members, and key solution providers will be an intimate symposium to shape the editorial direction of Pipeline, gather
priceless input from executive-level service provider experts, and create lasting industry relationships.
Pipeline’s IAB is an exclusive group of service provider and analyst executives who have long-term relationships with Pipeline and have played a role in Pipeline programs, editorial
direction, and provided content over the last decade. This year, Pipeline opens the doors to provide an opportunity to engage directly with a broad cross section of experts who
evaluate, recommend, and purchase communications and entertainment technology (COMET) products and services. Multiple levels of participation provide your company with an exclusive
networking opportunity, tailored to your goals and budget.
The COMET Executive Summit will bring together executives from the world’s leading service provider and technology companies, in a flexible format that is filled with unprecedented
networking opportunities designed to build relationships that can be carried forward to solve issues facing service providers today. Some of the topics planned for discussion
include:
- Networking
- Customer experience management (CEM)
- Big data & analytics
- Exploring cloud offerings
- Enabling new business models
- Delivering and assuring digital services
- Network evolution & virtualization
- Leveraging content
- Network security
For more information, visit
www.pipelinepub.com/info/comet/2014_comet_summit.php
But even nimble, cloud-cradled CRM solutions can’t be all things to all companies and the burden of customizing the solution for industry verticals and organization’s specific requirements is taxing on those who need to be focused upon caring for customers and driving revenue from customers and prospects. Some CRM providers have taken the approach of creating “app stores” as a kind of development free-for-all, hoping that someone happens to creates a solution that solves the niche needs of particular users and then, in turn, strengthens their offering. But others have taken a more strategic approach, particularly to address the unique needs of the communications service providers (CSPs). This is particularly important in telecom where customer experience management (CEM) is paramount and support systems integration can be challenging, to say the least.
“We found our customers were looking for integrated best-of-suite solutions with OSS [Operational Support Systems], BSS [Business Support Systems], with CRM on top,” Petter Järtby, Vice-President and Head of Solution Area BSS at Ericsson told Pipeline in an interview. “They want to keep their fingers on the pulse of the customer experience, leveraging real-time time data to provide a 3-dimensional view of the customer and proactive customer care.”
In fact, it appears that it’s CEM that has pulled CRM into the limelight.
