CRM: Creating a Credible Business Case and Positioning It with the CEO
Part Two: Linking CRM with Organizational Direction
Glen Petersen - November 9, 2004

Linking CRM with Organizational Direction

Research that has linked the statistical relationships between organizational behavior and CRM success has identified the importance of senior management leadership and direction prior to the deployment of CRM applications. In other words, it is important that an organization pursues a strategy that is complementary to CRM before the technologies are actually introduced. Therefore, introducing CRM into an organizational culture that does not recognize these capabilities as part of its future direction and success is very risky. CRM represents a significant cost from both an investment and organizational change perspective. If senior management does not perceive CRM as a strategy that is central to its success, then where will the commitment come from to deal with the changes that CRM inevitably introduces (e.g., management of data quality, sharing data, changes in performance metrics)?..