Market Overview
Businesses
today are selecting enterprise applications including customer relationship
management (CRM) systems based on how well the system fulfills the functional
needs of businesses. Since it is a daily struggle for survival in the IT world,
the new motto of vendors is to deliver maximum transactions leading to more
customers. If successful, this new strategy will generate a much bigger need
for CRM usage, but it also may lead to scalability issues.
After
a CRM system has been selected and implemented, there is no denying its inevitable
importance to the company especially when it matures into a company's growing
needs. Scalability is a word that has become synonymous with enterprise business
growth. In order for CRM software to produce maximum return on investment
(ROI), firms must choose a platform that is scalable to the company's future
needs and is able to seamlessly add components as the business expands. Scalability
gives rise to the questions of flexibility, reliability, cost, and most importantly
the robustness of the system.
For
an enterprise solution, scalability and reliability are important characteristics
that makes a server robust. The Costa Mesa, California-based (US) CRM company,
Touchtone is one of a very few companies that has developed
a robust CRM package based on these principles. Wintouch eCRM is a hosted CRM
solution designed by Touchtone Corporation to run on IBM iSeries
servers. IBM's iSeries is an open-standard system, and has the capability of
integrating diversified hardware and software. Moreover, IBM claims that iSeries
can virtually run any technology. This coupled with the reputation of IBM's
servers as reliable, seemly makes WinTouch a robust system.
IBM
today is recognized not only as a leader in large IT projects, but also as a
major player in the small and medium businesses (SMB) arena. With over
650,000 iSeries and AS/400 servers systems installed worldwide, the growth of
Wintouch eCRM as a native OS/400 software is undeniably tied to IBM's existing
market. Even though Wintouch eCRM is confined to the IBM iSeries, it can leverage
the performance reputation of IBM servers to gain prominence in the market.
Wintouch
eCRM, takes full advantage of the robust iSeries and also offers an alternative
to Windows operated customers. The system can be hosted both on and off-site.
If hosted off-site at the vendor's premises, Wintouch eCRM 6.0 can be considered
a platform independent solution which may make it an ideal solution for mid-size
and larger businesses. Using Wintouch as an ASP solution, businesses avoid paying
a one shot licensing fee. Instead users can rent the application from the vendor
and avoid the hassle of deploying and managing it. Furthermore, users can add
and reduce capacity as needed. In an IBM OS-based environment, Wintouch can
access real time data from other existing applications through an effortless
integration with every department. This may improve overall productivity and
help companies achieve better ROI.
In
a heterogeneous environment, the Wintouch eCRM platform independent and Java-applet
solutions are easily accessed by Windows, Mac, or Linux through internet access.
Batch updates can be used to integrate data from non-OS/400 based applications.
The solution also allows the use of Web services allowing access to services
from third party providers such as MapQuest or Google.
One
of the greatest features of Wintouch is its Green Screen Emulation, claims Rich
Hall, Touchtone's vice-president of sales and marketing. For those
addicted to AS/400 green screen emulation, Wintouch provides an integrated one-click
5250 terminal emulator to quickly access, view, and update. Drag-and-drop features
together with easy customization capabilities make it a user friendly system.
From
a security point of view, Wintouch provides sound security measures. The system
protects against the unauthorized access and copies of data and database records
do not reside on the individual users' desktop or laptop units. The iSeries
server also has built-in virus and hacker protection to help remedy troubles
that are common in other operating systems.
For companies
that have an AS/400 environment, Wintouch's CRM solution can easily integrate
with existing back-end systems like ERP and other applications, including homegrown
applications. This helps identify opportunities and close more business by conveying
information about sales and the needs of customer service representatives. By
selecting the ASP version of Wintouch end users will have the freedom to focus
on their core business rather than on technology and maintenance. ASP solutions
provides access, to the application from anywhere with internet connection,
twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Wintouch saves cost of operations
by utilizing a zero-footprint, zero-install Java applet on the client-side,
which eliminates client installation, administration, and maintenance on PCs.
However, the downturn for medium to large-sized customers without an AS/400
environment is the complexity of integration with existing legacy or back-office
applications.
As an IBM partner
member, Wintouch also offers an on-demand service. Wintouch customers with very
seasonal business needs could benefit from an on-demand CRM application. The
on-demand solution can help users save money without implementing the software
because of its pay-as-you-go policy.