The CRM Advisor
You ask the questions, and our resident CRM guru shares her wisdom.
This week’s question:
“We are about to embark on a huge CRM initiative, and would like to seek advice from an analyst early on in our project. Who are some of the leading research firms who cover this space?”
A: Analysts can be a great resource for information about CRM solutions, as well as the existing vendors and their offerings. So, your decision to work closely with one will benefit you greatly in the long run.
Many industry analysts cover the CRM market place extensively, including larger firms like Gartner, The Yankee Group, Forrester Research, and IDC, as well as smaller independent firms such as 451 Group, Beagle Research, Nucleus Research, and ISM.
Finding the right firm to work with will take some thought. Some vendors offer complete, in-depth product reviews that highlight both the positive and negative attributes of each solution, as well as research, polls, and studies on general marketplace trends.
Others focus mostly on best practices and strategic business planning, steering clear of direct sales processes and related solution evaluations because they prefer to take a more vendor-neutral position.
Which analyst firm you ultimately decide to work with will depend on what your needs are, and what kind of role you want the analyst to play in your project.
Submit your question to the CRM Advisor at CRMadvisor@business-software.com.
[Photo courtesy of technologyadvice.]