This is generally the way with new and emerging software: company insiders – thanks to being immersed in it – believe the truth to be self-evident; research analysts – by dint of their objectivity – recognize that it is not self-evident, and endeavour to enlighten.

However, not everyone reads research papers; and those who do read them and encounter such phrases as 'customer data integration options', the 'modular extensibility horizon', 'revenue enhancement justifying the investment', 'tiered hierarchy of interlinked metrics', or any number of such bewildering terms, may fail to understand them; and those who do understand may struggle to pass the message along to those that matter.

So – for simplicity and ease, let us compare CRM with houses. Buying a house is an expensive disillusionment, as you never get exactly what you want. If it is built, moreover, by a developer as part of a new estate, then you – like all your neighbours – will have to settle for what you are given. Your houses will be identical and therefore not aligned to your individual and unique needs. While customizing your property is an option, it will take considerable time, effort and additional cost. No doubt, you and your neighbours will suffer the same, similar or complementary grievances. Perhaps you will all meet up by your own initiative or upon invitation from the construction company, where you will together lambaste the builder or the architect about their shortcomings. (In CRM circles, these are known as user groups and user conferences, respectively.)

In comparison, the build option looks promising: no middleman, built to your specifications, and nobody to blame but yourself. In reality, building boasts a host of regrets of its own. The loudest gripe being that it is a seminal nightmare. Whether you undertake everything from foundation digging to wiring yourself, or share it with a lackey (consultant) or two, the job of building your own house remains, at its core, a nightmare. After all – chances are, you are not a builder. If you were, the dilemma would be a no-brainer.

And the nightmare never ends: there are upgrades and maintenance to think of. And heaven forbid you should want to add another room after the council have signed-off on your house.

So, in summary: choosing CRM reflects the old buy or build dilemma… you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

But, as mentioned earlier on, there is now a third option, one which analysts and a large and growing handful of visionary businesses are turning to. To continue the analogy, you can now buy a house ready-made, but
which importantly, you help design. So it ticks all the boxes you have at the start. You also have planning permission pre-granted and the tools and training to expand and modify your house at will and with ease, whilst the builder maintains the underlying structure for you. This is the attraction of BPM at any level, but it sits particularly well in a dynamic contact centre environment.

It is now widely held that BPM can be honed to enhance the customer-centric areas of a business and improve the overall customer experience.

Not surprisingly, there are relatively few players in the new BPM-driven CRM arena. For the companies that do, they – and their customers, and their customers' customers – have long been singing the praises of business process-driven CRM. For all of the reasons discussed above, BPM-driven CRM presents today’s contact centres with an opportunity to build a technology structure that delivers the most efficient and flexible approach to managing customer interactions yet seen in the industry.

Bio
Clare Dorrian, head of product marketing, Graham Technology
Clare Dorrian is responsible for the product marketing function relating to Graham Technology’s flagship customer interaction software, ciboodle. She joined Graham Technology in 2005, bringing a wealth of experience in the contact centre sector through her previous positions at Intelligent Finance and AMAZE Consulting.
Since ciboodle’s launch in September 2006, Clare has been at the forefront of driving market awareness and understanding of the product and its capabilities, resulting in significant customer traction and widespread recognition from industry analysts.