Vendors with overblown promises and CRM's (customer relationship management) complexity are to blame for failed projects, according to the head of the customer knowledge management team at National Australia Bank Ltd. (NAB), Charles Lawoko.

Responsible for analytical CRM operations and developments at NAB, Lawoko says a "lot of vendors make a lot of promises", but CRM is not a single-shot solution that involves spending millions of dollars.

A successful CRM project, he said, is a longer process that requires gathering customer information and data warehousing.

"On the surface, CRM solutions might look great, but organizations need to be sure how it will benefit them and if your organization can really use it. With CRM, people tend to focus on the technical side, but IT is the enabler. People haven't been focusing on the manual and cultural changes required to support CRM capabilities. There is not enough emphasis on the soft aspects of CRM," Lawoko said.

Craig Morrison, CRM practice team leader at Teradata, said he's seen many organizations with different strategies and objectives approach CRM.

"We've seen with our Asia-Pacific clients, organizations that take a big bang approach which can tend to be unmanageable. It's best to start small and grow," he said, as this is the most successful tack.

» posted by abennett

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