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Key-Factors to Consider in a CRM Implementation for Customer Service Success

Currently, most organizations are implementing a cloud-based CRM system for better scalability, high availability, and improved performance. There are several market leaders in cloud-based CRM solutions, such as Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Zendesk, Pegasystems, etc.  However, when selecting a platform or implementing a solution, it is important to focus on the below factors, if the organization is aiming to provide best-in-class customer service.

Robust Ticket Management

Effective ticket management is the heart of any Customer Service. Therefore, the below features must be considered while implementing a CRM.

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Step-By-Step Guide to Setting up A Local SuiteCRM Instance

SuiteCRM is a software fork of the SugarCRM. SuiteCRM is a free and open source Customer Relationship Management Software. It is one of the most popular alternatives to the famous paid SugarCRM and SalesForce.

In order to test SuiteCRM, one can either subscribe for a demo instance which only lasts a couple of days. If more time is required for SuiteCRM testing, there are a couple of options including deploying pre-baked SuiteCRM instances on Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Alibaba Cloud, and Google Cloud Platform. One can also setup his/her own SuiteCRM instance on either any of these public cloud platforms or on local servers.

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Relational to NoSQL: CRM Application Data Visibility

As a follow up to my previous webcast on the subject of Relational to NoSQL database, I discussed that we are in the third phase of the NoSQL adoption, the “Broad Replatforming” of Enterprise Application. I want to provide an example in this article on how an application can leverage JSON data model and Couchbase N1QL (a SQL++ Implementation) to address the complex data visibility rule of a CRM Application.

Overview

One critical aspect in a CRM application, but one that is often overlooked, is the activity management process. To manage the customer relationship, and to do so effectively, the application needs to keep track of all the activities directly or indirectly associated to the task of relationship management. A CRM activity captures all the interactions that a business has with its customers throughout the entire relationship. It is also used to record different activities that are in the CRM system, some of which may not be directly associated to the accounts, such as the lead generation process, quota management, and order fulfillment. It is also used by the Marketing campaign and Services to track all the support activities.