Technology phobia is widely prevalent in almost everyone who is keen to initiate the CRM approach for his enterprise. The obvious reason is that the need is felt by the functional aspect such as marketing staff who - more often than not - are tech-novices.

Before I explain how to overcome the resistance to the technology aspect, let me mention that nobody knows your business better than you. Be clear on your requirements and the rest will automatically follow. After all, technology was meant to be the answer to a need and not the other way round. Unfortunately, that is precisely the mistake made by most companies and tech-companies thrive on this. Why? Because they obviously have very limited experience of the functional need.

So who really needs CRM?

Although CRM can be (and in fact should be) used by almost all businesses, it's need and utility is more appreciated by companies that interface with individuals - retail, banking or insurance services, hospitality, B2C Internet portals to name a few.

Why? Because the scope for value addition is tremendous. For our generation, which has been exposed to a one-size-fits-all model, it is thrilling when a salesman who recognizes our personal needs and recalls our last interaction treats us in a personal manner. No points for guessing whether this creates a loyalty-effect.

The whole goal of CRM is to increase the lifetime value of a customer to the enterprise. The reason for the underutilization of CRM is the difficulty in calculating this life time value. As a result, it becomes impossible to quantify the benefits in hard figures. But this does not take away from the basic fact that the one-to-one approach is a necessity today more than ever before. AND most importantly, it is achievable, thanks to technology.

If you still need to be convinced of "why CRM?" go here.

Once you are convinced of the need for CRM, develop a basic requirement of what aspects you "wish you had" for making an informed interaction with the customer.

For example, you requirements could be as isolated as having a robust email management system that could present all the correspondence between any particular individual in a chronological manner or in a subject-wise manner.

After all, how often have you felt "Oh, I had corresponded with this guy earlier but I can't trace out his mail." OR when you are faced with a query, how you wish whether the person making the query is a past customer or just a first timer.

You may have other individual requirements such as a tool that could retrieve information on all customers from your database who meet certain selection criteria.

Besides such individual requirements, you may have a comprehensive requirement of needing an all round view of your customer (as it exists in your entire database - be it forms, emails, point-of-sale information, campaign response etc) at the single touch of a button. Needless to say such information will not lead to any contradiction across departments as they approach a customer.

Whether individual or comprehensive, once you are clear on your requirements, go about developing a CRM plan. For implementing CRM, you may like to read further by going here