Customer Relationship Management Update

The old adage about how much more effort is required to keep a customer than to make one is more relevant today than ever before—but the leading CRM software vendors have joined up to make it easier.

Companies today are refocusing their efforts on customer retention, but in the process they are finding themselves face-to-face with big challenges. Lack of customer data, inconsistent delivery channels, price-based competition, marketing collateral overload, customer attrition, inefficient service processes, and inaccurate customer segmentation all contribute to keeping companies from capitalizing on customer loyalty and turning existing cost centers into profit centers.

The Next Generation of CRM Solutions
CRM customers are looking to the promise of next-generation CRM solutions, which, according to research firm IDC, is the largest and fastest-growing of all the major segments of the enterprise applications business, expected to grow by more $2 billion to $10 billion by 2009.

These new solutions offer smarter business processes; proactive customer interaction in call centers, Web sites, and other channels; and intelligent call routing and service management, among other features. Most importantly, they offer in-depth reporting on what's driving customer decisions. This information is of intense interest to call centers, which want to use this real-time customer data to customize offers or cross-sell and up-sell during customer interactions.

A Winning Combination
That's why Oracle's recently completed acquisition of Siebel Systems, Inc. is proving so timely. The combination adds a full range of award-winning next-generation CRM products and expertise to the Oracle portfolio, including

• The most deployed, comprehensive, and flexible CRM applications,
  including industry-specific, customer-facing applications combined with rich analytics that will serve as the centerpiece of the CRM strategy for Oracle Fusion Applications.
• Customer-centric industry solutions through integrated business processes that combine leading front-office, back-office, and industry solutions and allow quick adaptation to rapidly changing business environments and simplified IT infrastructures.
• Oracle CRM On Demand, the industry-leading hosted CRM solution, is the ideal solution for organizations looking to embark on a customer-centric strategy. It offers rich, comprehensive functionality that lets small-to-midsize businesses easily deploy additional sales, marketing, and service functionality as they build out their customer-centric enterprise.
• Comprehensive business analytics for greater business insight that combines Siebel CRM analytics, Oracle ERP analytics, and industry-specific analytic content. These analytics will give businesses the ability to monitor, analyze, and act on real-time intelligence while providing a single, companywide view of operations and financial performance.
• A superior ownership experience based on flexibility and customer choice through the most comprehensive offering of on-demand and on-premise solutions available today. This allows for choice in procuring, developing, implementing, and deploying business applications.
• Lifetime product support and continued development of existing CRM products, including Siebel version 7.8, the upcoming version 8 of the Siebel major product lines, and future versions. Oracle also plans to offer customers an integrated suite or best-of-breed Siebel CRM solution, as well as a path to the next generation of standards-based applications, Oracle Fusion Applications.
• Proven expertise in enabling customer success through blueprints and roadmaps, deep insight, and the largest dedicated and certified consulting ecosystem.

Shared Architecture, Shared Success
Siebel's CRM and Oracle's enterprise applications and middleware share an architecture built on industry standards, so Oracle's development organization can enhance Siebel's CRM product set, ensuring continued customer success, according to Ed Abbo, senior vice president, CRM Development, Oracle.

"The product synergies and greater resources gained through the combination will be more effective in providing high-quality, leading-edge solutions that will help customers protect, extend, and evolve their current investments," he explains. "Siebel combines leadership in CRM with next-generation analytics solutions. Now we're helping customers take the next step by leveraging these investments, turning their customer–facing channels into instruments for revenue growth and customer retention."

Customers, such Horizon Healthcare Senior Vice President Patrick Geraghty, seem to agree. "The combination of Siebel and Oracle will provide the continued commitment to the products that have allowed us to be responsive to the needs of our customers-edge technology from a company that has the resources to be there when you need them most".

 Find out more about Siebel's CRM products and solutions:
Find out more about Oracle's commitment to supporting its customers:
Find out more about the continued success of Oracle and Siebel:
See what analysts are saying:
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Cheryl Greggans is an independent business writer.





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