Internet editorial

Citation

McGaughey, R.E. (2007), "Internet editorial", Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol. 14 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/bij.2007.13114eag.001

Internet editorial

The editorial staff of Benchmarking: An International Journal is committed to helping those working at a senior level in industry, the public sector, consultancy, or academic institutions, to stay current on developments in the areas of Quality, Technology, and benchmarking. The focus of the journal is on “topics that have substantial management content, rather than being primarily technical in nature.” The internet editorials will center on sites with a similar focus. I find and visit sites of possible interest to BIJ readers, and attempt to review those sites fairly and objectively. This editorial focuses on customer relationship management (CRM). The sites reviewed herein should be helpful to help BIJ readers who want to know more about CRM benchmarking, best practice and performance metrics.

CRM encompasses all processes, activities and tools employed in building and maintaining good relationships with customers, with the ultimate goal of keeping existing customers satisfied so that they remain customers. A broader interpretation of CRM would extend its scope to attracting new customers. CRM is, in its broadest interpretation, a customer centered philosophy, and in its most narrow interpretation, a software system for managing customer data. Over time many practitioners have embraced the broader interpretation of CRM, thus CRM has evolved into a strategy that seeks to decrease costs, increase revenues, and subsequently increase profits by achieving a high level of customer loyalty. In short, the CRM philosophy is about making money by keeping customers happy. Good CRM allows firms to really know their customers, understand their needs, and continually provide goods and or services that meet those needs. Computers, the internet, wireless technologies, increased globalization of markets, intense competition, and increasingly sophisticated and demanding customers are some of the major forces that have contributed to the growth of CRM. In the 1980s and 1990s, supply chain management (SCM) was the buzz, and businesses focused on suppliers, better relationships with suppliers, and greater integration of supply chains. While SCM is still important, the late 1990s and the early twenty-first century have brought about a greater focus on the customer and the need to forge better long-term relationships with customers. Firms want customers to so closely identify with them, that the search phase of a consumer's purchase decision leads always back to them. CRM is growing in popularity and this editorial aims to examine and highlight resources available on the web to support practitioners as they explore ways to more effectively measure and manage relationships with their customers, and researchers as they study CRM performance.

The searches

In identifying sites used in this editorial, I used Google which has been my search engine of choice for a number of years, and Ask.com which has now replaced Google as my preferred search engine. This was my first time to use the Ask search engine in an editorial. Ask.com is one of many IAC Search & Media's world-class information retrieval products. The Ask search technology incorporates an “ExpertRank” algorithm to produce relevant search results by identifying the “most authoritative sites” on the web. This algorithm considers not only the number of links that point to a particular page (the basis for determining popularity for most search engines), but also popularity among pages considered to be “experts on the topic,” to achieve “subject-specific popularity.” The Ask ExpertRank algorithm identifies topics, experts on the topics, and the popularity of pages amongst those experts when a search is performed, in order to produce results that have “world-class relevance.” This approach sets the search technology of Ask.com apart from that of other search engines. Perhaps, what I like most about Ask.com, besides the efficient searches, is the uncluttered nature of the pages containing search results. Many search engine sites have become so cluttered with ads and “special features” that it distracts one from the task at hand – the search. I highly recommend the Ask.com site for anyone who has not used it. My experience using Ask.com for this editorial has put it on top of my list of preferred search engines.

I used the following four search phrases for this editorial: “Customer Relationship Management benchmarking,” “Customer Relationship Management best practice,” “Customer Relationship Management metrics,” and “CRM benchmarking and best practice.” My Google searches produced 970,000, 15,500,000, 1,220,000 and 1,070,000 hits, respectively. My Ask.com searches produced 247,300 hits for Customer Relationship Benchmarking, 1,939,000 hits for CRM best practice, 801,900 for CRM metrics, and 68,200 for CRM benchmarking and best practice. Most of the sites included in this editorial were found using Ask.com. While most of the same sites appeared on the Google hit lists, they generally appeared closer to top of the hit lists for Ask.com searches. This is perhaps attributable to the ExpertRank algorithm – note the generally shorter hit lists produced with Ask searches. It appears, and I do recognize the danger of generalizing with a small sample, that Ask.com many very well produce a “better” hit list – more relevant sites located at or near the top. The sites featured herein should be of interest to practitioners, consultants, or researchers interested in managing and improving CRM performance. Inclusion of sites in this editorial should not be considered an endorsement of the goods or services of the entities that own or sponsor them.

CRM performance: benchmarks, best practice and metrics

Clients Tellwww.crm2day.com/

Started by Contact Solutions Ltd in 2001, CRM Today has become one of the “top business communities and resources for CRM and Customer Economy in the world.” CRM Today boasts of over 18,000 associate members in some 84 countries. While the site name suggests a scope limited to CRM, CRM Today actually focuses on every business function in order to better meet member information needs.

CRM Today is such a vast site, that it is hard to know where to start in describing its contents. Among the many useful features are Editorials, an Experts Corner (Editorials and the Experts Corner both contain current and archived opinion pieces by CRM practitioners and other experts), “Top CRM News” items and more – see like-named links. The “Library” link on the top navigation bar accesses a page with links to articles, organized by topic. The Library sub menu (comprised of links) organizes materials by document type and includes academic papers, articles, case studies, editorials, presentations, research reports, white papers and more. The Library is also indexed by industry with categories for finance, telecom, retail, utilities, government, and healthcare. While the indexing of the library makes finding materials relatively easy, the Library Search tool (found at upper right hand corner of Library page) makes it a snap. I conducted a key word search on best practice and found over 100 related articles, whitepapers and case studies. Many of the documents were quite current with publication dates in 2005 and 2006. The “Topics” link, also found on the top navigation bar, accesses the Library page and indexes the contents by topical area. The Library is a particularly valuable resource. Under the “Members” link (top navigation bar), a submenu provides access to resources available to members, as well as information about membership and links to membership application forms. One can join for free by simply filling out a relatively short form, or opt for corporate membership (basic, standard or premium) at a cost, but also with added benefits. Membership gives one access to a panel of experts for the purpose of asking questions. The panel's membership can be viewed by following the “Experts Panel” link on the Members submenu. Bios of each expert are accessible on the Experts Panel page. Access to the expertise of prominent experts in the CRM field seems by itself a benefit that would make membership worthwhile. A “Directory” link on the top navigation bar contains a submenu with links supporting access to information on vendors, consultants, resources and associations, conferences and exhibitions, and more. The Resources and Associations page, with its hyperlinked list of associations and resources, can help visitors find many other sites pertaining to CRM and related topics. Limited time and space does not allow complete coverage and description of the vast CRM Today site. While the site is a bit busy because it is so packed with links and information, it is well organized making navigation relatively quick and simple. The search tool makes one's search for specific topics in the library quick and easy. No broken links were encountered while perusing the site, and there was much current material; both evidence of frequent update and maintenance. It is no overstatement to say that the CRM Today site is a “must see” for practitioners or researchers interested in any aspect of CRM.

Destination CRMwww.destinationcrm.com/

Owned by CRM Media, LLC, destinationCRM.Com (dCRM) is a logical extension of CRM Magazine, also owned by CRM Media. The goal of dCRM is to “become the preferred internet location for information, products, and services relevant to the CRM user marketplace.” Consistent with that goal, dCRM is committed to continuously providing timely information to business decision makers and industry providers. The site is designed to serve as an internet gateway to information for “leaders engaged in the development of customer-centric business initiatives and ventures.” In short, the dCRM is a resource site, and it is loaded with resources!

Among the many resources available on the site are articles, “how to” guides, expert advice, and more.

Visitors can view the CRM Magazine and read articles therein by clicking on the CRM Magazine link in the left navigation menu under the heading of “News and Features.” Digital versions of the articles, past and present, are available for examination, printing, saving, etc. While nxtBook media makes the CRM Magazine easy to use, it is best used with high-speed internet access. While much could be said about the magazine itself, it will suffice to mention it and advise BIJ readers that it is worth examining. Some of the articles found in the CRM Magazine are also available for viewing in HTML format on the dCRM site. A link on the left navigation menu, near the top, will allow one to subscribe to CRM Magazine, and the nearby “Newsletter” link will allow one to sign up for and receive the destinationCRM newsletter. The magazine subscription is free to “qualified” US residents, but must be paid for by others. Many other valuable resources are available on the dCRM site, besides the magazine. Under the heading of “CRM Resources” (left navigation menu) for example, the “Experts on Call” link accesses a page that will allow one to pose a question to a panel of experts. If selected, the question will be answered online in the form of an article by an appropriate expert. A browse menu allows one to browse through the questions and answers/articles, and the menu is organized by topic. No question posted/answered had a date more current than late 2004, which would lead one to wonder whether the panel of experts is still active. The “CRM Buyers Guide,” also listed under CRM Resources, accesses a page housing lists of “CRM Software, Services & Outsourcing Solutions,” and a list of “Vertical CRM Solutions.” Each link on those lists accesses a page with hyperlinks to relevant sites. The “Research and Reviews” link, also found under CRM Resources, accesses a page listing products/services, prices, reviews, and links to support the purchase of those products/services. The Buyers Guide and the “Research and Reviews,” seem like valuable resources for practitioners looking to examine and/or purchase CRM support, services, or products. The last item under the heading of CRM Resources is the “Best Practice” link. That link accesses a page with hyperlinks to white papers pertaining to various aspects of CRM best practice. To quickly find information about best practice, benchmarking, or CRM metrics, there is a search tool at the top of the dCRM homepage. I conducted searches of all destinationCRM using the search phrases “CRM benchmarking,” “CRM best practice,” and “CRM metrics.” The results of those searches were 60, 223, and 315 hits, respectively. Many interesting and potentially useful articles turned up in my searches, and many were very current with publication dates in 2006 common and even some in 2007 (the search was conducted on January 2, 2007). If it is articles or reports one seeks, then the search feature is certainly a time saver. Under “Events & Services” one will find links to conference announcements, web events, an events calendar, and RSS feeds. In addition one might want to examine the links to pages housing “Industry News,” and CRM topics like “Marketing Automation,” “Analytics,” and more, which can be found on the top navigation bar. If it is information on CRM one seeks, be it benchmarking, best practice, metrics, or anything else, the dCRM site is a great site to visit. While a bit cluttered, the site organization made it fairly easy to find targeted information. Best of all, the search tool made finding information very quick and easy. The site is very current, with the exception of the questions for experts, and is highly recommended for the favorites list of anyone interested in CRM.

The Oracle Siebel CRM Index Advisorwww.oracle.com/goto/crm-index/index.html#en

The CRM Index was launched by Oracle Corporation in October 2005 to facilitate CRM benchmarking for small- to medium-sized enterprises/businesses (SMEs/SMBs). The CRM index employs data on over 1,000 SMBs, accumulated through the independent research of Datamonitor. A “living” benchmark, the CRM Index is available online to SMBs and the service is free. Oracle hopes that the service will encourage SMBs to measure, using standard metrics, how well they attract, manage and service customers. After the initial assessment of a SMB's CRM effort, the CRM Index will provide a personalized summary and advice guide to help that company improve its CRM effectiveness.

The CRM Index Advisor is available in a number of languages (Spanish, French, English and more). Users select a language on the start page. According to the site sponsors, in ten minutes and in three steps, the CRM Index can show an SMB manager or owner how his/her company's CRM performance compares to that of other SMBs. I visited the site and filled out forms to become a member. The process took about three minutes. I did not submit data for analysis, but did step through the process. Good instructions were provided to walk one through the process, and the service/tool seemed to be quite easy to use. Other resources are available on the site, such as the library of CRM best practice. The purpose of this site is solely to promote SMB benchmarking and best practice. For SMBs interested in benchmarking their CRM, the site is a must see, but for others the site offers less value.

SearchCRMhttp://searchcrm.techtarget.com/

SearchCRM is a TechTarget Network site. SearchCRM.com describes itself as “the Web's most relevant and extensive guide dedicated to CRM decision makers.” The site contains daily news, white papers, product demos, advice from experts, discussion forums, Webcasts, a glossary, and customized research to help businesses design, develop, and implement CRM successfully.

News items on the site appear under the heading of “Lead Story,” “Topics,” and “What's New.” Current stories/articles range from primers on various aspects of CRM to stories about CRM practice in a company or industry. Under the “Topics” heading, one will also find expert answers to questions posed by site visitors (you need not become a member to ask questions, as is the case on many similar sites). To ask a question of an expert, one need only click on “Experts” in the top navigation bar, then select a category and follow the instructions provided. Note that only “selected” questions will be answered. One may or may not see an answer to one's question – it depends of whether the “experts” feel it is a topic of interest to other site visitors/members. The “White Papers” link, likewise accessible via the top navigation bar, takes the user to the CRM Research Library. The Library page is organized with heading such as “Most Popular CRM Reports,” and “Sponsored CRM White Papers, Case Studies and Webcasts.” A link labeled “most popular IT documents,” (blue hyperlink near top of page) accesses a page listing the 50 most popular documents of the day (updated each day). These resources, produced by various companies, pertain to very current and relevant CRM topics. Many, many potentially valuable resources pertaining to CRM benchmarking, best practice, metrics, and more are available through the SearchCRM Library. A search tool located at the top of the Library page (also at the top of the home page) makes finding targeted materials quick and easy. A search on “CRM Best practice” yielded some 468 matches which included webcasts, whitepapers, case studies and more. A search on “CRM Benchmarking” produced 84 matches. A brief summary describes each resource on the hit list, and the “More Details” button allows one to learn more (typically from an abstract) about a resource before downloading. All of the documents/resources examined were downloadable and free, but not all were examined – it may be that some must be purchased. An “Email this Page” button allows one to e-mail the page to an interested colleague. The Library is a wonderful resource for practitioners and researchers interested in CRM generally, or CRM best practice, benchmarking, or metrics specifically. The “Learning Tools” button accesses a drop down list with categories like “Business Intelligence,” “Call Center Manager,” “Customer Loyalty,” “Sales Force Automation” and more. Each menu link accesses a page with resources like learning guides and quizzes (and answers), as well as links to whitepapers pertaining to the topical area. The Learning Guides have a Table of Contents to make them easy to use. Among the contents one will find links to other learning tools, related terms and definitions, and more. The learning guides are thorough, well organized, and current. It is noteworthy that most resources accessed through the Library and the Learning Tools were very current, with many 2005 and 2006 publication dates. There are many more valuable resources on the SearchCRM site. It will suffice to say that this site was current, well organized, and most importantly, it was loaded with timely, relevant, and useful information about CRM. All things considered, I have to rank Search CRM first among the sites reviewed for this editorial. SearchCRM.com is serious about its goal of being the “Web's best CRM-specific information resource.” The site lives up to its promise!

CRM Marketplacewww.crmmarketplace.com/

CRM Marketplace describes itself as the “premier sourcing site for call center and customer relationship management technologies.” The CRM Marketplace features a CRM supplier directory, a product showcase, an offline CRM system vendor search service, and more. Although somewhat unexpected, the site proved to be a really good source of information about CRM generally, as well as for CRM benchmarking, best practice, and metrics.

The CRM Marketplace exists primarily to facilitate the sale and purchase of CRM and related software. For sellers there is the VertMarkets Marketplace manager, a self-service marketing tool to assist sellers in generating leads for their products. More specifically, this tool helps sellers to:

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  build brand awareness;

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  showcase products;

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  drive traffic to their company web site; and

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  manage and respond to leads using VertMarkets enhanced reporting tools.

Sellers need only follow the “Sell Online” link on the top navigation bar in order to learn more about the services available to them from the CRM Marketplace.

For buyers, the “Buy Online” link accesses a page highlighting the products of various software solution providers. A “Buyer's Guide” lists product categories which serve as links to companies offering the product/service for sale. A particularly useful feature of the site is the ability to select one, a few, or all suppliers simultaneously to request a quote, reducing the time and effort required to request many such quotes individually. Other features allow potential buyers to access information about vendors, request additional online information about products, requests product catalogs and more. The site does streamline and simplify the process of searching for and purchasing CRM and related software products. The “Business Services” link, also on the top navigation bar, accesses a page with links to companies that offer training, publicity, consulting, and travel services in addition to companies providing database and information services of potential value in benchmarking and identification of best practice. The “News and Community” link accesses a page with many articles and news items pertaining to new developments in CRM and related areas. The Search tool supports site searches for products, suppliers, downloads, and articles. Given that the site is primarily a vertical marketplace, it was a pleasant surprise to conduct searches and find so many potentially valuable documents pertaining to CRM best practice (1,002 hits), CRM benchmarking (815 hits), and CRM metrics (834 hits). If one cannot locate the information one seeks, one can ask the experts (see “Click Here” button at top of page right under “Ask the Experts”). The CRM Marketplace is a good place for practitioners to learn more about CRM software, and to comparison shop in an environment that supports them by providing fingertip access to information to help make wise purchase decisions. Beyond that, the site proved to be a valuable source of information in the form of reports, white papers, articles, and more about CRM and related topics. Many documents were found that would be of value to practitioners or researchers seeking information about CRM benchmarking, best practice, and performance metrics. The site was easy to navigate, current, and relatively well organized. The access to so many current articles and other documents pertaining to CRM benchmarking, best practice and metrics was a pleasant surprise. This is a good site for practitioners in the market for CRM or related software, for sellers of such products, and for practitioners or researchers in search of current CRM-related information.

The CRM best practice kitwww.crm-strategy.net/

This proprietary product is a toolset designed to save time, effort and resources, and to put an organization on the right track for CRM success. Templates, instructions, and more are provided a part of the kit. The kit includes:

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  A CRM introductory presentation to introduce key concepts and ideas behind successful CRM, suited for personal study or workshop training.

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  A module defining service level requirements, in the form of a pre-written template to ensure that all important issues are covered and covered well.

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  CRM Reference sheets that together constitute a useful roadmap document.

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  A template/blueprint for a formal contract/Service Level Agreement.

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  A guide to CRM governance using ITIL protocols and disciplines.

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  An assessment, audit and metric kit, in the form of an Excel spreadsheet, to assist with a wide range of management issues, and capable of producing a variety of reports aligned with the ITIL protocol.

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  Six sigma reference sheets that distill the six sigma methodology into clear points of reference and a roadmap to success.

The CRM best practice kit is available for $199 and is downloadable. This description of the CRM best practice kit should not be taken as an endorsement of the product, but rather as an example of resources available on the web to support practitioners in benchmarking and in identifying, implementing, documenting, and measuring best practice in CRM.

CRM Bloghttp://crm.blogs.com/

The CRM Blog site is as one would expect from the name, a blog. It is likewise a good source of news, information and other resources. As a blog, it is a valuable resource for information exchange among practitioners, researchers, consultants, or others interested in some aspect of CRM. Tabs at the top left corner of the homepage allow site visitors to move from page to page easily, and other links provide access to affiliate sites as well as blog discussions by category. The “All CRM Articles” tab displays all CRM articles indexed chronologically. Articles date back to March of 2005, which is presumably about the time the blog was launched. Articles cover a wide range of topics pertaining to CRM as well as CRM related products and services. The blog contents are grouped into categories listed on the right hand side of the blog homepage. Some very good materials about various aspect of CRM are posted on the blog, but comments about the postings are generally lacking – very few had more than a couple of comments, and many have no comments at all. This would make one wonder just how much interest there is in the blog. It may be that few have discovered the blog, or perhaps busy practitioners simply do not have time for blogging. Categories like “CRM Evaluation,” “CRM Failures,” “CRM Success,” and “CRM Implementation” contained interesting and well written materials. If more practitioners, researchers, and consultants would participate in the discussions, the blog could be a valuable source of information, and a valuable vehicle for information exchange and dissemination. A search tool makes finding information on the blog quick and easy, but at present, there is little information to find pertaining to benchmarking, best practice or metrics. Searches were conducted using the same search phrases used on other sites, but the results were disappointing. There were very few hits – two for CRM best practice, none for CRM benchmarking, and none for CRM metrics. The real problem for the CRM blog seems to be a lack of participation. Perhaps, more needs to be done to draw potential CRM bloggers to the site. Maybe this editorial will help drive more traffic to the blog and make it more useful to CRM stakeholders.

Conclusion

The focus of BIJ is on “topics that have substantial management content, rather than being primarily technical in nature.” CRM is a popular topic in the business press today. Small and large organizations are seeking ways to enhance profits by better serving customers and achieving greater customer loyalty. The solution, at least in part, for many of them is CRM. The shear number of web sites devoted to some aspect of CRM is evidence of CRM's growing popularity. The challenge is great and companies need to evaluate their success with this potentially mission critical undertaking. A good approach to such evaluation is benchmarking. Benchmarking is a good way for a company to compare its performance to its own past performance; competitors in its own area, market, or industry; or best practice in any industry where it might be found. Web resources can be helpful to firms in discovering and disseminating best practice, and in developing and using benchmarks for many programs, processes, or activities. CRM is no exception. In conducting the web research for this editorial, many good CRM sites were discovered. While only eight were highlighted in this editorial, BIJ readers can find more by replicating the searches used herein. Having examined many more than were included in this editorial, I believe some of the ones included herein are among the best the web has to offer. In particular, Search CRM, destinationCRM, and CRM Today are must-sees for any practitioner or researcher interested in CRM. For SMEs, the Oracle Sievel CRM Index Advisor seems like a particularly valuable resource. When I start the research for an internet editorial, I am never quite sure what I will find. The sites included in this editorial are representative of what the web has to offer CRM stakeholders. The news is good – if it is information pertaining to CRM benchmarking, best practice, or performance metrics one seeks, the web generally and these sites specifically have much to offer. It is my hope that BIJ readers found this internet editorial interesting and useful. If you know of a good CRM related site that I overlooked in this editorial, please contact me and provide me the site URL, so that I might publicize it in future editorials.

With each internet editorial I write, I strive meet the information needs of BIJ readers. Any assistance you can provide to help me achieve this goal is appreciated. Your views are important to me and will influence the format and content of future editorials. If you have a site, or know of a site that you would like to see featured in future editorials, please e-mail me your suggestions. Send your comments and suggestions to Ronald McGaughey at ronmc@uca.edu

Ronald E. McGaugheyInternet Editor