For Business Process & Applications Professionals

To Invest Wisely, Know The Business Value Of Diverse CRM Solutions

by William Band, September 30, 2009

To help customer relationship management (CRM) professionals make smart decisions and navigate the complex CRM technology landscape, Forrester surveyed 286 companies. The goal was to determine the business value-add adjusted for uncertainty of 19 types . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Craft Your CRM Investment Plans In Light Of Technology Adoption Patterns

by William Band, August 12, 2009

Navigating the multifaceted customer relationship management (CRM) technology landscape is challenging. To help CRM professionals make smart decisions, Forrester surveyed 286 companies to understand the adoption patterns for 19 types of customer management . . .

For CIOs

Retail CIOs: Prepare For Retail 2020

Well-Conceived Options For Game-Changing Technologies Will Catapult Your Perceived Value

by George Lawrie, August 10, 2009

Retail in Europe and North America is in the eye of a storm. Battered first by the fragmentation of traditional mass markets, then by the challenge of cross-channel interaction, and finally by a global recession and transfer of economic power to Asia, . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

TechRadar™ For BP&A Professionals: The Extended CRM Application Ecosystem, Q3 2009

Social Applications Stimulate Innovation But Sales, Order Management, And Service Hold The Keys To Your Revenue Engine

by William Band, July 9, 2009

Locking in customer loyalty through deeper engagement and differentiated experiences will continue to be critical priorities for organizations in all sectors in the decade ahead, but navigating the complex customer relationship management (CRM) technology . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Momentum: Business Application Software, H2 2008

Software Supermajors Set The Trend For Integrated Solutions

by Holger Kisker, Ph.D., July 7, 2009

Various prominent mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in early 2008 significantly changed the face of the business application software market, leading to the rise of the software supermajors. In the second half of 2008, vendor activities focused on product . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Eight Ways To Mine Value From Your CRM Systems

Now Is The Time To Dig For The Hidden Nuggets That Lead To Big Gains

by William Band, May 7, 2009

Now may not be the right time to ask for the resources to do a major IT project, including CRM. But CRM professionals can be smart and mine the applications they already own for untapped benefits without incurring high costs. Hidden value typically lies . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Microsoft Moves Dynamics Forward With New Releases And Simplified Pricing Strategies

Client Satisfaction Is High, But Future Challenges Still Remain

by R "Ray" Wang, April 17, 2009

At both the November 2008 Microsoft Dynamics analyst event and at Convergence 2009 in March, Microsoft reaffirmed its commitment to innovation and investment in its product road map for all five product families. Microsoft Dynamics enterprise resource . . .

For CIOs

Retail Technology Investment Priorities

Which Technologies Should CIOs Drive To Generate Quick Returns For Shareholders?

by George Lawrie, April 1, 2009

With the global economy amid financial meltdown, retail CIOs face complex IT choices. Should they continue process improvement initiatives, upgrade their best-of-breed portfolio, or implement a standardized suite? All of these involve significant demands . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

SAP Harmonizes Portfolio With Business Suite 7

But The Value Proposition Will Not Resonate Until The Global Economy Is Back In Tune

by Paul D. Hamerman, R "Ray" Wang, March 17, 2009

From its New York City-based global marketing HQ, SAP publicly launched Business Suite 7 on February 4, 2009. Key elements of the product launch include a synchronized release strategy, value scenarios, lower entry-point pricing, deeper Business Objects . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

TechRadar™ For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals: Software-As-A-Service

CRM And Collaboration Are Growing, And Many New Categories Are On The Horizon, Q1 2009

by Liz Herbert, March 12, 2009

As software-as-a-service (SaaS) becomes increasingly important to firms' application strategies, sourcing and vendor management professionals are taking ownership of the research, purchasing, negotiations, and ongoing vendor relationships for these solutions. . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

The ROI Of CRM Application Upgrades

A Total Economic Impact™ Analysis Shows Favorable ROI Over Five Years

by William Band, March 6, 2009

With vendors like Oracle and SAP touting new releases of their CRM products, enterprises running older versions of CRM apps are mulling whether to take the upgrade plunge. However, in a down economy, CRM professionals are wondering if the benefits of . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

How To Risk-Proof Your CRM Deployment Strategy

Use Best Practices And Our Risk Evaluation Tool To Steer Clear Of Perils

by William Band, February 27, 2009

In today's difficult economic climate, CRM professionals cannot afford failed business process and technology projects. To pinpoint the real-world pitfalls that can trip up CRM initiatives, Forrester surveyed 133 organizations using one of 24 leading . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

How To Risk-Proof Your Culture For CRM

Use Best Practices And Our Risk Evaluation Tool To Steer Clear Of Perils

by William Band, February 27, 2009

In today's difficult economic climate, CRM professionals cannot afford failed business process and technology projects. To pinpoint the real-world pitfalls that can trip up CRM initiatives, Forrester surveyed 133 organizations using one of 24 leading . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

How To Risk-Proof Your CRM Business Processes

Use Best Practices And Our Risk Evaluation Tool To Steer Clear Of Perils

by William Band, February 27, 2009

In today's difficult economic climate, CRM professionals cannot afford failed business process and technology projects. To pinpoint the real-world pitfalls that can trip up CRM initiatives, Forrester surveyed 133 organizations using one of 24 leading . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

How To Risk-Proof Your CRM Technology Platform

Use Best Practices And Our Risk Evaluation Tool To Steer Clear Of Perils

by William Band, February 27, 2009

In today's difficult economic climate, CRM professionals cannot afford failed business process and technology projects. To pinpoint the real-world pitfalls that can trip up CRM initiatives, Forrester surveyed 133 organizations using one of 24 leading . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Forrester's CRM Risk Evaluation Self-Assessment Tool  (66 KB XLS)

by William Band, January 28, 2009

Use Forrester¿s CRM Risk Assessment Framework to anticipate and remediate problems and risks that can trip-up CRM initiatives.

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

CRM App Upgrades In A Down Economy

How To Approach The CRM App Upgrade Dilemma When Cash Is Tight And Uncertainty Is High

by Pete Marston, January 9, 2009

When 2007 turned to 2008, many enterprise-class firms had definite plans to upgrade their packaged customer relationship management (CRM) applications. Drivers behind the decision to upgrade included demand for new functionality to bolster customer-centric . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Trends 2009: Customer Relationship Management

Strategy And Business Value Are The Watchwords For The Next 12 Months

by William Band, December 11, 2008

In light of the sudden and dramatic economic downturn, what are the key trends that will drive customer relationship management (CRM) strategies and technology adoption in 2009? Our recent surveys and interviews with customer-oriented business and IT . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

CRM 2.0: Fantasy Or Reality?

How Trail-Blazing Organizations Are Implementing Social Customer Strategies

by William Band, November 13, 2008

The rise of Social Computing means that customer relationship management (CRM) professionals must find innovative new ways to cope with the emerging phenomenon of "social customers." Forrester talked with nine early-adopter companies and reviewed the . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Enterprise CRM Suites, Q3 2008

Buyers Face Difficult Choices In A Crowded Market

by William Band, August 29, 2008

Forrester evaluated leading enterprise CRM suite solutions against 516 criteria and found that with the latest releases of their solutions, Oracle's Siebel and SAP maintain their status as Leaders with comprehensive functionality and much improved usability. . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Answers To Five Frequently Asked Questions About CRM Projects

Size Up Your CRM Program Compared Against 133 Projects

by William Band, August 29, 2008

How does your customer relationship management (CRM) project compare with those at other organizations? Forrester surveyed 133 organizations that are using one of 24 leading enterprise or midmarket suite solutions to understand their CRM solution purchase . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Midmarket CRM Suites, Q3 2008

Solutions From Microsoft, Oracle, RightNow, And Salesforce.com Lead The Way

by Pete Marston, August 26, 2008

In Forrester's 517-criteria evaluation of midmarket customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, we found that Oracle's Siebel CRM Professional Edition and CRM On Demand products, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, RightNow CRM, and salesforce.com's salesforce . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Inquiry Insights: CRM Customers Focus On Business Processes, Not Technologies

by Tom Grant, Ph.D., August 21, 2008

In the past 18 months, the questions we've received about customer relationship management (CRM) software show that people implementing these applications are more focused on business processes than technology. These results have important implications . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Market Overview: Field Service Management

by Patrick M. Connaughton, Elisse Gaynor, July 15, 2008

Historically, organizations have struggled to get their arms around field service management (FSM). However, recent market dynamics, vendor commitments to service-oriented architecture (SOA), and the development of industry-specific solutions are all . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Topic Overview: ERP Applications 2008

Forrester's Reference Guide For Navigating The Ever-Expanding World Of ERP

by R "Ray" Wang, Paul D. Hamerman, June 24, 2008

Enterprise applications suites, commonly known as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, represent the transactional backbone for most enterprises and comprise a variety of applications for finance and administration as well as industry-specific . . .