Requirements driving technology

 As the requirements define the “what,” functionality defines the “how.”  Indeed, the best way to identify your functionality is to map out your business process and identify the functions within it  The key question to ask when defining necessary functionality is “What aspect of our customer-focused processes do we need to support with technology?”

 When you've identified the necessary functions, you're ready to map the functions to the candidate technologies by answering the question, “Is there a CRM tool that can perform each of these core functions?”  Knowing the answer to this question is only part of the story. If indeed products offer all required functionality, is the functionality available “out of the box,” or does the product require some level of customization?

 Which one is better between, bringing the technology with the current business process or just the opposite??  Analyze cost and benefit for each option !

 CRM conference and trade show  Analyst Firm specializing in CRM  Consulting firm specializing in CRM  Trade publication, particularly those that perform product reviews, such as inteligent enterprise or crm magazine  Business magazines, particularly those that review IT vendor companies  Vendor seminar  CRM websites

 Defining technical requirement  Integration and connection requirement  Processing and performance requirement  Security requirement  Reporting requirement  Etc.  Talking to your CRM vendor  Negotiating price

 Dyche, Jill. The CRM Handbook: a business guide to CRM, Addison-Wesley 2002 p