CRM & SharePoint Tools In Management Research Paper

CRM & SharePoint Tools In Management - Research Paper Example In the light of using a combination of or relying solely on the work of management and Information Technology (IT) there is much to be offered about the operations of both. For the most part IT is being established as a necessity of management, but also non-functional without the contributions of management. In connection with the outcome expectancy of either management processes or IT is can be established that the operators of IT would be considered the IT itself and that whatever innovations of IT are made are contributions of the IT personnel. That being said, Rockart establishes the relationship to be â€Å"in an effective relationship, IT professionals and line managers work together to understand business opportunities, determine needed functionality, choose among technology options, and decide when urgent business needs demand sacrificing technical excellence for immediate, albeit incomplete, solutions†¦.These relationships demand that both IT and line managers accept a ccountability for systems projects, which is achievable only when both parties share their unique expertise† (p. 47). CRM is an implementation that allows the organization to synchronize and mechanize all business processes. It utilizes customer support, sales techniques and marketing processes to integrate the companies entire disparate system of operations. It is defined by William, Daniel, and McDonald as â€Å"processes and technologies that support the planning, execution, and monitoring of coordinated customer, distributor and influencer interactions through all channels† (p. 5).... 5). The following is a chart illustrating the ultimate structure implemented by a CRM (CRM, p. 1) In order to justify the orientation of CRM previous factors on success measures must be available. Clarifying the need of the specific technology widens the range of CRM scope and possibilities. For the purposes of this analysis a direct citing of views is provided by William, Daniel, and McDonald below of their views on CRM successful strategy implementations (p. 8): 1. Determine intent: As with other IT applications, top management sponsorship and the presence of a champion to drive the intervention are widely recognized as important. The potentially far-reaching effects of e-commerce lead Dutta (2000) to take the tough position that the Internet should be â€Å"a top strategic priority for your CEO†. If the project’s aim is to add to customer value, this needs to be complemented by a customer or market orientation, or at least by the perception of the need for it (Wilson and McDonald 1996), in which case the project’s scope should aim to increase it. 2. Assess context: The IT context of a project includes the existing set of systems. Leverick et al (1998) emphasize the need for â€Å"compatibility and integration with other marketing IT projects†. Ryals et al (2000) go beyond this to the need for a plan for customer-facing systems to converge so as to give a single view of the customer or competitors. The wider organization also needs to be aligned around the customer, either through the organizational structure (McDonald 1996) or through cross-functional teams (Ryals 2000; Wilson and McDonald 1996). A further element of the