Tau Ming
CRM Consultant, Bluefin Solutions
The Consumerization of SAP CRM
07 Feb 2012
Asia Pacific, CRM, Social Media, Dashboard and Presentation Design (Xcelsius), Mobile, Consumer Business
What is Consumerization of Information Technology (CoIT)?
CoIT is a hot topic and is the latest buzzwords among IT communities. So what is it all about? For the most part, CoIT is about bringing the very best ideas such as ease of use, collaborative environment, social elements and mobility from consumer into enterprise IT world.
Why CoIT matters?
Gartner predicted that CoIT is a megatrend and will affect every enterprise. Unisys claimed that CoIT is a revolution and will be next wave of business productivity. PwC is highlighting the fact that CoIT is reinventing the way on how CIOs run IT.
I can go on and on citing various sources on how it is changing enterprise IT landscape but I'm pretty sure that you are convinced by now that CoIT is real and is here to stay.
I believe we need to build a reciprocal relationship with our employees to strike a balance between what the enterprise needs and what the user wants.
What is the SAP CRM take on CoIT?
Allow me, if you will to walk you through some of the CoIT-ness of SAP CRM thus far.
User experience
SAP completely overhauls its SAP CRM user interface. Then end result is an intuitive, personalized and streamlined piece of software. SAP took it a step further and infused it with a meticulously crafted visual design, the user interface now wears a sleek and sexy look and feel. This was a WOW moment for me when I first saw it (I came from SAP CRM 5.0).
It's a complete departure from the typical bland enterprise design.
Going social
Nowadays, social media plays a large part in consumers' life. I think being a social animal gives us an opportunity to truly appreciate and understand our customers. It opens up the door for us to meet and connect to them at a more personal level. It allows us to reach our customers and be there when they need it. Tony Rosenthal's blog How social is SAP CRM? that nicely sums up the social side of SAP CRM.
Being mobile
Mobility doesn't necessary entail putting your entire system on the move. In SAP CRM, it is more of a part-whole relationship. Think of SAP CRM as the commanding mother ship while mobile apps such as SAP CRM Sales as part of its fleet of vessels. It is about reach and using the right tool for the right job. Personally, this seems like a win win situation between data integrity and usability.
Inclusive and Empowering
Collaboration is enabled through SAP StreamWork. Insights are discovered through interactive reporting. Employees are empowered to organize and share information through features such as tagging and central sharing. These features are ways to cross-pollinate ideas and crowdsource organizations, if you're still with me on this.
SAP also cherry picked some of the best solutions in the market and integrated them into SAP CRM. One of such product is SAVO. And, you can also do the same seamlessly through features such as Sales Mashup. I see choices here. The ability to mix and match solutions creates a more cohesive and tailored system for your organization.
To cut the story short
Happy employee + excellent software = satisfied customer :-)
It is no longer just about what is best for the customer, what is best for the employee matters too! After all, software is only as good as the person who uses it.
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