CRM Mastery Launches a Free Technology Directory to Aid SMBs in Weighing CRM Options

Nov. 16, 2009 - PRLog -- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) continues to be a hot topic in business today as both small and mid-sized companies struggle to compete both at home and abroad. CRM technologies include salesforce automation, customer service & support, marketing, and the new, rapidly growing area of Social Networking – all key functions in any business. However, within the vast area of customer management, there are literally thousands of technology solutions available.

Jim Berkowitz, the CRM Technology Coach and Industry Analyst with CRM Mastery noted that: “Although there are a number CRM solution directories available on the web, they are not organized in a way that’s useful to potential technology buyers.  They lump all types of products into far too few product categories while placing the included products into just about every one of the categories offered within the directory.  This makes the buyer’s process of trying to build a list of products to consider, difficult, at best.”

CRM Mastery’s Technology Directory helps potential CRM buyers by, for example, segregating On Demand from On Premise and Open Source CRM offerings, distinguishing CRM Suites (that include functionality for marketing, sales and customer service organizations) from products designed to focus on just one of these areas and also by separating sales force automation products that offer sales pipeline (deal) tracking from Contact Management products that don’t.

In addition to the problem of categorization, Berkowitz says that “most of the directories currently available are not very complete; some include mostly the smaller, lessor known technology vendors, while others seem to include only the biggest players in the marketplace.”

The reason for this, according to Berkowitz, is that the content of these directories are maintained by the vendors themselves; if they don’t put themselves into a particular directory, then they’re not included.  CRM Mastery’s Technology Directory, on the other hand, is totally maintained by Mr. Berkowitz, himself; a highly sought after CRM Technology Coach and seasoned Industry Analyst.

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CRM Mastery is all about being buyer-focused,” notes Berkowitz.  “Ultimately as our directory expands and matures our goal is to have it become the premier source on the internet for companies that are trying to put together a list of products that they should be considering for use in their organizations.

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The CRM Technology Directory is only one part of CRM Mastery’s recently redesigned Company web site and weblog.  These sites now feature a variety of useful tools and services designed specifically to help small and medium-sized businesses navigate through the complex and often confusing world of CRM technology.  

Besides the free CRM Technology Directory, the CRM Mastery Assessments are proving to be a very popular service. Each assessment (which includes a web-based survey, a graphic-rich scorecard and expert results analysis by Mr. Berkowitz) assists companies in uncovering exactly what it needs to do to improve its ability to get, keep and grow profitable customers.  And, for companies that are just beginning the CRM technology selection process, CRM Mastery also offers a free CRM Readiness Assessment that explores more then 70 critical issues related to the organizational foundation that needs to be in place to succeed with a CRM project.  

“CRM is not just about technology. One of the biggest myths about CRM is thinking that any company can just invest in a CRM product and expect results.  CRM success means working on, and mastering process improvement,” says Berkowitz.

The CRM Research Library, another popular feature on the web site, is a collection of free articles, white papers and magazines to further assist company decision-makers in expanding their education on CRM, both in policy and practice.

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CRM Mastery, Inc. was founded in 2004 to help organizations find and use technology that will allow them to build synergistic, symbiotic relationships among the people they serve, both internally (employees) and externally (customers). CRM Mastery does not sell or represent any CRM product, brand or company. It is an independent, unbiased firm that specializes in ‘coaching’ SMBs through a CRM selection and deployment process.