268 Al-Shammari
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CRM Implementation
The operational CRM development process passed through the following major
decisions and/or activities:
- Approval of the business case and project budget after analyzing its benefits,
costs, and potential risks; - Selection of a vendor and ICT application. The vendor was itself the consulting
company that managed the implementation of the CRM initiative, drawing on the
software company’s extensive expertise in the business needs of the telecoms
sector; - Integration of the old technology (CSS provisioning and billing system) with the
CRM project in the transitional phase; - Identification of project implementation team members who represented major
business units as well as the IT unit; - Establishment of best work flow practices for provisioning of services;
- Mapping of customer data flow in line with the new process flow;
- Deciding on the right time to discard the old customer service system (CSS), a
system for telephone line provisioning and billing, and the right time to go live with
the new operational CRM system, as well as deciding on the criteria of acceptance
of the system from the vendor.
CRM Implementation Team
The implementation team of the operational CRM project performed the following
roles:
- Business representative: this role provides the leadership necessary for project
success, facilitates the decision-making process for current and emerging business
needs and requirements, as well as facilitating users’ training and project budget-
ing decisions. This role provides link between the business side and the IT side.
While he/she does not need to understand the details of system installation and
configuration, the business representative must be aware of CRM configuration
and maintenance requirements. The GM for Customer Services handled this role. - Executive sponsor/owner: this person is a major business player who plays both
roles of sponsor and owner, provides the link between the project manager and
upper management, guides funding and financing decisions, as well as decisions
about when and where to deploy the CRM system. This person must understand
the details of the CRM’s installation, configuration, and the implementation
schedule. The business representative was a senior manager for IS Development
and Analysis. - Project manager: the project manager is the person who directs the work and makes
things happen. This person must understand the details of the installation and
configuration, the implementation schedule, work with other team members and
understand their contributions, and work with the outside vendor. The CRM
project manager handled this role. - System owners: set up and configure hardware, and install operating systems and
supporting software. Different IS specialists in charge of ODSs handled this role.