CRM/Call Center Software Market Trends

摘要

CRM packages have proven to be effective tools for enhancing customer service in addition to providing valuable information that can be used to enhance sales. This combination of revenue-generating information and improved call center performance has been met with enthusiasm. ARM Research estimated that the business of management customer relationships will generate $16.8 billion by 2003, an annual growth rate of 49 percent. However, in light of present economic uncertainty, ARM has downgraded its 2001 growth rate from 40 percent to 28 percent. Similarly, Morgan Stanley projects a modest per annum growth rate of 10 percent to 15 percent until 2005. The growth of business-to-business interactions online, coupled with widespread Internet use by the everyday consumer, compelled many companies to adapt to this changing environment. Managements across the board realized that the Web, used in conjunction with upgrades to their traditional call centers, can transform this area from a cost center to a profit center. As businesses closely watch the bottom line, a variety of options are becoming available to address flexibility and cost savings, such as application service providers (ASPs), CRM by the slice, which is a means of purchasing only those functions needed, outsourcing, and telecommuting. In fact, a growing number of customer service agents, now pegged at two percent, work from home while remote agents on the road can be equipped with Window CE-compatible pocket PC's to stay connected to both the customer and the home office.