Let me begin by saying I am not advocating that there should be one system to carry out all the activities of a business, but there are certain aspects of a business that are so inextricably linked that they should be in one system.
Many systems especially in the area of CRM are promoted as having a central core and then you are free to go and purchase an add-on app. This approach I believe is based on activity need, ‘I need to be able to generate my quotations and proposals’, ‘I need manage my resources’, etc. Basically both examples I have quoted are inherent in any business whether small, medium, or large, and therefore should be catered for in the basic system.
I believe that the approach outlined above is because one key component is missing, and that is the understanding, implementation, and management of the processes used within any business to satisfy client demands. Clients in this case can be both internal and external. Therefore once again inherent in any system must be the ability to map and use the processes by which business is carried. Business process management should not be an add-on to a CRM system, nor should workflow automation. I distinguish between business process management and workflow automation because I believe that the process has to be mapped first and then decisions can be made as to which elements can be automated. The danger of implementing both at the same time is if the process is wrong and you automate, you create a greater amount of chaos in a lesser amount of time.
As I stated at the beginning, there is a need to use more than one system in a business because of the specialised nature of certain functions, for example design and development will use a CAD system from which information will be fed into a manufacturing system, etc. This does not stop the flow of the relevant product information from the CAD system into what I call the organisational management system that is being used to market, sell, and support the product. I call it an organisational management system because it incorporates CRM, ERP, and EPM.
The key to the efficiency and effectiveness of a business with regards to systems is to keep the number of systems to a minimum. Management will feel that they are control of the business because they can get up to the minute information about the business without having to resort to using great amounts of effort, staff will be motivated because the administrative tasks can be kept to a minimum, and clients will be satisfied because of a responsive nature of the business to their requests.
The SymVolli system approach is to look at the organisation as a whole by considering people, products, processes, and technology working as an integrated unit. If you have disparate systems in different departments within a business, there is a possibility that departmental silos will evolve, which will make it difficult to have an efficient and effective business responding to client needs.
