Best of CRM, Week of September 14th

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Every week, we’ll recount some of the best buzz around CRM
and data integration. We’ll review our favorite articles and share the most
pressing findings or key takeaways from each.

Don’t rush integration of CRM and ERP cloud data 
By: Chris Maxcer, SearchCRM Contributor
Chris’s recent lengthy article in SearchCRM references several analysts including Rebecca Wettemann of Nucleus Research and Benoit Lheureux of Gartner. The article lays out the challenges and important planning steps when integrating cloud-based CRM and ERP systems. Chris lists several critical areas to consider before beginning a project, including: the cleanliness of the data, security and compliance adherence, and whether automation is right for you. Lheureux from Gartner also stresses the importance of adapters, middleware that shares data among applications.

But Chris shares that the ERP is complex in its very nature, and integration can be ripe with stumbling blocks. When integrating between vendors, the ease of integration often depends on available APIs and existing vendor partnerships.

Check out this article for even more great tips.

Dreamforce ’12: The Tour de Force of Social Enterprise [Infographic]
By: Jason Miller, Marketo
Ahead of next week’s highly anticipated Dreamforce conference in San Francisco, Marketo put together an infographic depicting key historical events for the conference. The first Salesforce user conference was held in 2003 and was renamed Dreamforce in advance of the 2004 event. Other highlights include a long list of keynote speakers, like: Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine; Colin Powell, Former U.S. Secretary of State in 2006; George Lucas of Star Wars Fame in 2007; Neil Young, singer-songwriter and Michael Dell, Dell CEO in 2008; Bill Clinton, former U.S. President in 2010 and Eric Schmidt, Former CEO of Google in 2011.

Best of all: Jason shares a list of top Dreamforce Tweeters for easy Twitter following.

Integrating cloud ERP and CRM applications? Show how it can pay
By: Chris Maxcer, SearchCRM Contributor
As CRM systems were a natural fit for the cloud, due to its cost advantages, it’s no surprise that businesses are beginning to think about cloud CRM and ERP integration.

Scribe’s own Mark Walker, vice president of technical services, contributes to the article saying, “The value of integrating CRM and ERP is in how it increases the pace at which you can do business. By taking down barriers between applications, you enable people to do a better job for customers by putting the right information in front of them at the right time.” Mark shared an example where a company’s full sales team can view historic customer purchases and buying patterns, allowing for additional cross-selling opportunities.

However, there are still challenges to the integration. Companies would do well to examine implementation processes, operations needs, and human resources – is the
company equipped with the correct people to use the integration? 

Did Jason name all the influential Dreamforce Tweeters? Who would you add? Did you enjoy Chris’s posts this week? Tell us in the comments or onTwitter.

Peter Chase
Peter founded Scribe Software along with Jim Clarke in the beginning of 1996. As Executive Vice President, Business Development, Peter is responsible for establishing and growing partnerships with other leading technology companies in support of Scribe's overall market and product strategy. Prior to founding Scribe, Peter held senior positions in sales, product marketing, and finance at SNAP Software, an early pioneer in CRM software that was acquired by Dun and Bradstreet. He has published numerous articles and whitepapers and is a frequent speaker and panelist at industry events.

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