Customer Reviews

The CRM Handbook: A Business Guide to Customer Relationship Management

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This book is thorough, clear and filled with useful information. It's organized in two parts. Part 1 defines CRM in chapter 1 and in the next six chapters covers the reasons and issues for implementing CRM from five perspectives: (1) Marketing, (2) Customer Service/Call Centers, (3) Sales Force Automation, (4) E-business and (5) Data Analysis. The case studies, all based on real clients and situations, add life to the well written chapters on marketing, customer service and sales force automation. In addition each chapter contains nuggets of insight, clear discussion of the topic and numerous checklists and tables that you can use for your own projects.

Part 2 covers delivering CRM and is structured in the logical sequence of planning, tool selection and CRM project management. Like the first part of the book the four chapters in Part 2 contain case studies, checklists and excellent advice. It is in this part of the book where you'll benefit from Jill's experience because she reveals common traps and pitfalls, and gives advice on how to deal with them or bypass them altogether.

What I like about this book is that it covers the business and technical parameters, requirements and issues. Jill's writing style makes it not only readable, but engrossing as well. She goes into considerable detail about how and why CRM is important to meeting business requirements and gives business metrics, explains differences between CRM and business intelligence, and the pro's and con's of all issues and factors. Because she covers the subject from the five perspectives I listed above this book is valuable to all possible stakeholders in a CRM project. I especially liked her use of the Porter value chain and how she leads you through the development of a business case for CRM.

If you're involved in CRM, or are in a company that is implementing ISO9001:2000 (which requires that organizations have an effective method of measuring customer satisfaction to achieve ISO certification), then this book will be your most valuable source of information. If you want to see the dark side of CRM I recomment that you also read World Without Secrets by Richard Hunter, and for more information about CRM's underlying data I strongly recommend reading Jill's first book, e-Data: Turning Data into Information with Data Warehousing.

As a former Gartner Group analyst, I am sensitive to publications which "tell it like it is" Vs. those which have some ulterior motive, such as hyping a particular approach or product. Ms Dyche has followed up her success in de-mystifying the world of Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence in her first book, "E-Data", with a second triumph. This is the only book I've read that consolidates the discussion of CRM in marketing, call center, and sales, along with e-commerce and BI/DW, to provide a complete view of the CRM market opportunities. Her BI chapter in particular is the best discussion yet on the differences (and synergies) between BI/DW and CRM, and her future predictions at the end of the book are, well, right on the money. As a bonus, readers get to enjoy her delightful prose in the bargain. A must read if you work anywhere in the rapidly expanding world of CRM

As a former business unit president of a premier internet software company, I've experienced the CRM hype and misinformation in the marketplace as well as the Board room. Jill's book is the first unbiased look at CRM complete with facts, case studies, definition of terms, checklists to rate vendors, etc. Reading this book could save you millions, literally, in your CRM efforts. I recommend it highly to executives who are thinking about CRM as well as the IT professionals in charge of implementing these strategic projects. In a perfect world, all of the CRM gurus at vendor organizations and analyst firms would read this book prior to saying another word about CRM!

Jill Dyché is one author who never disappoints, and this book is as straightforward and balanced as her first, e-data. Like her first book this one is a balance between technical and business aspects that make it suitable for IT and business process owners. The technical topics are so clearly presented that business process owners will have no trouble understanding them, yet are sufficiently wide that even seasoned IT professionals will learn something new. The same for the business topics: Ms. Dyché's deep understanding of the business issues ensures that subject matter experts from the business side will come away with ideas and knowledge, while their IT counterparts will have a keener appreciation for the issues and challenges faced by their constituents.

What makes this book especially valuable, though, are the wealth of checklists, do's and don't's, and case studies that are real - so real in fact that I couldn't help but both admire her clients who allowed themselves to be quoted, and the obvious persuasive power Ms. Dyché used to obtain their permission to quote them. In fact, power is something Jill exhibits throughout this book. Like her first book she in which tells it like it is, she is quick to point out the good and the bad - and nothing escapes her notice. More importantly, her frankness is contagious and inspires you to take the same approach. A priceless example is given in chapter 10 where she tackles company and project politics head on. Most consultants will do anything to remain politically correct, resulting in wishy-washy advice that is filled with qualifiers. Not Jill - she calls 'em as she sees 'em, and the net result is advice that you can use to tackle thorny issues that everyone knows about, but nobody wants to bring up. I also like her emphasis on process before technology, and the reasons why CRM without a dramatic change in culture and business processes will not work. This sets expectations that need to be set up front.

Another reason to buy and read this book is CRM and its many components, processes and technical underpinnings are clearly explained. A case in point: ask 3-5 people to define CRM and you'll get different answers. This book pins it down to a coherent definition that is backed up with clear linkage to business imperatives and a clear understanding of the scope and magnitude of what it takes to implement CRM (including sales force automation). The first six chapters in the book give the definition within the context of business goals, and reinforce them with case studies. The second half of the book, Delivering CRM, is where the business, process, project and technology come together.

As a whole this book portrays a balanced picture. If you want (or need) to undersatnd CRM, its value, how it relates to business processes and what it takes to implement it, you'll find it all here. Read the book, use the checklists and heed the invaluable advice given on practically every page and you'll have everything you need for a successful implementation.

CRM Handbook should be the first general, broad-based, well-written introduction to CRM that you should read. The chapter headings clearly lay out the major functions and goals of CRM, as it relates to selling, marketing and customer service. This book is for all audiences, whether you are a small emerging company, like ours, or a large multi-national. Learn the terminology first -- and the mistakes -- before you start talking to a salesperson. This book is not about technical implementation, or a buying guide to different packages.
This morning, I met Jill unexpectedly at a technology event. She's also very charming and professional.

This is the second book authored by Jill Dyche in which she is able to very adroitly draw from her in-the-trenches experiences in order to simplify a complex topic for all readers, no matter what their starting point. Her engaging approach to CRM swept me along, so that I found myself literally reading the book in one afternoon. Starting at ground zero in her explanations, she uses easy-to-understand concepts, smart graphics, humor, and lots of charts, to take the fuzzy edge off of what CRM is, and is not, and why some implementations succeed and why some fail. She states her positions with confidence and authority, such as when making the case for integrated data in Chapter 6, or in advising you in how to talk to CRM vendors in Chapter 8, and substantiates her opinions with well-thought out argument and direct experience. Although the book is full of "Do This" and "Don't Do That" lists, recommendations and guidelines, its practical to the core, making CRM understandable and CRM success achievable for the masses. The CRM Handbook is a solid contribution to the industry, and at the same a lively, enjoyable read. If you got far enough to read the book reviews, you will do yourself a disservice not to read the book.

This is a great book. It provides CRM concepts, great examples, executable plans for implementing CRM, and an in-depth understanding of how IT underlies CRM. I started reading the book on a flight from the West coast and couldn't put it down. It's a must read for anyone interested in CRM. I teach courses in business intelligence and data warewhousing in the Terry College of Business Administration at The University of Georgia, and this book provided me with great insights and examples that I will use in my classes.

Not the Same Old Stuff

Most of the books and white papers on CRM fall back on the same old "culture and organization are the hardest part." I think this is because it's easier for authors to write about other people than it is to write about how to implement a project as complex as CRM. This book provides an implementation roadmap, which was worth the price of admission.

I bought 4 different CRM books and this one's the best of the bunch. The author has clearly walked the CRM walk and you can tell she's actually been in the CRM trenches. Two of the books were theoretical.

Dyche is very realistic about changes necessary for CRM and realizes that some companies have to see proof before making drastic organizational and process changes. The checklists and quizzes -- particularly in chapters 7 and 8 -- will be very useful. I really enjoyed the "Manager's Bottom Line" sections that summarized the "take aways" for executives.

Kimberley Espinoza

This book is one of the best reads out there regarding CRM. It's clear, readable, and full of real world examples. This book focuses on what a business person needs to know -- without teaching them IT-level details. I don't want to become a CRM developer -- I want to understand what CRM is and how I can benefit from it. This book responds to that need.