CRM as a tool for IT strategy planning

CRM is a relative new technology in which allows organisations to capture data, and improve customer service capabilities. IT strategy planning is the process of planning, and implementing changes, to ensure organisations have best practise in regards to decision making and infrastructure. At the current moment there is little information domestically available in Australia about CRM systems. This thesis provides some insight, in-regards to CRM and IT strategy planning practice, in Australia. CRM implementation and development, is difficult and complicated. IT strategy planning is a difficult task which requires good sources of information. Many organisations have developed large bodies of information about their business, based on their CRM systems. This thesis, uses a survey of 51 organisations to examine the organisation’s use of CRM systems, and their use of IT strategy planning, and the relationship between CRM and IT strategy planning. The results of the survey found, that CRM is used in conjunction with IT strategy planning for customer profiling, customer forecasting, cost reduction mechanism, and shared or distributed customer data. In summary this means that firms looking to implement a CRM system, are doing so as means to support and enhance business operations, in terms of development and functionality. The main recommendations of what is discovered in this thesis are:<br><br>• Used to improve customer relationships between an organisation and customers/clients <br><br>• Used to develop new products to the marketplace <br><br>• To reduce costs in an organisation <br><br>• To streamline and improve business process in an organisation <br>