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哪來的"CRM軟件形同虛設(shè)"?

袁道唯 2003/03/05

　　今天(3/5/03)在網(wǎng)上傳播的報道 "Gartner調(diào)查：CRM軟件形同虛設(shè)"(見以下附件一)的標題很張揚, 當然也就吸引眼球. 給讀者的感覺是所謂的CRM軟件名不符實. 既然是虛設(shè), 當然應(yīng)該撤掉了. 事實上, 該文英文原文的標題是" CRM: Software or shelfware?" (見附件二), 講的是有不少公司, 買了CRM軟件后并沒有開始使用, 完全不牽涉到CRM的軟件本身的功能問題. 之所以還沒使用, 原作者列舉了以下幾種原因(我歸納并排列):

1. 用戶正在安裝, 而這一過程可能要化一年甚至更長時間
2. 廠商推折扣, 企業(yè)貪便宜, 結(jié)果購買過多
3. 工人對變革, 對新技術(shù)的抵抗
4. 企業(yè)預(yù)算裁減, 沒錢請咨詢顧問幫助實施
5. 企業(yè)裁人, 用戶減少.

　　當今眾多編譯品的作者常常憑著一知半解的專業(yè)知識, 勉強使用的英文加上渲染想象將"作品"推到讀者面前. 誤人子弟的例子不勝枚舉. 這篇編譯雖沒有那么離譜, 但也反映虛浮與文字, 專業(yè)知識的欠缺. 比如, 編譯者似乎分不清軟件使用許可證(license)與軟件本身的區(qū)別. 又如, 作者翻譯道:

　　"但是隨著經(jīng)濟低迷，CRM軟件的銷量開始下降。Gartner公司預(yù)測，今年CRM軟件的銷售仍會保持低弱水平"

　　看一下原文, 其準確表達應(yīng)該是:

　　" CRM軟件主要廠商的銷量隨著經(jīng)濟不景氣而下降, Gartner預(yù)測今年這些廠商的銷售仍將持平". CRM 軟件銷售沒有那么紅火, 但不一定能稱為"低弱". 英文flat 沒有低弱的意思.

　　對于作者列舉的五個原因, 編譯者也只翻譯了一個: 廠商的折扣. 編譯的結(jié)果導(dǎo)致讀者相信, 是CRM軟件不好, CRM廠商欺騙. 而原作者的態(tài)度則客觀得多.

附一

Gartner調(diào)查：CRM軟件形同虛設(shè)

衛(wèi)東 編譯
2003-3-4 16:12:15

　　據(jù)一個新的調(diào)查報告，在購買了客戶關(guān)系管理軟件（CRM）的眾多公司中，有相當比例的企業(yè)在購買之后從未使用過。

　　由Gartner公司完成的對近700家公司的調(diào)查顯示，購買了CRM軟件使 用許可的公司中，42%的公司還沒有安裝過該軟件。Gartner公司打算本周在芝加哥舉行的CRM軟件會議上公布上述調(diào)查。

　　許多分析人士認為，大多數(shù)CRM軟件在賣出去之后僅僅是躺在購買者的架子上，并未投入實際使用。

　　Gartner的調(diào)查是一系列置疑CRM軟件有效性的調(diào)查中最新的一個。由Siebel、SAP、Oracle、PeopleSoft以及Epiphany等公司唱主角的CRM軟件市場價值30億美元。生產(chǎn)商吹噓說，CRM是幫助企業(yè)節(jié)省開支，促進與客戶關(guān)系的有效工具，因為CRM軟件可以使得企業(yè)銷售，市場策劃以及售后服務(wù)等一系列環(huán)節(jié)進行流水化作業(yè)。

　　在1990年代末期，CRM是一個增長非常迅速的企業(yè)應(yīng)用軟件領(lǐng)域，但是隨著經(jīng)濟低迷，CRM軟件的銷量開始下降。Gartner公司預(yù)測，今年CRM軟件的銷售仍會保持低弱水平。而且真正的損失是，企業(yè)花了數(shù)百萬美元購買CRM軟件，但卻從來沒有真正去用它。

　　造成這種巨大浪費的原因很多，其中之一是，軟件供應(yīng)商提供富有吸引力的打折來鼓勵客戶購買超出他們實際需要的軟件。這樣盡管客戶沒有真正使用該軟件，但因為是便宜貨，因而也不會覺得太虧。但是，這樣的公司往往支付更高的維護費用，可能高達購買使用許可費的四分之一。有些購買協(xié)議還規(guī)定，客戶每年都要為CRM軟件支付維護費用，持續(xù)幾年，而不管實際上是否使用了該軟件。

附二：

CRM: Software or shelfware?

By Alorie Gilbert
CNET News.com
March 4, 2003, 4:19 AM PT

When it comes to customer relationship management software, much of what businesses purchase is never put to use, according to a new study.

A survey of nearly 700 companies conducted by research firm Gartner indicates that 42 percent of CRM software licenses purchased have yet to be installed. Gartner intends to publish the results of the survey this week at its CRM software conference in Chicago.

One caveat is that some of the respondents may intend to use more licenses eventually but still are installing the software, a process that can take a year or more. But the results, according to Gartner analyst Esteban Kolsky, reflect a trend many analysts have observed recently: A lot of CRM software that's sold ends up sitting idly on buyers' shelves.

The Gartner survey is the most recent in a string of reports questioning the effectiveness of CRM software, a $3 billion market lead by Siebel Systems, SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft and Epiphany. The software makers tout CRM as a tool to help companies save money and boost customer loyalty, because it's designed to streamline corporate sales, marketing and call center activities.

CRM was a hot growth area in the business applications market in the late 1990s, but sales among the leading providers have declined amid the depressed economy. Gartner predicts that sales will remain flat this year, and its latest findings aren't likely to make the job of selling CRM applications any easier. But the real losers in all of this, Kolsky said, are the companies who sank millions of dollars into technology they never used.

The reasons for the wasted spending are varied, according to Kolsky. One cause is the aggressive discounting practices in the software industry, he said. Software companies often encourage customers to buy more licenses than they may initially need by offering large volume discounts. If some buyers never use all the software they purchased, they may feel that, with the discount, it was still worth it. But those companies often fail to factor in the higher maintenance fees, which can add up to nearly a fourth of the license cost per seat, he said. Under some software contracts, companies are required to continue paying maintenance fees annually for several years whether they use the software or not, he added.

Other reasons CRM software often goes to waste, Kolsky said, include the resistance to change and new technology among workers. Declining technology budgets at many companies also have drained the corporate coffers of funding for the consulting services needed to install the applications. Companies spend one to five times as much on CRM consulting as they do on software licenses, Kolsky said. Another possibility is that companies have cut their work force as a result of the economic recession and simply have less people on staff to use the software.

Not surprisingly, news of the Gartner survey elicited a fresh round of finger-pointing among CRM rivals.

"This is the fallout of old-line CRM vendors, like Siebel, that oversold and under-delivered," said Brad Wilson, vice president of marketing for PeopleSoft's CRM unit.

Siebel representatives were not immediately available to comment.

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