Avaya appoints PQ Telesystems as CRM solutions partner

Avaya, the former Enterprise Networks Group of Lucent Technologies spun off on September 30, recently appointed PQ Telesystems to distribute its range of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) products. PQ Telesystems designs and implements Customer Interaction Management solutions that reduce the redundancies caused by duplicated marketing, sales and service activities, thereby enhancing the management of the customer interface and relationship.

Andre du Plooy, divisional manager for Avaya business at PQ Telesystems, maintains that CRM is a philosophy that currently has a stigma attached to it, namely that it is unsuccessful, doesn`t work and is expensive. "Up to now," he says, "It has revolved around an external source evaluating a company`s current system and proposing to replace it with a utopian system that will supposedly end all current customer relationship issues."

PQ Telesystems is focusing on implementing a CRM initiative for its parent-company PQ Africa, that will allow the group to enhance its own customer centricity, before introducing its CRM solution to the market. Du Plooy states, "It is essential to implement a product or solution internally and understand it entirely before selling it externally. This forms the basis of our approach to the market."

John van der Linde, customer care director at Avaya, SA, explains that PQ Telesystems was selected as a BusinessPartner based on its focused commitment to CRM as well as the range of products it carries which align synergistically with Avaya`s.

Grant van der Wal, general manager at PQ Telesystems comments, "We are excited about working with Avaya; there are numerous key business benefits that will develop from our association and they open many new avenues to market for us." He continues, "CRM needs to add value to a client`s existing investment, enabling them to become customer-centric. Implementing a CRM strategy enables organisations to grow their share of customers by helping them add value to the services currently provided to their customer base."

Van der Wal describes how CRM should function: "Within organisations, there are numerous silos of customer information in various company divisions, for instance, marketing, accounts, sales, and logistics. Holistic CRM solutions, such as those provided by Avaya, allow a cross-enterprise view of the customer, improving a company`s ability to provide an efficient, effective interaction with the customer. Client data is viewed centrally. This avoids the need to send the customer from pillar to post across various departments. "

Van der Wal adds, "With many CRM solutions, not all information sources or silos are integrated. We refer to Avaya`s CRM Central 2000 as the "glue", a common link, that permits access to front- and back-office information from multiple sources, displaying it via a user-friendly common front-end mechanism."

PQ Telesystems places a strong emphasis on the support skills of its teams. It is upskilling its workforce to implement the complete CRM solution. Training began mid September, and will continue through to December. "The most important component to any CRM solution is the support element," du Plooy states. "If you cannot support the magnificent system that`s been implemented in the way that the customer wants it maintained, your efforts have been wasted."

Van der Waal concludes, "PQ Telesystems is following PQ Africa`s successful recipe of partnerships with successful suppliers and skilled, experienced implementation in order to provide successful results for our customers"