Customer relationship management (CRM) solutions need to be tailored to South African conditions to help local companies realise business value.
This is the view of Patrick Venter, Eclipse Networks GM of software, who says: "South Africans are still intimidated by technology and they prefer maintaining personal relationships with their customers."
Venter says international solutions are expensive, but if solutions were made more affordable, then more local small and medium enterprises would invest in CRM, and this would give SA a competitive advantage.
"At the moment, vendors import solutions that are European or US-based and they try to apply them to the South African market, which sometimes doesn`t work. We need something that applies to South African culture and a South African way of doing business," he reiterates.
"American businesses are more mature and competitive than South African businesses. They have more structured programmes suitable for the way they do business and that`s what SA lacks."
Venter says the major role-players in South African CRM at the moment are Microsoft and SAP, which are getting closer to understanding what companies need.
"Though software solutions are maturing, South African companies still fail to understand the role CRM plays in business," he adds.
According to Venter, a lot of work and effort needs to be invested in the industry before CRM is recognised as an essential part of business. "CRM is aimed at building and strengthening loyalty and trust within the business and the people involved. It is critical for companies to understand the concept of CRM and what it can do for the business," he explains.
"CRM is becoming a crucial part of business because as companies grow, the human element is being replaced by technology," he concludes.
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