According to International Data Corporation (IDC), applications that automate all aspects of sales, marketing, and customer support are in great demand across Western Europe. From 1997 to 1998, growth in the European customer relationship management (CRM) market was an impressive 47%, and IDC expects this trend to continue through 2003.
Building actual relationships with customers, in the sense of effectively managing the relationship with the customer, requires many companies to radically change their behavior and focus to incorporate a CRM strategy. "In the past, many companies adopted a product-centric approach," said Anders Ebbesen, senior research analyst with IDC`s European Software research. "A shift toward a customer-centric strategy is causing a phenomenally high demand for companies to expand their resources and move away from their traditional IT infrastructures and implementation policies to accommodate the new business strategies."
To remain profitable, increase shareholder value, and manage the new customer-centric business culture, companies across the globe are increasingly focusing their attention on applications that automate customer relations, further fueling interest in the CRM applications market.
According to a recently published study from IDC, front-end applications such as sales, marketing and customer support, and help desk applications are the fastest-growing segment in the applications market, outgrowing traditional back-office applications such as accounting, human resources, and materials management. The goals of customer intimacy and cost-efficiency have triggered growth in the front-office application market, and IDC expects a continued integration of front-office applications with back-office applications, a trend that will further drive demand for CRM products.
About International Data Corporation (IDC) BMI-T has established a long-standing business relationship with the International Data Corporation (IDC). With research centres in over 40 countries and more than 500 research analysts and 3 900 clients world-wide, IDC provides a global market perspective on IT market and technology trends.
As the exclusive South African partner of IDC, BMI-T has instant access to IDC`s formidable knowledge base and consulting skills, and is positioned to offer African clients access to the full range of IDC `s global research.
For more information on IDC products and services, please visit IDCSA on http://www.info@bmi-t.co.za, or contact:
Samantha Stevens
IDCSA Business Unit Manager
Tel: + 27 11 803-6412
Fax: + 27 11 803-784
E-mail: samantha@bmi-t.co.za
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BMI-TechKnowledge Group (BMI-T)
BMI-TechKnowledge (BMI-T) is Africa `s leading supplier of market intelligence and knowledge-based consulting in the areas of IT, telecommunications and broadcasting.
Formed over fourteen years ago, BMI-T provides its clients with an unmatched and comprehensive range of unbiased market knowledge. BMI-T conducts more than 20 000 market research business-to-business and business-to-consumer interviews and more than 100 focus group projects every year.
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