CRM Initiatives: A checklist to help discern if you should outsource your data warehousing

By Gene Feruzza and Steve Meyer

CRM Operations

These and other issues are forcing some executives to consider another option: outsourcing some or all of their CRM operations. Following is a checklist to help discern if outsourcing is right for you.

* You crave speed to market. Everything takes time, often more than expected, when implementing new CRM applications—time most catalogers don’t have. Effective CRM implementations may involve the following tasks: deploying new hardware; selecting software; centralizing customer data; training existing staff or hiring new CRM experts; integrating communications channels among departments; and reconfiguring legacy systems and applications.