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Chapter 12 • Customer Relationship Management 349

Exercises

1. Your boss is interested in purchasing CRM software 2. Locate a company that you know or work at and find
and has requested you to categorize the major CRM out the details of the CRM system used at this com-
vendors by the customer relationship processes they pany. Your survey could include questions on the
support. Write a two-page report with a short CRM drivers for this company, vendor used, com-
summary and a table about CRM systems, vendor ponents, benefits and drawbacks, and the level of
names, major features of the software, and how they integration between CRM and ERP at this company.
match the customer relationship processes discussed Write a two-page report summarizing your findings,
in this chapter. and provide recommendations for improvement.

Review Questions

1. Why is it necessary for an organization to have a good 5. What are the major types of CRM?
customer relationship management (CRM) system? 6. Briefly describe the customer relationship
2. Define the role of CRM in your own words. processes.
3. What are the key differences between today’s 7. What are the major components of CRM?
CRM and the early generation of CRMs? 8. What is hosted CRM?
4. How does CRM impact the company’s bottom line 9. How should organizations design CRM systems?
or performance? 10. List the major CRM vendors by their target market.

Discussion Questions

1. Discuss the relationship between a company’s 5. Discuss the critical components and architecture of
CRM strategy and business strategy. CRM systems.
2. Discuss the role of CRM software in improving the 6. Discuss the differences between hosted and installed
company’s strategic advantage. CRM systems.
3. Which CRM process according to you is most crit- 7. How is CRM life cycle different from ERP life
ical? Explain why. cycle? Compare and contrast.
4. Discuss the role of CRM in e-Business and
e-commerce.

CASE 12-2
Real-World Case
Plexipave: A Failed CRM Implementation

Source: Based on Reed, T., and Desrosiers, A. (2006). Unpublished Case Study Report, College of Management,
University of Massachusetts, 1 University Avenue, Lowell, MA 01854.

Plexipave is the world’s largest manufacturer of acrylic sports surfacing systems and surface
preparation products. Their acrylic sport surfaces are installed in residential, commercial,
institutional, and tournament locations around the world, including Indian Wells, Tennis
Asia, and the Davis Cup. Plexipave Sport Surfacing Systems is a division of California
Products Corporation, a manufacturer of paints and coatings since 1926, headquartered in
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