Can Siebel handle verticalization?

Our company is a commercial print and communications firm that is looking into adding CRM to our business plan. We are also interested in utilizing the information gathered to do extensive 1 to 1 marketing. In researching Siebel, I am seeing many comments in regard to its inability to handle verticalization well. Are you familiar with where these shortcomings are and what we should be aware of if we decide to go with Siebel?

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I don't believe Siebel suffers from any particular strain of "Verticalization" influenza. Rather, I believe many organizations misunderstand the amount of work required to realize their CRM goals. Siebel, like all CRM applications, requires significant customization and analysis. The more complex the installation, the more customization required. Since Siebel is typically sold as an enterprise solution, it's only natural to expect a high degree of customization and integration work. Now, this is not something that would be on the tip of your average salesperson's tongue. Consequently, expectations may be improperly set around the amount additional coding required to integrate across the enterprise. Successful CRM projects require a strong vision, backed-up with business plans, reinforced by strong process design & integration, and fortified with significant systems architecture planning and analysis. Do your homework, and I'm confident you will succeed with Siebel and other CRM applications.

For more information on Siebel and other CRM vendors, check out searchCRM's CRM Vendors/General Information Best Web Links.


This was first published in September 2001

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