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D,M,P,R
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understanding of
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the problem
realistically
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P
defined.
Identify & apply strategies/techniques to find appropriate
M
solutions
D Demonstrate convergent, lateral and creative thinking.
R Redo the Assignment to improve the quality of Assignment work

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TUTOR’S COMMENT ON REVISED
WORK (IF ANY)
Date: Assessor’s Name / Signatures:

STRATEGY OF CRM ADOPTED BY RAMCO

Ramco Systems has recently implemented an on-demand CRM system to better manage
customer relationships and sales opportunities

Ramco, a global provider of software and services has recently opted for an on-demand
CRM solution from Salesforce.com. Today, Ramco Systems has offices in nine countries
and over 300 customers in 1,000 locations worldwide across multiple verticals. Many of
Ramco's clientele include organizations from banking, insurance, discrete and process
manufacturing, aviation, distribution, transportation and logistics, healthcare, e-
governance, retail, and more.

Initially, the company's focus was to operate as a pure enterprise product vendor,
focusing on Microsoft client-server technologies. The company then shifted gears and
became a total solutions provider on different technology platforms and architecture.
Ramco also provides a pay-per-use business model for its clients and provides its
applications through partners.

At present, diverse technologies are being used in Ramco. These range from IBM AS400
systems to current multi-core, multi-processor systems procured from different hardware
vendors. The company has systems running on different types and flavors of operating
systems including Windows, Unix and Linux.

Raghuram D, CTO, Ramco Systems says, "As the company strives to become a more
customer-driven organization with an enhanced focus on marketing and sales, our ability
to track and manage our business effectively is also becoming increasingly important.
Our business is growing and to successfully expand further we required a system that
supports our sales team and improves their ability to track and close more deals."

Earlier, Ramco offices across geographies used different applications. There was no
uniformity in data collection and processes. The company needed a uniform base of its
prospects and customers. It wanted a solution to monitor its progress, project its revenue,
performance and showcase uniformity.

Ramco Systems deployed a global on-demand CRM from Salesforce.com in January 2007
and completed the implementation in less than six weeks to improve lead management,
better manage customer relationships and for sales effectiveness. The new
implementation co-exits with other systems being used in Ramco. The company chose
Salesforce.com after evaluating CRM solutions from several vendors.

"We had evaluated different vendors who provide both on-premise and on-demand SFA
(Sales Force Automation). Some of the technical criteria used for evaluating the vendors
included security, availability, co-existence capabilities with our current technologies and
extendibility," says Raghuram. The CRM application was rolled out to Ramco for about 60
sales personnel in India, Europe, the Middle East and USA.
When it comes to software as a service, licensing agreements should be carefully
examined. As Raghuram explains, "We looked at different licensing options and got an
optimal solution at a very good price." The company has opted for a user-based license
for an extended period, and thus has been able to negotiate good rates.

As Ramco is an IT service provider itself, their business requirements were somewhat

different. Hence, the company proceeded to add some templates specific to their sales
force requirements and customized their solution accordingly.

For instance, Ramco has added some steps in the workflow and fine-tuned a few
templates provided by Salesforce.com to meet their reporting requirements. "Since we
have gone in for the software as a service model, Salesforce.com provides us with certain
capabilities to modify the software," explains Raghuram.

Chetan Pathak, VP Sales India Operation, Ramco Systems adds, "Along with this
Salesforce.com implementation, we have also implemented Six Sigma processes. One of
these new processes was for lead generation. We integrated this process with the on-
demand CRM application." Today, the company has end-to-end visibility when it comes to
aspects such as lead generation.

Despite the quick roll-out and smooth implementation, the company has had to face
certain change management issues in transitioning some of the sales personnel from the
earlier CRM application. "Our sales personnel used to update Excel sheets when on the
field. However, the on-demand CRM application needs Internet connectivity to operate, so
while on a flight, they couldn't connect to the new application. Additionally, the sales staff
was very possessive about their traditional way of working and was resistant to change,"
says Raghuram.

To resolve this issue, the staff was educated about the importance of access to
centralized information and the about the benefits the business could achieve through
this project. Education, alleviation of their fears and hand-holding during the initial phase
helped in overcoming this issue.

"Salesforce.com today has helped us streamline and automate our sales process in a
cost-effective manner and gives us visibility into our marketing campaign effectiveness as
well," opines Raghuram. The implementation has improved the visibility of the entire
process. Different reports have enabled a more meaningful analysis to enable the sales
team performs better.

"It also helps better manage Ramco's sales process and pipeline, improve lead conversion
rates and boost the productivity of our sales staff," adds Raghuram.

As the sales team at Ramco has become more accustomed to the system, they are
beginning to appreciate the time it saves them. The new system allows them to
concentrate on continuously growing the business.

With the success of this project behind them, Ramco plans to include their sales partners
in this on-demand system as well. This will help in bringing about transparency with
partners and grow the business. As Pathak says, "We also plan to go in for more
meaningful alerts and reports and move on to management by exception, so that we
don't spend unnecessary time on routine things."
 QUESTIONS:

1. What are the customers process involved in Ramco’s problems?

2. How were sales programs implemented? Bring out the methods used. Could they have
been better?
3. What are the benefits derived by the company from these programs?