Traditional and Non-Traditional Vendors Vie for CRM Domination

EnterpriseAppsToday.com Staff

Updated · Dec 13, 2000

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The race to dominate the Customer
Relationship Management market is rapidly heating up, according to
Cahners In-Stat Group. The high-tech market
research firm sites two types of contenders: the traditional vendor,
characterized by having some experience in the contact center and
typically marketing voice products; and the non-traditional vendor, a
new breed of CRM company attacking the market from the Internet and
host-based technologies side.

An ideal CRM solution is defined by its ability to provide multiple
contact methods, ease of use and integration. “The non-traditional
vendors have been a strong force of change by establishing Web-based CRM
applications as a core component of any CRM offering. However, despite
efforts of non-traditional vendors to ramp up their capabilities, it is
unlikely many will be able to overpower the advantage of the traditional
vendor's installed base, particularly as those vendors add Web-based
offerings,” says Kirsten Cloninger, Industry Analyst for In-Stat's
Internet Commerce Service. “The companies with the most contact
methods, simplest administration tools, and best integration skills,
will wind up on top.” On the other hand, “Traditional vendors are
offering more features simply because they have a head start,” says
Brian Strachman, Senior Analyst for In-Stat's Voice Applications
Service. “The traditional vendors are more hardware and software based
while the non-traditional vendors utilize the Internet and hosted
services. These are two very different strategies for a similar
objective. We can expect to see a blurring of the lines in the coming
year.”

In-Stat profiled and ranked 38 CRM vendors and found the following:

– The traditional vendors offered more methods of contact, while the
non-traditional vendors were able to integrate more quickly and offered
greater flexibility.
– As the non-traditional vendors ramp-up their offerings, they will
begin to be more competitive in the CRM market.
– The top five CRM vendors are:
1. Quintus
2. Kana
3. Oracle
4. Aspect
5. Siemens

The reports, Surrounding the Customer: Ranking Traditional Vendors of
Customer Relationship Management Solutions (#CT0005CT), and Surrounding
the Customer: Ranking Non-Traditional Vendors of Customer Relationship
Management Solutions (#EC0005MS) evaluate and rank 38 CRM vendors
according to their current and future capabilities, integration and
administration abilities. The reports also provide commentary on what
CRM companies require to be successful. Each of the 38 companies are
ranked and profiled. Please visit
http://www.instat.com/catalog/cat-ec.htm#ec0006ms for additional
information or contact Chris Kissel at 480-609-4531; [email protected].
Each report is priced at $3,995 USD.

Cahners In-Stat Group covers the full spectrum
of digital communications research from vendor to end-user, providing
the analysis and perspective that allows technology vendors and service
providers worldwide to make more informed business decisions.

  • CRM
  • News
  • Read next