CRM in 2011 - what are the 'big picture' issues?

I think it's amazing that implementation and adoption are still the themes in CRM. It feels like that has been an issue for years. I wonder if business software will ever solve this? I think that will be an amazing conversation: Not just the fact that implementation and adoption are still a pain, but will this ever be solved?

Here are some others:
1. Chatter has been an overwhelming success -- What does social CRM mean? Where does it go? Is Chatter a PR success or an adoption success? What will the other vendors do to address?
2. One more on socialCRM, it's hot...but really where the rubber hits the road is how you can make enterprise more effective. Besides the PR behind SCRM, what is the CRM really doing to make an impact in an organization?
3. What is the market really made up of from a vendor perspective? How is the market broken up? Who leads the enterprise, mid-market, etc?
4. What is Salesforce.com's acquisition strategy? Help us rationalize buying Jigsaw, Heroku, Etacts, etc. What is next for them?
5. Will anyone have a premise/client server CRM application? How widespread is the acceptance of cloud applications?

I've been talking up three major trends and how they intersect in CRM: Global, Mobile, Social

Global - Web-based CRM is now more affordable and easier to deploy for SMBs than ever before. Now, smaller companies can grow to become global organizations mush more quickly - and the CRM of today has to help that growth, not hinder it. Thus, flexibility and ease of use across departments etc. is huge.

Mobile - Everyone is expecting 24-7 access to their business data. It is a simple fact that the mobile web has torn down the barriers in many ways between our work and personal lives. An "always on" approach to sales and marketing means that your CRM must follow you everywhere. The best CRM systems in 2011 will have seamless, varied mobile options.

Social - In this "always on" approach to CRM, we should also add that it must also be "everywhere" - this means consuming and contributing data to from and into social media channels. CRM is not just a database for holding contacts or tracking activities of sales agents, or queueing support cases. The CRM system of tomorrow is a truly interactive living system that sales, marketing and support agents use to make their work lives easier, but also to connect with more customers in deeper ways. The data stored in these modern systems are deeper and more valuable, driving more precise decision-making for management.

Those are just a few surface points I am seeing around what I see as three major areas of development in 2011 - Global, Mobile, Social. As a panelist in this event - I hope to cover these in more detail.

I am interested in reasons of why CRM implementation failure ratio is so high and insights for success.

Adoption:

1. Sufficient planning before implementation, involving everyone and getting everyone's commitment. Concentrate on the problem being solved and establish what is considered success.

2. Sufficient training and go-live support. Clients don't want to pay for this.

I am interested in how CRM supports functions across the business, from the call center to our web clients and the flip side with vendor management; also flexibility in integration with systems and how rapidly and easily custom functions can be rolled out.

Echoing what Josh Margolis stated above, sufficient planning BEFORE implementation seems to be where a lot of companies I've spoken with often fall short, followed closely by adoption rates.

1. I would like to hear what you think is the most necessary knowledge to have about implementing a CRM before starting a trial period. (i.e. what to look for during demo time)

2. It would be fantastic if you could address the best way to go about preparing your teams for the use of a new piece of software.

I'm a beginner when it comes to CRM, so this may sound elementary, but I'd like to learn more about collaborative CRM. How best to implement collaborative CRM in a company so the 'right hand is talking to the left hand', and what role applications like Chatter play in collaborative CRM.

I am interested in how CRM is breaking into all parts of the business. My staffing industry client is considering CRM extended to replace their best of breed staffing application.

What role does / should the actual customer play in a company's CRM strategies? (Too many CRM initiatives seem to relegate the customer to bystander status.)

Also ... within their CRM activities, how do the roundtable participants manage contacts and prospects who are not yet customers?

Thank you!

Good ones by everyone so far. I would add (not particularly new) how to tackle an industry specific workflow/vernacular.

Pros/Cons/considerations of getting an off shelf application and buy templates, maybe paying a consultant to customize for my specific solution, starting with a consultant, etc?

I'd be interested in hearing about adoption and max usage. I see it time and time again when users don't use the app and only 10% of the app is actually used.

I'd echo Kevin's comment. Please make sure you address the core topics of ease of use and adoption. As capabilities of all CRM systems expand it’s easy to forget that CRM systems are only successful when used extensively.

I'd like to hear about the true market share of the leading CRM vendors. While SFDC garners the lion's share of attention, there are three interesting market dynamics that I think are often ignored in the CRM market:
1. The overwhelming number of businesses who are not using CRM today - our data suggests that it ranges b/t 55-60%.
2. The collective market share of CRM systems that have been in place for over 10 years, particularly in the small business category (E.g. ACT).
3. The true role of MSFT in this space - not just with Dynamics, but also with Excel/Outlook based hacks.

Looking forward to the Roundtable Chris!