Rating: 
Summary: Bridges business and technical - best book on the subject
Review: This book is thorough, clear and filled with useful information. It's organized in two parts. Part 1 defines CRM in chapter 1 and in the next six chapters covers the reasons and issues for implementing CRM from five perspectives: (1) Marketing, (2) Customer Service/Call Centers, (3) Sales Force Automation, (4) E-business and (5) Data Analysis. The case studies, all based on real clients and situations, add life to the well written chapters on marketing, customer service and sales force automation. In addition each chapter contains nuggets of insight, clear discussion of the topic and numerous checklists and tables that you can use for your own projects.Part 2 covers delivering CRM and is structured in the logical sequence of planning, tool selection and CRM project management. Like the first part of the book the four chapters in Part 2 contain case studies, checklists and excellent advice. It is in this part of the book where you'll benefit from Jill's experience because she reveals common traps and pitfalls, and gives advice on how to deal with them or bypass them altogether. What I like about this book is that it covers the business and technical parameters, requirements and issues. Jill's writing style makes it not only readable, but engrossing as well. She goes into considerable detail about how and why CRM is important to meeting business requirements and gives business metrics, explains differences between CRM and business intelligence, and the pro's and con's of all issues and factors. Because she covers the subject from the five perspectives I listed above this book is valuable to all possible stakeholders in a CRM project. I especially liked her use of the Porter value chain and how she leads you through the development of a business case for CRM. If you're involved in CRM, or are in a company that is implementing ISO9001:2000 (which requires that organizations have an effective method of measuring customer satisfaction to achieve ISO certification), then this book will be your most valuable source of information. If you want to see the dark side of CRM I recomment that you also read World Without Secrets by Richard Hunter, and for more information about CRM's underlying data I strongly recommend reading Jill's first book, e-Data: Turning Data into Information with Data Warehousing.
Rating:
Summary: Great read before starting CRM and for reference both
Review: This books covers all the different flavors and dimensions of CRM and its entire lifecycle. I have been involved on all phases of a CRM lifecycle as a data architect, and I find it broad enough to help me understand the context for the entire CRM and my own piece in it. Understanding the overall CRM strategy as well as each component is important because of the dependencies between the different functional areas and between business and technology. This book is really good on explaining WHY - and therefore it helps you make decisions, plan your approach, and design your solution, whatever your role might be in a CRM project. As someone who has faced many of the issues presented in the book, I found the tips very actionable and the case studies insightful (and I just wished I had this book earlier in my career). I also found it useful to re-read the portions of the book as they relate to the phase I am working on and to help me analyze and resolve a design issue. My only caution is that you should be willing to understand business and technology and all the different business functions, and not just your own - but if you are serious about CRM, you will have to anyway.
Rating:
Summary: Great read before starting CRM and for reference both
Review: This books covers all the different flavors and dimensions of CRM and its entire lifecycle. I have been involved on all phases of a CRM lifecycle as a data architect, and I find it broad enough to help me understand the context for the entire CRM and my own piece in it. Understanding the overall CRM strategy as well as each component is important because of the dependencies between the different functional areas and between business and technology. This book is really good on explaining WHY - and therefore it helps you make decisions, plan your approach, and design your solution, whatever your role might be in a CRM project. As someone who has faced many of the issues presented in the book, I found the tips very actionable and the case studies insightful (and I just wished I had this book earlier in my career). I also found it useful to re-read the portions of the book as they relate to the phase I am working on and to help me analyze and resolve a design issue. My only caution is that you should be willing to understand business and technology and all the different business functions, and not just your own - but if you are serious about CRM, you will have to anyway.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: This is a great book. It provides CRM concepts, great examples, executable plans for implementing CRM, and an in-depth understanding of how IT underlies CRM. I started reading the book on a flight from the West coast and couldn't put it down. It's a must read for anyone interested in CRM. I teach courses in business intelligence and data warewhousing in the Terry College of Business Administration at The University of Georgia, and this book provided me with great insights and examples that I will use in my classes.
Rating:
Summary: A Business Guide that Really Helps Business!
Review: This is the first CRM book I have read that both provides a solid foundation on CRM and teaches how to actually put CRM in place. I regularly recommend this book to the working professionals who take my graduate course in Data Warehousing and CRM. The materials in the book include helpful case studies, actionable lessons learned, clear delivery of basic and advanced CRM topics, and example tools/deliverables that can be applied in the workplace. It also is a well-written and entertaining read. The CRM Handbook is a must for the office bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: Dyche brings a breath of fresh air to an overworked topic
Review: This is the second book authored by Jill Dyche in which she is able to very adroitly draw from her in-the-trenches experiences in order to simplify a complex topic for all readers, no matter what their starting point. Her engaging approach to CRM swept me along, so that I found myself literally reading the book in one afternoon. Starting at ground zero in her explanations, she uses easy-to-understand concepts, smart graphics, humor, and lots of charts, to take the fuzzy edge off of what CRM is, and is not, and why some implementations succeed and why some fail. She states her positions with confidence and authority, such as when making the case for integrated data in Chapter 6, or in advising you in how to talk to CRM vendors in Chapter 8, and substantiates her opinions with well-thought out argument and direct experience. Although the book is full of "Do This" and "Don't Do That" lists, recommendations and guidelines, its practical to the core, making CRM understandable and CRM success achievable for the masses. The CRM Handbook is a solid contribution to the industry, and at the same a lively, enjoyable read. If you got far enough to read the book reviews, you will do yourself a disservice not to read the book.
Rating:
Summary: I highly recommend this useful and valuable book
Review: To flourish in today's competitive market an organization must have all its employees understand why the organization thrives... The simple answer is because they give their customers what they need. After working for more than 20 years in IT organizations I found this to be true at every level. You will have greater success in any endeavor by listening to, understanding, and giving your customer what they need. Learn this important lesson and practice CRM with each and every client. This book gives you everything you need to know about CRM. The role of CRM in business, definitions and examples of key terms and related applications, case studies of what has worked and what hasn't, and dozens of lists and guidelines. Jill Dyche has a knack of giving you just the right information to keep you interested without all the boring details. I recommend this book to both young and seasoned professionals alike.
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Summary: Not just theory--tactics! (And thank goodness!)
Review: Unlike the guy who gave this book two stars, I found the checklists and templates offered in this book to be a breath of fresh air compared to some other CRM books on the market that are long on theory but short on suggestions for action. How can anyone complain about a book offering its readers actual tools? The CRM Readiness Survey alone is worth the price of the book! I agree with one of the other reviewers who sites the case studies as effective windows into the inner workings of CRM projects that have succeeded, and also appreciate the author going out to find actual companies willing to share their stories. All in all, I just don't understand how anyone could criticize a book for offering its readers real-world examples and tools. There's a reason this one's the best-seller!
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Summary: Finally--Some CRM TACTICS!
Review: While this book's Part 1 was an effective review of CRM's various components--the author deconstructs CRM's various areas--I really appreciated Part 2, which discussed some much-needed how-to's. (After all, does anyone really need another book about customer loyalty???) I work for a large insurance company and we're currently planning our CRM program. I'm working on making the material in the "Choosing Your CRM Tool" chapter part of our corporatewide CRM guidelines.
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