Press Releases - Marketing Services

CUMIS Selects Extraprise S.O.S. CRM Support Services Onshore Support Cost-Effectively Addresses Shortcomings of Offshore CRM Support Models BOSTON -- Extraprise[R], the B2B database marketing services and CRM systems integration provider, today announced that The CUMIS Group Limited, an insurance and financial solutions provider, selected Extraprise S.O.S., Siebel Onshore Support, an outsourced support services offering that enables clients to reduce Siebel support costs by as much as 50% while improving service levels. Extraprise S.O.S. is the first high-level onshore support center staffed by Siebel experts. Over the past decade, the Siebel application platform has evolved to the point where few organizations, no matter how large or small, can provide the complete end-to-end technical expertise required to adequately support a live production environment. Extraprise overcomes this gap in IT support coverage by offering a cost effective augmentation solution that uses 100% Siebel certified onshore resources. Extraprise S.O.S. provides SLA-measured technical support for Siebel on an annual contract basis. "After reviewing a number of external and internal options to support our Siebel CRM implementation, we found the comprehensive Extraprise S.O.S. offering to be truly unique. While reducing our support costs, we have improved our issue resolution response time and reduced the headaches of maintaining the right blend of Siebel specializations and providing 365*24 coverage. Furthermore, our S.O.S. resource pool shields CUMIS from the cost of turnover and risk of downtime related to reliance on contractors," noted Paul Koski, The CUMIS Group Limited, Manager, I.T. Application Support. "Extraprise is pleased to offer CUMIS the Siebel support services that will enable the company to operationalize their sales and marketing programs in a manner that provides world-class service while producing considerable cost savings," said Ken Marshall, Chairman and CEO of Extraprise. Collaborate Survey Extraprise also announced results from its COLLABORATE '08 survey, which gauged adoption and success of CRM technology implementations. Key findings indicated the overwhelming contributor to dissatisfaction with CRM implementations is that support personnel lack knowledge of the organization's business processes. 58.1% of respondents indicated that their CRM personnel were unable to understand how their systems effectively interface with the firm's business processes--an issue noted more than twice as often by respondents than the second most common issue--a lack of technical knowledge (25.8%). "One consideration that companies often fail to appreciate when selecting a CRM support model is that cultural elements, general unfamiliarity with western sales processes, and lack of proximity to the actual operational environment which are often limitations of offshore support may contribute more to support dissatisfaction than can be made up with technical expertise and low rates," added Marshall. Respondents also indicated they have common challenges in providing CRM support. More than half (57.1%) noted that insufficient resource levels limited their respective IT services groups in providing this proper level of support. Other challenges included: a lack of access to specialists (38.1%); requirements to meet SLA targets (28.6%); and staff turnover (23.8%). Extraprise provides its Siebel Onshore Support service offering to address the challenges that the IT organization faces by providing flexible access to the resources needed at the time needed. Other Survey Findings Respondent's indicated a limited level of satisfaction level with CRM, with an average satisfaction score of 3.3 on a 1-5 scale (5=highest satisfaction). Interestingly, 11.4% of respondents indicated a complete lack of satisfaction with their implementation (a 2 rating), while only 6.8% were extremely satisfied (a 5 rating). Lukewarm satisfaction for a business process that 49% of respondents considered Mission Critical or Strategic application indicates that organizations may not be properly allocating their IT resources against firm priorities. IT Managers and CRM Support personnel were asked to identify the major challenges to provide adequate CRM support. The number one issue identified was Insufficient Resources which over half (57.1%) of all respondents selected. This challenge was followed by gaining Access to Specialists at 38.1%; Meeting SLA Requirements 28.6%; Turnover and Attrition of Resources at 23.8%; Ensuring Night, Weekend, and Holiday Coverage at 19%; Too Expensive at 9.5%; and Contractor Inefficiency, Offshore Relationship Issues, and Other Reasons all at almost 5%. When asked to select the primary three reasons for dissatisfaction with support, respondents most frequently cited their support's Knowledge and Understanding of Organization Business Processes. Over half (58.1%) of respondents to this question indicated this to be an issue. This factor was followed by Technical Knowledge of Support Personnel with 25.8%. About 1 in 5 respondents indicated dissatisfaction with support due largely to: Communications Ability of Support Personnel (22.6%), Critical System Functionality Missing (22.6%), Excess Time to Resolve Problems (19.4%), and Outdated Software Versions (19.4%). Other contributing factors included Delays in Reaching Support (12.9%) and Unavailability of Support After Hours (9.7%). Nearly two-thirds (63.6%) of respondents indicated they had an Internal Help Desk for basic issues, 50% indicated that they had an In-house CRM Support Team that either worked alone or in conjunction with their Help Desk or other support providers. The other providers used include Software Vendors, Offshore Support, and Integrator Support. Each of these mechanisms was used at a rate of approximately 1 in 10 organizations. The findings are based on responses from a sample of attendees interviewed at Collaborate '08, the annual international Oracle users' group meeting held in Denver, Colorado April 13-17, 2008. Respondents who did not use CRM were not included in the analysis. Of the respondents, 39.6% had some level of CRM support level responsibility. The remaining respondents were users, business managers, executives, or other individuals related to CRM. To receive a comprehensive report covering the COLLABORATE survey findings, please contact Eric Robbins at Extraprise, eric.robbins@extrparise.com or via phone at (312) 543-8633 or download the report at www.extraprise.com. About The CUMIS Group Limited The CUMIS Group Limited (CUMIS) partners with credit unions to deliver competitive insurance and financial solutions. In doing so, it creates financial security and promotes the growth and success of the credit union system in Canada. Its principal companies are CUMIS Life Insurance Company and CUMIS General Insurance Company. CUMIS also has a 50 per cent interest in CUIS Brokerage Services Limited and Credential Financial Inc. CUMIS has management responsibility for its joint marketing program with The Co-operators, which offers an integrated portfolio of both organizations' insurance products and related services to credit unions under the banner of 'CUMIS Insurance in partnership with The Co-operators.' For more information, visit www.cumis.com. About Extraprise Extraprise provides CRM integration and database marketing services for companies with extensive and complex product lines, customer data, and distribution channels. We combine the strategy, business process, implementation, and technical support skills of a CRM systems integrator with the data management, analytic, and marketing skills of a database marketing service provider to deliver and operate closed-loop marketing and sales environments for our clients. We have successfully completed over 700 engagements for more than 200 companies since 1997. Our experience, proven Extraprise Way methodology, best practices database, partner certifications, and i2i technology platform reduce the cost, complexity, and risk for our clients to achieve their CRM objectives. For more information, visit www.extraprise.com.