"Architects" Help Construct CRM Software Solutions

You're not seeing things.

Those ads in the trade publications looking for CRM software experts really do say "architect." It's a term that's been bubbling up in the CRM software space for a few years now, and consultant Richard Boardman made it the focus of a recent blog post about the role of the architect in the CRM software planning process.

Boardman, and others, believe that large corporations will increasingly turn to CRM architects who can help envision the right combination of features, training, and usability for a successful customer relationship management technology rollout. After all, if you take the metaphor to its logical conclusion, very few companies would attempt to design their own headquarters buildings in-house. Therefore, it makes sense for companies to bring in a professional who can make informed decisions about:

• connecting CRM software to the social media firehose,
• rolling out CRM systems in stages, and
• ensuring that teams get trained in advance of CRM software roll-outs so they don't lock up on launch day.

Unfortunately, even an experienced CRM architect can't solve the root problems that cause some roll-outs to fail. If anything, some CRM architects already report being bossed around by clients, just like the episodes of "Flipping Out" when Jeff Lewis has to work on someone else's house instead of his own.

If the client requests a set of features you can't possibly deliver on time or on budget, do you suck up and take it? Do you try to educate your clients? Or do you walk away from the project altogether? Those are the questions third-party CRM software experts must prepare themselves to face, no matter what their job title.

CRM software experts and architects at different stages of their careers will likely give different answers, but the question highlights an ongoing challenge in the CRM field. Clients don't always know exactly what they're looking for, and they sometimes don't even know that they don't know. CRM architects who succeed in their roles are the professionals with the strength of conviction to do what is in the best interests of teams, shareholders, and especially customers, even when confronted with managers and stakeholders that make uninformed requests.