If customer service is all it takes to create a successful company, Chan probably has the formula, having been in the CRM business for close to two years. "One of the lessons learnt from the past year is the importance of understanding customers' objectives, so as to make every CRM project a success," noted the ex-SAP Asia executive. "I normally have some hard words with the C-level management of the company which buys my product," said the 42-year-old Chan, who is fearful of virtually nothing except a bad reputation. "I tell my customers, 'It's not going to work if you just load a software'." A successful CRM implementation has to be part of a business strategy, which includes changing business practices to focus on customer needs and reorganizing databases to ensure quick data retrieval. Of course, it does not do Siebel any good if a CRM implementation fails. That explains why Chan would normally insist on top management's involvement and commitment to such a project. There were also instances when he helped customers develop business goals. "My reputation is more important than just making a sale," said Chan. In a recent research report, ABN AMRO projected that the global CRM market will reach $3.36bn next year, up 25.8 percent from 2002. Siebel is expected to lead the sector with a 45 percent market share in 2002. In a distant second will be SAP (16 percent), followed by PeopleSoft (8 percent). In 2003, ABN AMRO expects Siebel to widen its lead at the expense of SAP and PeopleSoft.
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