Australian outsourcing Client Relationship Management (CRM) budgets are set to climb throughout 2011 according to a CRM survey conducted by analyst firm Ovum.
The survey noted 55 per cent of executives indicated their outsourcing CRM budgets were to increase this year and will be one of the largest beneficiaries for 2011, highlighting a positive outlook for the local IT sector.
According to the survey, the enterprise in 2011 has a strong focus on increasing revenues with 65 per cent of respondents rating increased revenue as their ‘most important’ goal.
60 per cent of respondents rated customer satisfaction as a second priority and cost control and the improvement of internal processes lower on the agenda.
“The ability to grow business and ensuring a base of satisfied end users are crucial for most Australian executives, and are both areas where a well-targeted CRM outsourcing strategy can play a role”, said Jens Butler, principal analyst at Ovum.
“This drive around call quality and customer focus led Australian enterprises to show an overwhelming preference for dealing with locally-based CRM outsourcers”.
The survey also examined the top five calling cards for outsource selection in the country, finding a high degree of language capabilities was crucial, a result Butler says is likely due to the emphasis Australian executives place on strong end-user interactions facilitating cross-selling and up selling.
Additionally, respondents noted delivery location was also key, indicating the desire for simple interaction with end users and driving satisfaction and risk minimisation around operational investment.