Davis Humanics (DH) is a company founded in 1982 that provides human resources services to about 7000 companies with a total of nearly 100,000 employees. These services include payroll processing, tax filing, health insurance and claims management, and retirement plan management. DH has annual sales of $2 billion and about 1000 employees. In 1997, DH launched a Web site that has since grown to include a variety of tools for connecting with customers. DH has expanded rapidly and has clients of all sizes, ranging from smaller companies with fewer than 50 employees to Fortune 500 companies.

As DH grows, it is having trouble maintaining a consistent quality of service. Account managers each must handle more clients, making it more difficult for them to maintain personal contact with the human resources executives who control DH’s contracts. In the past, account managers worked with a small set of client contact people, but now account managers must work with more people, many of whom they have never met. Further, a number of different client employees have regular contacts with DH operations staff (who handle input tasks), DH systems staff (who help customize the interfaces between DH systems and client systems), and DH professional staff (lawyers, actuaries, and human resources professionals who consult with DH clients and their legal counsel regarding the operation of their retirement and benefits plans).

Because DH’s clients vary so much in size and how they operate, DH has to be flexible in handling input data. For example, DH’s payroll-processing service allows clients many different ways to send in time card data. The largest clients arrange for customized computer-to-computer transfer of information. Some large clients use EDI transfers. Most medium and smaller-sized clients e-mail the time card information, but some mail paper lists that DH must scan into its systems. The health insurance claims-handling operation is even more troublesome. In addition to having clients submit information in various formats, the insurance companies demand that DH submit information in specific formats that are different for each insurance company.

The complexity of DH’s operations is growing as rapidly as the company adds new clients. Sandi Higbee, DH’s Director of Operations, asks for your help in outlining a Web-based customer relationship management (CRM) system that will help manage the account managers’ ever-increasing levels of customer contact (recall that you learned about CRM systems in Chapter 9). Sandi reviewed the products offered by several leading CRM vendors and believes that one might work as a base product, but no matter which product is chosen, she believes that substantial customization will be necessary because DH’s operations are so complex and different from most companies that sell products or simple services to customers. A good CRM system for DH would need to monitor all types of customer interactions with DH account managers, operations staff, systems staff, and professional staff. In addition, the system’s Web interface should allow DH clients to access parts of the CRM system so they can track DH’s follow-up on their work requests and pending inquiries.

REQUIRED:
1. Prepare an outline of the benefits that DH might expect to obtain from this CRM project. Use categories to organize your list of benefits; for example, you might identify benefits that will accrue to DH’s account managers, operations staff, IT staff, and professional staff. Because DH’s clients will also benefit, you might be able to identify benefits that will accrue to DH’s Marketing and Sales departments or to DH’s New Product Development department. Be sure to include any long-term benefits that you think might occur after the CRM system has been in place for several years.

2. Prepare a one-page memorandum to the DH board of directors in which you argue against using ROI as the primary method for evaluating this project. Keep in mind that these directors have little time to review your arguments and are very much inclined to use ROI for all project evaluations.