When Web technology is used, it must be part of a well planned strategy. Mark Huey of the Meta Group said: "The key thing is to do everything you need to do to turn the Web into a channel," Huey cites the difference between insurance companies who ask Website visitors for details and then call them back, and those that have reinvented the process by, for instance, allowing customers to compare quotes in real time.
Sadly, the marketing community has not risen to the challenge of controlling the customer interface. John Merit' of Coca-Cola says that lack of confidence among marketing managers has enabled a number of unscrupulous suppliers and consultants to rebrand old products as CRM and offer a "one product fits all" solution. But the solution must fit the company's needs. Richard Clarke, a financial marketing consultant, believes that companies need to ask, "What is it that our customers want?" and not "How can we improve our service to our customers?". Indeed, a customer relationship leader will not be satisfied with doing things a certain way because "they have always been done that way". Processes must be challenged. The danger that we have identified is that CRM is often viewed as a soft- ware package, and not a business process that demands investment.