Client relationship management (CRM) systems are impressive tools that make it easier to foster longstanding relationships with clients—a goal every firm should have. Many A/E firms have adopted these systems, and unfortunately a fair number haven’t gotten the most out of them. That’s no reason to dismiss them.

I believe these are essential tools that all but maybe the smallest firms should have. We at SullivanKreiss can’t imagine doing our jobs without one.

At its most basic level, a CRM is a database that provides a user-friendly way to collect, organize, and retrieve data related to your clients. Everyone in the firm should have access to certain data about clients that make it easy to market to them, retrieve their history with your firm, and improve your overall service.

A recent study by the Society For Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) Foundation examined how A/E firms have adopted and used CRM. The report provides interesting insights about the benefits and challenges related to using CRM.

“Client Relationship Management (CRM), when implemented well, will help a firm better understand and adapt its marketing and business processes to its customers’ preferences,” the report says. “This facilitates the creation of an enduring personal business relationship between the firm and customer rather than a project-based relationship (which is more likely to disappear once the project is completed).”

Several years ago, many smaller firms couldn’t have realistically implemented a CRM solution. The expense and expertise required to get one up and running would have been too prohibitive. The landscape is different today. Vendors are paying more attention to the needs of small businesses, and there are many options on the market. Some vendors such as Deltek and Axium have paid particular attention to professional services firms.

Yet, many A/E firms have not yet gotten the return out of these systems that they had expected, according to the SMPS report. “In general, the investigators found that firms in the design and construction industry tend to focus their energy on the more basic details of a CRM system — information management and storage, data input, and convincing users to provide data or update it regularly,” says Ernest Burden, editor of PSMJ’s A/E Rainmaker newsletter, in the publication’s December edition.

“It appears that the true value of CRM to the overall business and marketing strategies of these firms has not yet been tapped,” the SMPS report says. Despite these difficulties, the report, which is based on a survey of A/E and construction firms, indicates that there is widespread acknowledgement of the worth of CRM among industry managers.

The authors of the study provide the following suggestions for A/E firms to realize the promise of CRM:

1. CRM needs to be driven by top-level, senior management; CEO endorsement and involvement helps.
2. Take the time at the front-end of a CRM effort to implement your research efforts; benchmark other companies' systems; compare various vendors, ect. Involve intended users here as well.
3. You have to clearly define your CRM goals. What are your front-end expectations about what you want out of CRM?
4. It helps to keep the system simple at the outset; start out by getting a “quick win” with a core application, such as sales force automation. This helps generate buy-in.
5. Training on the CRM system is critical; training should occur across the organization so that the system can be rolled out with a running start. However,ongoing training opportunities and updates are crucial to the operation of successful CRM applications.
6. People and cultural issues have to be dealt with head-on. Will usage of the system and regular data input be mandatory? What carrot and/or stick incentives-to-use your program might be most helpful in building commitment and involvement in your organization?
7. Integration with other systems including accounting, HR, and project/program management needs to be addressed. A “lower pain” CRM solution is to use a system that meshes very well with the organization’s current technology, providing compatibility. Plus, this integration needs to be portable; laptops and other implements used in the field need to be a vital part of all CRM operations, not just the electronic equipment back at headquarters.

The following statement from the report seems to sum up the situation:

“CRM does appear appropriate throughout the design and building industry, but the installation and application of a CRM program is not an instant guarantee of success.”

For more information on the CRM report, visit:

• PSMJ Resource Center
• Society for Marketing Professional Services (Foundation Research)

What do you think? Let us know.

Justin Roy is Director of Midwest Operations for SullivanKreiss, an executive recruiting firm focused on architecture, landscape architecture, planning, and engineering. He can be reached at 312-893-5058 or by e-mail.