Nucleus Research released the 2012 second half Technology Value Matrix for CRM, finding a growing adoption of social capabilities to enable a richer understanding of customers and an faster overall development and deployment cycle for CRM. The iterative nature of cloud development and ability of vendors to adapt CRM to support new and changing business processes mean new functional and integration capabilities are being added at an accelerated quarterly basis.

Where old on-premise models required lengthy decision and implementation timelines with significant investment that would lock in customers after deployment, flexible cloud offerings have established a trend of customer switching within the first six months after deployment. Vendors that have successfully managed to retain customers past the six-month period by offering frequent updates, deep integration, and social capabilities stand a greatly increased chance of keeping customers for a much more extended period (See CRM Propensity to Switch Note).

“Companies continue to achieve significant returns from functionality and usability enhanced by the deepening use and widespread adoption of social media as a means of understanding and managing how their customers interact,” said, Rebecca Wettemann, vice president, Nucleus Research.

The full Value Matrix Report is available at NucleusResearch.com.

About Nucleus Research

Nucleus Research is a global provider of investigative, case-based technology research and advisory services that provide real-world insight into maximizing technology value. For more information, visit NucleusResearch.com or follow us on Twitter @NucleusResearch.