An Interview with C3i's Dave Hanaman
Q. Have you seen many changes in the market since you founded C3i in 1993? Where the company is
today?
A. There have been many changes since 1993 to include the acceptance of CRM as a business imperative, the dominance of packaged, enterprise software over proprietary applications, the development of industry-specific solutions, and an understanding of the critical role services play in the long-term success of a CRM initiative.
Clients still deserve the very best service available. We constantly strive to add and improve our services to meet that need.
Today, C3i is the market leader in CRM services for the life sciences industry and is poised to provide these same high-quality services to other industry verticals.
Q. Is this market fundamentally different from the markets you have seen
in the past?
A. In the last 11 years we have seen several fundamental market shifts. Each permutation is unique. Today, we see an increased focus on realizing the potential of costly CRM environments while simultaneously lowering support costs. Fortunately, we are in a strong position to provide these diverse benefits to our clients.
Q. What is your company planning to do to weather these changes?
A. We have built out advanced analytical and global capabilities to continue to deliver comprehensive CRM services designed to increase productivity and reduce total ownership cost.
Q. Will C3i continue to focus on just one industry vertical?
A. In 2005 we will extend our service offering into new industry verticals.
We have established ourselves as the market leader in CRM services for life sciences companies-arguably some of the most discerning and demanding companies in the world. Having proven our quality with them, we are now eager to offer our services to other industries with demanding, high-value, mobile workers.
Q. Is this expansion more of a vertical or horizontal approachto the market?
A. The solutions themselves-CRM consulting, training and support-are horizontal; however, the domain expertise and business relevance of each solution are specific to the needs of each industry.
Q. In the future, will the emphasis be on thecustomer or the technology?
A, C3i has always been focused on the customer, and that won't change. We believe that the industry is beginning to embrace a cornerstone philosophy of C3i's: the customer is the critical element, the software and technology are merely enabling tools and the services release the long-term value of the CRM environment.
Q. Will there be an international aspect to C3i's strategy?
A. There already is. We opened our Global Operations Center in India over one year ago. Today, we fully service two major customers from that facility, and we are exploring the advantages of global sourcing every month.
In addition, we are currently scouting out locations for a European office, which is scheduled to open late next year.
Q. Has your offshore center been successful?
A. Absolutely. For example, last month our highest customer satisfaction scores came from an account that is serviced 100% by our global operations center. This satisfaction is critical for our ultimate customer-the field user.
In addition to high customer satisfaction, we help our clients aggressively manage their total cost of ownership-asomething equally critical to our headquarters customers.
We are very pleased with the success of our global operations center.
Q. It seems like a lot of companies run into challenges when they first venture offshore. To what do you attribute your success in India?
We did our homework, both the U.S. with industry experts like Gartner, and in India with experienced local consultants and expert C3i staff.
Ours is a fully owned and operated C3i office, staffed with C3i employees using the same systems we use in the United States. Our entire technology infrastructure is fully integrated through each office, from Morristown to Hyderabad.
We also ensure that our company culture permeates each office, and not in just the obvious things like training and management practices. Our C3i softball teams in New Jersey even compete for "bragging rights" with our cricket teams in India!
This "one company" philosophy is the reason for our success.
Q. How have you managed to prosper when so many companies have come andgone?
We have consistently focused on two fundamentals: delivering high customer satisfaction through operational excellence and running an efficient, profitable business. Despite change in the industry and constant innovation within C3i, these principles have remained constant.
The dynamic that makes this work is in the partnerships we've forged between the C3i professionalsand our clients. Our people are constantly striving to improve the CRM environments we implement, train and support. We are fortunate to have clients who are true partners in our success.
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