Cane Seibel Stop Its Slide

Can Siebel Stop its Slide

Case Study

By

BUS 600: Management Communication

with Technology Tools

October 1, 2007

Dr. Sherri Lewis

INTRODUCTION

Siebel Systems was a software company that achieved significant growth and became an early leader in the Sale Force Automation (SFA) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software market. The company became one of he fastest growing enterprise software companies.

Siebel Systems did great in the begin with forming relationships with companies to buy it software, but due to an slumping economy, not providing the best options for customer satisfaction, being overly optimistic, and stronger competition, Siebel systems started to face its demise. In 2005, Siebel was brought out by Oracle Corporation.

Although Siebel systems decided to launch a new product line to help the software they produce functions well with other programs that were on the market, companies would have to wait two years for this product. This did not help improve customer satisfaction and alternative solutions were not provided in the interim period farther damaging customer relationships.

RECOMMENDATION

To help improve consumer relationship the truth should have been told to the consumers instead of over exaggerating what they would be able to provide and not following through on it. According to the text, Siebel system was not in touch with the feelings of their consumers. This was evidently when they referred Business Week to one of their consumers who gave them a bad review.

A survey could have been sent out to consumers of Siebel system software asking them what they like about the company, what things they can improve on, etcÐŽK Also, since Siebel set up a consultant team of 60 consultants to help consumer install difficult programs before they start on the program this would have been a great opportunity for Siebel system to get to know the consumers they were serving. By having a real person asking questions to get feedback, this would have allowed the consumers to feel respected and appreciated instead of just like a random purchaser. Tom Siebel sending out a letter to consumers explaining to them the issues that the software giant were facing with realistic solutions would have allowed the consumers to feel that they were in the loop and once again respected.

In addition to including the consumers more and making them feel respected; Tom Siebel being realistic about the changing market of computer software would have helped. It is great to have optimism but when that optimism clouds your reality it presents a problem. Siebel should have made slight changes to the software it had on the market to help its consumers integrated the software better with middleware and making it more consumer friendly to install. By doing this, he is not leaving his consumers to wait for two years while he works on new versions of his software. Also, by making those subtle changes, it shows the consumers that he is aware that his software needs to make changes and these changes that he has made are just the peak to what is going to change with Siebel systems software. This would have been a great opportunity to launch a marketing campaign that would have included the consumers; offering the existing consumers a discount and new consumers half off when they purchase one of the new versions of Siebel system software. It was faulty in my opinion to leave disgruntle consumers to wait for two years to get new software upgrades.

SOLUTIONS

Siebel Systems will launch a marketing campaign that includes the consumers. New software upgrades will be introduced that can be downloaded for free on the companyÐŽ¦s website that would make the software easier to