System Access Pte Ltd.

This case depicts the situation of a relatively large startup in Singapore that writes "back office" software for the banking industry. They have been quite successful in their niche, providing low-cost solutions to an international client base. The case deals with their latest software product (Symbols) that offers customer relationship management tools and capabilities to their clients. This case is an excellent illustration of the "details" behind CRM and the tradeoffs that must be considered in supporting and automating any process. By examining the data requirements of an actual CRM implementation, the case illustrates the processing bottlenecks that can occur in any software-supported process.

This case can be used in three types of courses: (i) CRM/IT; (ii) operations management; or (iii) entrepreneurship. The teaching objectives are: Illustrate an actual CRM system and explore the tradeoffs encountered in designing such a system. Explore the interactions between software and hardware design in achieving "real-time" response in CRM systems. Illustrate that there are still bottleneck issues in software/hardware that must be considered when designing systems to support customer relationship management.