Existing Business Options
Luton Town Residences (LTR) is a housing association that is operating in Luton with the aim to offer appropriate housing services for the local community by particularly focusing on providing assistance as well as support to vulnerable individuals. This organization operates from a central office that is situated in the Luton Town centre however the company also owns and handles several housing blocks that hours split into general-purpose housing as well as supported housing. From the analysis, it is identified that the general-purpose housing and supported housing management operations required significant support from the human resource management in terms of collaborative working, communication, and innovation. Despite having several benefits to offer to the local community there are many significant concerns raised by the human resources of this organization. From the analysis, it is determined that the employees are experiencing challenges with Luton Town Residences (LTR) email services, poor communication services, remote working as well as inappropriate customer service management that is increasing work stress. Followed by a detailed analysis of the above-mentioned issues it is identified that the lack of a centralized database is causing significant damage in the decision-making process of the organization. Alongside this, it is identified that there is a significant lag in team collaboration and communication which is also causing a delay in their services. Furthermore, it is identified that in this high technical era using excel worksheets to handle data is an ineffective process which is also causing a significant negative impact on the business as well.
Business options
As per the given instruction, it is required to focus on the existing state of communication and collaboration within the organization named Luton Town residences LTR With the aim to suggest an appropriate project that will eliminate the issues experienced by the organization currently. From the above analysis, it is identified that currently, Luton Town residences are experiencing challenges with Luton Town Residences (LTR) communication and collaboration, worksheet group information management as well as due to lack of a centralized database which is creating increasing difficulties to handle business data. Considering the above-mentioned challenges in the below section possible business strategies are listed which can be employed to address the business threats: –
- From the analysis, it is identified that the employees of Luton Town residences are experiencing challenges in monitoring the performance of staff which is also triggering the service latency and performance inefficiency. Furthermore, it is also determined that in the COVID 19th scenario remote working has become one of the trends that have supported organizations to continue their services however in that scenario Luton Town residence organization has not implemented any employ work monitoring tool. Hence it can be stated that to address this issue implementation of team management software could help the organization to enhance their employee performance monitoring for best-executing productivity shortcuts. Incorporation of team performance management monitoring ensures effective communication between team members, easy tracking of team members in the complex project, improves resource usage and budgeting as well as reduces the workplace conflict risk (Flak 2021).
- According to the research, it is identified that currently, the organization is having a traditional data collection and analysis process using excel datasheets. However, to address this issue with an innovative strategy it is recommended to implement cloud computing with artificial intelligence equipped automated data collection and analysis approach. This is one of the innovative products that help an organization to collect business data and analyse them to offer detailed business insight to the professionals with the aim to help them in understanding current business trends and sales data. Keeping this consideration in mind it can be stated that integration of this will surely help to eliminate the gap between communication and poor data analysis (Zlenko & Isaikina 2020).
- According to the study customer acquisition and management is one of the important aspects in the field of business management. From the case study of Luton Town residences, it is identified that increasing dissatisfaction from the clients is causing significant damage to the company’s reputation as well as business revenue. Hence to address this issue it is recommended to opt for CRM software. This is one of the innovative approaches towards digitization which offers an innovative approach to collect consumer data, analyse them and offer personalized services to address consumer queries and increase their satisfaction level with the service (Law et al., 2018).
In order to mitigate the above-mentioned issues, it is recommended to opt for an email replacement project by incorporating a Customer Relationship Management software platform within the business infrastructure of Luton Town Residences (LTR). According to research incorporation of CRM software enhances the organizational capability in terms of detailed data analysis, appropriate decision making as well as better business problem solving by accessing the consumer service department.
Expected benefits
Prior to initiating the discussion on the benefits of customer relationship management technology, it can be stated that a customer relationship management software or technology stands for its technical approach for managing the relationship and interaction of an organization with the consumers as well as with the potential customers to address the business goals. From the above analysis it is determined that customer acquisition and management is one of the important aspects in the field of business management. This is one of the innovative approaches towards digitization which offers an innovative approach to collect consumer data, analyse them and offer personalized services to address consumer queries and increase their satisfaction level with the service. Further studies have presented that integration of customer relationship management software supports the improvement in a business relationship as well as enhances customer services, data analysis, sales management, contact management, and the improvement in productivity. According to the research customer relationship management software can offer a wealth of benefits to the business in terms of customer retention as well as in terms of business productivity. Focusing on this aspect it can be stated that by gathering consumer data customer relationship management software can improve the interaction with consumers by offering personalized responses. Alongside this, it can be stated that this is one of the fastest-growing software that has a growth rate of 14% to address sales requirements, detailed business analytics as well as better customer retention. Focusing on the above aspect it can be stated that currently, Luton Town residences are experiencing several challenges to handle their consumer services, data management as well as business analytics to solve critical problems. Hence the incorporation of artificial intelligence-equipped customer relationship management software will surely offer a competitive edge to that business that will surely increase their consumer retention, eliminate the complexities of data collection and data analysis, and improve business decision making. Considering the above-mentioned benefits offered by consumer relationship management software, in the below section a list of benefits including qualitative and quantitative are mentioned: –
Following are the listed qualitative benefits-
- Infra- and superstructural features.
- Connections with consumers and employees.
- Marketing features.
- Quality management features.
- Integrated marketing communications.
- Improved data analytics and decision making.
- Consumer Management models.
- ICT applications to support the business data and operations.
Following are the listed quantitative benefits-
- Scalable feature to handle huge customer base.
- Scalability in daily operations in terms of performance efficiency, data storage and analytics.
Expected dis-benefits
Prior to initiating the discussion on the negative impact of recommended customer relationship management software, it is important to understand the existing organizational infrastructure of Luton Town residence. From the analysis, it is identified that the organization is currently lagging behind the technology trends and it does not have any incorporation of advanced technologies such as cloud computing and remote working infrastructure. However, COVID-19 has influenced the organizations to opt for remote working, Luton town residences did not grab the opportunity to integrate remote working trends within their organizational infrastructure. Keeping these considerations in mind it can be stated that integration of customer relationship management might have several negative impacts on the business infrastructure and cost structure of the organization. Hence in the below section list of negative consequences of the customer relationship management integration for email replacement in Luton Town Residences (LTR) are mentioned: –
- Customer experience may deteriorate due to staff over-reliance on the system as the staffs will get used to it and there is a lag is staff training as well.
- The additional initial time and productivity cost at the implementation could affect the cost infrastructure of Luton Town Residences (LTR).
- Requires a process-driven sales organisation to enhance the business operations.
- CRM may not suit the business infrastructure of Luton town residences and could led to service failure.
Timescale
In the following section a development timescale for Customer Relationship Management software implementation is presented: –
Task Name |
Duration |
Start |
Finish |
Predecessors |
CRM Implementation project at Luton Town Residences (LTR) |
207 days |
Wed 09/03/22 |
Thu 22/12/22 |
|
Initiation phase |
65 days |
Wed 09/03/22 |
Tue 07/06/22 |
|
Developing business case |
15 days |
Wed 09/03/22 |
Tue 29/03/22 |
|
Feasibility analysis |
15 days |
Wed 18/05/22 |
Tue 07/06/22 |
2 |
Project charter development |
10 days |
Wed 30/03/22 |
Tue 12/04/22 |
2 |
Recruitment of stakeholders |
5 days |
Wed 13/04/22 |
Tue 19/04/22 |
4 |
M1: Completion of stakeholder recruitment |
0 days |
Tue 19/04/22 |
Tue 19/04/22 |
5 |
Planning phase |
77.5 days |
Wed 20/04/22 |
Fri 05/08/22 |
|
Developing project plan |
20 days |
Wed 20/04/22 |
Tue 17/05/22 |
5 |
Development of budget |
25 days |
Wed 18/05/22 |
Tue 21/06/22 |
8 |
Communication management plan |
7.5 days |
Wed 22/06/22 |
Fri 01/07/22 |
9 |
Identifying risk management strategies |
25 days |
Fri 01/07/22 |
Fri 05/08/22 |
9 |
M2: Completion of risk management |
0 days |
Fri 05/08/22 |
Fri 05/08/22 |
11 |
Execution phase |
90.5 days |
Fri 05/08/22 |
Fri 09/12/22 |
|
Implementation |
45 days |
Fri 05/08/22 |
Fri 07/10/22 |
11 |
Getting approval |
5 days |
Fri 07/10/22 |
Fri 14/10/22 |
14 |
Mid-term analysis |
2.5 days |
Fri 14/10/22 |
Tue 18/10/22 |
15 |
Software Validation |
10 days |
Wed 19/10/22 |
Tue 01/11/22 |
15 |
Database development |
15 days |
Wed 02/11/22 |
Tue 22/11/22 |
17 |
CRM integration with ICT applications |
8 days |
Wed 23/11/22 |
Fri 02/12/22 |
18 |
Testing |
5 days |
Mon 05/12/22 |
Fri 09/12/22 |
19 |
M3: Completion of testing |
0 days |
Fri 09/12/22 |
Fri 09/12/22 |
20 |
Close out phase |
9 days |
Mon 12/12/22 |
Thu 22/12/22 |
|
Post project review |
5 days |
Mon 12/12/22 |
Fri 16/12/22 |
20 |
Stakeholder sign off |
1 day |
Mon 19/12/22 |
Mon 19/12/22 |
23 |
Documentation |
3 days |
Tue 20/12/22 |
Thu 22/12/22 |
24 |
M4: Releasing resources |
0 days |
Thu 22/12/22 |
Thu 22/12/22 |
25 |
The Gantt chart of the project development process in Luton Town Residences (LTR) is mentioned in the section below: –
Timescale with expenses-
Task Name |
Duration |
Resource Names |
Cost |
CRM Implementation project at Luton Town Residences (LTR) |
207 days |
$ 131,552.00 |
|
Initiation phase |
65 days |
$ 12,600.00 |
|
Developing business case |
15 days |
Project Manager |
$ 4,200.00 |
Feasibility analysis |
15 days |
Project Manager |
$ 4,200.00 |
Project charter development |
10 days |
Project Manager |
$ 2,800.00 |
Recruitment of stakeholders |
5 days |
Resource Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
M1: Completion of stakeholder recruitment |
0 days |
Project Manager |
$ 0.00 |
Planning phase |
77.5 days |
$ 26,400.00 |
|
Developing project plan |
20 days |
Project Manager |
$ 5,600.00 |
Development of budget |
25 days |
Project Account Manager |
$ 9,000.00 |
Communication management plan |
7.5 days |
IT Professional, Project Manager |
$ 4,800.00 |
Identifying risk management strategies |
25 days |
Project Manager |
$ 7,000.00 |
M2: Completion of risk management |
0 days |
Project Manager |
$ 0.00 |
Execution phase |
90.5 days |
$ 88,480.00 |
|
Implementation |
45 days |
Designer, Developer, Hardware [1], Software [1] |
$ 53,400.00 |
Getting approval |
5 days |
Project Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
Mid-term analysis |
2.5 days |
Developer, Auditor |
$ 1,360.00 |
Software Validation |
10 days |
Developer, Software [1] |
$ 22,400.00 |
Database development |
15 days |
Developer |
$ 3,600.00 |
CRM integration with ICT applications |
8 days |
IT Professional, Developer |
$ 4,800.00 |
Testing |
5 days |
Auditor |
$ 1,520.00 |
M3: Completion of testing |
0 days |
Auditor |
$ 0.00 |
Close out phase |
9 days |
$ 4,072.00 |
|
Post project review |
5 days |
Project Manager |
$ 1,400.00 |
Stakeholder sign off |
1 day |
Project Account Manager, Project Manager, Resource Manager |
$ 920.00 |
Documentation |
3 days |
Project Manager, Auditor |
$ 1,752.00 |
M4: Releasing resources |
0 days |
Project Manager |
$ 0.00 |
Cost benefits Analysis-
In the below section five-year benefits plan is mentioned-
Project Cost-Benefit Analysis |
||||||||
Analysis Variables: |
||||||||
Discount Rate Used |
5.00% |
|||||||
Annual Benefits |
$ 45,000.00 |
|||||||
Annual Operational Costs |
$ 1,000.00 |
|||||||
One-Time Development Cost (including hardware, software and security solution cost) |
131,552.00 |
|||||||
Year of Project |
|
|||||||
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
TOTALS |
||
Economic Benefit |
$0.00 |
$ 45,000.00 |
$ 45,000.00 |
$ 45,000.00 |
$ 45,000.00 |
$ 45,000.00 |
||
Discount Rate |
1.0000 |
0.9524 |
0.9070 |
0.8638 |
0.8227 |
0.7835 |
||
PV of Benefits |
$0.00 |
$42,857.14 |
$40,816.33 |
$38,872.69 |
$37,021.61 |
$35,258.68 |
||
NPV of all BENEFITS |
$0.00 |
$ 42,857.14 |
$ 83,673.47 |
$ 122,546.16 |
$ 159,567.77 |
$ 194,826.45 |
$ 194,826.45 |
|
One-Time COSTS |
$(131,552.00) |
|||||||
Recurring Costs |
$0.00 |
$(1,000.00) |
$ (1,000.00) |
$ (1,000.00) |
$(1,000.00) |
$ (1,000.00) |
||
Discount Rate |
1.0000 |
0.9524 |
0.9070 |
0.8638 |
0.8227 |
0.7835 |
||
PV of Recurring Costs |
$0.00 |
$(952.38) |
$ (907.03) |
$(863.84) |
$(822.70) |
$(783.53) |
||
NPV of all COSTS |
$(131,552.00) |
$(132,504.38) |
$(133,411.41) |
$(134,275.25) |
$(135,097.95) |
$(135,881.48) |
$(135,881.48) |
|
Overall NPV |
$ 58,944.97 |
|||||||
Overall ROI |
It is determined that in the first year the NPV of all COSTS will be $(131,552.00), in the section year it will be $(132,504.38), in the 3rd year it will be $(133,411.41), in the 4th year it will be $(134,275.25), in 5th it will be $(135,097.95), and the final NPV is $(135,881.48).
Costs
Resource Name |
Std. Rate |
Project Manager |
$ 35.00/hr |
Project Account Manager |
$ 45.00/hr |
Designer |
$ 35.00/hr |
Resource Manager |
$ 35.00/hr |
Auditor |
$ 38.00/hr |
Developer |
$ 30.00/hr |
IT Professional |
$ 45.00/hr |
Software |
$ 20,000.00 |
Hardware |
$ 10,000.00 |
Other |
$ 5,000.00 |
Analysis Variables: |
|
Discount Rate Used |
5.00% |
Annual Benefits |
$ 45,000.00 |
Annual Operational Costs |
$ 1,000.00 |
One-Time Development Cost (including hardware, software and security solution cost) |
131,552.00 |
Project cost-
The total project cost is $ 131,552.00 and in the below table the cost distribution is mentioned:-
Task Name |
Cost |
CRM Implementation project at Luton Town Residences (LTR) |
$ 131,552.00 |
Initiation phase |
$ 12,600.00 |
Developing business case |
$ 4,200.00 |
Feasibility analysis |
$ 4,200.00 |
Project charter development |
$ 2,800.00 |
Recruitment of stakeholders |
$ 1,400.00 |
M1: Completion of stakeholder recruitment |
$ 0.00 |
Planning phase |
$ 26,400.00 |
Developing project plan |
$ 5,600.00 |
Development of budget |
$ 9,000.00 |
Communication management plan |
$ 4,800.00 |
Identifying risk management strategies |
$ 7,000.00 |
M2: Completion of risk management |
$ 0.00 |
Execution phase |
$ 88,480.00 |
Implementation |
$ 53,400.00 |
Getting approval |
$ 1,400.00 |
Midterm analysis |
$ 1,360.00 |
Software Validation |
$ 22,400.00 |
Database development |
$ 3,600.00 |
CRM integration with ICT applications |
$ 4,800.00 |
Testing |
$ 1,520.00 |
M3: Completion of testing |
$ 0.00 |
Close out phase |
$ 4,072.00 |
Post project review |
$ 1,400.00 |
Stakeholder sign off |
$ 920.00 |
Documentation |
$ 1,752.00 |
M4: Releasing resources |
$ 0.00 |
San Cristóbal, J. R., Carral, L., Diaz, E., Fraguela, J. A., & Iglesias, G. (2018). Complexity and project management: A general overview. Complexity, 2018.
Armenia, S., Dangelico, R. M., Nonino, F., & Pompei, A. (2019). Sustainable project management: A conceptualization-oriented review and a framework proposal for future studies. Sustainability, 11(9), 2664.
Stanitsas, M., Kirytopoulos, K., & Leopoulos, V. (2021). Integrating sustainability indicators into project management: The case of construction industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, 279, 123774.
Farhan, M. S., Abed, A. H., & Abd Ellatif, M. (2018). A systematic review for the determination and classification of the CRM critical success factors supporting with their metrics. Future Computing and Informatics Journal, 3(2), 398-416.
Law, R., Fong, D. K. C., Chan, I. C. C., & Fong, L. H. N. (2018). Systematic review of hospitality CRM research. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.
Zlenko, A., & Isaikina, E. (2020). Team building as a management tool for building a professional team. University Economic Bulletin, (47), 52-59.
Flak, O. (2021). Knowledge Acquisition on Team Management Aimed at Automation with Use of the System of Organizational Terms. In ICPRAM (pp. 302-311).