s: 1. Where do you think the first mistake was made in the decision to purchase the new CRM system? 2. What would you do if Cosair hired you to get the project completed? Prepare list of steps indicating the sequence to be completed and why. 3. You have a meeting tomorrow with the company that installed the CRM software. What issues would you cover with its salespeople that need to be resolved to get the project back on schedule? COSAIR GAS DISTRIBUTORS: PROBLEMS WITH A CRM SYSTEM INSTALLATION The gasoline industry in the United States is confronting many challenges. Not a single new gas refinery has been built in this country in over thirty years. Several well-known companies own refineries. In addition, quite a few independent oil companies have developed alliances to process and distribute petrochemicals, mostly from plants located in the Southeast. Gasoline is distributed through a vast convoy of trucks that fan out across the country. Deliveries to retail gas stations can occur as infrequently as once a month for a small gas station to once or even twice a week for large stations in high-traffic areas. Cosair Gas Distributors is an independent oil distributor located in Houma, Louisiana. With a fleet of fifty trucks running twenty-four hours a day, the firm purchases gas from distributors and transports it to a network of 360 stations spread across five states. Business has been good for Riley Sayer, founder of the company. "We've weathered it all," said Riley at the last company Christmas party. "We survived the boom and bust of the '80s, the consolidation in the '90s, and then 911. Heck, we survived Katrina and the crazy prices. We proved that we have a place." Riley attended the recent Louisiana Gas and Oil Exposition in Lafayette, Louisiana, and saw a demonstration of the latest CRM system. The demo wowed him to the point of purchasing it on the spot, handing the installation over to his sales manager, T-John, and telling him to have it running in three months. It is four months down the road, and the CRM system is installed. But there are some in the company who feel that it may have been money poorly spent. The company's other managers were surprised when T-John told them that the new system would affect not only sales, but distribution, inventory, order entry, and purchasing. These departments weren't sure why they had to be included when the software is designed for salespeople to track their customer base. On top of that, the number one salesperson hasn't even used it! He keeps up with his customers using the old tried-and-true Excel spreadsheets he has on his computer in his office. Some managers are asking Sayer, "How good can it be if your own number one salesperson doesn't use it?" The distribution side of the business is having a difficult time as well. The software was "generic" in nature, with updates and customization written in the contract. The old printouts gave the drivers their invoices by route, so they could plan their stops. However, the new printouts don't sort properly forcing drivers to review their list before leaving to make sure they don't miss a stop. The slowdown is delaying deliveries and has already resulted in the loss of one customer after a truck arrived a day late. Cosair Distributors needs to make a decision, and quickly. The cost of purchasing and trying to implement the system has been enormous, from installation to upgrading computers, to training the staff. If the decision is to continue with the CRM system, Cosair knows changes will need to be made. Moreover, if the firm does continue with the project, its managers are unsure where to start trying to get it on the right track