ABSTRACT
Packaged software products require configuration to meet organization's individual needs but it is customization in the form of custom development and screens that does not leverage native functionality against which organizations must be guarded. As customer relationship management continues to become the central point for many businesses' operations, the temptation to expand it via customization and configuration has never been higher and paradoxically never so important to guard against. The chapter attempts that most customization proposals have good intentions and at times may be attempts to remedy perceived functionality gaps or limitations in a piece of packaged software. One of the purported benefits of using any standardized software is the ability to enforce process discipline by using system controls. The chapter useful for business managers to understand the long-term implications of packaged software customizations and how customizing beyond a certain point will cause diminished ongoing return on information technology investment and decreased ability to keep pace with future feature requests.
