A recent study by the Yankee group gave some interesting insight into the disconnect between what customers want and what major software vendors (i.e. Oracle, Microsoft, SAP, etc) are delivering.
The reason for customer dissatisfaction can be found in the disconnect between those attributes the study's subjects listed as most important for the "perfect" ERP vendor and those associated with software makers.
Many of the vendors, especially Oracle and PeopleSoft, were seen as cutting edge in technology and vision. But the study's subjects listed those attributes on the bottom; the most important were high integrity, fast return on investment, inexpensive operation, easy implementation, and excellent service.
"You have this disjoint where vendors are marketing speeds and feeds, pushing technology innovation in the marketplace; and buyers aren't interested in those attributes," Yankee Group analyst Jon Derome said. "They're interested in practicalities such as 'understanding my business' and 'delivering what you promised.'"
The study is referenced in the following articles:
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=17301674
http://crm-daily.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=ERP_Vendors_Suffer_Disconnect_with_Customers&story_id=23002
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=17301944
Should this be a wake up call for Application Vendors? Could the same thinking be applied to non-ERP applications? Any thoughts?