Leadership Spotlight: Cindy Tsang, Chair, CRM Shared Interest Group (SIG)

Cindy Tsang, Client Contact Database Manager - Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

1.  Trace the CRM Shared Interest Group's history for me and your involvement?

I suppose my own interest and enthusiasm in CRM systems is not really a secret to anyone that knows me.  Metropolitan New York Chapter President, Jennifer Johnson, called me one day and asked if I was interested in starting up and chairing a CRM Shared Interest Group (SIG).  As it will be beneficial to all, I said, "yes."  The group  started in April 2007, and has been meeting quarterly.  The meetings are hosted by our members at their offices on a rotational basis.

Between meetings, members actively exchange e-mails with each other.  Items circulated consist of interesting articles, questions and answers from fellow members, job opportunities/searches for/by our members etc.  

2.  How many members of the group do you have and what type of firms do they represent in terms of both size and specialty?

We have 31 members with large and small firms represented.  Most are corporate law firms with a mix of accounting and consulting firms.

3.  What have been some of the milestone achievements so far?

• We had a very successful meeting with three panel speakers that were very well attended (about 25 - 27 in attendance).
• Our group has grown from the original 6 to its current size of 31.  We have about 15 members that attend meetings regularly.
• Our members have gone through training, upgrades, and various initiatives and have benefited from fellow member suggestions and best practices.  
• Most recently, I created a Google Group to efficiently store our group's collection of meeting minutes, discussion topics, recruiters, and reference websites.  All replies to a discussion topics are sent to members that signed up to the CRM Google Group automatically by the Google Group server.
  
  

4.  What are your major goals?

In 2009, we plan to:

• Generate a survey of our member firms and LMA NY Board members - indicators of CRM usage/support staff.
• Coordinate with the planning committee to organize a dinner/CRM presentation/discussion.
  Generate a list of questions, best practices, and reference materials - a collection of questions submitted by our own members and the solutions provided.  What are some of the challenges and obstacles that we overcame using resources from our own group?  
• Work with other groups on projects that will effectively serve a larger population of the LMA membership.  (For example, we are working with the Small Firm SIG on a co-presentation in late November/early December.)
  
  

Cindy Tsang is the Client Contact Database Manager at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP .  If you are interested in joining the CRM SIG, please contact her at: cindy.tsang@friedfrank.com.