What You Need to Know About CRM

Home
>
Customer Service
>
What You Need to Know About CRM

What You Need to Know About CRM

1. It's all about the customer. Some companies focus too much on expensive CRM programs and elaborate IT departments and not enough on what is at the core of CRM. CRM programs need to be designed to appeal to the business' customers. The best Call Centers are the ones which customers find easy to navigate. The best CRM vendors have the customer satisfaction in mind when designing their CRM applications.

2. On-demand is the way to go. Many vendors offer traditional CRM programs and service. I believe, however, that On-demand CRM is the way to go. On-demand CRM is different from traditional methods in that instead of requiring companies to hire new IT people, and use extensive resources to implement elaborate CRM programs, the software comes with support. On-demand CRM is no longer the "bring your own IT department" approach. Many vendors like Salesforce.com, Siebel, and NetSuite offer On-demand solutions that are great for businesses just getting into the CRM market.

3. Customer Relationship Management is not just software. Some businesses would like it to be simply software, but it will never be as simple as that. Customer Relationship Management is an ongoing learning process. The business must learn from the customer and change accordingly. The closer a business gets to its customer, the better. CRM applications and strategies are the methods through which the business can access, analyze, and learn from customer Data. Knowing what CRM applications are actually for is a very important step in understanding how to be successful when implementing CRM practices.

4. It is important to understand that there are hundreds of CRM vendors out there. Many of the vendors claim to be number one, but if you look closely, they may be number one in only one category. Other companies say that they are number one in CRM, but there is no basis for their statement. It is important for companies to choose the right vendor that will attend to all of their CRM needs. This may not always be the most expensive, "number one" company. On the contrary, some simple companies offer CRM solutions that are highly effective. Some of the major CRM providers are Siebel, Salesforce.com, NetSuite, IBM, Microsoft, and SAP.

5. The best CRM technology can be very helpful for any business. Some CRM applications can now be accessed via BlackBerry devices. Major vendors are constantly updating their software and improving their service. It is a good idea to stay as current as possible in terms of CRM technology. However, always remember to balance technology with customer service. There is no substitute for old-fashioned customer service, the most basic of all CRM ideals.

Customer Relationship Management can be very beneficial for a business if it is carried out properly. It is important to keep the customer in mind at all times when you are implementing CRM practices into your business. Remember that there are quite a few CRM vendors out there, and it is important to choose the vendor that is best for your company. Customer Relationship Management seems like a very daunting idea for someone who has never used it before, but if you follow these steps, you will surely see the benefits of successful CRM.

Frank Dazerton is very interested in Customer Relationship Management and writes for CRM Lowdown.

In The News:

APAC Customer Services Expands in Panama
MarketWatch (press release)
BANNOCKBURN, IL, May 23, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- APAC Customer Services, Inc. (APAC) announced the opening of a new, state of the art contact center in Panama. The new site commenced operations on May 17th. The opening included a gala event and ...

Bottomline Technologies Named 2012 Quality Service Provider of the Year
MarketWatch (press release)
The Awards, sponsored by the Institute of Customer Service, highlight and reward organizations and individuals that have implemented successful customer service strategies. The participants in this prestigious event include many of the largest ...

and more »

Moneycontrol.com
Vodafone Wants to Replicate Amazon's Customer Service Success
Wall Street Journal (blog)
“Vodafone wants to be the Amazon of telecos,” not in terms of selling but rather top-class customer service, Mr. Colao told reporters at a lunchtime briefing. The UK-based company plans to refit 75% of its 2200 stores around the world by 2015 to give ...
Vodafone CEO details 'Supermobile' strategy to mimic AmazonFierceWireless

all 58 news articles »

Augusta T-Mobile customer service center not affected by restructuring
The Augusta Chronicle
By Gracie Shepherd T-Mobile announced a corporate restructuring plan this week that will result in 350 net job reduction, but it will not effect the Augusta customer service center. Approximately 900 positions are being eliminated as a result of these ...
T-Mobile in Springfield holding hiring eventKSPR

all 2 news articles »

Is Your Customer Service Multichannel?
Huffington Post
The Challenge: Just as businesses must provide customers with a wide variety of marketing channels to choose from, they must allow a choice of multiple service channels. As we've discussed previously, multichannel marketing enables delivery of messages ...

and more »

Service Strategies Corporation Announces Availability of New Service Executive ...
MarketWatch (press release)
The course offers service executives the knowledge and insight necessary to design and manage the customer experience, improve both scalability and profitability and inspire employees. Topics covered include planning and strategy, developing a customer ...

and more »

Rio Bank Enhances Customer Service and Teller Efficiency with Self-Service ...
MarketWatch (press release)
The Cummins Allison self-service coin counter has helped Rio Bank differentiate themselves from other banks in their market, deliver personalized customer service and streamline teller efficiency. Prior to the coin counter, tellers used a mostly manual ...

and more »

Coveo Survey of Customer Care Executives Finds Customers, Executives and ...
MarketWatch (press release)
In the survey of more than 120 customer service and support executives conducted April 17 at the 2012 Customer Care Leadership Forum in New York, only 15 percent reported that their customers, if asked, would say that they could get to information they ...
Companies Lack Contextual Customer Data1to1 Media (blog)

all 3 news articles »

Customer Service Rep
WEAU-TV 13
The cost per job listing is a mere fraction of similar services, while reaching a substantial local audience. To list a job, please click the "Post a Job" icon. All job listings will remain on the Job Board for 30 days. WEAU 13 News will archive all ...

and more »

SciQuest Names Customer Service and Operations Management Leader Teresa B ...
MarketWatch (press release)
Jamison brings more than 23 years of experience and proven success in customer service and training and operations management at leading healthcare IT organizations to SciQuest. As vice president of customer operations, she will lead SciQuest's ...

and more »

Google News