DEFINITION OF CRM
CRM is a business strategy directed to understand,
anticipate and respond to the needs of an enterprise's
current and potential customers in order to grow the
relationship value. This definition can be defined by five
views.
TYPES OF CRM
Types of CRM are:
1.
Analytical CRM
2.
Collaborative CRM
3.
Operational CRM
4.
Geographic CRM
5.
Sales Intelligence CRM
ANALYTICAL CRM:Analytical CRM is designed to analyze deeply the customers information and data
and unwrap or disclose the essential convention and intension of behaviour of
customers on which capitalization can be done by the organization
.
COLLABORATIVE CRM:Collaborative CRM deals with synchronization and integration of customer
interaction and channels of communications like phone, email, fax, web etc.
with the intent of referencing the customers a consistent and systematic way.
OPERATIONAL CRM:Operational CRM is mainly focused on automation, improvement and
enhancement of business processes which are based on customer-facing or
customer supporting.
GEOGRAPHICAL CRM:Geographic CRM (GCRM) combines geographic information system and
traditional CRM. Geographic data can be analyzed to provide a snapshot of
potential customers in a region or to plan routes for customer visits.
SALES INTELLIGENCE CRM:-Top-performing sales organizations are
meeting the challenges of identifying the most likely buyers of their products
and services through the deployment of sales intelligence solutions that
introduce a wide variety of data streams to their front-line staff. By empowering
their sellers with better information about their prospect companies, markets and
individuals, these firms are able to maximize their chances of hitting quota, and
at the same time create efficiencies within the sales operations environment
THE PURPOSE OF CRM :
The focus of CRM is on creating value for the customer
and the company over the longer term.
When customers value the customer service that they
receive from suppliers, they are less likely to look to
alternative suppliers for their needs .
CRM enables organisations to gain competitive
advantage over competitors that supply similar products
or services .
WHY IS CRM IMPORTANT?
Todays businesses compete with multi-product
offerings created and delivered by networks, alliances
and partnerships of many kinds. Both retaining
customers and building relationships with other valueadding allies is critical to corporate performance.
The adoption of C.R.M. is being fuelled by a
recognition that long-term relationships with customers
are one of the most important assets of an organisation.
WHY DID CRM DEVELOP ?
CRM developed for a number of reasons:
The 1980s onwards saw rapid shifts in business that
changed customer power .
Supply exceeded demands for most products.
Sellers had little pricing power .
The only protection available to suppliers of goods and
services was in their relationships with customers .
WHAT DOES CRM INVOLVE ?
CRM involves the following:
Organisations must become customer focused
Organisations must be prepared to adapt so that it
take customer needs into account and delivers them
Market research must be undertaken to assess
customer needs and satisfaction
IMPLEMENTING CRM:
When introducing or developing CRM, a strategic review of
the organisations current position should be undertaken
Organisations need to address four issues :
1.
What is our core business and how will it evolve in the
future?
2.
What form of CRM is appropriate for our business now and
in the future?
3.
What IT infrastructure do we have and what do we need to
support the future organisation needs?
4.
What vendors and partners do we need to choose?
PROCESS TO IMPLEMENT CRM :
STRATEGICALLY SIGNIFICANT CUSTOMERS
Customer relationship management focuses
on strategically significant markets. Not all
customers are equally important.
Therefore, relationships should be built with
customers that are likely to provide value
for services.
Building relationships with customers that
will provide little value could result in a loss
of time, staff and financial resources.
IDENTIFICATION OF STRATEGICALLY SIGNIFICANT CUSTOMER :
Strategically significant customers need to satisfy at least one of
three conditions :
Customers with high life-time values (i.e. customers that
will repeatedly use the service in the long-term e.g. Nurses
in a hospital library)
Customers who serve as benchmarks for other customers e.g.
In a hospital library consultants who teach on academic
courses
Customers who inspire change in the supplier
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CRM :
Technology plays a pivotal role in CRM .
Technological approaches involving the use of databases, data
mining and one-to-one marketing can assist organisations to
increase customer value and their own profitability.
This type of technology can be used to keep a record of customers
names and contact details in addition to their history of buying
products or using services.
This information can be used to target customers in a personalised
way and offer them services to meet their specific needs.
This personalised communication provides value for the customer
and increases customers loyalty to the provider.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CRM:
EXAMPLES
Loyalty cards
The primary role of a retailer loyalty card is to gather data
about customers. This in turn leads to customer
comprehension and cost insights (e.g. customer retention
rates at different spending levels, response rates to offers,
new customer conversion rates, and where money is being
wasted on circulars), followed by appropriate marketing
action and follow-up analysis.
CRM software- Front office solutions :
Many call centres use CRM software to store all of their
customer's details. When a customer calls, the system can be used to
retrieve and store information relevant to the customer. By serving the
customer quickly and efficiently, and also keeping all information on
a customer in one place, a company aims to make cost savings, and
also encourage new customers .
FACE-TO-FACE CRM :
CRM can also be carried out in face-to-face interactions
without the use of technology
Staff members often remember the names and favourite
services/products of regular customers and use this information
to create a personalised service for them.
For example, in a hospital library you will know the name of
nurses that come in often and probably remember the area that
they work in.
However, face-to-face CRM could prove less useful when
organisations have a large number of customers as it would be
more difficult to remember details about each of them.
BENEFITS OF CRM :
Benefits of CRM include
1.
Reduced costs, because the right things are being done (ie.,
effective and efficient operation) .
2.
Increased customer satisfaction, because they are getting
exactly what they want (ie. meeting and exceeding
expectations) .
3.
Ensuring that the focus of the organisation is external .
4.
Growth in numbers of customers .
Maximisation of opportunities (eg. increased services,
referrals, etc.)
Increased access to a source of market and competitor
information.
Highlighting poor operational processes
Long term profitability and sustainability
