Executive Summary
CRM as we know it today has evolved out of a variety of stand-alone technologies, such as call centers, and sales force automation systems. During the 1980s companies had begun to notice that it was possible to consolidate these disparate technologies. Insurance companies and banks, in particular, saw a golden marketing opportunity in the customer data they had gathered. Call centers began to conduct outbound calls such as up-selling where they would persuade the customer to purchase: more products from their line, upgrades, or other add-ons and so on. Soon enough customers began to be seen as a single entity across all departments, which led to a single view of ‘the customer’. Customers soon got used to CRM care and
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This paper shall chronologically recap the growth and the development of customer relationship management and its role in the business world today.
Introduction
Before taking a look at CRM from a technological standpoint, a historical perspective is instructive. CRM is still relatively young. It emerged during the rise of personal computers. It was a time where personal productivity was becoming vogue. At this time a plethora of software products were being designed to serve individual users but these programs did not have much to do with CRM. These early management systems were designed to automate a single segment of the customer life cycle. It wasn’t yet common knowledge at the time that an improved way to offer customers a seamless view is to integrate all tasks in order to provide a cohesive process. Today businesses know that in order to achieve a seamless flow of information a good integration strategy is required. A study conducted by Frederick Reichheld showed that dramatic increase in profits stemmed from small increases in the rate of a customer retention. Other studies report that repeat customers generate over twice as much gross income than new customers (Winer 2001). On the whole, the school of thought has changed from customer acquisition to retention, but it took several years for this goal to be actualized through the use of capable CRM
But a CRM system isn't just a list of contacts. It contains customers' details and history of their transactions with an organization, along with information about those customers' place or status in the sales process (Scott, 2014). CRM application helps a business to maintain the correct information of customers in order to manage the relationship with customers and update customers’ needs. Moreover it helps a business to achieve an insight into the behavior of their customers and adapt their business to make sure that customers are served in the best
CRM systems consist of history purchase and information of customers. It can help track customer more easily. It can reduce the process time and increase productivity.It will resist the activities of competitors attempting to attract customers’ patronage. Customers will loyal and would not switch
From an organizational and profitability standpoint, an efficient, easy to use, and unified CRM system, captures all key and critical data from sales and marketing to commercial operations, all the while focusing on sales process, sales efficiencies, and increasing sales, all contributing to the bottom-line profitability of the organization. Data has proven that CRM platforms increase the productivity and profitability of individual departments and subsidiaries, these same platforms and characteristics will have the same ramifications on a larger scale organization, especially an organization that spans the global footprint, such as
These personnel could include front office, sales staff, and customer support and service. In each interaction opportunity with customers, CRM data is used by staff to produce rapid, informed, and, desirably, helpful decisions in order to both satisfy the customer in the present, and maintain their loyalty in the future. Though there are many approaches and techniques for CRM, all successful applications have three things in common. First, it is important to recognize that people are the most vital link between an organization and their customers. Second, the process of CRM must be tested and sophisticated, as well continuously improving. Third, there is usually a relatively large degree of technology integrated into the
An effective Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program can be used to identify, retain, satisfy and obtain customers by using technology to optimize strategies for understanding customers’ needs to manage business interactions with current, former, and prospective customers. Additionally, CRM also enables companies to maximize internal, external, marketing and customer service operations to better address the needs of the customer building a better relationship with customers that a more profitable. (Ahmad & Buttle, 2001)
Ling and Yen, 2001 assume CRM to be a vital element of a business strategy while Wayland and Cole, 1997 find it as the means to develop long term relationships with customers, given all the facts. Various experts and scholars could have various perspectives but their basic aim is to generate a remarkable customer experience. To make the most of the system lies in the hands of the organization and not the system itself. An evaluation between two stores with similar quality services and products, shows that the one with an intense customer understanding and knowledge will have its customers coming back to its store for more (Linoff and Berry 2011). They also reason that campaign management, lead tracking and call centre softwares are the components of the same CRM system. Its a radical change for most of the companies to develop a system that revolves around customer relations. The crucial points that need to be emphasized are
The new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) will build a connected, collaborated, and integrated customer facing organization. CRM will have simplified features and a utilize cloud technology to support multiple departments within the organization. CRM users will be able to:
The merging of the customer data from sales and the call center interactions has created the more informed interactions with the customer (Petersen, 2004). The concept rang with the user organizations and mergers and acquisitions created a host of software that the vendors claimed to have an integrated set of capabilities that became known as customer relationship management (Petersen, 2004). Companies wanted to learn more about each and every individual customer and use the information to effectively take care of and manage their relationships, and yet increased customer satisfaction and profit.
Moreover, customer retention and customer loyalty are major benefits of CRM systems to the organization as it is working to retain existing customers by managing relationships with them will generally increase revenues and reduce costs. Positive outcomes can include a larger share of a customer’s businesses as a result of activities such as cross-selling and up selling. When CRM works, it helps to solve this problem by meshing everyone together and focusing the entire organization on the customer. CRM requires commitment and understanding throughout the company not just in marketing as it adds to a sense of expectation and loyalty being instilled within the consumer and the development of a relationship between company and customer that competitors find hard to break.
In order to establish a suitable CRM system and increase the success rate, understanding CRM processes is especially important. Building CRM system, there are many works need to do(). Firstly, the target customer market should be identified. Different customer strategies are focused on different target customer markets based on their profitability. Then, firms set customer objectives, for example, acquire customer satisfaction and loyalty. After that, the leaders and managers should support and commit the implementation of a CRM system. At the same time, when companies change their targets, a plan about changing
It’s very important to a business to have good customer relationships; CRM Software’s main objectives are to attract new customers while maintaining and satisfying their current customers and trying to win back the trust of former customers. Customers are one of the most important variables for a business owner to pay attention to, when trying to create a profit. Customer Relationship Management software keeps track of customer information to help the company maintain a strong relation with the customers. Good CRM Software brings together information from all databases within a company and gives
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Customer relation management (CRM) is a cross functional enterprise system that computerizes numerous customers serving form in direct marketing, sales, customer service and accounting management. CRM allows a company to distinguish and focus on their best customer so that they can be held as a loyal customer for a longer period of time.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is an information industry term for methodologies, software, and usually Internet capabilities that help an enterprise manage customer relationships in an organized way. For example, an enterprise might build a database about its customers that described relationships in sufficient detail so that management, salespeople, people providing service, and perhaps the customer directly could access information, match customer needs with product plans and offerings, remind customers of service requirements, know what other products a customer had
CRM systems play a major role for enterprises to understand the customer behavior and the value of the customers. As CRM system give a 360 view, this only is acquired with collecting appropriate customer information, interacting with
Customer relationship management (CRM) is widely implemented and centralized system which offers a place for interaction under a company. An employee can handle again the repeated problem which occurred in the past by re-investigate it. Besides, CRM provides a place to identify what customers wants. Employees can track customer’s expectation by their feedback and communication that can improve their buying experience and stay interact with customer in order to understand their true needs.CRM also has ability to let the company see the customer interaction in clear picture. Different customers from different segments require different products and services, but this complex situation can handle well by CRM. Furthermore, CRM provides quality and efficiency system in the company management that helps company achieves their success by building long-term customer relationship.