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Contented employees make Marc Baker of CMG considers the
impact of CRM initiatives on the people who must make them work. |
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The concept of customer relationship management (CRM) promises greater efficiency and seamless integration of all points of customer contact, leading to increased sales and improved customer retention. But are businesses becoming too customer-focused and forgetting about their employees? Can any business be truly customer-centric if it is not first and foremost an employee-centred business? CRM technology was originally developed to improve internal processes, such as billing, sales and orders. The focus has now changed from administrative efficiency to enhancing the nature of the relationship with the customer. CRM’s key feature is the ability to personalise and engage with an individual customer – optimising profitability, revenue and customer satisfaction. Developments in internet technology mean the channels by which a customer contacts a company have increased. Yet most companies (and indeed many customers, as recent e-commerce surveys have indicated) are not ready to use the internet alone for all interactions. Most organisations have a variety of touchpoints with customers, including sales offices, helpdesks, call centres, e-mail and phone. |
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International Consultants' Guide January
2001 |
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Customer
Relationship Management