PeopleAtWork

There has been no fundamental change in the management of customer relations up to this day. Only certain suppliers of so-called CRM systems are trying to ensure that CRM is a product.But CRM is not a product, nor a system, technology nor miraculous method or procedure. CRM is a long-term focus on the customer as an integral part of the company culture and table of values of a firm or institution.
Different positions, different needs – or we all see things a bit differently!

The explanation of why there are so many different concepts for CRM is simple. For example, talk to a customer servicing centre manager about CRM. Then talk to a sales director, finance director and CEO. Finally, talk to a salesman, servicing workers and services centre operator. You will very soon learn what I did. They will all talk about the same thing, but everyone will do it from his own point of view:

• company management

• analysis of trends,
• ongoing monitoring of company performance (metrics),
• marketing director
• preparation, implementation and evaluation of campaigns,
• categorisation of customers,
• sales director
• monitoring of effectiveness of the work of salesmen (demand, supply, contracts including forecasting incomes),
• evaluation of customer satisfaction and designation of customers’ creditworthiness (classification),
• salesman
• keeping business documentation (customer file),
• planning of sales activities,
• servicing worker
• keeping an overview of acts performed,
• inputs for retrospective evaluation of customer satisfaction,
• operator of services centre
• simple identification of customer and searching for information about level of provided services,
• simple orientation in client file (last contacts with customer) and recording of current customer requirement.

CRM thus affects all corporate processes directly or indirectly.For the long-term successful management of customer relations, in the context of the individual processes it is important to monitor and evaluate events, which are important for further evaluation.For the attainment of such a state the definition of the individual processes and activities up to the level of the individual mandatory outputs is essential. Also the introduction of a unified shared system of records of these events. Last but not least, the training of own workers.

The good, old and still valid rule says that the basis for management is:“To give the right information to the right people, in the right place and at the right time." In today’s world, which is getting ever faster, this applies all the more. The customer assumes that we have information – i.e., we know who he is, what information he has from us and what he has a right to. He also wishes us to understand or better know his needs and to have processes introduced for their rapid satisfaction. It is thus essential to manage a structured file of the customer. The structure of such a file may be organised as follows:

• directory – identification data about customer,
• orders – sales or servicing cases implemented for given customer,
• events – activities performed for given customer,
• documents – received or sent documents,
• employees – workers responsible for the implementation of concrete events in relation to the customer,
• products – products and services provided to the customer,
• financial transactions - all financial operations in relation to the customer.

The introduction of the customer file creates a good basis for the introduction of effective reporting about our activities and for thus really managing customer relations. The following appear to be necessary conditions:

• unified management of all customer files by all interested workers,
• the person who processed/identified the given event inserts the information into the file without undue delay.

This also requires a certain level of formalisation. It is necessary to prepare the procedural directive in such a way that each employee knows exactly how to proceed during the processing of a requirement of a customer and what he should record in the customer file and when.

For the management of all company processes, including CRM solutions  Telefónica Business Solutions successfully utilises its own implementation of the e-Synergy system of the company Exact Software.