CRM was supposed to bring companies closer to their clients. The basic idea was to; find out what a client wants and needs, give it to them, and get them to be your client for life.
But as with all good technology, it hasn't actually brought the sales teams, marketing departments, or customer service departments any closer to the customer at all! Technology is a cold hard process that rarely subsitutes for a human voice and social interaction.
I really feel sorry for the companies that struggled with the software, dumped thousands and thousands of dollars into consulting sessions, developed the training manuals and trained the trainers, held the meetings and issued management memos only to find that the problem of customer loyalty was the same if not worse.
They had the right idea but they were listening to those lame marketing gurus again! The same guys who have been promoting direct mail postcards as the best choice for farming prospects at a whopping 1-3% response rate!! (Whopee! Where do I sign up?) Seeing technology as a cure all for customer service is a grave mistake.
First of all there is a serious problem with the oxymoron Client Relationship Management. Intimate loving families can't manage their relationships! How in the heck is a company that sees its clients only a few hours each year going to manage the relationship?
At best, you can sustain, grow,and cultivate the relationship. At worst, you will lose it due to changes in the client's circumstances, competition, economic and political factors, changing markets or (heaven forbid) your own terrible customer service and shoddy workmanship. But you will never be able to manage your clients. As a matter of fact... it is the client who manages you. They tell you what products they want, and what your product is worth, how they want it delivered, and like green french fries or dirt flavored jelly beans, whether they want it at all!
Companies that have to fight for their customers are doing something wrong. It usually stems from not understanding the customer. Going to a computer program to glean information, or find out what the customer wants is just plain crazy.
Let me give you an example from my own shopping habits. There are 4 major supermarkets within a 5 mile radius of my house. One has great produce prices, the others don't. I usually shop at that market for produce,and meats only because their other prices are too high. I have a membership card with that store. Do they know why I only shop for produce and meat at their store? NO! Will my shopping habits change if their prices change? Yes. Do they know that? No. Can they get that information from my membership card? No. Can they get it if the guy at checkout asks me? You bet! As a matter of fact I have volunteered the information. I have told checkers in passing on several occassions I think their produce prices are the best in town...do you think that information got to the store manager? Who knows!
Am I going to seek out the manager to tell him?
Is he going to go in the office and make note of my comment somewhere so he can serve me better? No way!
Now,do you think the other stores know why I don't buy their produce? They have no clue, even though I have a membership card with them as well, they have no idea why I shop the way I do.
In-house customer surveys and focus groups put the client and the company on the same side of the table working together as partners to develop better products and to cement relationships.
Getting a personal phone call, from the salesman that sold me a car, asking for my honest opinion about the car and telling me that he is there for me if I need help, is going to bring me back every two years, and as trust is developed, I will give him candid feedback to help him improve both product and service. If he listens to me and all of his customers he will come out a winner..if not... hiring a marketer is not going to make the situation any better.
Case in point, current gas prices are driving down SUV sales. Can CRM software tell you that gas prices are going to hit an all time high in summer? Can CRM software tell you that your competition is coming out with a hybrid that will save produce 50% higher MPG. Can CRM soft ware tell you that your customer was in an accident that will make getting into an SUV painful and difficult and that for the next few years he is going to buy sedans? No...but a single follow-up phone call by the salesman will tell you everything you need to know if you ask the right questions.
Building layers of insulation between the company and the client; software programs, autoresponders, marketers, and voice mail systems are the death of communication. Most people won't tell you they are dissatified they will just leave...and you'll never know why because they won't leave a message on your voice mail.
Hire a customer service team made up of people who love people, are excellent listeners, and who genuinely enjoy their job! Hire a customer service team of problem solvers, people who enjoy the challenge of creatively solving problems for people, pay them what they are worth! Train them to pass on all information from the customer then act on that information immediately. There is no better client relationship than the one that is face to face, person to person. Your customer service employees are the front line, your company image, they represent your company in what they wear,say,think and do much more than your logos or ads. You pay them minimum wage and I guarantee they will tell the customers what they think about you through actions, attitudes, and words!
It's a lot cheaper to pay your customer service people top dollar, than to pay for CRM.
About the Author
Owner http://www.lastingimpressions2.com
Lasting Impressions 2 is a customer service resource for small business providing custom client gift baskets, greeting card marketing services, and sales and marketing seminars.