The role of technology in CRM is not limited to automating processes; it has more significance.
An online survey conducted by crmguru.com to under stand the objectives of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), 36% of the respondents chose `putting customers at the heart of the business' whereas only 9% chose `automation of customer business processes'. Therefore, it is evident that the role of technology in CRM is not merely to automate processes but goes much deeper and has more significance than conventional thinking.
Data Sources: To implement a CRM strategy, proper identification of data sources is necessary. These data sources could be internal (such as salespersons) or external (such as customers/agents etc.). To prepare an effective system, all relevant data sources should be tapped. For example, the activities of competitors (such as promotional offers etc.) should be taken into consideration and data sources identified to capture the same.
Data Acquisition: Various methods should be available for acquisition of data. This is because all parties concerned (internal and external) may not be able to enter data in a particular format (as desired by a computer). Hence interfacing mechanisms should be created to ensure that data acquisition is possible through multiple methods and interoperability of systems should be created. For example, when a customer calls up on the telephone line, data acquisition can be activated using an IVR method.
Data Management and Warehousing: The data that is acquired from the various sources needs to be properly managed in databases that perform the warehousing function. For large databases, the systems used could be Oracle, AS 400 etc., whereas smaller databases are housed using Microsoft Access. The data requirements must be taken into consideration while designing the database structure as changes in the structure may not be easy to execute later or the forms of the data that is required may not be feasible to generate. Therefore, while planning the flow of the data they should take into account the required outputs from the system that is desired. |
