Customer Care Solutions

Customer relationship management or CRM should be exactly that – focusing on the customer. However, too many CRM providers zero in on the reporting capabilities or application integration of their internal solutions, losing sight of the key to a successful CRM solution: the customer.

 

The successful CRM solution is one that enables an organization to take their current customer data, integrate it with applications throughout the enterprise and use it to provide better service to the individual customer. Beyond the efficiencies these solutions can create internally, robust CRM solutions can also help to create the differentiator these companies need to rise above the competition by providing the exceptional customer experience.

 

In relation to the call center, there are several things that affect the customer experience directly. Take, for instance, something as simple as the customer that has to place multiple calls in order to have an issue resolved. Each time the customer calls, there is no record of the previous call or nothing has been done to resolve the issue. The probability of this customer becoming satisfied with the service they are receiving is extremely low and the loss of their business is practically guaranteed.

 

Internally, organizations can lack the necessary solution to integrate information throughout multiple channels. This can lead to extreme frustration for customers as well as degradation of the customer’s confidence in the organization. This type of weakness portrays a lack of competence to the customer, thus changing their perception of the company.

 

For a number of years, when organizations deployed CRM solutions, vast deficiencies in their operational processes were exposed. As a result, these companies focused the CRM application more on management, which detracted concentration from the customer experience. With the attention on internal processes, all touch-points in the customer lifecycle were not integrated with the CRM solution and thus synergy across departments was nearly nonexistent.

 

The most effective CRM solutions will fully integrate with legacy systems such as back-end applications and database systems. Without this integration, organizations will face significant technical barriers that will prohibit the ability of the enterprise to implement a customer-centric CRM strategy. Once this type of integration is complete, the organization should be able to provide better service to all customers at a lower price.

 

Not all CRM solutions will fit every company. It is important to look for a provider that can customize a solution rather than insisting upon an ‘out-of-the-box’ approach. Customers are more informed and demand more from companies today than ever before. In order to remain ahead of the competition, organizations have to be able to respond effectively to ensure that their customer remains their customer.