I am ever on the lookout for examples of solutions that take the way companies serve their customer base to the next level. There are lots of claims of improvement in the giant industry that is customer service, but as we all know, the proof is in the customers’ perceptions, which are still quite low when it comes to b-to-c customer service, probably because many retailers and service organizations still don’t understand what their options are when it comes to automating best practices in CRM. So I like to keep in touch with the companies striving to vastly improve how organizations do business with their customers.

Late last year, SAP introduced the next evolution of its SAP Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM), a component of the SAP Business Suite. I recently got a chance to talk with Mike de la Cruz, senior vice president of CRM Applications Solution Management for SAP.

RT: Can you elaborate on how using Web 2.0 interfaces increases usability? What benefits does this bring to the call center?

MdlC: Web 2.0 interfaces are more interactive, dynamic and configurable, providing more visual feedback the user and improved ease-of-use. This allows contact center agents to focus more on the customer problem they are trying to solve, and less on navigating through multiple application screens to find the right information or function. SAP CRM 2007 brings a state-of-the-art Web 2.0 interface and revolutionary ease-of-use to the call center, bringing these benefits to the contact center agent and the customer.

RT: Can you explain a little about SAP Real-Time Offer Management and what processes it is improving?

MdlC: Real Time Offer Management (RTOM) helps improve customer loyalty and satisfaction by helping agents make more relevant offers based on the customer’s status, history, profile and context. The system leverages advanced optimization and arbitration analytics—taking into account all relevant customer information—to help agents cross sell and up sell or create follow up actions by making real time recommendations.

RT: What is different about next-generation solutions like SAP CRM 2007 and the earlier generations of CRM? What problems have been overcome?

MdlC: Effectively managing customer relationships is challenging as every customer situation is unique. To be effective, organizations must strive to achieve more consistent, relevant interactions across all channels and touch points. SAP CRM uniquely allows organizations to make the most of every customer interaction across the entire customer life cycle by ensuring that each interaction is consistent and relevant, with real-time information about the complete history, context value and profitability of each customer. This is only possible if the CRM solution is fully integrated with back-end systems, providing this complete view of the customer.

RT: What’s the ideal size contact center to benefit from this new solution?

MdlC: Contact centers of all sizes can benefit from SAP CRM. It is important to choose a solution that can grow as your company grows, and that can deliver immediate benefits and enable you to achieve long-term strategic goals.

To read the full interview on TMCnet, please visit www.tmcnet.com/1537.1

As always, I welcome your comments. Please e-mail them to me at [email protected]