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CRM and Its Relationship with EC

Customer relationship management (CRM): A customer service approach that focuses on building long-term and sustainable customer relationships that add value both for the customer and the company

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CRM and Its Relationship with EC (cont.)

Classification of CRM programs– Loyalty program– Prospecting– Save or win back– Cross-sell/up-sell

eCRM: Customer relationship management conducted electronically

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CRM and Its Relationship with EC (cont.)

Extent of service1. Customer acquisition (prepurchase support)

2. Customer support during purchase

3. Customer fulfillment (purchase dispatch)

4. Customer continuance support (postpurchase)

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CRM and Its Relationship with EC (cont.)

Benefits of CRM– Provides:

choices of products and services fast problem resolution and response easy and quick access to information

Limitations of CRM– Requires integration with a company’s other

information systems which is costly– Difficult to support mobile employees

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CRM and Its Relationship with EC (cont.)

CRM implementation issues– Steps in building EC strategy focused on

customer:1. focus on the end customer

2. systems and business processes that are designed for ease of use and from the end customer’s point of view

3. efforts to foster customer loyalty

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CRM and Its Relationship with EC (cont.)

Five factors required to implement a CRM program effectively:

1. Customer-centric strategy

2. Commitments from people

3. Improved or redesigned processes

4. Software technology

5. Infrastructure

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CRM and Its Relationship with EC (cont.)

Web-related metrics a company uses to determine the appropriate level of customer support:

– Response time– Site availability– Download time– Timeliness– Security and privacy– On-time order fulfillment– Return policy– Navigability

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CRM Applications and Tools: Delivering Customer Service in Cyberspace

CRM applications improve upon traditional customer service by means of easier communications and speedier resolution of customer problems

Customer service adds value to products and services

It is an integral part of a successful business

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CRM Applications and Tools (cont.)

Classifications of CRM applications– Customer-facing applications– Customer-touching applications– Customer-centric intelligence applications– Online networking and other applications

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CRM Applications and Tools (cont.)

Customer-facing applicationsCustomer interaction center (CIC): A comprehensive service entity in which EC vendors address customer service issues communicated through various contact channels

Intelligent agents in customer service and call centers

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CRM Applications and Tools (cont.)

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CRM Applications and Tools (cont.)

Autoresponders: Automated e-mail reply systems (text files returned via e-mail), which provide answers to commonly asked questions

Sales force automation (SFA): Software that automates the tasks performed by sales people in the field, such as data collection and its transmission

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CRM Applications and Tools (cont.)

Customer-touching applications– Personalized Web Pages– E-Commerce Applications– Campaign Management

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CRM Applications and Tools (cont.)

– Web Self-ServiceActivities conducted by users on the Web to provide answers to their questions (e.g., tracking) or for product configuration

Self-tracking Self-configuration and customization

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CRM Applications and Tools (cont.)

Customer-centric applications– Data reports– Data warehouse

A single, server-based data repository that allows centralized analysis, security, and control over the data

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CRM Applications and Tools (cont.)

Data analysis and mining– Analytic applications automate the processing

and analysis of CRM datacan be used to analyze the performance, efficiency, and effectiveness of an operation’s CRM applications

– Data mining involves sifting through an immense amount of data to discover previously unknown patterns

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CRM Applications and Tools (cont.)

Online networking and other applications– Forums– Chat rooms– Usenet groups– E-mail newsletters– Discussion lists

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CRM Applications and Tools (cont.)

Mobile CRMthe delivery of CRM applications to any user, whenever and wherever needed

Voice communicationpeople are more comfortable talking with a person, even a virtual one, than they are interacting with machines. The smile and the clear pronunciation of the agent’s voice increases shoppers’ confidence and trust

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CRM Applications and Tools (cont.)

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CRM Applications and Tools (cont.)

Role of knowledge management and intelligent agents in CRM

– Automating inquiry routing and answering queries requires knowledge

– Generated from historical data and from human expertise and stored in knowledge bases for use whenever needed

– Intelligent agents support the mechanics of inquiry routing, autoresponders, and so on