Shocking Facts About CRM Solution Map
#1 Marketing
In the marketing department’s plans to shift to CRM, they needed applications that can identify prospective customers.
They must be able to identify prospective customers. They must be able to identify the calibre of customers that they want and how they can meet their needs.
| OBJECTIVE OF THIS ARTICLE In this article, we want to look at the various application that can be deployed in running a successful CRM program. Attention will be focused on those departments in an organisation that has direct contact with customers. In any organization, we have two sets of departments. These include those that have direct· Relationships with customers and those that do not relate directly to customers.· We have seen in the previous chapters that customer-facing departments include: marketing, sales and customer services department. |
#1 Marketing
In the marketing department’s plans to shift to CRM, they needed applications that can identify prospective customers.
They must be able to identify prospective customers. They must be able to identify the calibre of customers that they want and how they can meet their needs.
Also, there is a need for segmentation of customers. Under this, organizations that deal with different age groups must be able to come up with products and services that will meet the needs of the various age groups.
The organisation also needs accurate targeting. Under this, they must be able to predict correctly who their prospects are and how they can meet them at the right place with the right products(s) and services.
The marketing department in this organisation must also be able to come up with correct customer acquisition strategies.
They must be able to pinpoint how various prospects want to be approached. Some like to relate with the customers online while some others want to do business from the convenience of their homes.
There is also a need for campaign management.
When we talk of campaign management, we are talking about creating awareness about the products and services that the organization has to offer.
This includes making sure that the existing products get to the final consumers.
Finally, under marketing, we can have lead distribution, this involves follow-up on information that you have about a particular prospect.
Take for example a customer that likes to do business from the convenience of his home; such a customer/prospect will easily jump at products and services that will afford him the opportunity to do so.
Scenario
Benson is a 9mobile customer while his father who happens to be a carpenter also uses the same network. Benson who likes socializing and free things decided to migrate from easy starter to easy cliq because it gives him the opportunity to enjoy low call rates, get megabytes for browsing and free access to Facebook and 2go among others.
His father on the other hand migrated from front easy cliq to easy starter simply because he does not need some of those things that his son wanted in a sim.
He was attracted to easy starter because of the “you and me” which allowed him to talk to his wife free of charge and home zone which allowed him to enjoy low call rates from his workshop.
#2 Sales
The sales department in a customer-centric enterprise also needs some application that will allow the staff of the department to satisfy the needs of customers.
One of such is the application that will allow effective sales processes so that closure of deals can be faster.
This will allow the department to know those that really need the product and the best way to sell it to them.
The sales departments also need proposal generation took. This tool automatically notifies prospects and customers about products and services that might be of interest to them.
These are programmed based on information at the disposal of the organization about the prospects or customers.
The sales department. might also need a knowledge management tool.
As we all know. information is power. The organisation could only succeed if they have valuable information that could help in the faster closure of deals.
We also have contact management tools. Under this, the organisation tries to manage their contacts and database in order to see how it could help in the closure of deals.
If you suddenly discovered that you have Aliko Dangote’s son as one of those that have used your product or you have a link to the Nigerian President, this might help you to sell your products to them.
As was said earlier the problem remains that. many organisations in Nigeria cannot say precisely the total number of customers that they have.
Finally, there are applications that can help in forecasting. When you are forecasting, you are predicting things that are not in demand now but customers are likely to request for in the future.
This can be done using information that is available in the customer database.
#4 E-commerce
The benefit of the e-commerce platform is to ensure that the organisation is able to use the World Wide Web to increase its sales effortlessly.
The organizations have to deploy applications that will ensure that both the online customers and those that walk into the various branch offices enjoy the same benefits.
#5 Services
This is the medium through which the organization support customers that have purchased their products and services.
This might include the deployment of call centre applications, portals or customized interfaces which arc meant to meet the need of the customers.
A good example of this is the MTN online service centres which are meant to provide support to customers who might be having challenges with their MTN services.
Summary
So far. we have looked at the various applications that are needed for a CRM program.
We said that these various applications are mostly needed in various departments that have to deal with the customers directly such as Marketing, Sales, Customer service and B-Commerce departments.
Brainstorming Session
- Do you think marketing is relevant to CRM? Give reasons for your answers.
- Discuss the various branches of CRM in relation to any beverage firm that you know.
- Examine marketing and sales in a product-centric enterprise. Why are they
different?
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Action Point
PS: If you would like to have an online course on any of the courses that you found on this blog, I will be glad to do that on individual and corporate levels, I will be very glad to do that I have trained several individuals and groups. They are doing well in their various fields of endeavour. Some of those that I have trained include staff of Dangote Refinery, FCMB, Zenith Bank, and New Horizons Nigeria among others. Please come on Whatsapp and let’s talk about your training. You can reach me on Whatsapp HERE. Please note that I will be using Microsoft Team to facilitate the training.
I know you might agree with some of the points that I have raised in this article. You might not agree with some of the issues raised. Let me know your views about the topic discussed. We will appreciate it if you could drop your comment. Thanks in anticipation.
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