An Outline Of The Customer Relationship Process With CRMWhile it is hard to say how all customer relationship management programs function exactly, there are some basics that tend to go along with these programs. When making sure that customer relationships are managed efficiently and accurately, it is hard to replace these software packages. An outline of the customer relationship process with CRM can make this fairly clear. In the public sector, for example, an outline of the customer relationship process with a CRM system in place might go something like this: A citizen calls a public official for help on a Monday. That official's staff logs the call into a CRM software database, notifies the public official of the call, and ships off the request for information to the department responsible. That call for information is now "in the system." A person from the correct department, let's say water, is notified of the call for information immediately. She acknowledges receipt and promises to look into the situation. The CRM system then sends notification to the public official's office that the information request is in the right hands. The case, however, is still left open and a timer starts that gives the water department employee X number of hours or days to seek out an answer or contact the citizen. She can then choose to handle the call herself or forward it on to a more knowledgeable person. In the case of the later, the system would update and notifications of the new "handler" would go out. If for some reason, the assigned water department employee gets sidetracked and does not answer the information request, the CRM system will notify the employee and the public official's office of the "dropped ball." The system (or the public official's office) will then request an update. Once the water department employee speaks with the citizen and answers or addresses the question, the CRM system is accessed again. The opened file is updated with copies going to the public official's office and perhaps the employee's supervisor. If the citizen issue has been handled, the CRM system's file is closed. Should the citizen call back again about something else, that person's file is reopened with all other background information in place. While the above is a dramatization, it serves well as an outline of the customer relationship process when CRM is in place. More and more, government agencies, sales-based companies and service companies are using similar tracking systems to ensure customer service is top-notch and that balls are not allowed to drop. Breeding efficiency and accountability, these programs are valuable for helping employees, government officials, company owners and managers keep up with all the requests that come in on a daily basis. |