What the CRM?
Management
Management of the Customer relation

1 project CRM     2 Principle CRM

CRM: To know its market and its customers

For a few years, we have entered a world marking the end of the captive markets.

To maintain, to even improve the overall profitability of the firm, it is not a question any more of seeking deposits of profits in the middle of the processes but of increasing its market shares well. For that, you should be interested in your customers before others do not do it in your place. The customer thus became the main subject of conversation and mobilization. One studies it under all his breakages.
With you he for radically changed as much?
Without entering this debate, we will note that, from now on, the customer has the choice. It should not be regarded as a passive being any more undergoing the pressure of the providers, but as an actor who chooses in all full knowledge of the facts. The customer power struggle - provider seems to rebalance himself with his advantage, and for the firm, there do not exist any more acquired customers with life. It is probably there the crucial point which it is necessary to retain.

But of the customers there is of all kinds. Goods which generate a consequent volume of sales, take part in the design of the new products and remain faithful to the firm. The bad ones which pays late or at all, which complains all the time and which requests information without never anything to buy. They end up being more expensive than they do not pay.
Between these two extremes, one will find all the combinations, and the distribution will not be uniform. Of course, one will prefer to select and preserve the customers as much as possible approaching the first quoted category.
For that, one will weave close links, even intimate and will establish a permanent communication with each one of between-them. The technology and more particularly the concept of the CRM ( Management) ( Management of the French Customer relationship) will help us there.

Project CRM

With a growth higher than 70% a year (source ), the flourishing market of the CRM did not leave indifferent the services companies in search of a new square pulse to relay that of the in regular lose speed. Still recently, the budgets assigned to the projects of CRM followed a continuous progression for the whole of the commercial sector.
The passion displayed by the firms, to adopt the management techniques of the customer relationship, remains in spite of very justified. For a few years, hunting for the customer has been opened and this last is not let any more allure also easily. Technology becomes essential to compensate the business services and marketing, and to improve knowledge of the customer and the markets.

But take guard! The implementation of a project of CRM is a complex operation. It is highly advised to approach the project in all full knowledge of the facts, and to choose carefully its person receiving benefits.
As much he will be possible to limit, so much is little, the range and the impacts of the project within the framework of the implementation of a conventional function of the automation of the sales forces, as much the projects of span could not be under consideration without a deep reform of the information system and crop corporate. To share the knowledge of the customer for serving best is not reduced to the installation of the best tools.
To reach the stage of full effectiveness of the step of “management of the customer relation”, it will be necessary to proceed to structural reforms and cultural radical. Too many decision makers still hesitate to call into question their infrastructure and the work methods in place, and are let allure by exclusively technological approaches. One should not be surprised when the KING (Return on investment) is not with go.

Extract in extenso of the beginning of the chapter devoted to the CRM of the book of reference: “The good use of technologies explained to the manager”.

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Copyright: Alain FERNANDEZ ©1998-2008- All rights reserved

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