By Paula Hocking, business development manager, DVT
The progression of humanity has been marked by great inventions, new ways of thinking and the creation of technologies that have made the way we live today something unimaginable a thousand years ago. And, with the great strides that innovations and technology have enabled humankind to make, there has arisen the need to realise that technology is really only an enabler, and that greater appreciation needs to be given to the people factor, especially in business.
The business world could drown in the sea of technology that is available to improve communications, increase productivity, decrease costs, plan and manage resources of the human and machine kind, enhance accounting capabilities and button down security issues. And there is technology to assist with customer relationship management; but the key word there is "assist".
Companies have been managing their customer relationships since long before the slogan "the customer is always right" was created and bandied about vigorously. Certainly, with the technology available today customer relationship management, or CRM, has come a long way, and many more factors that influence those relationships are dealt with, but the technology itself is not CRM. Just as the kettle is not the water it boils or a house the family that lives inside it.
At the end of the day, CRM is exactly what it says, and not the technology that enables it.
Spanner in the works
A major problem in business today is that many organisations in fact do perceive the introduction or enhancement of CRM into the business as a technological implementation; something to be left in the hands of IT staff. As a result, the implementation is of an off-the-shelf technology solution that does not fully cater to your specific business, where relationships with your customers are distinctive.
You lay down different demands in how your customers should be treated; you face a particular segment of customers; and you are required to overcome challenges specific to the environment you operate in and the customers you provide a service to. You also have your employees, with their own unique personalities, characteristics and histories, to manage. These people are the face of the company, and they have a significant impact on customer relationships. Off-the-shelf software cannot possibly cater to all of these elements.
Equating customer relationship management to the technology that enables it will doom your efforts to failure.
The kettle
Although CRM is not the technology, technology does automate a complex operation in the business. Much as water is poured into a kettle, boiled and used to make tea or coffee, CRM technology brings all the relevant information about customers together, it ensures that the information is accurate and that there is no duplication, and it allows everyone in the company who needs it access to that information on demand so that when a customer calls the contact centre, the agent can immediately see that person`s records, history with the company, maybe even what his dog`s name is; all in the name of providing the right types of service, at the right levels, to the right customers.
Without technology, CRM would be a costly and timeous undertaking for the organisation; but one that could still be undertaken. Therefore, when choosing software to aid you in your CRM endeavours, find a solution that is flexible, that can be easily adapted to your business environment, that does not require you to change your business to fit it. Use software that moulds around your business and with which you can maximise your strengths. Choose a solution that can be easily adapted to correspond with changes in your business. And, above all, consider locally developed software, as it is lower cost, and more easily supported than international alternatives.
Remember, technology must be there to support your CRM initiatives, not provide you with it.
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