Page 8 - PR Communication Age MAY 2016

catalyst for that person's frustration about other interacting with a number of employees in different roles

things. and departments. CRM is a combination of policies, pro-

d. Either way, attentive listening will break down the bar- cesses, and strategies implemented by an organization to
rier and then begin to build a bridge to fix the situa- unify its customer interactions and provide means to track
tion. customer information. It involves the use of technology in
attracting new and profitable customers, while forming

e. Usually, discussing different options will bring about a tighter bonds with existing ones.
positive outcome for both sides (a win-win situation).

f. Good customer service leads to many other benefits. 4.4. Customer Relationship Management includes many of

g. Not only will you gain trust with your current clients, the following aspects which relate directly to one another:
they'll also become a wonderful referral system as they a. Front office operations - Direct interaction with custom-
spread the word about your business to other prospects.
ers, e.g. face to face meetings, phone calls, e-mail,
h. Whether it's positive or negative feedback about a prod- online services etc.
uct or service, people are writing freely about their
shopping experiences. b. Back office operations - Operations that ultimately af-
fect the activities of the front office (e.g., billing, main-
i. In the long run, treating people fairly and with respect tenance, planning, marketing, advertising, finance,
will bring business to your company today and in the manufacturing, etc.)
future.
c. Business relationships - Interaction with other compa-
4. Customer Relationship Management: nies and partners, such as suppliers/vendors and retail
outlets/distributors, industry networks (lobbying groups,
4.1. The Wikipedia definition is "Customer relationship man- trade associations). This external network supports
front and back office activities.
agement (CRM) consists of the processes a company uses
to track and organize its contacts with its current and pro- d. Analysis - Key CRM data can be analyzed in order to
spective customers". Now-a-days CRM software is used to plan target-marketing campaigns, conceive business
support these processes wherein information about cus- strategies, and judge the success of CRM activities
tomers and customer interactions can be entered, stored (e.g., market share, number and types of customers,
and accessed by employees in different company depart- revenue, profitability).
ments. Typical CRM goals are to improve services provided
to customers, and to use customer contact information for 5. Types /Variations of Customer
targeted marketing. Reationship Management (CRM):

4.2. Types of customer you face: 5.1. There are several different approaches to CRM, with

1. Internal Customers - different software packages focusing on different aspects.
o Within your organization - your peers/subordi-
nates/ superiors 5.1.1. Operational CRM
o Within your family/ society/ friends' circle Operational CRM provides support to "front office" business
processes, e.g. sales, marketing and service staff. Interac-
2. External customers - tions with customers are generally stored in customers' con-
o Usual users of your service/ products tact histories, and staff can retrieve customer information
as necessary.
o Prospective buyers / customers
The contact history provides staff members with immedi-
4.3. From the outside, customers interacting with a com- ate access to important information on the customer (prod-
ucts owned, prior support calls etc.), eliminating the need
pany perceive the business as a single entity, despite often

"I would rather die of passion than of boredom."

8 PR COMMUNICATION AGE May 2016