CRM Leaves Out the Customer

By George Anderson

If you’re looking for reasons to explain why your CRM program is not living up to its advanced billing, then perhaps you’ve focused too much attention on technology and marketing and not enough on where it belongs: the customer.

A column on the Destination CRM web site by Julian Chu & Troy Pike of IBM’s Institute for Business Value offers advice for retailers and other businesses looking to improve the customer’s experience.

1. Person-to-person and in-store experiences are the most important element in creating a successful CRM program.


2. Marketing and communications should support. Great advertising for a non-existent CRM program will only lead to greater customer dissatisfaction.


3. Retailers need to ask, “What knowledge do I expect to get from this data, and how will I act upon it?” Analytical insights should lead to direct improvements in the customer’s experience.

Moderator’s Comment: Where do the greatest opportunities
exist for improving the retail customer’s experience? [George
Anderson – Moderator]

•  How
  should CRM impact the retail customer experience? – Destination CRM