Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has become one of the largest growth areas of application technology development over the last decade. Companies like Siebel started the hypergrowth area and now there are hundreds of companies taking up the mantle, Salesforce being one of the most popular. There are literally hundreds of defined areas of business processes that can be defined within the CRM window. Let me focus very simply on one area, the customer.
The relationship between the provider and customer has matured beyond the trusted advisor role sought by the ERP companies of the last decade. Many firms restrict their technology buy to 4 or 5 key suppliers. My experience has taught me that customers expect you to keep them informed of advances in technology, industry trends and in some cases competitive information. A lot of this can be provided via technology links and email, but it is incredible what a face to face meeting can do. Instead of being restricted to an email template or a web link, the conversation can move from personal to professional and back in a matter of seconds. The insight of seeing a face respond to what you are saying is priceless. I could go on and on, but let me leave you with this. Make sure you bring your best information to your customers and make sure you deliver the best of the best in person.
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