<nettime> CRM: Customer Relations Mismanagement

[Bill Spornitz <spornitz {AT} mts.net>]

This is a copy of a little note I sent out in response to an article 
in zdnet's tech update on *Customer Relations Management*, the latest 
popcorn fart of an idea put forth by a struggling industry to keep 
the money and the Porche's flowing... thanks for sharing ;->

b





There's a fatal flaw in most CRM analysis available today. With all 
the talk of tools and platforms, TCO and ROI,  no one is taking a 
look at the non-renewable resource that is key to success in this 
field - customer goodwill.

I work on the front line of CRM, on the phones, and I can tell you 
that your *customer* is growing increasingly hostile to the regular 
intrusion by those that seek to better serve them.

The CRM market is just in it's infancy and, already, it is very 
difficult to get anyone to talk to me; I'll call for an hour just to 
speak to one person, and then they'll tell me what they think I want 
to hear just to get rid of me. As far as I know, Garbage In still 
equals Garbage Out and I fear for the quality of knowledge that is 
derived from the interviewing I am doing, and the decisions being 
made because of it. With more players calling, emailing, faxing and 
pestering already busy people, the customer base is ready to vote 
with it's silence.

As well, once we have the customer on the phone, we badger them with 
hastily produced, overly long scripts, effectively and subliminally 
associating aggresive brands with harassment and inconvenience.

Do you want to improve your customer relations in America in 2002? 
LEAVE THE CUSTOMER ALONE.







10 steps to forecasting, achieving CRM ROI
by Beth Eisenfeld, Gartner Group

http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2830655,00.html

 From the page:

When enterprises seriously begin to contemplate or pursue customer 
relationship management initiatives, they often become aware that the 
costs can be daunting.  However, when done correctly, the benefits of 
CRM initiatives are significant and can justify associated 
investments.  As the global economy continues to decline, more 
scrutiny is being paid to business and technology investments.  CRM, 
although one of the last initiatives to be "cut back," is no 
different.  In any economy (good or bad), smart senior executives pay 
attention to the investments they make, so that promised benefits are 
broughtto customers, employees, and shareholders.  At a time when 
executives should be obsessing about customer loyalty, many are 
considering walking away from (or delaying) critical CRM initiatives, 
daunted by the seemingly high cost and time it takes to achieve the 
promised return on investment (ROI) or set back by organizational 
obstacles.  However, making smart investments in the right components 
of CRM strategies can pay off in a big way, if they are done 
correctly...

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