Three Steps to Create a Successful CRM Strategy

Building a customer relationship management (CRM) strategy is a unique process for each organization that nevertheless should always involve three key steps. The three steps needed to create a successful CRM strategy are: setting the destination; auditing the current situation; and mapping the journey to the destination.

"A CRM strategy cannot be developed in isolation. It must be relevant and linked to the overall corporate strategy, and it must build on existing sales or marketing strategies that are already in use. Following these three steps will provide a solid framework for CRM success.

Set the destination: The vision of the company and the goals derived from this vision are the intended destination of the CRM strategy. The vision will be heavily dependent on the leadership of the company and on the selected CRM strategy.

Ensure that the CRM vision is to articulate the future environment for the organization in terms of profitability and customer experience. During the initial stages of the CRM initiative — while the CRM vision and strategy are being developed — the leadership and governance structure must be agreed upon and roles allocated before it is stressed by the impact of change management upon employees.

Audit the current situation: Skills, resources, competitors, partners and customers all need to be consulted in assessing the starting point. Before beginning the CRM initiative, organizations need to identify how mature their existing approach to CRM is. Most organizations have some existing or past attempt at CRM; even if these were deemed failures, there are usually some foundations that can be leveraged rather than ignored by the new team.

Use the audit to evaluate the organization against equivalent organizations in the same or a similar industry. A competitive benchmark is an excellent way to gauge how far behind or ahead the organization is in comparison. Along with these two approaches, there are many other types of audit. Ultimately, companies should use as many of these assessment types as possible to prepare for the development of the CRM strategy.

Map the journey: The journey may take many years, and the map will change en route. It is important to plan for this before starting.

A CRM strategy explains how an organization will achieve the CRM vision. It is the integrated blueprint for how the organization will achieve its sales, marketing and customer service goals. Therefore, it must give quantitative answers to questions such as: What is the ideal customer base? What products or services is it going to sell, to whom, at what price and through which channels? However, it must also be able to give much more subjective answers to more-holistic, organization-wide questions such as: What is the best way to build customer loyalty? How will the organization connect with a customer to create a positive "gut feel"? What will drive customers to recommend the organization, brand and products to others more often to the point that they are willing to pay a premium price?

Setting the destination, auditing the current situation and mapping the journey is an iterative process that may require several revisions before a final CRM strategy is developed. The challenge is to avoid rushing the development process, as the company may be committed to many years of change.

Doing more with less

As the economic crisis continues, technology leaders are faced with the challenge of considering how best to trim the fat out of their budgets. While some steps are obvious and necessary, others could be like a diet you've been cheating on; you know what you ought to be doing, but you don't always follow through.

Here are 10 ways to do more with less in tough economic times from CIO.com:

1. Architecture - Do it right. Yes, organizations are achieving savings, quicker time to market, scalability and redundancy with Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). No, it does not have to be a huge and costly initiative. The SOA approach has achieved savings done piecemeal, via small reusable components. Prioritize new core business components, services for under performing applications and for systems with costly maintenance. Some organizations are finding SOA pays for itself over time.
   
   
2. Open Source. Much of it is prime time: Operating systems; Web servers; application development tools; DNS; Desktop Productivity Tools; Database and Management; Infrastructure Management Tools - the list is almost endless. Do your research, talk to people and companies employing the open source you are interested in, and move forward with these viable alternatives.
   
   
3. Collaboration. Share, share, share, just like your mother taught you. Share desktop support personnel with the unit across the hall, on another floor, the building across the street and even your competition. Share a network, a server room or a geothermal system. Share a Bloomberg terminal, a printer, or share a relationship with a vendor for better pricing on volume.
   
   
4. Consolidation of Systems. The consolidation of systems is a greater area of investment right now due to mergers and acquisitions. Even before the pressure of the current economy, many organizations were addressing the sprawl of systems developed over time by consolidation. More consolidation is being considered across lines of business, as similarities between products become the focus instead of differentiation. These initiatives can be costly and it's important to be aware that end-users and the technology team can become emotionally attached to their particular system, which can create a closed mindedness that may prevent the success of the initiatives. However, there is also the anticipation of future savings from these efforts.
   
   
5. Smartsourcing. Stop doing business that is not your business. What is your core business? Define it, stick to it and invest in it. Where are you spending time, money and resources outside of your core? Find an organization whose core business is one you could partner with, one that will reach economies of scale you may not be able to reach. Done right, organizations can save a great deal with this approach.
   
   
6. Renegotiate with Vendors. Everyone is trying to stay in the game, so it may be prudent to renegotiate and create a win-win scenario for all involved. If you have vendors you are happy with, don't try to wean down the number of vendors to save money. You are working with the different vendors for the skills or services they bring to your organization. Vendors are not necessarily substitutes for each other, so before cutting the number of vendors, try cutting with each individually. It may work best for both of you.
   
   
7. Improve IT governance. When asked to cut, don't ask how low, ask what? We all know best practice is for IT to be in sync with the business. Yet, business strategy is changing due to macroeconomic challenges. In order to prioritize for core business initiatives, CXOs are working together to rigorously scrutinize projects and priorities. This effort is resulting in monetary savings, better utilization of resources, and a better understanding of the strategic direction of the organization.
   
   
8. Increase IT expenditures. Done right, spending your money in the right place today can save you elsewhere now and in the future. Spending money on tools that will ultimately allow management to immediately cut certain expenses, such as travel, can result in a quick payoff. Investing in high-quality conferencing tools will facilitate workers to do more with less and collaborate efficiently. As business travel declines and use of external resources rises, conferencing can help bring in identifiable cost savings to companies who deploy it.
   
   
9. Stop buying storage. It appears there is an abundance of storage everywhere. In historical comparison, storage has become so cheap we keep buying more and don't trash anything. Disks will continue to perform at greater than 50% capacity. New approach: clean up your files, clean out your e-mail, let's stop hoarding and clean house. And while we're at it, let's take a look at server capacity. Does every application really need its own server? The answer is no.
   
   
10. Rightsizing. We're experiencing it in our offices and reading about it in the news. It's painful, we don't like it, it affects our ability to meet service agreements - and it is not always the best choice. Less systems support can continue to hurt the business. Although some think this would be a great time to "upgrade" resources, hiring managers are finding it difficult to find such resources. Those who can are staying put as they are fearful of moving in this economy. So although cutting human resources may achieve quick cost savings, C-level management believes access to and retention of key talent is the single most important issue for sustaining long-term growth.
    

So no more cheating on your diet. Managing technology in this environment means strict adherence to strong leadership, solid business partnerships, prioritizing for core business objectives, sharing and leveraging resources, and continuing to develop and deliver technical solutions in the most cost effective way.

SMBs': Discover how to cut costs and stay competitive in a global economy through Web-based Collaboration.

For SMBs' doing more with less is a must in today's business climate. Virtual collaboration and online meeting technologies are advancing SMBs' reach without huge investments, thus allowing them to not only save costs and land more sales but to better educate consumers and business partners and serve a greater number of people lost by former logistical barriers. This report discusses how this knowledge transfer is allowing smaller companies to gain greater mindshare and reach new markets more efficiently and at Web-based speed.

Written by: Larstan Business Reports

Offered Free by: WebEx Communications, Inc.

To get your free report click here.

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