Wow! It is over three years now since I started Blogging. I remember my able friend introducing me to Blogging business and it was really a nice business. I actually take up the challenge because I can write very well. Since then my life has never remain the same again.



Why I started Blogging again?

One thing I have noticed is that, In Nigeria, even among the so called business professionals, when they hear the word customer relationship management, the next thing that comes to their mind is customer care. My dear friend that cannot be true. CRM goes beyond customer care. I am writing this article, hoping that henceforth, as many people that are able to read this article will not make that mistake again.



Why the mistake?

I believe Nigerians are making that mistake because CRM is not truly on ground in Nigeria. If you have it in your organization, feel free to dispute what I am saying. What we have in many organizations in Nigeria is not even customer care but Receptions. As long as you as your Front desk is building relationship with customers, as long as they are not busier than every other departments in the organization, then they are not customer centred.



The decision to be customer centred my dear friend is not an easy one. In becoming customer centred, you have to shift all your attention away from product and focus all your attention on customers alone. You must know what your customer is looking for in your products or services and be ready to give them.



What is customer relationship management then?

One thing I will want you to know is that, in an organization that is customer focused, there is nothing like division of labour among the front offices, we are talking about Marketing, Sales and Customer service. The three are expected to work together in order to serve customers better.



The definition…

CRM is been defined as a business strategy carried out to select and manage customers so as to optimize long term value. CRM requires a customer centric business philosophy to support effective Marketing, Sales and customer service processes. CRM applications can enable effective CRM provided that an organization has the right leadership, strategy and culture.



In a nutshell, in CRM, the front offices work together to increase the value of customers and make it difficult for them to leave the organization. To achieve this, they must have the support of the top management and the whole employees must not treat customers as if they are doing them a favour by serving them.



According to Brent Frei, the President of Onyx Software, CRM is also a comprehensive set of processes and technologies for managing the relationships with potential and current customers and business partners across marketing, sales and customer service regardless of the communication channel.



That means in CRM, you are making sure that customers enjoy the same benefit irrespectice of the medium that they are using to access your products or services. That means you must be on the same page with your dealers and business partners so as to ensure that you are not been misrepresented by them.


Source: http://crmnigeria.com/en/crm-is-not-customer-care/