A Description of Operational CRM
Operational CRM simply defined are systems and processes that support the “front office” daily operations that focus solely on the customer base of an organization or entity (Baltzan & Philips, 2010). Increasing competition and decreasing customer loyalty have led to the emergence of concepts that focus on the nurturing of customer relationships (Henning, et al. 2003). With Operational CRM systems one can improve the efficiency of CRM business processes and comprise solutions for sales force automation, marketing automation, and call center/customer interaction center management (Bose&Sugumaran,2003). The goal of operational CRM should be to integrate people, processes and technology using the customer’s perspective and expectations as the key driver (Teo, T., Devadoss, P., & Pan, S. 2006).
The enterprise framework of Operational CRM as described by Bose and Sugumaran,2003 is comprised of user applications, business processes, and organization structures. Some day to day examples may include marketing campaigns, call center applications, and web-based applications (Bose and Sugumaran,2003). These are processes that people tend to relate to because these applications can applied across many departments and divisions. To integrate marketing, sales, and service activities, CRM requires the strong integration of business processes which involve customers (Henning, et al. 2003). Focusing on distinct application areas such as computer aided selling (CAS) and sales force automation (SFA) systems are responsible for the control and automation of sales processes, whereas other systems for service or marketing automation focus on service as well as marketing processes. In the course of process integration, these systems continually merge towards integrated CRM suites (Henning, et al. 2003). In conclusion, the most important process is to recognize with the use of technology how important the customer and knowledge of the customer is to business.
The enterprise framework of Operational CRM as described by Bose and Sugumaran,2003 is comprised of user applications, business processes, and organization structures. Some day to day examples may include marketing campaigns, call center applications, and web-based applications (Bose and Sugumaran,2003). These are processes that people tend to relate to because these applications can applied across many departments and divisions. To integrate marketing, sales, and service activities, CRM requires the strong integration of business processes which involve customers (Henning, et al. 2003). Focusing on distinct application areas such as computer aided selling (CAS) and sales force automation (SFA) systems are responsible for the control and automation of sales processes, whereas other systems for service or marketing automation focus on service as well as marketing processes. In the course of process integration, these systems continually merge towards integrated CRM suites (Henning, et al. 2003). In conclusion, the most important process is to recognize with the use of technology how important the customer and knowledge of the customer is to business.
References: Baltzan, P. and Philips, A. (2010). Business driven technology with premium content card. (4th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin Bose, R., & Sugumaran, V. (2003). Application of knowledge management technology in customer relationship management. Knowledge and Process Management, 10(1), 3-17. doi: 10.1002/kpm.163 Business Process Management Journal | Understanding customer relationship management (CRM): People, process and technology. (n.d.). Emerald. Retrieved October 03, 2010, from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=843553&show=html CRM IN SALES-INTENSIVE ORGANIZATIONS: A REVIEW AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS. (2005). Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 25(2), 170-180. Retrieved October 1, 2010, from http://mesharpe.metapress.com/link.asp?id=cmr1aub0a9r73fkd KIM, H., & PAN, S. L. (2006). Towards a process model of information systems implementation. The ACM Portal. Retrieved October 03, 2010, from http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1120501.1120506 Successful Practices in Customer Relationship Management. (2004, January 7). Resolve a DOI. doi: http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/HICSS.2004.1265415 Teo, T., Devadoss, P., & Pan, S. (2006). Towards a holistic perspective of customer relationship management (CRM) implementation: A case study of the Housing and Development Board, Singapore. Decision Support Systems, 42(3), 1613-1627. doi: 10.1016/j.dss.2006.01.007