Understanding Your Customers
SET OBJECTIVES
Set clear measurable objectives for what you want to achieve. Do you want to attract and retain customers through better customer service, collect more customer data to improve product development and sales forecasting, or integrate customer data from different sources?
RESEARCH THE MARKET
Focus on the type of CRM system you need:
- generic
- industry-specific
- special customisation
- collaborative characteristics
- standalone
- networked
- web-hosted
- real-time access to sales staff in the field.
COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS
Try to quantify the anticipated benefits of improving CRM. How will it affect revenues, profitability and the cost of servicing customers?
- Establish the costs of your CRM option:
- What is the cost per user or per licence?
- How many licences do you need?
- If buying, allow for updates, add-ons and in-house support costs
- If renting from an ASP, include set-up and subscription fees
- Will you need broadband to transfer large files?
- Balance these costs against the benefits, such as increased sales and productivity, and reduced costs.
Published by the Department of Trade and Industry. www.dti.gov.uk
© Crown Copyright. URN 04/1724; 10/04
