What is CRM? - Intro

Welcome to this discussion on what CRM can do for a business.

We start with the basic question, 'What is CRM?'

There are any number of definitions out there, we tend to think of it as how to Identify, Acquire and Retain Profitable Customers. 

Whatever the definition, and it may depend on the type of business and/or the type of customers, it will almost certainly involve collecting and sharing information on the customers.

So it will involve a database but the next question is likely to be 'What else do we want it to do for us?'

The key areas normally associated with CRM are Marketing, Sales and Customer Care but we find that all parts of the business can and often, should be affected by CRM.

CRM is all about improving the customer experience and to this end everyone in the business needs to be putting the customer first. Let's face it, there won't be a business without them.

So we see CRM as much as a business culture as a set of systems and it only really works if it incorporates both.

So, in summary CRM can be thought of as a culture of putting the customer first, utilising systems and technology to aid the staff in managing this.

Next...
In this series we are going to look at many aspects of CRM and how they can impact the various parts of a business, the next part will look at Marketing.