Dow Corning Case Study : Dow Corning When Their CRM Went Mobile

As a home-based business, Knee Scooters of Houston has followed a fairly simple CRM System in the past. We’ve used a spreadsheet with pivot tables to determine how many “calls” we’ve received and if it resulted in a sell or rental, and any notes with customer information and comments. “Calls” include actual phone calls, website, and email inquiries. We also differentiate between “customer” and “client”. Our “clients” are primarily medical and physical therapy offices that refer, display, and distribute our marketing materials. While this has served us well in our early business development, we’ve recently started using Salesforce. Salesforce will allow us to keep customer contacts separate from client contacts, track our social media contacts, upload our customer forms to the cloud, offers another real-time conversation options with Chatter, and track marketing, sales, and rental information more thoroughly (Salesforce.com). Salesforce has many different options available for marketing and sales and we are eager to have the mobile connectivity with our clients and customers that Salesforce can provide.

From an organizational and profitability standpoint, an efficient, easy to use, and unified CRM system, captures all key and critical data from sales and marketing to commercial operations, all the while focusing on sales process, sales efficiencies, and increasing sales, all contributing to the bottom-line profitability of the organization. Data has proven that CRM platforms increase the productivity and profitability of individual departments and subsidiaries, these same platforms and characteristics will have the same ramifications on a larger scale organization, especially an organization that spans the global footprint, such as

This may help users accept the changes in processes, which help to reduce the resistance of process change among users. Seamless integration tools combat the major pitfall often associated with process of CRM. Therefore, good processes are key for functionality. Process in business defines how things are done and what rules must be followed in the business. Many implementation strategies of CRM often suffer because of technical issues, poor business process designs, and customization challenges. Business must ensure existing processes such as apps are compatible with updated CRM solutions. Therefore, it is important for businesses to clearly and accurately define their business process. Utilizing mapping may identify trouble areas within existing business processes. Strategy may affect CRM solutions through weak deployment practices. Business must ensue deployment options are functional. Also, examining and understanding the overall organization resources is necessary for successful implementation and monitoring of strategies. Businesses must have adequate staffing. Businesses must calculate the cost associated with implementations. Good management of budgets and expenses make for successful implementations. Businesses must also manage and consider

Chip Reeves, Director of marketing and sales addresses this issue by making systems easier to maneuver. Many companies and CIO's are struggling to determine exactly how to best mobilize critical applications that can bring measurable payback to the company but also limit the disruption to and administrative headaches in their user's lives. (O'brien, Marakas, 2011). Reeve's took into account, the customer's needs and the salespeople as well. Reeves was very focused on the CRM, or Customer Relationship management into account when suggesting products to streamline information for salespeople. Customer Relationship management involves four specific relationships which include: sales, service, quality, and support. Reeve's input a system that downsized the screens on the Blackberry applications to one page, which in turn led to more leads, an increase of about 50% and generated leads faster for salespeople.

Recent survey found that only 34 percent of customer service companies use latest technology for customer service management. On the other hand 66 percent of companies using notebooks, papers, and useless notes. In order to succeed, we must have proper tool to execute it. So, matt has to collect information about Datatronics CRM and he has to find out whether the staffs are using CRM properly.

Chen, I, J. and Popovich, K. (2003) Understanding customer relationship management (CRM). People, process and technology. Business process management journal, Vol. 9 No 5. Retrieved from http://cis.csuohio.edu/~ichen/CRM.pdf

In the past, individual sales employees have managed customer records, and no standard of data recording has been established. Operating in this manner doesn't allow for a cohesive sales team, which is going to be critical for the new team selling approach being implemented by Riordan. A standardization and consolidation of customer records needs to be implemented for the sales team to be more successful in the future. The CRM will consolidate the sales team into one unit rather than individuals servicing specific accounts. Customer relations will be proficient due to the ability of multiple sales personnel being able to acquire and update account information rather than a single person maintaining individual account records. Not to mention when a sales person is not available due to health, personal issues or vacation, another employee will be able to provide information and support. The CRM will then be connected to the Finance & Accounting System.

* The CRM systems helped the company in differentiating its service as well as optimizing some of the activities which lead to the reduction in operational costs. For eg. OnQ Reservation used data from the CRM, allows the agent to access callers’ personal dossier and update their preferences. This helped in reducing the call time as well as promoted the cross selling. Another example is having information prior to

Building on his years of sales experience, Chip Reeves, now the director of marketing and sales processes, wants to provide an outstanding customer experience, but realizes he needs the buy-in of his sales staff (O’Brien & Marakas, 2011). Typically, sales people are focused on increasing deals, not devoting time inputting information on a device or on the phone dealing with inventory issues. Consequently, in both the Dow and DIRECTV cases, working with sales and service personnel to comprehend needed information, is crucial in developing a mobile program.

An effective Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program can be used to identify, retain, satisfy and obtain customers by using technology to optimize strategies for understanding customers’ needs to manage business interactions with current, former, and prospective customers. Additionally, CRM also enables companies to maximize internal, external, marketing and customer service operations to better address the needs of the customer building a better relationship with customers that a more profitable. (Ahmad & Buttle, 2001)

Ling and Yen, 2001 assume CRM to be a vital element of a business strategy while Wayland and Cole, 1997 find it as the means to develop long term relationships with customers, given all the facts. Various experts and scholars could have various perspectives but their basic aim is to generate a remarkable customer experience. To make the most of the system lies in the hands of the organization and not the system itself. An evaluation between two stores with similar quality services and products, shows that the one with an intense customer understanding and knowledge will have its customers coming back to its store for more (Linoff and Berry 2011). They also reason that campaign management, lead tracking and call centre softwares are the components of the same CRM system. Its a radical change for most of the companies to develop a system that revolves around customer relations. The crucial points that need to be emphasized are

The CRM system contains positive attributes, but the implementation is risky. Despite the risks that are involved, establishing a strong team that can help the system work effectively and efficiently will improve the company’s key performance factors. Communication amongst the administration that

Today, customer relationship management is very important to the business world. Most of the companies established a department and the programs to manage their relationship with the customers. Customer relationship management (CRM) is a business strategy which designed to help a company to understand and look forward to the needs of its potential and current customers (Anderson & Stang, 2000). Customer data is being collected in several different areas of the company, stored in a central database, analyzed, and distributed to key points (Anderson & Stang, 2000).The business world once was “product-centric”, the companies just provided what they could produce. However, it is now become “customer-centric”, they provide products and service

In order to establish a suitable CRM system and increase the success rate, understanding CRM processes is especially important. Building CRM system, there are many works need to do(). Firstly, the target customer market should be identified. Different customer strategies are focused on different target customer markets based on their profitability. Then, firms set customer objectives, for example, acquire customer satisfaction and loyalty. After that, the leaders and managers should support and commit the implementation of a CRM system. At the same time, when companies change their targets, a plan about changing

Customer relationship management (CRM) is widely implemented and centralized system which offers a place for interaction under a company. An employee can handle again the repeated problem which occurred in the past by re-investigate it. Besides, CRM provides a place to identify what customers wants. Employees can track customer’s expectation by their feedback and communication that can improve their buying experience and stay interact with customer in order to understand their true needs.CRM also has ability to let the company see the customer interaction in clear picture. Different customers from different segments require different products and services, but this complex situation can handle well by CRM. Furthermore, CRM provides quality and efficiency system in the company management that helps company achieves their success by building long-term customer relationship.