> Customer relationship management. Implementation of CRM systems
An advanced enterprise management system - for example, CRM - must meet several requirements at once.
The best CRM for business is the one that suits your company. We have compiled a concise and understandable checklist that allows you to quickly understand how the program meets the requirements of the enterprise.
A good project management system for an organization implies: efficiency, the use of less staff effort to perform the same range of tasks, as well as reducing the time to complete work while maintaining the desired result.
Effective project management of a company today is unthinkable without modern information technologies.
Professional personnel management requires a systematic approach and consistent actions.
In the age of information technology development, it is almost impossible to imagine the work of a company without any automation system. The most commonly used tool for improving customer focus is the CRM system.
Today, CRM is a popular way to automate the work of a company of any size. Like any technology, CRM has its pros and cons, which are important to consider when choosing a program.
Simple CRM, when used correctly, can bring great benefits to both a start-up organization and a large holding.
Can CRM Really Sell? This question is asked by every company choosing an automation system. Of course, CRM will not be able to sell, because sales are not made by the system, but by people working in the sales department.
Increasing the efficiency of the company, speeding up business processes, simplifying work and reducing its time are not all the possibilities of the CRM system.
Today, developers offer a variety of CRM systems for small businesses, which differ in functionality, cost, and operating features.
Using CRM to maintain a customer base is the choice of many companies, but not all of them fully use the system's capabilities to improve the service.
What requirements should a functional CRM meet? How to choose the system that will simplify and speed up the work, help to attract customers and reduce the costs of the organization?
Today, companies are faced with a large selection of CRM, but not all systems are able to provide reliability, efficiency and efficiency. How to choose a CRM that will not only automate the work of the organization, but also help to attract more customers and save money?
Means of automating the process of sales, customer service, e-commerce. What is important when choosing a CRM system. How to evaluate a CRM system and its reliability?
Cost-free strategies for implementing CRM systems. Establishing relationships with clients. Reducing costs and obtaining additional profit from implementation. CRM
Industrial revolution at the beginning of the 20th century. gave humanity a stream of goods and services available to the general population, primarily through standardization. A unit of production in mass production is much cheaper than in piece production, and it is easier to include in its cost the costs of research and new developments, advertising and promotion. The main innovations took place precisely in the field of production, and new technological solutions allowed to reduce the cost, increase the functionality of products, due to which the market was conquered.
At the end of the XX century. the situation began to change rapidly - the "ceiling" of increasing production efficiency began to be seen: multimillion-dollar investments in improving process and organizational management brought units and fractions of percent in terms of increasing efficiency.
The role of sales and marketing in the conditions of industrial production is clearly defined: ensuring sustainable demand for existing products or services of the enterprise. The more customers are willing to purchase the product or service produced, the lower the cost of production, the higher the competitiveness of the company as a whole.
Traditional marketing theory assumed a broad mass of average customers. "Becoming more competitive" meant reducing costs, optimizing production processes, reducing inventory, and improving product quality. Just-in-time production models, enterprise resource management systems and business process reengineering have become the highest manifestation of the development strategy.
AT modern conditions difficult to survive, having a difference from competitors only more effective organization production (especially if your production is not located in Southeast Asia).
Companies began to realize that production optimization alone does not solve the problem of survival. This is especially noticeable in the service sector (telecommunications, finance, etc.), where companies depend not so much on the quality of the products or services themselves (most of them are able to maintain quality at the very high level), how much from the perfection of the mechanisms of interaction between the company and its customers.
In those areas where the increase in competition goes hand in hand with the rapid renewal of technologies and products, an external investment factor is also included (companies no longer have enough own funds to bring new goods and services to the mass market). Attracting foreign investment is usually accompanied by a requirement to return it as soon as possible, which directly determines the necessary rate of income growth and, consequently, client base. The emphasis in the corporate strategy began to shift towards increasing the efficiency of working with clients: adapting to the most convenient ways for the client to communicate, which leads to the diversification of channels of work with the consumer. The consumer has become the focus of all efforts of manufacturers, and their satisfaction with the relationship with the supplier is a key factor in the company's success.
Some figures and facts confirm this:
- the cost of attracting a new customer is on average five times higher than retaining an existing one;
- most Fortune 500 companies lose 50% of their customers every five years;
- a satisfied customer will tell five of his friends about a successful purchase, an unsatisfied customer - at least 10;
- most of the clients pay off only after a year of working with them (if the client "leaves" before this period, then he incurs losses);
- a 5% increase in customer retention increases the company's profit by 50-100%;
- about 50% of the company's existing customers are not profitable due to inefficient interaction with them;
- on average, a company contacts an existing customer four times a year and six times a year a potential one.
To make it clear how CRM works in a particular company, I will give an example. Kirill runs a window installation company. Previously, there were few customers, and everything was simple: everyone needs to take an order, go for measurements, agree on a cost, receive payment, and install windows. But then there were not 3, but 33 clients. And it began... They forgot to call back one client, they didn’t go to another for measurements, the third didn’t send a cost estimate, and the fourth received payment a month ago, and the windows were still not installed. Buyers began to leave for competitors, and the cost of new employees ceased to pay off. Kirill did not have time to control every step of the employees and realized that it was time to change something.
- When a buyer leaves a request on the site, a transaction card appears in CRM, where the sales funnel stage: "First call". CRM sets the task for the manager: "Call the client back within 15 minutes." If the task is overdue, CRM will notify the manager.
- The manager calls the client directly from CRM, records the results of the negotiations in the transaction card and transfers it to stage "Measurements". CPM automatically creates a task for the measurer: "Leave for measurements on the transaction [date, time]".
- After the departure, the measurement specialist attaches a document with dimensions and technical specifications to the transaction card, transfers the transaction to stage "Agreement".
- The responsible manager receives the task: "Calculate the cost and call the client within 2 hours." He fixes the calculations in CRM and calls.
- The deal goes to stage "Payment", CRM automatically generates a document according to a template, where it inserts the name, address, service name, amount, payment details. The manager needs to send the document to the client, receive payment and transfer the transaction to the last stage - "Installation".
- The installer immediately receives an automatic notification that he must install the transaction windows before a certain deadline.
- The leader is monitoring online reports: how many deals are closed, how many calls each manager made, what is the amount and number of deals, what is the conversion of applications, from what sources the most clients come, etc.
So what does CRM do?
The program helped Kirill systematize data about clients and transactions, employees stopped forgetting about business and missing deadlines. The conversion of applications into sales has increased, customers have become more loyal, and profits have grown. Now Kirill does not have to be in the office for everyone to work as they should and he can devote more time to the company's strategy.
What problems does the SRM solve?
Managers forget to process applications?
CRM captures applications from the site, appoints responsible managers, sets tasks for them at each stage of the sale. If the task is overdue, the manager will instantly know about it. You will never lose a single client again.
Relatively recently, in the economic sector, it was common manual labor. Over time, he was replaced mass production, in which the share of human participation has significantly decreased. Along with this, the shortage was eliminated, many products became available. As society develops, the needs of its members change. Today, in particular, buyers tend to buy things that are different from others. At the same time, many are willing to overpay for a unique product. Modern business cannot be imagined without customers. In fact, they act as the second key component of the success of the enterprise after the uniqueness of the offer. In this regard, the customer relationship management system is of particular importance. Let's consider it in more detail.
Relevance of the issue
To establish with consumers, the company needs to develop two main areas. First of all, you should organize your production so that it can be reoriented depending on the buyer of the product. Secondly, it is necessary to develop a system for exchanging information with the consumer and partners. During the period of competition, the quality of products is approximately the same for all manufacturers. In such circumstances, the rate of profit of the enterprise decreases. As the only way to stay on the market is the development of an individual offer for each consumer.
Modern solution
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is now widely used. The consumer is perceived in a broad sense. They are not only the direct end user of the product. The abbreviation for customer relationship management system in English sounds like This model is aimed at building sustainable business relationships with the consumer. It acts as a business strategy for enterprises. The core of it is to meet the individual needs of the consumer.
Features of occurrence
The concept of a customer relationship management system (CRM-system) was introduced by specialists in the field of marketing. This model began to act as a technology focused on the consumer. Working with customer relationship management systems is aimed at increasing the profitability of the buyer, his profitability, increasing the period of his loyalty, and so on. It is based on advanced information technologies, with the help of which the enterprise collects data about its consumers. The company extracts the necessary information and applies it to the interests of the business by building mutually beneficial cooperation.
Specificity
At the technology level, the customer relationship management system is a set of programs that are used to carry out such important operations as:
- Sale of services and goods.
- Maintenance, warranty and service including.
- Marketing.
In addition, the customer relationship management system allows you to explore the conclusions obtained, the management and managers of the enterprise apply when planning further activities.
Analysis of customer relationship management systems
How does this model work? Generally speaking, a customer relationship management system is a special program that tracks the history of interaction between an enterprise and consumers. The input data is all information about the buyer and his actions (gender, age, purpose of purchase, method of payment, income) and the purchased product. All this information is obtained from various sources. It can be emails, questionnaires, personal conversations. The output is data on how to adjust the company's activities to improve interaction with the subject. This information can be general and needs to be taken into account when developing or changing the concept, or it can be sent to a specific employee.
Model tasks
Currently, a significant improvement in models is stated, but the evolution of customer relationship management systems has not yet ended. Meanwhile, there are several tasks that can be solved by any program:
- Collection of information. Information can be added automatically or specified manually by the employee.
- Storage and processing of data. The received information is systematized and distributed among certain groups.
- Sharing information with employees. The processed information should be in an understandable form. It is necessary for employees to analyze and develop appropriate concepts. For convenience, information is provided in graphs and tables. In some cases, the program itself issues some recommendations.
Practical use
An integrated system helps to ensure the coordination of the activities of different departments of the enterprise. The program provides all employees with a common platform to interact with consumers. The main purpose of the system in this case is to ensure the coordinated work of the departments of service, marketing, sales. Often they operate in isolation from each other. At the same time, their ideas about customers, as a rule, do not coincide. If we consider the importance of systems from the point of view of enterprise management, then the effect of their implementation is manifested in the transfer of the decision-making process to lower levels through automation. Accordingly, this helps to increase the speed of response to requests, accelerate the turnover of funds and reduce costs. The application of systems in practice increases the competitiveness of the company, increases profits.
Main users
CRM systems are especially relevant for small companies operating in highly competitive markets. In such situations, the priority is given to superiority, and a high level of management. The competition is won by those companies that fully master CRM systems. The program is in demand for economic entities with a network of small customers. By examining the preferences of buyers, it is possible to predict the demand for a particular product in a particular price segment. Accordingly, it is possible to plan the efficiency of bringing the product to the market. Management systems for service companies are in demand. Managers of such enterprises can control the wear and tear of the customer's equipment and the need for preventive maintenance and repair, frequent breakdowns and defects. Based on customer preferences service companies offer updated technology.
Conclusion
By using a customer relationship management system, an enterprise can gain significant value compared to other companies in its market segment. The program allows you to develop a specific offer for a specific buyer. At the same time, data on its needs are summarized in an automated mode. Management systems can be applied by any enterprise, regardless of the scope of its activities.
Mikhail Ramzaev
Introduction. Concepts of internal and external marketing - ERP and CRM
As you know, in marketing theory it is customary to consider four basic concepts of the company's market orientation. The first two of them - production-oriented and product-oriented concepts - somehow state that a company will be successful if its product has the highest quality and the lowest value. Those. these concepts aim to improve production process. Two other concepts - sales orientation and marketing concept - boil down to the fact that the company must pursue an aggressive sales policy, constantly study the needs and requirements of target markets and satisfy them at a higher level than competitors. In accordance with this, such an approach of the company's work with clients as customization has recently appeared. The firm not only studies the needs of its target market, but tries to determine the needs of each client, his individual preferences and offers him a unique product. This approach is most common in the service industry, although it can be found in other areas of business.
It is safe to say that in today's world, a firm's focus on one of the four concepts will not lead to success, although in the past a company could become a market leader using only production-oriented theory. Now, ideally, a company in its activities should take into account all the marketing concepts listed above. Modern technologies allow not only to significantly reduce the costs of maintaining this strategy, but also to increase the efficiency of applying each marketing concept in the company's activities.
Recently, so-called ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning) systems have been used to optimize and automate the internal activities of the company, aimed at improving processes such as planning, manufacturing, accounting and control. When developing and implementing ERP systems in a company, the client is regarded as an "element of the outside world" and does not have a decisive influence. In other words, ERP systems are aimed at achieving competitive advantages by optimizing internal business processes.
In this respect, the opposite are CRM (Customer Relationships Management) systems, the focus of which is the company's client. CRM-systems allow you to "integrate" the client into the scope of the organization - the company receives the maximum possible information about its customers and their needs and, based on this data, builds its organizational strategy, which concerns all aspects of its activities: production, advertising, sales, design, maintenance, etc. This review is devoted to these systems.
Currently, the global market for ERP systems has stabilized in one way or another, while the market for CRM systems is still developing. According to some data, in 1999 the market for CRM-systems was about 3 billion dollars, and in 2002 and 2003 it will approach 12 billion and 17 billion dollars, respectively. Already, many companies that have implemented these systems are getting great returns from them. An organization can achieve additional efficiency from their integration. Sometimes the developers themselves offer ERP systems with elements of CRM systems.
CRM - customer relationship management
Consider the causes of CRM-systems. There are many problems, the possibility of solving which is provided by the introduction of these systems.
Perfect competition. Modern technologies have led to the fact that the buyer gets access to any part of the market at low transaction costs, the asymmetry of information has become almost zero, etc. Therefore, the main task for the company is to retain existing customers.
Multichannel relationship. Contact between the client and the company can be carried out in different ways - telephone, fax, website, mail, personal visit. And the client expects that all the information received through these channels in the next relationship will be considered by the company in its entirety.
Change in the market orientation of companies. The transition of most companies from product- and production-oriented concepts to marketing concepts. Many companies have already reached the limits of quality and cost minimization (including from the use of ERP systems), and customers pay more attention to the moments that accompany the purchase and service.
In addition, it should be taken into account that the development of information and communication technologies played an important role in the formation of CRM systems, without which the applications underlying CRM systems and the links between these applications could not exist.
What is a CRM system and its functions
CRM applications allow a company to track the history of customer relationships, coordinate multilateral relationships with regular customers, and centrally manage sales and customer-oriented marketing, including via the Internet. CRM-systems are based on well-known applications for a long time, which partially allowed to improve relationships with customers. These are systems such as SFA (Sales Force Automation - a system for automating the work of sales agents), SMS (Sales & Marketing System - a sales and marketing information system), CSS (Customer Support System - a customer service system). CRM systems contain the capabilities of these applications, but also offer new features. The introduction of a CRM system affects the work of almost all departments of the company, and not just the sales department. It is through this system that Feedback the client of the company with the entire organization as a whole.
Let's try to define what a CRM system is and what functions it has. CRM is a system (a set of interrelated components), the input elements of which, first of all, are all data related to the company's client, and the output elements are information that affects the behavior of the company as a whole or the behavior of its individual elements (up to a specific employee companies). Simply put, a CRM system is a set of applications that allow, firstly, to collect information about a client, secondly, to store and process it, and thirdly, to draw certain conclusions based on this information, export it to other applications, or simply if necessary, provide this information in a convenient form. In fact, these moments are key features CRM systems.
Collection of information. The system allows an employee of an organization to enter information about a client into the database in a convenient way, or the client himself can enter this information (for example, when registering or purchasing goods in an online store). All available information about the client is entered into the CRM system. Naturally, information that relates to the interaction between the client and the company is also taken into account (the purpose of the interaction is the purchase, obtaining information; when buying, the description of the purchased product, price, quantity, purpose of the purchase, type of payment, etc.). In addition, the client's personal information (age, marital status, annual income, property, etc.) is entered into the system. All this data is updated every time the company interacts with the client, i.e. in any contact between the two parties, whether it be a personal visit to the company by the client, communication by phone, mail, fax or via the Internet.
Storage and processing. The system allows you to save and rank the received information in accordance with the specified criteria. Moreover, all information is stored in a standard form for the corporation (usually Microsoft SQL Server technology is used). In addition, the CRM system, in accordance with the specified parameters, can analyze the information received for the purpose of its subsequent export.
Export of information. The provision of information by the CRM system is its main function. The information stored in the system may be requested by various departments and in different form. For example, a CRM system based on extrapolation of historical data can determine which product is preferable to offer a particular customer. If the client is a regular customer, the system will remind you that he is entitled to a discount. Finally, a company employee may simply need information about the client's historical contacts with the company, and the system will provide this information in a visual form. Naturally, it is possible to display information both for an individual client and for a target group (if a sales employee is interested in information on a specific client, then for a marketing department, aggregated information on a specific group is more likely to be important).
Speaking about the use of data that a CRM system can generate, it should be noted that not only company employees can use this information, but also the client himself. Moreover, modern technologies allow this to be done without any help from the employees of the organization. As already mentioned, the CRM system operates with historical data related to the relationship between the client and the company, but this does not exhaust all its capabilities. Sometimes a CRM system allows a client who contacts a company for the first time to select the product he needs in real time. The client enters data about the product that, in his opinion, the company can offer, and the system, having processed this data, gives him a list of products that match the entered parameters. To do this, the system must contain information on all the products offered by the company. This data can be automatically imported from the part of the ERP system that is responsible for accounting for manufactured products.
Classification of CRM systems
CRM-systems are flexible and versatile, enable companies to solve various problems. Depending on the goals that the company sets for itself by implementing the CRM system, the incoming parameters and the way of processing and analyzing this data will change. In accordance with the purpose of use, three types of standard CRM systems can be distinguished ("Put each client first in line", Vladimir Demin, "The World of Electronic Commerce", # 09/2000).
operational use. The system is used by a company employee for prompt access to information on a specific client in the course of a direct relationship with the client - sales and service processes. In this case, the main component of the system is an application that visually provides the employee with the accumulated information on a particular client. First of all, the system requires good integration between all subsystems and the ability to replenish the database during any interaction with the client. This type of CRM-systems is the most common in traditional business.
Analytical use. The system is used to analyze various data related to both the client/clients themselves and the company's activities. A search for statistical patterns in this data is carried out to develop the most effective strategy for marketing, sales, customer service, etc. Good integration of subsystems, a large amount of accumulated statistical data, effective analytical tools, and integration with other systems that automate the activities of the enterprise are required. The data generated by such systems can be requested by the marketing department, presented to the client without the mediation of the company's employees. This type of CRM-systems is more often used in e-commerce than in traditional business.
collaborative use. CRM systems give customers the opportunity to have a much greater influence on the activities of the company as a whole, including the processes of design development, production, delivery and service of the product. This requires technologies that allow, at minimal cost, to connect the client to cooperation within the framework of the company's internal processes. The client often uses the Internet to access such systems, and they are most common in the field of e-commerce.
Technologies of CRM-systems
The main part of modern CRM systems is based on the "Client-Server" principle, that is, all data of the CRM system is stored and processed in one centralized Database, and clients have access to them through remote terminals. Clients of such CRM-systems can be both external and internal users in relation to the company. The interaction between the Client and the Server can be based on Intranet/Internet. In the latter case, to access the system via the Internet, the client uses a standard web browser (JAVA language is used to support the capabilities of OLAP technology). The "Server" part usually consists of two applications - a DBMS for storing and processing data and an OLAP server system for analyzing this data online. Most often, companies use products from well-known manufacturers as DBMS, such as Oracle, Interbase, Microsoft SQL Server. The individual decision of each developer of CRM systems is usually the construction of OLAP applications.
To date, the most powerful software database management server for Windows is Microsoft SQL Server 7.0. It is the first software server with an integrated OLAP server that supports auto-configuration. Most CRM systems are built on Microsoft SQL Server 7.0. The main advantages of this product when working with data are symmetric multiprocessing, built-in replication mechanisms, tight integration with the Internet and e-mail, etc. SQL Server maintains auto-statistics, contains a Web Assistant module that helps publish data (in text and image formats) online. The SQL Trace utility allows you to capture the activity of clients in a graphical form. The great advantage of Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 is its close integration with the products of the Microsoft BackOffice family, which makes this DBMS an ideal tool for building and administering corporate databases. In addition, SQL Server provides communication with external sources storage of large amounts of data (for example, with mainframes using Microsoft SNA Server).
When developing CRM systems, a competitor to Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 can be the Oracle8i database from Oracle. The Oracle8i system is based on the Oracle8 DBMS and is designed for computing and data processing on the Internet. The undoubted advantage of this DBMS is that it can run under almost any modern operating system (and not just under Windows, like Microsoft SQL Server). Oracle8i supports multimedia data and online transaction processing (OLTP). It is the only system that has integrated Web information management tools that allow users to work with data with a high degree of security and reliability. The concept of Oracle8i is the use of the Java language at all levels of data processing, including the Java VM on the Oracle8i server.
It is worth noting that the implementation of the server part of CRM systems in some cases can be built according to the ASP (application service provider) principle: the user company rents all the CRM system software that is located on the provider's server. All clients (including the administrator) of these systems have access to the application via the Internet. AT general case An ASP provides access to a business application under one or another scheme on the basis of a monthly fee charged by the company that purchases this application. It is the responsibility of the ASP service provider to provide the customer with the software, hardware, and network infrastructure needed to run the applications. ASP also provides results processing, system integration and training.
CRM systems for e-commerce - eCRM
Before talking in more detail about CRM systems used in e-commerce, it is necessary to define the terminology. All modern CRM systems, regardless of what area of business they are involved in, one way or another use Internet technologies. Modern CRM allows a company employee to receive the necessary information about a client via the Internet and analyze it in real time using OLAP technologies. In this regard, very often developers of CRM systems add the letter "e" to the name of their products, but these "e"-CRM systems have nothing to do with electronic business.
Here we will talk about eCRM systems as CRM systems that are used by companies operating in the field of Internet commerce. In addition to the fact that these systems have all the functions of conventional CRM systems (identifying the most profitable buyers, presenting customer information in a visual form, etc.), they are fully integrated with the company's website - all information from the site enters the eCRM system. The system itself can determine the construction of the site and effectively serve each client in the process of online shopping or providing an Internet service. eCRM-systems record and analyze all contacts between the buyer and the seller, carried out through the company's Web site or by e-mail. In addition, these systems can be directed to the development and analysis of Internet marketing. In addition, an eCRM system can be integrated as a separate module into the main CRM system if the company, in addition to its core business, conducts its business on the Internet.
The most popular type of CRM systems in e-commerce are eCRM systems for online stores (there are a huge number of eCRM system developers in this market). The use of eCRM-systems in firms trading via the Internet occurs throughout the interaction between the client and the company - starting with the search potential clients and ending with the delivery of goods. Finally, eCRM systems can be used by companies providing services on the Internet, in particular, financial Internet services - banking, trading, insurance.
eCRM systems and online stores
The main part of the online store for the client is the Web site of the store. With its help, the client receives information about the goods and carries out their order. In search of the necessary goods, the client navigates the site - uses a search engine and hyperlinks. At the time of ordering, the client enters information about the method and place of delivery, selects the type of payment. All this data should be tracked by the eCRM system for further analysis. Often, the visitor is invited to register on the store's website. In this case, the client enters not only information related to future purchases (place of delivery, type of payment, name of the recipient), but also indirect data - marital status, income, type of product of interest. All this is also taken into account by the eCRM system.
Consider the stages of interaction between the client and the company and the possible uses of eCRM systems at these stages.
How effective are web pages in terms of attracting the attention of visitors.
What kind keywords most effective for certain search engines.
When maintaining relationships with regular customers, email is usually used. For this, data generated by the eCRM system based on past relationships between the company and the client are involved. The client needs to send only the information that he may be interested in. For example, a store can notify a customer of a new product that the customer has placed an order for (or that is likely to be of interest to him - a new audio album by a favorite artist or a book by a favorite author). On the eve of the holidays, you can offer the client to buy gifts for employees (if he works for the company) or for his family, and immediately present a list of possible gifts.
web showcase- providing goods to the client for viewing. The main function of the eCRM-system is the correct location of goods and providing easy navigation through the Web site. Internet technologies allow you to identify a client (his computer) who has entered the store's website, and, accordingly, customize the presentation of goods in the storefront, the site's interface, etc. On the main page of the site, you can greet the client by name, automatically determine the buyer's region and available goods, notify the client about the most interesting news for him in the store.
In this case, an eCRM system is an analytical application that allows you to predict and guide the reaction of website visitors. The system should provide for the existence of versatile evaluation criteria and procedures for analyzing the technical effectiveness of websites. Enable evaluation of website activity by time period, companies, URL links, types of products and services of greatest interest, and many other criteria. By analyzing browsing patterns, average number of visits, trends in response time, percentage change in average number of pages served from the server, and much more, the system allows you to achieve optimal performance of web pages and a positive reaction of visitors.
Goods order- the process of placing an order for the product selected by the client. The buyer confirms the choice of goods, determines the method, place, delivery time, payment method, etc. The function of the eCRM system is to simplify this procedure. The system should "remember" all past customer orders and minimize the information that the customer must enter.
Delivery of goods to the client- the final moment of the purchase. The eCRM system should provide the client with information about the formation of his order. You can notify the buyer by e-mail, and the employee of the company will only need to enter a few variables into the system application.
Service-center- after the purchase and delivery of the goods, the client can always contact the seller for any help through the organization's Web site or by e-mail. The eCRM system will help the employee of the company to process the message - for example, it will determine all customer-company relationships, all purchases, serial numbers, etc. by the client's email address. In the event of a necessary warranty repair / replacement, the system will determine the nearest warranty service point and send a service request there. In addition, the system can help create a message to the client about the actions taken.
Thus, the eCRM system must be tightly integrated with the store's website. Often, companies that offer ready-made solutions for online stores in the form of websites integrate modules into these solutions that may have functions inherent in eCRM systems.
eCRM systems and Internet financial services
Speaking of financial services, you need to keep in mind that at the present stage of competition, the presence of a well-functioning CRM system is a necessity for a company - without the use of a CRM system, an organization cannot effectively serve its customers. Moreover, modern systems used by financial companies to provide services via the Internet are already initially integrated with eCRM systems. Therefore, in this case, it would be more correct to speak of eCRM as a subsystem or module responsible for "effective work with the client" within the overall system used to provide Internet services. With this approach, when the Internet service system initially has a CRM module, it is difficult to determine the separation of functions of this particular module and the rest of the Internet service system. The following are the features that CRM system developers themselves highlight for financial institutions, however, some of them may seem controversial, and they could be attributed to the functions of the Internet service system itself.
The eCRM-System should facilitate the organization of a simple and intuitive self-service function for the client. The client must provide a minimum of information and spend the minimum time to provide the service.
The system should provide the ability to select the right product for the client, based on historical and newly entered information, in real time.
Possibility of cross-sels/up-sells. When providing Internet services, the system must offer the client an additional product or service in real time.
The system should allow identifying the most attractive clients for future work with them; visualize for the employee financial company history of each client (including credit).
The system should allow the identification of potential customer needs that can be met by the company. Like a traditional CRM system, eCRM should, based on data on the client's marital status, income, and permanent preferences, help to analyze what financial product this client needs at a certain moment.
The goals of using eCRM systems are ultimately the same, regardless of the type of Internet service provided, whether it is Internet trading, Internet banking or Internet insurance. Consider some features of the use of eCRM-systems, depending on the type of Internet service.
AT banking service the essence of the service (crediting, depositing, money transfers, etc.) does not change depending on the communication channels through which the relationship between the client and the company is carried out. The only feature of using the eCRM system in Internet banking is the customization of the interface of the client part of the "Client-Bank" system. The eCRM system should facilitate the fastest and easiest client authentication in the banking system, identify the operations that this client most often performs (again in order to build a customized interface), that is, create the basis for the bank to offer customized services. The subsystem of banking eCRM systems can also include an organization additional services clients, for example, the ability for the client to choose the type of borrowing / depositing (depending on many parameters) directly on the site using a financial calculator made in the form of a java applet.
eCRM systems for internet insurance somewhat similar to eCRM systems for online stores, but in this case, the product purchased via the Internet is an insurance policy. In addition to the fact that the system collects and processes all information about the client received from the pages of the Web site, as well as from the insurance contract, policy, e-mail correspondence, etc., the eCRM system must perform the following functions.
Selection of an individual insurance program for each new or regular customer based on filling out web forms. The most striking example is the American insurance portals, which, based on 10 web questionnaires (about a hundred questions), select a client in real time insurance company and its insurance program.
Customer service - providing the policyholder with the opportunity to view the status of insurance payment, its terms, conditions, inform about insured event etc.
When choosing an insurance program for a regular customer, the eCRM system must remember all previous insurances in order to facilitate the online purchase process. Insurance programs are often short- and medium-term - from 1 month to a year, so the policyholder quite often has to renew the terms of insurance for a new period.
As part of the Internet trading service 1 , the CRM system can be used as follows.
Customizing the presentation of information. When a trader enters the website of an Internet broker, he is offered the information that he usually views when entering the trading system: news on market segments, quotes of certain stocks/indices, analytical reviews, etc.
Providing targeted programs based on an analysis of potential needs. Using the information that the CRM system collects, company employees can offer the client exactly those services or products that are most likely to interest the client. For example, if an investor typically enters risky positions, the broker may send information to the investor with an offer to purchase junk bonds. If the client is less risk averse, the broker may offer a more diversified investment portfolio.
A rather interesting application of a CRM system can be the development of real-time hedging programs for a client. The system, processing data on the size of transactions and their nature, can automatically offer several options for risk diversification. For example, when accumulating a large risky position, the system offers the investor the purchase of a certain number of put options. Moreover, to purchase these options, the client only needs to select several parameters and make one "click" with the mouse.
CRM system developers
Currently, there are no developers of full-fledged CRM systems in Russia. The only Russian company whose information product Sales Expert is positioned as a CRM system is Pro-Invest Information Technologies. All other CRM systems presented on Russian market, are solutions by Western companies, optimized by developers or their Russian partners to match Russian standards. It should be noted that CRM systems require much less refinement than ERP applications, in which it is necessary to take into account the legislation on accounting, financial and economic accounting. CRM systems are relatively easy to localize in any country - the main part of the optimization is translation.
Often, many companies that develop CRM systems are also developers of ERP systems, and these systems are presented in a single module. First of all, this applies to the old market participants of these systems, which have recently been offering eCRM systems for e-business based on traditional CRM systems. However, full-fledged eCRM solutions that take into account all aspects of Internet technologies are provided by relatively young companies that develop these systems from scratch. Their main clients are DOT.COM organizations. Examples of such developers include broadVision and NetPerceptions.
The table shows the developers of CRM systems and short description their latest advances in CRM solutions. Each product has its own strengths and weaknesses and has the best functionality, as a rule, in one of the areas, moreover, other areas are somewhat "lagging behind". Often this is due to how the creation of the product began (with sales automation, service or marketing). There is no one-size-fits-all product, so you need to determine what is most relevant to your company and select the appropriate product.
I would like to note that many major developers do not have a single CRM product that is constantly being upgraded and improved. A company can simultaneously support several CRM solutions at once, and one of them can be created quite a long time ago, but still be present on the market and be in demand, and the other, relatively new and taking into account all modern technologies, can only conquer the market 2 .
| Company | Strengths | Brief description of the CRM system |
|---|---|---|
| Siebel
Epicor eFrontOffice integrates tightly with ePortals and the eBackOffice back office application. Microsoft technologies are also used for this - Microsoft Transaction Server and Microsoft Message Queue Server. The eFrontOffice system is based on three related applications. Epicor eSales- allows the company to measure, analyze and predict the commercial results of sales. The subsystem illustrates the stage at which the implementation of each order is, stores the entire detailed history of the relationship between the company and the client, and allows you to identify the most profitable clients. This application is a traditional online CRM system. Epicor eSupport- allows you to quickly and efficiently respond to any customer requests. When integrated with eSales and ePortals, it allows the client to independently track the execution of an order via the Internet. The application stores and visually presents contact information for each client to the employee and integrates with Microsoft Outlook for a quick response by e-mail. In addition, it makes it easy to create a FAQ section on the site. The family of applications "e by Epicor" is the latest development of the Epicor company and is not yet presented on the Russian market. The only CRM module that is used Russian companies, is a Clientele. This module has limited CRM features and is mainly focused on improving the work of sales departments. The Clientele system is represented on the Russian market by EpicRus (former Platinum Software). The company has existed since the end of 1993 and is the exclusive distributor of Epicor products throughout the post-Soviet space. EpicRus is engaged in adapting Epicor products to Russian standards and business practices, customizing systems for the needs of the enterprise, implementing, training and technical support users. The English company Tranzline was founded in 1987 and is currently one of the leaders in its market in Europe. The main product of the company is the CRM-system CRMSoft. This system is intended primarily for large traditional business companies, although it contains a module to support e-commerce. Tranzline's clients include organizations such as Gaz de France, Mercedes Benz, Warner Lambert and others. CRMSoft is a 32-bit object-oriented program developed in Microsoft Visual C++ and CTD (Centura Team Developer). Access to the CRMSoft system is based on the traditional "Client-Server" principle and can be accessed via LAN and Internet/Intranet. The core of CRMSoft is a database that can be built using Microsoft SQL Server v6.5 & 7.0, Oracle v7.3.x, 8. & 8i, Oracle Lite 4.0.2, Personal Oracle 7 & 8, Sybase 11.5, Informix 7.2, SQLBase 6.x & 7.5. Minimum requirements for the Server computer: Windows NT4.0 (Service Pack 5); Novell NetWare 3.1.2 & 4; 256 Mb RAM; Pentium III 733 MHz computer. The CRMSoft system is intended for use exclusively by the company's personnel and is conditionally divided into four subsystems - marketing, sales, service, and electronic business. The convention is that the Client can use all the information accumulated in the database, regardless of which subsystem he uses. The system administrator can set up an individual subsystem for each user, which will allow analyzing the information that this particular Client needs. The Client himself, with the help of the Development Toolkit system application (type - wizard), can determine how to structure the information received, which tables and forms to display. The main functions of CRMSoft subsystems: Marketing - the application is designed to develop a marketing strategy for each target group. Allows you to automatically differentiate customers into certain groups, select a marketing policy and compare marketing costs and results. The application also allows telemarketing. Sales - the hierarchy of the entire distribution network of the company is visually represented. The application works with customer data such as delivery method and place, payment method, and discounts. Access possible sales agent to the application using minicomputers such as Palm Pilot and Psion Organizer. Customer service - presentation of all information about the customer's contacts with any department of the company and the purpose of the contact. Displays serial number and warranty service information for each item sold, and monitors the status of each order. eBusiness - the module is designed for online stores. It integrates with a website and allows you to automatically record all visitor actions in the database and analyze them in the same way as the subsystems described above. S1 Corporation was founded in 1996 and is currently one of the largest companies in the world in the development of software for financial institutions. S1 is headquartered in the US and has offices in 11 countries. The company has implemented about 900 projects to develop various systems for banking structures, insurance and brokerage organizations. Among the company's clients: Bank of America, Royal Bank of Canada, Deutsche Bank, FleetBoston Financial, JP Morgan, National Australia Bank, [email protected] and others. All S1 products contain applications designed to enable financial institutions to conduct their business under new economy- provide services and maintain relationships with customers via the Internet. One of the main applications of any company's product is the S1 Consumer Suite subsystem, which allows you to store and process information on each client of the company and transactions carried out by him. The application can store data on all services of the company, information about the situation on the market, financial news. Within this system, the client has the following options: receive a full report on their financial position in the company; receive personal financial information, financial news, market reports, have access to financial instruments planning; receive an offer for a service that has been developed specifically for him. One of the components of the S1 Consumer Suite application is the S1 Relationship Management system, designed for use by internal users - company personnel. The system allows you to collect and properly process information on each client, historical data on transactions, observation data, information about the company's services, reports on the state of the market. The result of such an analysis may be a decision to provide a particular service to a particular client, sending him targeted financial information or advice. The S1 Consumer Suite system has a module that allows non-technical personnel to define the graphical and textual content of the company's Web site and the level of authority of each customer in the S1 Consumer Suite system. Currently, S1 Corporation does not have a representative office in Russia. The implementation and development of projects based on S1 technologies for Russian financial institutions is carried out by CSBI. "Pro-Invest Information Technologies" The developer of the first domestic CRM-application is the company "Pro-Invest Information Technologies", established in 1999 and being part of the corporation "Pro-Invest Consulting". Since 1989, the corporation has been creating its own software products for budgeting, drafting investment plans, financial analysis. The corporation also includes Pro-Invest Consulting ( management consulting, attracting investments, organizing marketing, reforming and restructuring enterprises) and the company "Pro-Invest Training Center"(training of managers and specialists of enterprises in the field of strategic planning, marketing, corporate finance). The company "Pro-Invest Information Technologies" employs 70 employees - experts in the field of financial and information technologies; programmers and system analysts, managers. In addition to the main product Sales Expert, which is positioned as a CRM system, there are auxiliary CRM solutions developed by the company. Marketing Expert- assessment of the company's real position in the market, comparative analysis with competitors, formation of an optimal sales structure and pricing policy, development of an effective strategy and tactics of action in the market, risk assessment and calculation of planned financial results. Marketing GEO- a software product, which is an information and analytical system designed for storage, display and analysis marketing information about customers, suppliers, dealers and competitors. Marketing GEO contains a database of the State Statistics Committee on the regions and enterprises of the Russian Federation. All these systems, as well as Sales Expert, work in the Windows NT/98/95 environment in the "client-server" architecture on the InterBase DBMS (a freeware product from Inprise/Borland). The main task of Sales Expert is to build a sales system that is transparent for control and management. An employee of the company, working with the system, can obtain data on sales volumes presented in any necessary aspect - by departments, managers, product groups, regions, industries, etc. The Sales Expert system allows you to control the activities of the sales department in stages and based on objective indicators: the effectiveness of primary contacts, the duration of the transaction, its average value, etc. For a detailed analysis, the system generates reports based on specified criteria and their combinations. The results are presented both in tabular and graphical form, and are also exported to Excel for additional analysis. Sales Expert integrates with the 1C:Enterprise program at the level of exchange of information about transactions and preparation of settlement documents. Currently, Sales Expert users are the following companies: LUKoil, Hewlett Packard, Rainbow Technologies, Intellect-Project, Trading house"LISMA-ELECTRO", Vyazemsky machine-building plant, "Securities market" magazine. The cost of the Sales Expert system with support for no more than three network users is $570 (including VAT), more than three - $870. broadVision (Nasdaq - BVSN) was founded in 1993 by Dr. Pehong Chen, who is currently the company's president and chairs the board of directors. The company is a developer and supplier of integrated applications for building personalized corporate portals. BroadVision portals can be used by both manufacturing and retail companies and financial institutions to organize their representation on the Internet. The company's income for the last quarter of 2000 amounted to $120 million (in 1999 this figure was $30 million). broadVision clients include Bank of America, E*Trade, Sears, Circuit City, british Telecom, Ericsson, Rockwell Automation, GE Supply, Fiat Group, Toyota, Gedas/Volkswagen, The Boeing Company, Samsung. The company currently has over 2,300 employees and is headquartered at 585 broadway, Redwood City, California, USA. A set of applications from broadVision, designed to build an Internet portal, helps the company organize all areas of activity that it can conduct via the Internet - building the information part of the portal, customized relationships with suppliers and customers, building a payment component, analyzing marketing strategies etc. Naturally, any application responsible for a certain part of the portal has a CRM component, which allows personalization. Essential applications from broadVision. broadVision One-To-One Enterprise- the main tool used to customize the corporate portal is the base for other applications. broadVision Retail Commerce Suite and broadVision MarketMaker- a traditional eCRM system used to build an online store and organize the ability for staff to conduct online marketing and have access to all customer information. broadVision Business Commerce- applications for building B2B systems. broadVision Finance - turnkey solution for doing business on the Internet by financial institutions. broadVision-Amadeus Travel Commerce- a turnkey solution for doing business on the Internet for travel agencies. broadVision InfoExchange Portal- a ready-made Internet solution for personalized presentation of information data on the Web. broadVision Billing- organization of the client part of the payment system. The broadVision portal can be built using the following technologies - HTML, Java, JavaServer Pages, EJB, JavaScript, COM and CORBA, based on Apache Web servers, Microsoft IIS, Netscape Enterprise Server, any server with CGI support. Informix, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase databases can be used. Applications can be installed on Hewlett-Packard HP-UX, Wintel, Sun Solaris platforms. Microstrategy Inc. (NASDAQ - MSTR) is a developer and supplier of information products designed to support customer relationships over the Internet. The head office is located in Washington; the company has its offices in France, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden and other regions. The company's clients are such organizations as First Union, Eddie Bauer, Monsanto, NASDAQ, MCI WorldCom, Western Digital. eCRM systems are used by companies: emax-trade.com, iExchange.com, Jumpy, KIKO Inc., AltaVista/Shopping.com, DigitWork, EarthLink, eToys, etc. The main product of the company is the MicroStrategy system (current version 7.0) - a modern database for the Internet. The system includes components: MicroStrategy Architect, MicroStrategy Agent, MicroStrategy Administrator. The product can be used to build and effectively manage Internet portals, shops, B2B systems, etc. MicroStrategy's eCRM system consists of three modules. MicroStrategy Web Business Analyzer- designed for building a customized website, interface development, simple content filling, viewing website statistics, etc. MicroStrategy Customer Analyzer- includes all the features of the previous module and allows you to work with data for each client individually and in groups. MicroStrategy Marketing Automation- allows you to create and evaluate marketing campaigns, organize targeted Internet marketing by customer groups, etc. Integrates with previous modules. The user's work in the CRM system can be carried out using a web browser; data is presented in HTML, XML format. Web Business Analyzer is $20,000 plus $500 per user, MicroStrategy Customer Analyzer is $200,000 plus $2,000 per user. workplace, MicroStrategy Marketing Automation - $10,000 at no additional cost per seat. MicroStrategy 7.0 core platform sold separately. Oracle Corporation is the world's second largest software company and a leader in enterprise-wide information management software products. Oracle is headquartered in Redwood Shores, California. Oracle is the first software company to implement the Internet computing model for enterprise software development. The corporation offers a full line of products - Databases and special servers, Application and Decision Making Systems Development Tools and Business Management Applications. Oracle8i's flagship product, the latest version of the industry-leading Oracle database, is an Internet computing database. The company occupies 30% of the ERP systems market. Modern ERP-system Oracle E-Business Suite 11i - a fully integrated suite of e-business applications. It is designed to automate e-business, from sales and marketing to purchasing and supply chain management via the Web. The following modules are implemented within the CRM subsystem: iSales(Oracle iStore, iPayment, TeleSales, Sales Online/Mobile Sales, Sales Intelligence, Oracle Incentive Compensation) - application for sales coordination and analysis; iService(Oracle iSupport, TeleService, Service Online, Depot Repair, Spares Management, Advanced Scheduler, Mobile Field Service, Oracle Contracts, Customer Intelligence) - application for customer service during warranty service; E-commerce- an application for building an online store - filling with content, integration with the back office, organizing online payments, etc. All applications can be accessed via the Internet using a normal browser. Naturally, Oracle8i is used as a DBMS. Vignette Corporation Vignette Corp. (Nasdaq: VIGN) is a corporation developing Internet applications for building B2B, B2C class systems, information portals, as well as developing tools for the effective management of these systems. The company's head office is located in America, Texas, the organization has a network of offices around the world. The largest customers are AT&T, BMW, CBS broadcasting, CNET, Daimler/Chrysler, First Union, Motorola, Sprint, and United Airlines; the corporation cooperates with Microsoft, IBM, etc. The main platform on which all the company's applications are built is the Vignette E-business Application Platform system, which serves to store and process various data coming from various sources. It is an open platform that can use technologies such as J2EE, Windows DNA, Active Server Pages (ASP), and Java Server Pages (JSP). Easily integrates into any corporate network - COM, EJB, C/C++, HTTP/Servlets, XML, and SQL are supported. The main products built on this platform are: Content Management Server- the use of the XML language allows non-technical personnel to manage information on the site, the portal to post information from various databases; Lifecycle Personalization Server- application for the development of personalized information, integrates with the previous one; Relationship Management Server- eCRM system - used primarily for marketing research, provides the company employee with all the accumulated information about customers, purchases, allows you to segment consumers, plan Internet marketing campaigns; when integrated with previous applications, it allows you to effectively manage the company's online presence; Collaborative Commerce Server- applications for building an Internet system that provides the client with the opportunity to influence the company's activities, submit requests, proposals for the development of new products. Vignette E-business Application supports the following platforms. Sun Servers under Solaris Solaris version 2.6, 2.7, 2.8 Oracle8 Server version 8.0.6, 8.1.6 Wintel systems Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6A Microsoft SQL Server version 7 Oracle8 Server version 8.0.5, 8.1.6 Microsoft IIS version 4.0 In this case, Internet trading is a service for providing clients with financial information and the ability to trade in financial markets using the website of a brokerage company. An example of such a situation is a CRM solution from Epicor. The new application "e by Epicor" is the latest development of the company, but there is not a single implementation on the Russian market yet. But in Russia, the old Clientele CRM module from Epicor is effectively used, mainly aimed at improving the work of sales departments. |
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