ABSTRACT
This chapter examines customer management and the role that technology plays in delivering a great customer journey. Customer management is a comprehensive approach that provides seamless integration of every area of business that touches the customer – namely marketing, sales, customer service and field support – through the integration of people, process and technology, taking advantage of the revolutionary impact of the Internet. A typical organization seeks to create an integrated commercial environment by means of an enabling programme that will bring together information, technology, skills and processes so that useable, timely information can support effective customer relationship management. It is suggested that there are a number of key Customer Relationship Management (CRM) components. The impact of CRM should be considered in terms of: the market proposition and the brand, the products and services, the competencies, cultures and behaviours, the organization and partnerships, the business processes and the IT systems.
