Consistency is the key to CRM

Thank goodness writers like Rob Furber (Marketing Week October 26) are recommending that companies pay more attention to customers consistently across all communications channels before they start pouring millions into CRM systems. In a recent Database Group survey, we managed to put some interesting metrics on the situation.

In most sectors, the percentage of companies able to achieve multi-channel customer management consistency was – hearteningly – roughly double the proportion of companies actually implementing a CRM solution.

The retail sector scored highest on consistent customer treatment (35 per cent) and insurers came bottom (10 per cent).

Conversely, we should surely be disheartened that the highest-scoring sector comes in at only 35 per cent! CRM embraces the idea not only of intelligent, consistent customer service, but also of developing the value of customers through all-round understanding of their tastes, preferences and purchasing habits.

How do organisations think that they can reach such sophisticated goals if a huge majority still can’t even treat a customer the same whether they phone, visit the website, or write in.

Back to basics, I fear.

Neal Rimay-Muranyi

Director

The Database Group

Bristol