CRM Initiatives

CRM technology is being adopted to:

 

1.Develop customer care before the sale

Lakme Lever has come up with a unique customer service -– interactive kiosks that allow its customers to choose products that suit them. Branded as Lakme Beauty Zones, these kiosks first take a picture of the customer's face. Then as the customer chooses different shades of eyeshadows or lipsticks, these are superimposed on the image in frontof her at the press of a button. This allows her to decide whether the colour suits her before she buys the product.

 

Godrej GE Appliances has found its own innovation solution – customer cell centres manned by executives who have a complete description of all the appliances sold under the Godrej GE brand name. Everyday, the call centres across Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi receive about 3,000 calls. These centres go a long way in helping customers make up their mind regarding any purchase.   

 

 

2. Understand the customer

 

ICICI is sparing no effort to integrate its most priviliged asset -– customers. It is setting up a data warehouse that will hold all the information about each customer. The Customer Information System is being deployed to understand the multiple relationships a customer has with different parts of the organization. All the customer information will be centralised in ICICI's server farm in Mumbai. Apart from the data warehouse, which will allow executives to mine all kinds of customer information, there will also be a live production house, which will be linked to various communication channels to gather information real time.

 

3.  Track customers and hold on to them

 

CRM's biggest task is to constantly track customers, so that the firm knows its best customers. That way it gives the organization a better chance to hold on to them and reward them for their loyalty.

 

Bharat Petroleum Ltd, has come up with a smart card programme, enlisting select petrol pumps where the customer is assured of a minimum quality of service. The Petro card functions as a pre-paid card. Everytime you use the card, the value of the transaction is debited. You also get points for transactions made on the card – items worth Rs 100 bought at the pump's convenience store means 100 points, while Rs 100 worth of lubes bought is worth 250 points. These bonus points are redeemable through gifts.

4. Understand buying patterns

 

The RPG group has invested in data mining software that allows it to understand  ‘product adjacencies'. These help in figuring out which products are typically bought together -– do customers buy cosmetics along with medicines or with soaps and detergents?

 

5.  Make after-sales service easier

 

Samsung Electronics is using technology to provide prompt cost-effective customer care. If you want to report a defect in the hard disk drive which is replaceable during warranty, all you have to do is log onto the company Web site and key in the product serial number and your address. Out pops the address and contact name and number of the nearest Samsung dealer as well as a complaint number. If the dealer does not have the part, then the software deflects the customer to the nearest dealer who has the part.