thinka's blog

A business, especially if it is an online one, can benefit tremendously from focusing on the long tail in its product portfolio. In any product line there is a certain number of blockbuster products that are the major contributors to your top line. These are few in number and are what you can term as “running items”. However, there is a large number of products that do not move that quickly because they are niche products within a given niche or for any other reason.

Contact centers are increasingly being used to up-sell and cross-sell products. They offer an excellent platform to do so and gain valuable topline for the company. Since contact centers are a major cost center, it is in the best interests of a business that it tries to drive revenue through contact centers. The launch of a live up sell and cross sell program should be preceded by adequate employee training and a pilot program as well. Training is crucial in imparting the soft skills that can make or break a sales pitch. Agents need to say the right thing at the right time.

Businesses are always trying to see into the future and to do so they invest huge amounts in applications that connect databases and throw up information. Customer feedback initiatives are undertaken and consultancy firms are employed to predict market trends. The idea is to get the first-mover advantage and capture the consumer’s mind space and then move on to his wallet space.

The major trend that contact centers have witnessed over the past few years is shifting of contact center operations to countries where labor is cheap. Since employee cost is a very high running overhead cost, a reduction in this cost is a powerful incentive to offshore contact centers. The flip side to offshoring is that very often customers complain about a drop in quality of service.

Yes, it can, it’s a no-brainer. CRM can act as a powerful motivational and binding force that can boost employee morale as well as their performance. The key is to strike a balance between the technical and human aspects that comprise CRM.

Businesses often miss a vital trick when it comes to harnessing the customer’s knowledge for furthering their business via product development or marketing. Customers who have a lifetime’s experience in using products and availing services are ideally placed to offer inputs on little tweaks and additions that can make a product that much more useful. Their interaction with the front-end gives them insight into customer-facing issues from the customer’s perspective. The operative phrase here is "customer’s perspective" and that is something companies often fail to tap into.

Companies that involve customers in the knowledge sharing process fare better than those that turn inwards for answers.

CRM technologies come in various dimensions. Some are barebones consisting of purely sales force automation and order fulfillment. At the higher end of the spectrum, CRM has been (to some extent) integrated with the larger ERP systems which many claim is far more rewarding. Yet I am sure that managing CRM and ERP together can get really complex. My theme has always been that of simplicity and biting only that much which we can chew comfortably. Managing complex CRM technologies can be quite a task. What we should constantly evaluate is the return on investment.

I have often wondered whether to call it a CRM solution or CRM software or as the title suggests as CRM software solutions. By whatever name we may choose to call it , an effective CRM implementation will only be possible if we take both software and solution as part of the system. Necessarily, we must consider the business aspects before even venturing towards CRM. The three broad aspects which need closer examination are data collection, classification and deployment. CRM software solution must be able to address all the three aspects effectively.

Web based CRM has slowly but steadily made inroads into the main CRM industry and I must admit it is time it established itself. To me a good CRM package should be able to deliver information across the entire enterprise. Another advantage of a web based CRM is the multitude of services it can offer. Voice enabled chat, automated tele-response; email, online and offline help provide an integrated CRM solution. I have a firm conviction that a customer would rather visit the enterprise website and access information than use any other vehicle.

A hosted contact center with a third party raises visions of dollar savings for most businesses. However, there are certain factors to keep in mind if you wish to benefit from efficiencies that arise from a hosted contact center.