CRM Steps for Success - What's in it for me? Part 6

Human beings can be altruistic but the primary concern is usually, ‘what’s in it for me?’ That’s why it is important to take time to develop system functionality into a clear set of benefits for the user (and of course the customer). Benefits not functionality are the key!

Customer contact	Functions	Benefits	User meaning	Customer meaning
Before
During
After

This information can be captured using a simple table – above. Benefits should be split into three sections – pre, during and post implementation. In most cases there should be around 15-20 benefits per section.

This process should be repeated for all staff involved within the project. Everyone in the organisation in some shape or form has a bearing on its customers.

At this stage it is vital and useful to involve staff from all functions in validating the benefits and prioritising the top three. More than anything, this process helps staff to understand that there are real and tangible benefits to be gained from successfully implementing the system: not just for the company and its customers, but also for them as individuals.

What does the system do?

What are the benefits?

What does this mean for me?

What does this mean to our customers?

Author
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Dr Mark Hollyoake

Mark is a co-founder and Director of Customer Attuned Ltd. He holds a Doctorate from the University ofSouthampton, his thesis focused on Trust as a dynamic within business to business customer relationships.

He is an expert in B2B Customer Experience and Customer Management. This includes CM strategy development; execution of improvement plans (incl. organisational modelling for customer management); programme design; and partnership & alliance development.

Mark's applied work across FMCG, industrials, medical devices, financial services, business services and construction has led to organisations making, significant improvements to their customer management. A large focus of this work has been moving organisations up the Trust Ladder to enable them to benefit from reduced cost to serve, while continuing to innovate and deliver mutual value.

Mark is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and Member of the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management. He holds an MBA in strategy from Henley Business School.

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