Live From DCI Conference: CRM Key To E-Marketing
The eCustomer, a savvy target who demands speed of delivery, quality, and who is able to comparison shop easily, is here. And any company that does not practice effective customer relationship management (CRM) strategies is being left behind, according to Barton Goldenberg, ISM Inc. president.
Goldenberg outlined the characteristics of e-Customers, and the companies that will best serve them, in “What is CRM, What is an e-Customer and Why Do You Need Them Now?” a chair address at the DCI Customer Relationship Management Conference & Exposition in Chicago. Goldenberg is a co-chair of the conference.
In addition to the requirements above, the e-customer also needs the ability to access marketers through a variety of mediums (such as email, inbound fax and traditional snail mail), but expects all of these contact points to be tied into a single view of him.
Companies need to provide personalized services and messages, and introduce the customer to a community of like-minded individuals, through such means as special chat rooms or Web pages for them. These offerings from companies are being viewed less and less as frills by customers and more as an expected part of the customer’s relationship with the marketer, according to Goldenberg.
To reach these people, firms need to use CRM, a comprehensive approach on the part of a marketer that seamlessly coordinates data between customers, distribution channel members, customers within an organization and suppliers. Increasingly, this process leverages the Internet.
