Management of Customer Relationship - Assignment Example

Mid Part Where do I gather the information? Who can give us the facts and insights necessary to make reasonable judgments and decisions about the future?” An automobile company needs the management of customer relationship. The main objective of the customer management relationship is to gather information from customers for the development of the business from different aspects. An automobile company uses the standard methods for requirements gathering from the key users. These methods are based on the interviews of stakeholders. Objectives of the system are customer focused, and involve what CRM can do for business of an automobile company. Undertaking the CRM helps the company to measure the success not based on the investment or return, but return on the (ROR). Customer value and loyalty are compared before and after the affects of CRM. “Where are we going? Where do we want to be in five years? What does it take to get there and to keep changing? How should we develop our vision and accompanying projects and programs?” The Vision of Company based on the CRM cannot be created an initiative from bottom up. The vision is produced and tuned on the yearly basis by the senior management. Scanning of customers’ needs determines the company’s vision. Main objective is to draft the simple statement written in the simple language and with clarity. Marketing, sales and customer relationship are the important objectives of the CRM framework. Automobile company will draw information simultaneously from the database of the customers and facilitate the interaction. Buying behavior of the customers is also judged by the information provided from customers. Aim of the CRM is to make a success in the automobile industry. New technology enabled CRM will be focused around the customers who are a valuable asset of the Toyota an automobile company. Customers will have easier approach to a company is offerings. Toyota aims to build a strategy based on the customer centric system. Not all customers of the company have same requirements and same values for the firm. Company ensures that target customers have potential to justify the struggles. Main objective is to identify loyal and most profitable customers. Allocation of resources to customers will create economic value for a company with their relationship with customers. “How do you describe the interactions between people, business processes and enabling services? How do you make a system ‘better’ than another? Who decides how good a system is?” The strategy built upon the vision describes the interaction with businesses, people and community that occurs seamlessly as a part of daily life. Customers will easily access the services of the automobile company tailored to the customers’ needs and demands. A new CRM will offer new ways to customers to become more productive. Business will drive and increase the productivity through the development of a New CRM (Pride, and Ferrell). Some of the companies invest millions in developing the CRM and fail. These companies consider their customers as technology users and do not view them as their assets. CRM is the process to reach the existing, potential and past customers and building trust with Toyota’s customers. Using the CRM will foster the entrepreneur relationship with customers. Toyota Company will sustain the belief of customers through continued patronage of the customers. A better system will enable the company’s management to observe the satisfactory relationship with customers. The CRM’s success is measured through its effectiveness for the business-to-business and business to customer marketing (Pride, and Ferrell, 227-229). CEO with consultation of CIO and IT Professional decides that the system is working well as compared to other systems in the market. Traffic on the system also indicates the success of the system. “Whose advice and experience do you need to draw on, what questions would you ask and what would you expect form them?” The companies significantly draw customers’ experience when they make an evaluation of their systems. Customers do not only interact through the traditional channels such as call centers, customer services but also use the social CRM channels. Existing, potential and past customers of the Toyota Company are interviewed for the evaluation of the system. They are asked about the benefits from the new system. They are also asked to comment on their approach for purchase of the new items through the new system. They give their answers and count the advantages and disadvantage of the system in respect to their buying behavior and willingness to buy more from the Toyota Company through the system. It is expected that they would answer as they experienced. They will inform about the advantages and disadvantages of the system in the context of their approach of buying the new cars from company. They also comment on the safety of their transactions for purchase of new cars from the Company. Willingness of customers is analyzed by asking them question about the system’s working. They are also asked, “Will they pay more on buying through such system?” The customers are also asked to comment on “Will they prefer buying the cars through such system or using the traditional channels i.e. telephones?”. However, it is expected that customers will feel easier to buy the cars through the system as compared to buying the cars through traditional ways. “Which of your personal skills, experiences and strengths will help you with this assignment?” As an ICT official will develop the business, and win the new business through strong customer relationship. Regardless of locations of clients and industries will increase the earning potential of the company. Technical skills including the contact with customers, knowing their needs, and then including them in the system are also enhanced. Communication skills, technical skills and personal skills are involved in proceeding of the current assignment. Instructions to other staff members will increase the experience of working with other. Completion of the current assignment is not depended on the solo performance and hence other people are also involved. “Find two or three corporations that have excelled with deploying new technology for customers as measured by actual results, not just project goals? Who do you think the leading company in customer relationships is?” Amazon.com, eBay , and Dell are the important corporations, which have deployed technology enabled customer relationship management systems. Amazon.com leverages the 35 million customers through the world (Amazon.com Inc.). Amazon.com, has successfully deployed the customer relationship management system. The system is developed on the extensive research of customers with their buying habits in the past, and behavior of others similar to existing customers (Larson). “How would you assess the risk of new programs? What are the biggest risks we face?” An ICT professional can face the several risks during the development of new customer relationship programs. Risk assessment of the program is done by using the different tools. These tools include as risk framework, risk assessment index and risk complexity index. This risk assessment index is an appropriate tool for the development CRM program. Purpose of the tool is to give information about the relative risk. Changing and the new requirement of the customers are assessed. Trivial or significant changes are required for the program (KENDRICK). “What new skills do I need to gain during this project? Where do I get them?” Building the new skills is a powerful motive that can reduce the risks of the program. Staffing the people is also essential to reduce the risk. Alternative people must be skilled who can work on the project when required. Training, mentoring and negotiating the additional staff is an important skill. Planning as a part of the project also requires an unavailable skill, which is another method to seek the solution. Additional skills can be achieved through different sources such as the previous studies, new researches and similar case studies of companies (KENDRICK). For the incorporation of Smart Phones into ICT, individual needs the skills of business performance based on the metrics versus the cost for supporting the new technology deployment. Knowledge base experience is required to run the application quickly on the internet. Variety of resources across the corporation and inside the corporation needs to be marshaled. Data is more important than the cars of the Toyota Company and the individual must keep the actionable information for business decisions with timelines and consistency (McKendrick). “How do we know we’re addressing issues that our customers care about?” In the beginning, it was focused to provide best services to customers. Great care is taken to ensure that new system will sever well than before system to customers. Meeting with customers and sharing the information makes the system more customer friendly as maximum people can benefit from it. Customers’ concern on delay in the delivery of products, delay in emails, and no description of new products with prices is settled in the new program. A prototype of the new program is given to customer for their feedback. If customers are satisfied with the working of the new system then a full system is implemented (Wheeler). Part II “How would you start? List, describe and justify the first three major activities you would do to begin developing your presentation.” Activity 1: Before developing the presentation, the candidate examines the blueprint of the system and its importance for the audience. After this, the individual sketches the view of the people who are delivered the presentation on the importance of the CRM and its role in the growth of business in the corporation. Activity 2: Candidate compares the scale model of the corporation, and sketches the top view representation on the graph paper. This helps the individual to check it before compiling in the Microsoft office tools such as Microsoft office power points. Activity 3: Candidate practices for the delivery of the contents of the subject keeping in mind that the audience are there. This will create self-confidence for the individual when he presents in reality before the CEO, Advisory team or staff members. “What would you do to identify the gaps between the expectations and needs of the corporation and the track record of ICT? How would you analyze the trail of decisions and actions that have led ICT to be considered as an outsourcing candidate?” Different indicators have grown a gap between the expectations about the advantages of the ICT and realization of these advantages in the corporations. There is an increase in demands of ICT enabled institutions and societal transformation. The concerned corporation requires the long lead-time to develop and implement the system that can give tangible results. Other than internal, external resources are also considered for the ICT growth in the corporation. CIO as well as the public is called to manage the ICT enabled networks. Outside service, providers are also engaged in the partnerships or contracts in order to meet the demands of the organization. CIO and ICT professional are competent for outsourcing the project management, information management, and business case development. Fast decision-making procedure is acquiring and mastering the ICT in the corporation through outsourcing the candidates. E-leaders are required to devise the policy in order to hire the outer candidates for the ICT implementation (Information Technology Association of America). “How would you ask and answer questions about what your company can do to incorporate ICT into its new strategy and thinking? I am not looking for a list of questions here but I am more interested in your methodology and the topics you would research and, more to the point, how you would research them? Remember, as a representative to the task force you are not a solo performer. You can draw upon other people and resources.” Purpose of the ICT in the corporation is to support the effective delivery of the administration. The use of ICT makes corporation services appropriate in the context of availability, functionality and reliability. Cloud computing is the new methods based strategy that is incorporated into the consumption of ICT applications. It is aimed to research the cloud computing in order to promote the Cloud computing in the corporations. It has been demonstrated that Cloud computing provides opportunities of cost savings. Cloud computing will be made a key element of strategic future with the help of ICT in the corporation. Cloud computing is an important consideration for the procuring of the ICT solutions. Major methodologies are researched from the past studies as their applications in the multinational corporations. Task force consists of people of related IT profession, and every person in the task force works on behalf of the head of the task force. Two individuals were assigned to research out the important methodologies appropriate to incorporate with ICT. They found that Cloud computing was a major shift in the computing world. “If you were going to build an advisory team for your efforts who would you consider as potential team members, who would you select and why?” Advisory team will be consisted of people who are capable to provide the technical advice through a coordinated body. The coordinated body becomes responsible to ensure the outputs from the concerning advisory team. Trained and experienced professionals must become part of the advisory team. Advisory team members are proficient in use of the web based analytical tools, communication and documentation. They are also self efficient in the use of internet applications, and communication technology to extent required by the specific events. Advisory team is formulated as the members work very closely to each other and sometimes work in a liaison capability of customers. “What major trends should you should consider in developing your study?” World is moving towards the more domination by the technology, and needs to educate the people – customers of the corporations. ICT has been a pressing information , and education is also providing efficient means of business. Introduction of the ICT in the current education system is requiring the changes such as leadership, infrastructure, practices and beliefs of people, and organizational structure itself (Pelgrum and Law). Emerging trends in the study revolve around the theme of strategic planning such as ICT. Economic development of the corporation has a strong influence on the stages of the ICT planning. Other trends brought by the ICT inclusion are confined to the economic and business domain of the corporation. This area of the research is known as the technology transfer, knowledge transfer and knowledge exchange. There is an immense equity in the use of ICT in the education. ICT has the potential in improving the condition of the customers of the Corporation. Process of knowledge transfer occurs when existing, past and potential customers are asked to give their feedback for the system used in the corporation. Official of the organization train their staff and customers to use the system is a knowledge exchange process (Anderson). “How would you know if you succeeded? How would you assess results?” An institutional strategy emerged from the individual actions in the corporation. However, involvement of all stakeholders is essential. Customers of the corporation react against and in favor of the corporations. When an opportunity is found then it needs to bring it to the corporation and also pursue it with the entrepreneurial venture. Customers or colleagues may ask questions. It is significant to answer their queries and satisfy them. When positive feedback comes from customers or the colleagues then it indicates the success (Finlayson). Result assessment is done to compare the desired results and actual output in the project work. A process is the conduction of the result assessment in the corporation. Assessment process communicates the expectation, feedback, and engages the staff in getting the desired results. Results from the project work are analyzed and communicated in the useful ways, and CEO or responsible authority may ask for changes to methods, scheduling and resource availability (Office of Institutional Planning, Assessment Research and Testing). “The Board of Directors, the CEO, and other senior members of the executive team have become focused on smart phones and social media. How would you describe the relationships between traditional ICT and these new technologies and where would you look for answers on how to integrate the two in a way that is meaningful and valuable to the corporation?” Functional worth of a Smart phone lies in the integration of the many attributes in a mobile as a single device. Modern ICT needs such as browsing, email; the smart phones facilitate text messaging. However, standard data shows that functional values of smart phones change over time. Important social values are embedded and sent through the smart phones. Smart phones enable the users to send the images to another user. Social values also changes over time and result into the intrinsic reasons (Bodker, Gimpel and Hedman). Use of Smart phones has become an important part of the ICT sector. Major companies including the CISCO, Nortel, and IBM are helping the new emerging business companies and providing the solution in issue of capital growth (Kramer, Jenkins and Katz). “Finally, based on the above questions, develop a two-level outline of what you intend to present to the Task Force. This is obviously, at best, an early draft of what you will develop for the Task Force but it will also be the core-organizing framework for your analysis.” Based on the above question a draft can be outlined for the advisory team on the project. Prose and cones of the system are put forward before the advisory team. Corporation used the traditional ways of customer relationship by calling or emailing the customer. Customers’ requirement in the changing environment is displayed in the project. Now customers have also changed their attitude towards contacting the corporation’s representatives and need a quick access. Lack of ICT is also impacting the business of the corporation, and record of accomplishment of the candidates for outsourcing ICT shows that no important steps have been taken in regard of this corporation. Cloud computing and Smart Phones are arising technology trends in the market. Need of the incorporation of these technology trends with ICT will be a big hallmark for the corporation. Importance of the integration of ICT with Smart Phones is apparent from other companies, which are using these applications. It is also recommended that new business system will revolve around the customers, their satisfaction and willingness to buy again from the corporation in the future. Necessary technical aspects of the business system requires the in depth consideration of the advisory team. Work Cited: Amazon.com Inc. Press Release, Amazon.com Announces the Top 20 Most Romantic Cities in the US, 2013, Available from http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1781479 accessed on 06/03/2013. Anderson, N. Equity and information communication technology (ICT) in education, 29 Broadway New York, Peter Publishing Inc. 2009. Print. Bodker, M., Gimpel, G., and Hedman, J. The user experience of smart phones: A consumption value approach, Copenhagen business school. Finlayson, A. Questions That Work: How to Ask Questions That Will Help You Succeed in Any business situation. Broadway New York, USA. 2001. Print. Information Technology Association of America, leadership for ICT-enabled Development, Available from http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan046479.pdf Accessed on 06/03/2013. KENDRICK, T. Indentifying and managing project risk: essential tools for failure-proofing your project. (2nd Ed.). Broadway New York, 2009. Print. Kramer, W., Jenkins, B., and Katz, R. The role of the information and communication technology sector in expanding economic opportunity, Harvard College, 2007. Available from http://www.hks.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/CSRI/publications/report_22_EO%20ICT%20Final.pdf Accessed on 08/03/2013. Larson, Rebecca, The Future of Customer Relationship Management, Liberty University, (2009). Available from http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=busi_fac_pubs&seiAccessed on 07/03/2013. McKendrick, J. The 8 most important skills needed for cloud computing today, 2012. Available from http://www.forbes.com/sites/joemckendrick/2012/08/27/the-8-most-important-skills-needed-for-cloud-computing-today/ Accessed on 08/03/2013. Office of Institutional Planning, Assessment Research and Testing. A Guide to Developing and Implementing Effective Outcomes Assessment, 2007. Available from http://www.aucegypt.edu/research/IR/assess/Documents/Assessment%20Guide_Admin.pdf Accessed on 08/03/2013. Pelgrum, W and Law, N, ICT in education around the world: Trends, problems and prospects, 2003. Print. Pride, W and Ferrell, P, Marketing, CENGAGE Learning Inc. 2008, Print. Wheeler A, How to Give Great Customer Service: What I Learned At UserConf 2012, (2012), Available from http://www.seomoz.org/blog/how-to-give-great-customer-service Accessed on 06/03/2013. Read More