- Everybody loves CRM, everybody knows CRM and everybody hasan almost the same understanding of “Customer relationship Management” concept, but in implementation, it is a completely different story. There are different approaches to using CRM for different businesses and CRM solution providers.
- Extensions of the CRM concept include ZRM, XRM, CXM, CRM 2.0, e-CRM, m-CRM related to citizen relationship, CRM in Social Media, and CRM built based on web 2.0 Concepts, web and mobile technologies. But all of them focus on technology rather than customers, where everybody knows CRM is a Customer Centric Solution not a Technology Centric System.
- Once upon a time managing relationship with customers wa a strategic goal; it is now a basic and routine task of any customer company. In the current brutal business environment, a business is at a distinct disadvantage (if not doomed) if it doesn’t implement the CRM concept.
Based on the above assumptions, if CRM implementation is important, if Technology is not the main issue and if having a CRM is a prerequisite for a business, what can a business do to keep a competitive advantage with its competitors? What’s next?
I reckon it is time to introduce a new concept and it’s the customer’s turn: Customer Mateship
Management!
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What I mean by “Mateship” is the level of equality, loyalty and friendship (1) between a business and its customers, in which they can call each other “Mate”!
Mateship has 3 important aspects:
- Equality: It should be a win-win relation between both parties. By maintaining the relationship equal, both sides gain additional value.
- Loyalty: It is a two-way relation and by providing customised services and one-to-one relation, the business can provide loyalty to its customers, not just the customer demonstrating loyalty to a business.
- Friendship: By being equal and loyal to each other, relationship type will upgraded to friendship and “A friendship founded on business is better than a business founded on friendship. John D. Rockefeller (2)”
Implementing CMM does not require a change to the CRM software. In future posts I will give you some suggestions to make your customers your mates by using a flexible CRM solution like Tall Emu CRM.
To be continued …
