I know that sometimes we need to deal with complex problems, markets and processes. But, one simple thing stays the same, customers want service. It doesn’t matter if the price is cheap, customers still want some kind of service. I was thinking this over, and thought, in relation to CRM software, less can be more. If things are kept simple, then staff have the freedom to serve the customer. If we control processes too tightly, then customers hear the phrase “I’m sorry, but it’s against our policy”, and customers don’t want to hear that, so they won’t be coming back.

When solving certain problems, CRM needs to have a level of complexity, but let’s not forget the simple things, as they can make all the difference.

I just stumbled across a very good blog post that poses the question CRM: Is the Problem the Technology or the Culture?. It basically covers the saying “Garbage In / Garbage Out”, meaning that you may have the greatest CRM system available, but it won’t help much if it is not wisely used. Your CRM system is only as effective as the quality of your data.

Considering the cultural changes needed to embrace a CRM strategy is an important issue that all businesses wanting to introduce a CRM system should be aware of.