Top 10 Ways to Optimize Enterprise Relationship Management (ERM)

1. Gather every transaction between environment and enterprise for analysis.

It is critical to gather every transaction to form patterns and trends of interaction. By understanding what is happening between the environment and the enterprise, strategy can be formulated to optimize the enterprise.

2. Configure the CTI to provide transaction results to the line of sight.

CTI (computer telephone integration) must be used to deliver results of transactions, not just records of transactions to the line of sight. People interacting with the environment need to be armed with the latest information, and knowledge in order to deliver maximum impact on behalf of the enterprise—each and every time they transact.

3. Use knowledge about transactions to deepen relationships.

It is not enough to know about customers, it behooves us to formulate knowledge that allows us to “offer” solutions to problems that they are unaware of having. This is done regularly by SONY Corp. through innovation and customer knowledge. The need is created rather than serviced providing a jump ahead of the competition.

4. Use ERM to gain strategic insights into current programs and delivery.

While strategy about what to do next is critical, what to do now is even more critical. Learning in real time with real time patterns and results of current activity must occur as a part of delivery. If we can customize delivery in any way that creates a deeper bond with the customer, we are likely to increase our ability to deliver higher levels of satisfaction, increase switching costs and loyalty. If that real time screen pop indicating that this customer has just purchased a lawn mower in hardware may be the reason they are looking for a better work shoe—bingo—we make the bridge and tune into the customers needs even before they articulate them.

5. Use ERM to predict service offering schedules.

Of course that new lawnmower is going to need a tune-up next spring, so ERM automatically schedules the customer service call, the discount tune-up letter in February, or a lawn trimmer promotion in May.

6. Use ERM to schedule demand.

Using the same example, we know that blank number of our customers bought lawn mowers last year and we know that of the customers who purchased lawn mowers, blank % were established customers, then we know that marketing is targeting 25% new customers, we can forecast demand based on historical replacement percentages of our established customers as well as the number of new customers likely to purchase lawn mowers during the year. All of this information is held within our ERM database.

7. Use ERM to understand your customers—inside and out!

It may seem redundant, but understanding your customers current moves and next moves is key to creating relationship leverage. Only when we can see WHY they do what they do and what they are likely to do as a result, does ERM become truly integrated into the enterprise. It is not enough to know what our customers are doing and the satisfaction related to those transactions, but more importantly what the are likely to do next. Skating to where the puck will be, rather than where it is makes all the difference, according to Gretzky.

8. Use ERM to establish agency.

The coming trend is agency—where someone working on your behalf transacts business for you. Agency reduces complexity, while delivering products and services just in time. You can’t set up agency unless you know your customer’s patterns, buying habits and needs—prospective or current. In order to establish agency that functions well for both the customer and the enterprise, it is critical to understand the customer.

9. ERM means environment.

Everything in the enterprise environment—of which customers are a part—must be managed. Shareholders, voting public, government agencies—get the picture—all must be included in any ERM protocol. In order to understand what is happening and what is going to happen, it is clearly necessary to include the entire composite of the environment.

10. Don’t limit ERM to one channel.

Open up every channel of communication, f2f, telephony, www, media, gossip and mail; creating a source point of entry for recording and capturing environmental transactions, including those that appear nascent. Capture, catalog and analyze everything inside and out!

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