18.5. “Doing” CRM On and Off the Web
The basic method is the same whether the offer is made (and responses accepted) on or off the web. The differences are in the capabilities of the different media and how they can be used most effectively. Patricia Seybold lists these eight critical success factors for electronic commerce in her widely read book, customers.com (1998):
Target the right customers
Own the customer's total experience
Streamline business processes that impact the customer
Provide a 360-degree view of the customer relationship
Let customers help themselves
Help customers do their jobs
Deliver personalized service
Foster community
Seybold developed her list based on extensive research she completed with the sixteen companies whose informative case studies are included in the book. Where does it say Internet or World Wide Web or dot.com? Customer Relationship Management, whether implemented on the Internet or not, is about managing relationships with customers. My favorite Seybold quote is, “It's the customer, stupid.” And she's right, it is!
We're almost finished with one complete project cycle, but there's one last transition that we must take before beginning the next project. In Chapter 19, we will evaluate the results of this project.