June 2004 Newsletter

 CUSTOMERCENTRICTIMES

eZines: May 2004 > June 2004 > July 2004

SRD Group’s approach and emphasis for the need of change management in CRM Journeys has been applauded and said to be “excellent” by CRMGuru founder, Bob Thompson.  So much so, that Bob asked us if he could post our paper on the world’s biggest CRM portal.  Considering that Bob is one of the world’s most respected leaders on CRM, we considered this to be a feather in our cap that we wanted to share with you.
 
In this issue of CustomerCentricTimes;

• The Need for Change Management on CRM/Customer Engagement Journeys, by SRD Group
• The 10 Keys to High Adoption of SFA Tools, by Mike Ehrensberger
• Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands, by Kevin Roberts.

SRD Group Soapbox

This particular paper, The Need for Change Management on CRM/Customer Engagement Journeys has been posted before but it has been edited slightly and this version is the one that is now on the CRMGuru portal. We thought it might be worth another read.

CRM Corner 

The term SFA (Sales Force Automation) is something that has resulted in a lot of debate over the years.  It has caused much consternation amongst sales people as its perceived implication is that “they are going to replace us with machines” and it has also been viewed by management in many cases as “the silver bullet”. In our view it is about enabling the sales force via ‘machines’ (computers) to better coordinate efforts by sales, marketing, service and management to maximise opportunities and enhance the customer experience.

It is not just about the machine but man and machine! It requires, people, process and technology to be successful.

These are Mike Ehrensberger’s thoughts on what it takes to make Sales Force Automation a success.

The "10 keys to high adoption of SFA tools (article no longer able to be found on the web)." by Mike Ehrensberger.

Growing GREAT Customer Experiences Forum 

We recently attended the New Zealand launch of Lovemarks by Kevin Roberts (CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi) at which he agreed with our philosophy on growing great customer experiences and the need to have a balance between the physical and emotional elements of this experience.

So what are Lovemarks all about? Well, first it was Trademarks, then Trustmarks and now it’s Lovemarks.

According to Saatchi & Saatchi: “Brands have run out of juice. More and more people in the world have grown to expect great performance from products, services and experiences.”. 

Five years ago Saatchi & Saatchi looked closely at the question: “What makes some brands inspirational, while others struggle?” They came up with Lovemarks: The future beyond brands.

SRD Group Consulting Services

SRD Group primarily consults on CRM, Growing GREAT Customer Experiences and Customer Satisfaction/Experience Survey Programmes. We also provide consulting and facilitation services for sales and marketing efficiency and effectiveness improvement.  If you are interested in finding out more about SRD Group please drop me an email at .

The Last Word

“It is no good to try to stop knowledge from going forward. Ignorance is never better than knowledge.”

Enrico Fermi (1901 - 1954). 

Neil Stewart and the team at SRD Group.

SRD Group Limited
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