Implementing Customer Relationship Management

WEISERMAZARS LLP IMPLEMENTING A CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT STRATEGY WeiserMazars LLP is an independent member fi...

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WEISERMAZARS LLP

IMPLEMENTING A CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

WeiserMazars LLP is an independent member firm of Mazars Group.

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A D V I S O R Y

IMPLEMENTING A CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT STRATEGY The key to developing a successful Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy is identifying objectives and fully understanding your prospects – before taking into account software or other considerations. The first step is to clearly identify and establish specific goals. The foundation of any strategy should begin with considering the range of capabilities of your institution. This includes each and every step of the business processes involved, the individuals who will be affected, and the technology your institution can manage. Process, people, and technology are the cornerstones of strategic planning. Focusing on just one or two of these and ignoring the others can have a negative effect that extends to the entire process.

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IMPLEMENTING A CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

ESTABLISH A PROJECT CHARTER Why is a Project Charter needed? Defining a CRM strategy for your institution is most effective when approached as an individual project. The sponsor issues the project charter to empower the chairperson/project lead with the authority to begin the initiative and obtain resources for CRM strategy activities. Two questions that commonly arise in project charter discussions are: • •

Is it necessary to have one? What are the consequences/outcomes of not having one?

The absence of a project charter hinders the chairperson/project lead from being successful in his or her role, and thus affects the overall success of the project. A project charter is imperative. If the project leader is in a situation where there is no project charter, then the question arises: Can the project be implemented successfully? If the establishment of a CRM Strategy Team is important to an institution, then sufficient time and effort must be committed to defining the project’s scope and overall priority. Additionally, a project charter empowers the chairperson/project lead in the role, and formally authorizes that person to initiate project activities and obtain resources to support and work on the project’s activities. Make sure a project charter exists; otherwise, you run the risk of project resources questioning why you are on the team and what your role is.

The project charter is fundamental to the CRM strategy creation process, and it must include: Project Goal The goal must describe why a CRM Strategy team is needed in order to define its establishment. The description should note that the team will meet on an ongoing basis to deal with conflicts or issues as they arise (e.g. regulation updates, data integrity, etc.). Project Timeline Establish a high-level project timeline that adheres to the project management methods of your institution. An example of its initial scope is as follows:

IMPLEMENTING A CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

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CRM Strategy

Define a Team Structure Depending upon the size and resources available at your institution, a representative from each area affected by CRM should be a member of this team, and a team chairperson must be named. The chairperson will report to the sponsoring steering committee or individual. An example team structure is illustrated below:

Example CRM Team

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IMPLEMENTING A CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

Define Team Roles and Responsibilities Key roles and responsibilities should be defined and established based on team structure. Examples of these roles are: the team chairperson, core team members, and extended key members, if any. Mapping this out helps to set clear expectations for each team member. Standard Meeting Schedule It is essential that the team have an established meeting schedule that is defined within the project charter to set expectations and promote plan participation. Steering committee or sponsor meetings should also be established so the chairperson can inform these committees of progress, milestones, and/or issues that cannot be resolved at the team level. Communication Plan A plan should be established to outline the communication strategy to be executed throughout the initiative. The matrix details the audience, key messages, vehicle, and timing of each communication initiative. Templates Templates should record items such as meeting agendas, meeting notes, business process definitions, new and/or enhanced process documentation, and CRM requirements. CRM Strategy Outcomes Based upon the example of a project timeline above, the following points will assist in building the foundation of your educational institution’s CRM strategy: • Understand the issues and challenges that you currently face when working with prospective students. Decide if you want to consider all undergraduate prospects, all graduate prospects and all non-credit prospects, or a targeted sub population in your scope. Make a list of questions to determine your challenges. These may include: o o o

Does the staff have the information they need readily available to respond to student prospects’ questions? Are you able to provide a seamless experience for your student prospect regardless of their background (e.g. all graduates, undergraduates, or other targeted sub population)? Is time being spent with student prospects or on repetitive manual tasks?

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CRM Strategy Outcomes Based upon the example of a project timeline above, the following points will assist in building the foundation of your educational institution’s CRM strategy: • Understand the issues and challenges that you currently face when working with prospective students. Decide if you want to consider all undergraduate prospects, all graduate prospects and all non-credit prospects, or a targeted sub population in your scope. Make a list of questions to determine your challenges. These may include: o o o

Does the staff have the information they need readily available to respond to student prospects’ questions? Are you able to provide a seamless experience for your student prospect regardless of their background (e.g. all graduates, undergraduates, or other targeted sub population)? Is time being spent with student prospects or on repetitive manual tasks?

The following are examples of questions that will help you understand your internal challenges: • Identify your student prospect journeys. The journey is how prospective students interact with your institution (e.g. email, campus visits, surfing your website, and/or social media avenues). Next, align your internal business processes with these journeys. This will help you determine whether it is difficult or easy for the individual to reciprocate communication to your institution. • Identify how you will measure success (e.g. various report requirements, dashboards, etc.) This measurement process can also assist you in reviewing changing trends to reassess objectives. • Identify critical business dates or milestones to determine your timing. Do you have a busy period that requires a systems upgrade, or are there times of the year when you may reduce staff? • Evaluate the data and standard policies you currently collect on prospective students. You need to learn what engages them, how it effects this engagement, and the timing of the message delivery.

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In conclusion, a complete CRM strategy should include: Business goals and objectives • • • • • •

Data strategy and analytics Comprehensive communication planning Business process definitions Content strategy Technology A plan for continuous improvement

To learn more about Implementing a Customer Relationship Management Strategy visit www.weisermazars.com/HES

Contact Mary Lynn Haley, CSM, PMP Senior Manager 267.532.4345 [email protected] Meghann Bozic, CSM, PMP Manager 267.532.4443 [email protected]

IMPLEMENTING A CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

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