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CUSTOMER NEEDS DATA MANAGEMENT
4.14.2009
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The most effective innovative companies and organizations will have systems where data collection not only comes from direct surveys and questionnaires, but from multiple sources, both internal and external to the organization. For instance, if you have a technical service department, customers and end-users may be feeding product needs and suggestions directly to the company. If this information is not escalated to the marketing manager or engineering team it may be lost or ignored. In firms specializing in technological innovation, the feedback from primary adopters can be essential to correcting faults and spurring on design and technical improvements. Effective internal data logging and filtering also serves as a benefit of empowering the employees of an organization.
New tools for eliciting customer data make the task easier than ever to gather data. Social networking online tools like Facebook and Twitter allow for immediate collection. Other services such as Constant Contact (www.ConstantContact.com) provide simple templates for online surveys that even small businesses and organizations can use. Many online data collection tools also provide some form of analysis tools.
Analysis of data is often done with the aid of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) packages or databases. A new crop of CRM software makes it clear that IT has a critical role in creating the positive customer experiences that are fundamental to corporate innovation efforts. In addition, the right CRM implemented the right way provides insights about customer spending and shopping habits that can be mined and converted into strong new products or services.
CRM software is slimming down and ditching the weighty moniker of "enterprise CRM." Companies such as SAP and Oracle/Siebel are simplifying their formerly expansive offerings. Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.com, once targeted solely at midsize companies, are beefing up with added features and integration capabilities.
