Stand and Deliver

Multiple-channel CRM strategies can provide better service, customer retention, and profitability

By Hisham Alam

Continued from Page 1

Web and Wireless Access

The customer experience can be further enhanced through alternative channels such as a Web site and wireless access. These channels offer several benefits above and beyond the characteristic features of the call center. Through a Web site, your customers can have access to an up-to-date online catalog. They can track their orders online without superfluous interaction with a CSR, have visual access to information, and navigate with considerable flexibility to access different types of information.

Your customers can actively interact with the Web site. For example, they can write a review about an item purchased or read reviews about an item and form an opinion prior to ordering it. They can also personalize their profiles and preferences on the fly.

Customers can be alerted by email to promotions or order status. The Web site can also process promotions in an automated way. In one scheme, the Web site recognizes a range of IP addresses that originate from a partnering organization and its members obtain an automatic discount without divulging personal information. Finally, wireless devices provide information access from anywhere, albeit in a constrained format.

Your customer experience is maximized when a transaction is initiated through one channel and continued through another. For example, the customer places an order through the call center and then tracks its status over the Web.

Back-End Operations

When an order is entered, back-end functions are initiated. Various steps may be performed until the ordered item is delivered to the customer and the transaction is closed. Core back-end functions include:

Payment authorization. This process involves obtaining authorization for credit card payment or validating an account in the case of a corporate customer.

Geographic zoning. In this step the customer's address is verified to ensure that it is within the service territory. An estimated delivery time is calculated.

Placing order with partner. Here the order received from the customer is validated and then forwarded to the business partner (or warehouse in the case of grocery delivery service companies).

Driver dispatch. A driver is assigned to pick up the order from the business partner and have it delivered to the customer. The addresses of the partner and the customer are sent to the driver.

Order delivery status. The status of the delivery is tracked with the driver and recorded for reference by the customer.

The system infrastructure must let information be efficiently exchanged between the front- and back-end operations.

CRM Architecture

The multichannel CRM architecture consists of several interacting components. Figure 1 depicts a schematic of the various elements. A key component is the CRM solution, which is implemented as a software package. One of the principal functions of the CRM solution is integration with call routing. This integration is achieved through the interaction of a number of servers. The computer telephony integration (CTI) server provides the interface between the CRM server and the telephony components, which are the IVR and PBX/ACD (Automatic Call Distributor).

The integration with the PBX/ACD telephony component ensures that the call is directed to the appropriate CSR and that at the same time, the caller's information appears on the CSR's workstation. The connection between the IVR and the CTI server lets the customer perform automated tasks that require access to database information. The CRM solution lets the agent perform order entry, payment acceptance, and look up the customer's profile. The ability to access customer information instantaneously is critical. If you're a repeat customer, the CSR can quickly respond to your preestablished preferences. This capability leads to high customer satisfaction and as well rapid call closure.

Beyond the Call Center

To be successful with a multiple-channel strategy, the packaged solution must also provide an interface to the Web and increasingly to wireless devices (personal digital assistants, or PDAs, and cell phones) as their usage becomes more widespread. Conceptually, this strategy is relatively easily provided. However, the user interface requirements of the call center are very different from the user interface requirements of the Web and of wireless handheld devices. For instance, the call center's user interface is designed for rapid navigation by trained CSRs.

For the Web, the user interface is designed for intuitive navigation, attractive display, and hyperlinks to promote exploration of various services for a wide variety of users. For handheld devices, the user interface provides limited functionality through menu-driven options geared toward quick selection and execution. A CRM package will rarely address the totality of the user interface requirements satisfactorily. In such a scenario, separate packaged software solutions may be required to address the call center and the Web/wireless access needs.

The back-end operations are typically implemented through a highly customized in-house proprietary software application that integrates many functions. Currently, no packaged solutions effectively address all the back-end operational needs. The back-end application consists of a number of different components. The payment authorization process involves connecting to an external credit agency and using its particular software. The system categorizes addresses into zones that are integrated into the application. The scheduling and assignment of delivery drivers is integrated with a wireless infrastructure such as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). The system may perform delivery-status tracking with this technology as well. Fax machines are universal, so you can use a fax server to forward customer orders to retail partners. The back-end operation also involves interacting with the company's financial systems to process credit card and other forms of payments that are due or will be received. The system routes payments due to partners to accounts payable and routes corporate account receipts to accounts receivables.