Customer Relationship Management: Electronic Customer Care in the New Economy

Under the term Customer Relationship Management (CRM), companies such as SAP, Siebel Systems or E.piphany offer software solutions to optimize customer-facing processes. Business units responsible for the implementation of CRM software are in many cases relatively inexperienced in the reorganization of these processes. It is important for them to consider the needs of their customers as a whole. This book describes the customer relatioship using the concept of the Customer Buying Cycle, thereby creating a neutral orientation framework for CRM projects. For each phase of the Customer Buying Cycle it shows how Information Technologies can be used to generate benefits either for the customer or for the company that implements the CRM tools. This book includes many case studies exemplifying how CRM is realized in the practical business world.