Customer experience management (CEM) is the collection of processes a company uses to track, oversee and organize every interaction between a customer and the organization throughout the customer lifecycle.
So is Customer Experience Management (CEM) just a new term used to sell re-packaged Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software?
WHAT IS Customer Experience Management and how does it compare with CRM?
Although these two methodologies are quite similar, there are some key differences.
CRM software:
- Records business interactions with customers
- Allows recording of potential sales opportunities
- Provides automated pipelines for moving customers through the sales process
What is Customer Experience Management ?
Customer experience management often provides exactly the same functionality as CRM, but also focuses on the customer as a person, rather than simply a faceless client. In many respects CEM:
- Forces your business to look at itself from the customer’s perspective
- Forces your business to shape the experience you believe your customers want
- Is also interested in your customer’s thoughts and emotions
‘Customer experience management premise is almost the mirror-image [of CRM]. It says that every time a company and a customer interact, the customer learns something about the company. Depending upon what is learned from each experience; customers may alter their behaviour in ways that affect their individual profitability. Thus, by managing these experiences, companies can orchestrate more profitable relationships with their customers’. CRM, MEET CEM BY PETER GURNEY
When using CRM software and methodologies it is often easy to reduce customers to a collection of facts and figures used to calculate future sales opportunities.
CEM seeks to add personality into the mix to create a more rounded picture of each client, allowing for better customer service and even more finely targeted insights.
How a CRM can help
A CRM system benefits an organisation through the improving both operational and organisation efficiency. It provides visibility as well as management and control of information. This visibility is fundamental to an organisations performance and control of their business processes. This visibility enables management to understand why, when, who and how sales opportunities are being won, stalled, or being lost for example. If it cannot be monitored, it cannot be managed. The visibility offered within the CRM system also allows management to make educated business decisions based on hard data. A CRM system will enable structured data to be used to access performance. This assessment should indicate which sales person is out performing others.
ProAptivity are an independent CRM solutions provider. We focus on the implementation, training, and support of highly customised CRM software solutions. Our CRM software supported by our sales training provide customers with the tools needed to deliver successful sales process management.
Fundamentally, we help organisations embed CRM best practice throughout their organisation. This helps organisations become more competitive, customer focused and ultimately more profitable.
If you need help in understanding why my business needs CRM, maybe some of our eBooks could help! Alternatively visit Maximizer CRM for more information. Contact us today in Belfast on 028 9099 6388 or at our Bedford office on 01234 214004. Alternatively email us on info@proaptivity.com. Contact us today for a free CRM consultation that will assess if your business is CRM ready.
