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Synopsis on customer relationship management
Short note on customer relationship management
Synopsis on customer relationship management
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Advantage and disadvantage of Sales Force Automation
Before in the 1980s, salespersons worked in ‘local offices’ which were responsible for catering customers within a specific geographical region. The salesperson was the professional correspondent who met with key buyers within his jurisdiction and is the knowledgeable product expert who often traveled to meet with clients. However, as a salesperson is often only capable of being well versed with one product, multiple salesperson who are specialized in different products from the selling organization had to be deployed to meet various customer needs and demands which constitutes the sales force (Webster 1980, cited in Sharma 2007).
As computer hardware and software improvements gradually follow over the years, small and larger firms started to recognized that some amount of sales function can be made more efficient with sales force automation (Engle & Barnes 2000).
Sales force automation is the digitalizing of analogue sales through information technology (Rivers & Dart 1999). It is also used as a tool to implement a new marketing strategy known as customer relationship management (CRM) (Speier & Venkatesh 2002). However, sales force automation has brought its own advantages and disadvantages to the business at the same time.
Sales force automation has smoothen the interaction between the firm and customers with a smaller sales force. The customers can quickly access the product’s information through the firm’s website (Larpsiri & Speece 2004). When there is an enquiry about the product, the customers need not approach the salesperson in person, or even when they have enquiries about different products, they need not approach different salesperson. They just have to log on to the website and browse through for different product information at the same time. This has in turn reduced the number of salespersons. For example, a customer can visit Hewlett Packard’s website to check on different types of products such as desktops and printers from the website, they can compare the prices of different models. With the website, Hewlett Packard does not need to hire different salespeople for the different types of products to explain the advantages of the products to the customers one by one (Johnson & Bharadwaj 2005).
This form of sales force automation can improve customer service by providing more than just information about their products. Information can be provided specifically to answer the customer’s query (Sharma 2007). If customers have any doubts on a particular product, they can check on the frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Lowe’s is a home improvement warehouse that was founded in 1946 as a single store and since has grown to become the second largest in the world. As technology has evolved, Lowe’s has made many advances incorporating new systems and devices to stay competitive. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the information technology management systems used at Lowe’s. It will look at Porter’s Five Force Model, supply chain management; data base management system, five agent-based technologies, e-commerce and system development lifecycle. Furthermore, it will look at business continuity planning, emerging trends and security vulnerabilities relates to the organization to remain competitive.
To map out the most effective routes when creating territories, the fourth step encompasses the use of comprehensive software packages along with feedback from the sales team. Sales and customer analysis are also providing valuable information in this step. Finally, after the manager considers differences in abilities among salespeople and their effectiveness with different customers, the salesperson should be assigned to the territory where he or she can contribute the most to the company 's success. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the salesperson to maintain and adjust his or her schedule to produce more effectively (Talley Jr., 1961,
... sure the client needs are taken care of. That leaves the remaining sales agents to be mainly concerned with the selling of the Merbatty’s products.
This situation seemed interesting to Vanguard because of the exponential increase in the number of potential clients, whom Vanguard doesn’t have to directly advise and serve about their products and services, combined with the high potential for profitability. The development of this broad qualified sales force could also be done at relatively low development cost. The positive aspects of this alternative are somehow strongly counterbalanced by the fact that huge efforts of mass advertising would be required in order to inform the potential customers about Vanguard’s brand, and over whom Vanguard would have no control in the sale process. Vanguard would also have to face some strong competition in its relationship with the intermediaries, who are not always the most loyal sales representatives.
Sales and delivery personnel have a unique system and they work well together. Large sales force of over 10,000 individuals.
The purpose of this memo is to provide the rationale for recommending a methodology for the new customer service system. After analyzing the client needs and requirements, I recommend that we utilize Scrum to create the system.
Regions are divided into branches and sales teams covering specific customer industries and sectors. Martha Pauley, a Branch Manager, manages multiple sales teams in the Northeast Region. Previously branches sold all products in a specific city/area; branches are now tasked with selling one product group over a much larger geographic area (Dynacorp Revisited, 2005: M-2, 86). The sales ...
Since its launch in the mid '90s, Dell's e-commerce business has been a poster child for the benefits of online sales, says Aberdeen Group analyst Kent Allen. The company's strategy of selling over the Internet -- with no retail outlets and no middleman -- has been as discussed, admired and imitated as any e-commerce model. Dell's online sales channel has proven so successful, says Allen that the computer industry must ask: "Does the consumer need to go to the store to buy a PC anymore?"
Sharif, K. (2008) 'Impact of information and communication technologies on sales representative internal and external relationships — A study of the UK pharmaceutical sector', Journal of Medical Marketing, 8 (4), pp.341-55.
* Give the sales force the ability to enter orders while at the customer site to improve customer service (Sales Department)
Personal selling will be measured in both qualitative and quantitative terms. Salespersons will have to fill reports regarding the interlocutors behaviour and product knowledge.
Companies are beginning to move their CRM application out of data centers and onto the cloud making CRM less expensive and easier to expand. (Shein, 2009) Technology advances are also allowing companies to begin to take better advantage of big data, combing internal data with social media and mobile to deliver more business value. (Goodwin, 2013) In the future, more devices will be connected to the Internet. Cars, buildings, bodies and many other things will be connected through sensors and it is expected that this increase in information will continue to drive the changes in CRM and how it is used to support sales, marketing and customer service. (Sartain,
Databases and tracking tools give companies the ability to know the finer details in order to foster that relationship and allow customer service agents to provide that intimate service to a customer even when they have never spoken before. Customers have come to expect this level of focused customer service and depend upon the investment they have made in the company by establishing an interactive relationship with
The high take-up of the Internet leads to variety of opportunities in front of companies. People are more online than ever. They spend many hours each day on Social Networks such as Facebook and Google+. It is no wonder that buying and selling can now be done in a more convenient way. Although traditional shopping is still thriving, online shopping can be an alternative for people wanting to save time and money. If a certain customer plan to go shopping, it could be stressful and also be time consuming. E-business has made shopping or any kind of transactions online much easier and convenient. It introduces new facilities, opportunities and way of shopping for both vendors and customers.
Sales force management tools such as quotas, targets and sales reports are mainly used by management for a number of reasons. These include monitoring of sales force performance and determining suitable target markets for their sales force. Technology is also an aspect in sales management that has revolutionized sale and management in organizations. The incorporation of new technology has made work much easier for both employees and the management.