BT Business advice

BT Business Advice - What the panel said

Is brand influential in customer service?
Published: November 27 2001 12:05GMT | Last Updated: February 6 2002 16:13GMT

Your question: When considering corporate CRM, how would you assess the appropriate allocation of resources and investment in order to provide an excellent level of CRM within economies of scale?
Do you see a direct link between an established brand and good customer service - how influential do you think your brand is to the delivery of customer service?

BT replies

A CRM framework can assess where your priorities are and which areas to focus on, who at main board level is the owner of the customer experience and how is that experience translated into operational deliverables. As the customer will experience each of your channels or processes collectively, the customer experience will be as strong as the weakest link. You can have the best sales teams, but if service or accounts is not co-ordinated to them, then the sales experience can be undermined.
The role of the brand can be very strong in creating an external and internal expression to improve the customer experience. If you have a strong brand, then research will show why it’s strong. Those findings will give you an indication of areas you must enhance by your CRM programme. If you don't have a strong brand, then a successful CRM programme can help you build one.