Part 2 continues the exploration of what customer service functionality you should expect you CRM system to deliver.

Service contracts. Service contract functionality in your CRM system should begin at the point of order entry, prompting sales personnel, regardless of the channel, to proactively offer appropriate service contracts as part of the original sale. Then the system should notify sales personnel when contracts are about to expire, adding a second revenue opportunity.  The system should keep track of each customer’s service entitlements, measure service level compliance and help an organization meet service commitments.

CRM system

Turn customer service into a competitive advantage with CRM. (Part 2)

Installation and maintenance mapping. Your CRM system’s customer records should include a complete map of which products of yours the customer already has, which are being used together and what the customer environment looks like. This enables you to understand how your products will perform and interact and also enables you to deliver scheduled maintenance with minimum interruption.

Field Service. Field service is an expensive use of skilled personnel. This cost can be minimized with automated dispatching and routing that optimizes each truck’s workflow. When service personnel arrive on site they know they’ll have exactly the right parts and tools to affect the required repairs in one visit. The system should keep track of which service personnel have visited which customers in the past to ensure that a familiar face with previous site knowledge in on the job. Scheduling can be managed so tightly, with average repair times for every sort of field service activity factored in, that customers benefit from shorter service windows.

Spare parts management. Your ERP system, of course, includes inventory and warehouse management. But a significant amount of a spare parts inventory resides in an organization’s fleet of service vehicles spread across the country. The customer service component of a CRM system should have the capability of tracking this inventory, reporting to warehouse inventory and financial applications when parts are sold though to customers and ensure that each truck has the optimum inventory for their calls that day or week. Mobile devices and scanners will make it easier for drivers to keep on top of their truck inventory and how it is deployed.

Customer service reporting and analytics. Your CRM systems should have built-in reporting capability and robust analytics to track key performance indicators and provide management visibility into problems and opportunities. You’ll want to measure average response time, repair time and rate of resolution on first contact. Analytics need to show you which types of service contracts are most profitable, which territories, and even which individual service people are most productive.

Third-party service management.  If you use third-party service organizations, wholly, or to augment your in-house service capabilities, your CRM system should have the functionality to manage these providers, too. Service organizations should be able to tap directly into your customer service portals to access all the functionality your in-house group has, to ensure a consistent customer experience regardless of who is providing the service.

Your ERP system makes your whole enterprise more efficient. Customer service processes, automated by a fully integrated CRM application, can also be made more efficient. You’ll build customer loyalty in the process, make service personnel more effective and optimize new sources of revenue.

Written by :

tracey boxer