1to1 Magazine Demo

EXPERT INSIGHT one-on-one with Kevin Zimmerman Mastering Global CRM 1to1 speaks with Robert Fleming, 1to1 faculty member and adjunct associate professor at the National University of Singapore’s business school, to discuss the challenges of teaching CRM in a culture unused to many of its concepts. CRM and customer centricity are well-established watchwords in much of the Western world, but that’s not the case in many Asia-Pacific territories. As cultural differences start to lessen in this area, however, MBA classes on CRM, business ethics, and corporate social responsibility will increase in popularity. “Historically, there has not been a tremendous amount of understanding of how to be customer centric.” How did these classes come about? I was semi-retired, and had been invited to do a series of one- to two-hour guest lectures on the topic. There was a lot of interest both from the faculty and the students; CRM is still a relatively new topic for a lot of people in what we think of as “non-mainstream” countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, and even China. Businesses would talk about it, but they didn’t really understand it. Historically, there has not been a tremendous amount of understanding of how to be customer centric [in the region]. They’ve tended to view software as a solution, as opposed to an enabler. I felt, and the university agreed, that it was important to start getting people into business schools to promote a real, holistic approach. Ultimately, the students are required to deliver a final project, in place of a final exam, to demonstrate that they’ve learned enough to start putting together their own strategies. We’ve done this with everything from the Pampers Hearts Club mobile CRM program to the Ontario government’s plan to boost organ donations. Are there other challenges in teaching CRM that are particular to the region? There is a bit of a language barrier. Although Singaporeans speak English, my classes on average include about 30 percent from India and 20 percent from China. Often they can read English better than speak it, which plays into the culture of being a bit reticent in the classroom. That’s another reason that the final project is written. The main challenge is to get them to remember it’s a customer strategy that’s designed to be part of an overall strategic plan. It’s not something that’s supposed to stand alone and take care of a company’s every division. We hear a lot that some of the Eastern countries are starting to open up more to Western concerns. Is that something you see? Well, Singapore has always been open, and some other countries are starting to open up, but I’d say it’s not as open as many outsiders think it is. There’s still a lot of protectionism in China and India in terms of what companies they’ll allow in and what regulations they need to operate under. We saw that [in July] with the collapse of the latest round of the World Trade Organization talks. They love technology, and they’re eager to export their products, but they don’t necessarily want you to be in their markets. Are you encouraged by the response of your students to learning about CRM as it may apply to customer outreach in the region in the years ahead? I am. They are demonstrating a better understanding of it, and the software companies here are talking about CRM in the right way: that it’s an enabler, not a solution. Deployments in the future will, I believe, be much more successful than they have in the past. Contact Fleming at bob.fleming@1to1asia.com How would you compare where the region generally is in this area with where it is in the West? It’s at about the level it was in North America in the 1990s. There are still very few programs on CRM—the only other one I’m aware of in the region is at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Given the relative lack of students’ background on the topic, how do you go about conducting your classes? On average, I have 40 students per class. I start with the foundations and principles of CRM, and illustrate those with case studies, most of which come from the U.S. as there really are no great case studies in Asia. We examine a number of different aspects of the case studies, with an eye towards answering the question, “How can you launch a real, customer-centric program at your company?” Second, I build a lot of the course around some newer aspects of CRM, such as working as a trusted agent and social and collaborative marketing. I also enlist guest lecturers from industry in the class sessions. These are principally around data-driven analytics and software solutions. I’ve had Carlson Decision Sciences associates and Fractal provide insight into actual corporate use of analytics. Similarly, I’ve had Microsoft and Salesforce.com discuss their approach to technology solutions. These guest lectures are well received and get a lot of dialogue going. 48 1to1 magazine www.1to1media.com http://Salesforce.com http://www.1to1media.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of 1to1 Magazine Demo

1to1 Magazine Demo Contents 1to1media.com Editor's Note Feedback Putting Care in Patients' Hands Loyalty at Work Redefining the Contact Center Agent Introducing Enterprise 2.0 Cigna Dental Drills for Loyal Customers On the Beat 19 Ways to Succeed Miami Heat Schools Its Staff on Sales and Service Marketing Lends a Helping Hand More Than Meets the Eye Customer Service by Committiee Textron's Business Soars by Tracking Customer Loyalty Resources Contact Center Agent as Trusted Advisor Mastering Global CRM Face to Face with Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, Ph.D.

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