CRM - August 2008 - (Page 8)

FEEDBACK Excellence Matters JUST READ Lior Arussy’s article (“The Excellence Myth,” May 2008) and wanted to say thanks. Good stuff! But what I’d really like to know is, Why? Why are so many deep-pocketed companies—with MBAs out the yin-yang—seemingly clueless about true excellence? Is this a management/vision issue, or is this a battle that companies lose in the trenches? If Rule #1 of going to market is to have a better mousetrap—or at least to believe that you do—why are there so many me-too, cookie-cutter, just-good-enough companies? And why is it such a shock when the less-than-excellent ones run into trouble (e.g., Linens ’n Things, Borders, etc.)? Maybe excellence is too nebulous and/or too subjective to define, something that doesn’t go hand-in-hand with the distraction of quarterly results. Still, some companies do manage to pull it off. What do those companies know and do that so many others are clueless about? Maybe I have to buy Lior’s book to find out. [Shameless plug: It’s available now. See the ad on page 41. –Ed.] I believe in excellence. What would help me is figuring out how to overcome those who do not. Along those lines, I also enjoyed Woody Driggs’ recent column (The Tipping Point, “Serving Up Customer Delight,” April 2008) on how detailed attention to the total customer experience is the difference between success and failure. Still, shouldn’t this be obvious? Again, the real issue is, Why? Why is there so little differentiation between companies? Why are so many delivering what they themselves wouldn’t buy? Worse, those same executives are expecting to rise to the top of their industries. On what? The strength of their averageness? In general, the goals seem clearly defined—attract customers; keep them; make a profit—yet the methods continue to fail. That’s where I think we need input, guidance, etc. Maybe there’s even a test (like the Myers-Briggs personality assessment) for identifying truly customer-focused employees? Thanks again for the great articles. I look forward to more coverage that addresses why so many get the what so wrong. Mark Simchock Chief Alchemist, Alchemy United mark.simchock@alchemyunited.com I are huge differences in functionality, ease of use, implementation, ongoing support, and price.” I might add that canned reports—which are what most of these vendors offer—may not provide contact center management with the level of detail needed to identify the potential improvements that may be most beneficial to operations. Andy Falke afalke1@optonline.net Where 'At' Is At REGARDING your February 2008 cover line, “If you have to ask which stage your company's at”: It would have been far more grammatically correct to write, “If you have to ask at which stage your company is.” This may seem like an unimportant detail, but CRM is all about details. Lauri Turevon turevonl@gmail.com Managing Editor Joshua Weinberger responds: Thanks for the feedback. I agree about the importance of details; in fact, we considered many options (including the one you mention) before settling on the aesthetically pleasing version that ran. We may quibble over the grammar, but there’s no doubt which side our bread’s buttered on. Contemplating Loyalty Lior Arussy responds: Mark, thanks for the passionate message. Did you consider the possibility that these companies are simply incapable of producing excellence? That all these MBAs are simply not capable of squeezing a piece of passion out of their spreadsheets? In that case, they simply resort to copying others. If their hearts are not in their work, no innovation or excellence will ever come out. I E N J OY E D reading Marshall Lager’s article on “The Loyalty Riddle” (February 2008). The area of customer loyalty is one that I have been researching for the last 20 years. You make some very good points and I find your writing refreshingly clear. I have a few comments to which, if you have the time, I would appreciate your response. I keep hearing that the Net Promoter Score is being accepted by many. I also read that there are arguments against it. What is your opinion on the validity of the method? You also reference some work by Jim Kane from the Brookeside Group in your article, and indicate that he has identified six factors that predict loyalty. Were these six factors derived through research, and Selling to Salespeople: The Real Dilemma I USED to agree with your view on mov- ing sales reps into CRM usage (“Selling CRM to Your Sales Force,” March 2008). That was before I conducted an extensive research project—on what I call “The CRM Dilemma”—that convinced me that sales reps’ aversion to activity controls is so strong, they’ll do everything in their power to defeat CRM. To my knowledge, no one has identified this issue before. I’ve infor8 mally presented my research on “The CRM Dilemma” on my blog of the same name. Arne Huse arnehuse@shaw.ca Monitoring the Quality Monitors’ Reports I ENJOYED reading Donna Fluss’ column, “Monitoring the Quality Monitors” (Scouting Report, February 2008). I was glad to see her statement that “it’s essential to carefully analyze and identify the right offering for your company. There CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | AUGUST 2008 www.destinationCRM.com http://www.destinationCRM.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - August 2008

CRM - August 2008 Contents Front Office Feedback Reality Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point Maximum Security A Code Win Doesn’t Blow Forming the Platform CRM on Twitter CRM Class Is in Session Making CRM Mandatory for University Administration Required Reading Cover Story: Calling it Quits Wouldja Look at That? 8 Enterprise Strategies That Stick CRM Searches for Search All Lines Are Not Busy UC: As Easy as A-B-C Even Contact Centers Have Room for Improvement Money Lying Around? Secret of My Success Re:Tooling Scouting Report Pint of View

CRM - August 2008

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