Customer relationship cycle
Darrell K. Rigby & Dianne Ledingham
A comprehensive CRM system can, in theory, automate every aspect of a company's relationship with its customers, from all the activities needed to target customers through those for product development, sales, service and retention. But smart companies focus their CRM implementations sharply, carefully choosing which segment of the cycle, and which functions within that segment, are likely to deliver the greatest return on an initial CRM investment. Success with this first effort often lights the way to subsequent project-automating additional functions in the same segment steadily moving from segment...