Special Edition Using® Microsoft® CRM

Make the Customer the Basis for CRM Design

Customer-centricity starts with the understanding that the customer—not a particular line of business or technology—is the CRM design point. The transformation starts with your customer-facing applications, such as your Web site and other customer contact points. Whether you use call-center support, direct mail, response handling, or face-to-face customer interactions, this is the focal point for activities that will be propagated throughout your organization.

This means understanding your customer's point of view and aligning your entire organization to support it. It might mean starting with a key segment of your customer base, first aligning to that segment's needs, and then moving on to add in the ...