I just finished reading the book “The ONE Thing” by Gary Keller. It got me thinking about how to apply that One Thing thinking in my career. Currently my “ONE thing” is to tell the story of how Interaction Management meets Relationship Management.
I didn’t come up with that tagline, some of my coworkers did and it does sound catchy. Being catchy is one thing, but we wanted to be sure people would really understand the full meaning behind this powerful dynamic.
I tried breaking it down into phrases, Interaction Management and Relationship Management, but that seemed dry. The term Interaction Management is used in IT to refer to the use of technologies that help manage various interactions between users. Relationship Management is a strategy in which a continuous level of engagement is maintained between two entities. That really doesn’t tell the story.
Connecting these two ideas isn’t a new concept; in fact, I found an article from 2002 (yes, 13 years ago!) from DestinationCRM.com that gives some good context by framing it around the consumer. Think of Interaction Management as the folks at the front of the Wal-Mart stores stationed to greet each of the customers. In this analogy, the Wal-Mart greeter would not only welcome you to the store, but that person would also know your name, your shopping history and preferences, and help direct you to the appropriate department so you can more quickly complete your business. While the Wal-Mart greeter might begin to recognize you and your shopping patterns over time, the memory behind the system would be the transactional systems and the repository of customer data or the relationship management.
So, the idea that interaction management meets relationship management isn’t new. However, the tools and means to accomplish this have come a long way.
This is the era of the consumer. And, as a consumer, how do I want interaction management to meet relationship management for me? Well, I want to interact with the company of my choice by using self-service, email, SMS, chat, social and maybe a phone call now and then. I want the company of my choice to interact proactively (Weekend sale? Let me know about it!) And know who I am, however I choose to engage (don’t make me tell you who I am and why I am calling more than once).
Research says that companies are listening. In fact, as we highlighted in a recent infographic, 96% of companies want to improve customer experiences but only 48% of companies have integrated CRM with their interaction management system. (Contact Center and CRM Integration: A Data-Driven Approach to Delight Customers, Aberdeen Group, December 2013.)
Integration is the answer. By integrating a call center solution that supports omni-channel interaction with a relationship management solution, this blows wide open the possibilities of remarkable customer service. This demo of how an omni-channel solution could work will make you start to think differently. It is a reality and companies such as Trupanion are winning awards by doing it.
So as I tell this “one thing” over and over again I am excited. Excited to be part of something that is changing the conversation in remarkable ways.
Want to know more? Join us for our live webinar tomorrow, Integrating CRM and Contact Center for Remarkable Experiences, from 1-2 p.m. ET! REGISTER>>
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