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Methods of Customer Relationship Management

There are different methods that are used in enhancing customer relationships. One is live assistance of the customers. This is a good way that customer relationship officers use to boost customer engagement. Waskito (2018) contends that businesses using visual engagement tools mark an 83% year-on-year increase in annual revenue and achieve 2.7 times greater annual improvement (decrease) in customer effort scores. Visual engagement involves communicating with customers visually in the form of screen sharing, Co-Browsing, or face-to-face video conferencing (Lockwood, 2004). The use of visual tools in assisting customers is adopted in organizations and businesses in order to save on time for employee interaction as in the comfort of their places. They can interact with the businesses by use of video tools. Video tools involve a one on one interaction between the customer and the organization officer by the use of videos for live assistance (Kotorov, 2003). This saves the time they would have used traveling to meet customer service officials physically. Customers will thus appreciate what does not waste their time. The use of visual engagement tools makes it easy for customers to troubleshoot their software or accounts, as well as to ask any questions they have about their transactions (Abhyanker, 2008). This contributes to CRM by ensuring that customers are satisfied with the services offered.

Automation of Customer Support

Another method of CRM is the automation of customer support. This is a method of customer support provided by an automated system like a chatbot and other artificial intelligence software (Taylor, 2015). Today, technology has taken over the world, and businesses are also striving to cope with the technology pace and improve customer experience and support. When there is a delay in customer support delivery, the customers tend to give up with the given business and leave dissatisfied (Abe, 2008). Automating customer support using software like chatbots can redefine your customer satisfaction rates by improving your response times, engagement, and your customers’ interests (Plakoyiannaki, 2006). The businesses develop systems that are fitted with the most commonly asked questions by customers. When customers log into the customer support system, they are first exposed to these questions to determine whether their inquiry is a part of these questions (Johnston, 2012). Since the questions have direct answers, the customer will not have to wait on line to get answers to their query. Automation of customer support also provides customers with procedures regarding business transaction processes and any other form of inquiry. This makes the experience of the customers better.

Continuous Marketing Engagement

The other method of CRM is a continuous marketing engagement. Customer engagement entails both the physical and emotional connection of the customers to the given brand (Nabe, 2002) If customers are not well engaged in business, they are likely to raise a red flag, which will have a dire consequence to the business. These consequences may include finding an alternative, which is an advantage to the competitors. Actively disengaged customers cause disruption and dissatisfaction within the company (Angel, 2002). When a business gets customers, it is important to try and retain them for the betterment of the future operations of the given business. Royal customers are far more profitable if retained than looking for new customers and making them loyal (Waskito, 2018). As a result, the customer relationship management team must strive to retain loyal customers as they look for new ones, other than finding new ones at the expense of the old loyal customers, as it happens in many businesses. The more engaged the customers are, the happier they are, and the easier it is to retain them, recommend other customers, and buy more (Ivanovic, 2011). Providing a high-quality customer experience is an important component in customer engagement strategy (Peppard, 2000). Engagement can be done by listening to the comments of customers and responding to them.

Social Media

Today, social media has become the most used form of media, and businesses are using it to enhance the customer experience. Social media can be defined as forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (Newell, 2000). The customers share both positive and negative experiences and reviews using the business social media and expect an immediate response from the business personnel (Diffley, 2018). When businesses improve on their use of social media and use them for customer service and not just for business satisfaction, they gain increased exposure for their customers. Social CRM is the involvement of social media in CRM (Reinartz, 2004). This is a way of improving customer relationship management to better business operations and gains. Social CRM supports CRM and customer interactions alongside traditional methods like phone calls (Kumar, 2010). In this case, the customers can choose what platform to use, depending on the ease of use. According to Berry (2000), a social CRM system helps businesses gather richer, actionable insight about customer sentiment on their company, their brand, and specific products or services.

3. Causes of Poor Customer Relationship

The other causes of poor customer relationships in business are lack of delivery as per expectations and failure to focus on customer experience. The quality of services offered to customers matters a lot in the way the businesses relate with their customers. The hope of every customer is that they will receive the expected services and quality goods from the company they trade in (Bhat, 2016). If this is not the case, there is a rift created, and the relationship between the customers and the business is ruined. When promises are made to customers and not delivered, the customers tend to react in a negative way, and this rates the company negatively (Chen, 2003). In addition, the failure to focus on the experience of customers results in unreasonable customer relationships. Businesses should always follow up on the customers and find out how their experience was after every service delivery process (Diffley, 2018). This gives the business the ability to evaluate the process of service delivery and improve on any negative comment given by the clients. The customers are the main assets in a business, and they should thus receive such kind of treatment.

4. Impacts of Customer Relationship Management

Good customer relationship management is very beneficial to the enterprise in the long run. When a business exercises good customer relationship management, it increases its efficiency, effectiveness, and profitability. When the customers are satisfied with the offered services, they tend to buy more from the given enterprise, thus increasing their sales (Dewnarain, 2019). Also, there is an increase in effectiveness and efficiency as customers are treated the right way and in a way they would like to be, thus improving their experience. Improved ability to target profitable customers, integrated offerings across channels and improved sales force efficiency and effectiveness (Plakoyiannaki, 2006). Good customer relationship management increases customer retention in an enterprise. There is no customer who will be willing to leave an enterprise where they are treated well and where their goals and targets are met (Ivanovic, 2011). Thus, the customers will be easily retained and recommend others to the enterprise as they are satisfied with the enterprise's services.

Good customer relationship management creates an excellent experience for the customers, both new and old. Enterprises that offer good customer relations management services find it easy to attract new customers in their business from competing businesses that lack such a form of services for their clients (Heimbach, 2015). In this case, they are existing customers who recommend their friend to the business, and when they are treated well, they are retained (Waskito, 2018). This increased the market share of the given enterprise, and in this case, they increase their production and profits. Coming up with an acquisition strategy that also promotes retention is a win-win scenario for everyone involved (Buttle, 2019). This encourages customers to recommend others as they are also benefiting from the referrals. Customer satisfaction should be an objective for every enterprise in its quest for growth. A good customer relationship management also offers an enterprise the improved ability to target profitable customers (Goldenberg, 2002). When there is a close relationship between the customers and the enterprise personnel, the customers are well examined and monitored regarding their purchase trends, delivery, and satisfaction levels. Losing some key customers is very costly to an enterprise, and these customers must thus be treated rightly to avoid losses to the company (Kolegayev, 2015). This can only be achieved if there is a good relationship with them, only achievable through customer relationship management to keep the customers on board and satisfied always.

CRM Strengths at Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. Comment by Denghao Wei: I read the previous part last time, so I comment from here. Is this included in LR? Where are Methodology and Results?

The strength of customer relationship management can be measured according to customer satisfaction and the retention of customers. Companies with a strong CRM that is well manned have a lot of ease managing their customers and have stable customers. Having stable and satisfied customers helps a company to have a well schemed production and rating. This also raises the revenue of the company and creates a very easy referral to other customers; thus, increasing the number of available customers for the company products. Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. (which is referred to as “the company” hereafter) is one of the world's companies that can be described as having good CRM and being able to retain its customers. This can be proven by the company's continuous growth around the world after about 20 years of existence in the chemical and pharmaceutical equipment and machinery production. The good CRM has been attributed to several activities which are undertaken by the CRM team and the management at large to manage the customers and satisfy them.

One of the CRM strengths at Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. is the company's implementation of the technology and software in order to improve on its CRM. The company uses CRM software to improve on its customer satisfaction and retention. One of every company's key goals is to have a direct and close connection with its immediate customers. Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. has identified its key customers, who are companies involved in the chemical and pharmaceutical field. These companies have to be convinced of why they should rely on the products from Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. and not any other companiesy. To maintain this, the company has implemented a CRM software to communicate directly with clients. This software is also used in Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. to track the progress of the shipped equipment and machinery to other countries. Product awareness is well tracked using the software for ease of delivery and manufacturing. The company also takes advantage of this software to define strategies that help it acquire competitive advantage and customer value in the marketing of its products (Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd, 2020). Comment by Denghao Wei: Please follow the last suggestion and change this and the following Comment by Denghao Wei: How and what is the benefit? Comment by Denghao Wei: What’s this? Have you introduced it in LR? Comment by Denghao Wei: How?

The other major strength with CRM at Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. is the continuous engagement of customers. Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. has managed to gain very loyal customers over time as a result of their engagement with the customers. The company uses different mechanisms to engage customers. When a customer makes an inquiry about the company products, they are well responded to and are well guided on the purchase procedures in the company as well as the numerous shipping alternatives to choose from. The engagement is done through the preferable channel for the customer, which gives room for good communication without straining the customer. When a delivery is done, the CRM team engages the customer through an email to inquire from them the state of the equipment and the customer's satisfaction level. Also, in case there is a delay or an expected delay of products to a customer, the customer receives reports about the same accompanied by a well detailed apology showing the reasons for such a delay. The customers thus feel valued by the company. There is also constant communication with customers when there is a new product, offers, and discounts that could be useful to the customer. This is made easy by having a well-consolidated database for all the customers. Comment by Denghao Wei: What do you mean? Comment by Denghao Wei: Good but pay attention to your grammar

The other CRM strength at Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. is the use of social media to communicate with customers. Technology is fast changing and the creation of social media platforms has emerged to be a very useful mode of communication for businesses. According to the CRM manager, the company’s social media platforms are not only used for advertisements of the company products but also for communication with the customers and to have a quick interaction with the customers. The company assures customers of fast response to their queries anytime through the social media platforms within a period of 24 hours. This gives the company time to respond to the customers substantially and avoid rushed responses to customer concerns. The customers are always linked through the company’s social media accounts and this makes the communication easier for the company. Comment by Denghao Wei: What specifically is it? Comment by Denghao Wei: How?

The other strength that is used by Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. to manage the customers has well priced products. According to the sales team at Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd., the prices of the equipment and machines produced by the company are not comparable to other companies. There are many discounts which are offered to the customers, especially on bulk purchases of the machine and equipment. The customers are thus easily retained, and the competition with the other companies producing similar machines and equipment is enhanced. This also makes it easy for the customers to refer other customers to the company for purchases, which continues to grow the company. All these strengths in CRM are enhanced and assured from good management and communication which are key in customer relationship management. The CRM team is friendly and considerate to the customers. The team communicates well and politely to the customers, which creates a friendly and calm environment for the team's engagement with customers, regardless of the weight of the matter that is being addressed in the communication. The CRM team is thus well informed of the customer experiences and what needs to be improved on. Comment by Denghao Wei: Confusing Comment by Denghao Wei: Good

CRM Problems at Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd.

There are several problems that are experienced with CRM at Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. To some extent, these problems have slowed down the growth process and reduced the rate of customer acquisition in the company. It is true that the company has made major strides in CRM and has gained numerous customers, but if not for the problems in CRM, the company would definitely be at a different level both in customer acquisition, retention, and overall revenue generation. The project team which runs the CRM software is quite challenging. Just like in a good number of companies using the CRM software, the Information Technology (IT) team is directly involved and a major part of the CRM project team. This has created challenges with for the management of the project. The IT experts should not lead the CRM project, but these experts should just be playing a supporting role in ensuring that the project runs well. The CRM project should be fully run and manned by the sales management team, which is in direct contact with the clients and understands the clients' communication process professionally. It is thus important to note the different roles which should be played by the IT and sales management teams in CRM. The IT team should be present to ensure that the tool is running normally and not to operate it, which is sales management's role. Comment by Denghao Wei: The description of the problem in this section is not clear

The other major problem with CRM at Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. is finding the right solutions to the CRM challenges. Solutions to challenges facing customers are always unique depending on the company and the field of operation. The solutions which are possible in one company may not work well in another. Finding the right solution and solution partner will determine whether the processes produce desired results or not. Like most other companies, once faced by a challenge in the CRM field, Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. customer relationship management team tends to copy from other companies the solutions they applied when faced by a similar challenge. This does not work in most of the circumstances, and this makes the problem even greater. Not solving CRM problems rightly and timely can cost the company serious losses, which may even be very hard to recover from within a short period of time. Comment by Denghao Wei: Can you provide an example? Comment by Denghao Wei: An example here is necessary

The other problem in the CRM at Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. is the delayed delivery of products to customers. When customers place and order, they have a clear expectation, especially on the delivery time. However, there are challenges experienced within the company or in the transportation process that may delay deliveries. This is a common challenge for most companies that ship products overseas as they use transport mechanisms that they have little or no control of. This may result into delays in the delivery tome for the products. As a good CRM team, communication is kept constant at Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. in case of such an occurrence. However, these delays in delivery inconvenience the customers as they are either waiting to sell the products or to use them to enhance their operations. These inconveniences may yield a negative relationship between the customers and the company, resulting in major customer relationship management problems. This is a challenge that faces Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. from time to time although the communication is always constant as the CRM software tool keeps tracking of the deliveries at all times, giving customers some assurance of deliveries. Comment by Denghao Wei: What are the reasons? Comment by Denghao Wei: What is this?

How to Improve on CRM at Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd.

Improving on customer relationship management will require a combined effort of all the personnel at Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. This will involve working on the problems of CRM and also maintaining and improving on the strengths of CRM where possible. The company needs to have a well-defined CRM software tool management scheme and define the roles of each of the stakeholders well and clearly. The IT professionals should only concentrate on ensuring that the tool is running properly and avoid any operation of the tool, which may bring issues with the sales management team. When the IT personnel are involved in running the tool, there may be a mix up of skills that may jeopardize CRM. The company also needs to develop unique solutions to any challenges which face the company's CRM department. It is important to consider other companies that have managed out of similar challenges, but their solutions should not be copied to Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. Also, the company needs to develop a well-structured shipping timeframe, which will give the clients a maximum timeframe for delivery, which the company is sure it cannot be passed. This will avoid any forms of delay. Comment by Denghao Wei: Too generic. Please elaborate on this Comment by Denghao Wei: What CRM system can be called well-defined? You need to be specific Comment by Denghao Wei: Yes, this is specific and linked to your previous discussions. Comment by Denghao Wei: How? Comment by Denghao Wei: This section is important and should be further expanded Please add references – recommendations do not come from nowhere Recommendations should be also linked to your previous discussions

Conclusion Comment by Denghao Wei: This should not be the conclusion of the whole thesis. Conclusion of the whole thesis should be divided into: Summary of the Thesis Theoretical Implications Practical Implications Limitations and Future Research

CRM is a crucial part of every company, and it has to be well managed to ensure customers are satisfied. Each business should be ready to invest in customer relationship management if they want to retain their customers and increase their profitability levels. By use of technology, businesses can improve on the experience of their customers by live assistance to limit the time spend seeking services physically, automating customer support for easy access, as well as engaging the customers continually and using social media support. This will help avoid unreasonable customer relationships resulting from poor treatment of customers, resulting in a loss of clients. A good customer relationship management assures a business of customer retention and high profitability rates. The strengths in CRM should be majored on and improved as the company works on making its weaknesses in CRM stronger aspects of the company. The CRM challenges at Jidian（Chongqing) Co., Ltd. are not too intensive as compared to the strengths and this has boosted the growth of the company and retention of employees. The problems are also not deeply rooted and thus, it is easy to tackle them and even turn them into company strengths.

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