3.01 CRM & business process management

A customer-centric business is constantly striving to align its objectives and activities with customer needs. Doing so is known as business process management (BPM). BPM focuses on this alignment by stressing innovation, flexibility, and most importantly, technology. For example, an online business might use BPM to discover that its customers would be more satisfied if they could view additional photos of a product on the website before purchasing it. The business would then make changes in its technology to align itself with this customer desire. When an organization conducts BPM on a regular basis, it allows itself to respond to customer needs and wants as they change, giving itself a competitive advantage.

Can you see how BPM and CRM go hand in hand? If a company wants to create and maintain long-term relationships with its customers, it must evaluate its various business processes to ensure they’re working to keep customers happy. Good BPM, therefore, is essential for good CRM.