Database Reference
In-Depth Information
◾
The customer relationship department needs information on its customers to retain them,
to adapt its customer-facing practices and mechanisms, to drive repeat business, and to win
new business.
Enterprise Information Portals (EIPs) like SAP Interactive give users a single Web-based interface
to business information and to the applications that generate business information regardless of
where they reside. The enterprise can personalize and customize the information and applications
accessed through an EIP to match
◾
Authorization level of each user
◾
Role of the user
EIPs enable complete access to the information flow right from back- to front-office operational
applications, to business intelligence and collaborative systems, and back to operational systems as
a closed-loop information supply chain.
16.2 Prospects for the Future: Relationships on Demand!
If
Information Is Relationship
is true, then it readily admits of the possibility of
relationships on
demand—
with far-reaching implications. Customer and customer interaction-related informa-
tion available on demand makes it possible for the front-end employees to substitute this infor-
mation for a possibly intrusive interaction with the customer for ascertaining their routine needs
every time.
As we have stated in Chapter 1, companies have a wealth of knowledge in the files and records
that customer-facing employees have on customer interactions. The best way to leverage this
knowledge would be to free it from the shackles of experience, institutionalize it, and transfer it in
real time to all employees, so that they are empowered to leverage or build further on the relation-
ships with particular customers.
But, more significantly, this customer information does not have to be disseminated to every-
one on a routine basis but only whenever required. This finally would be the realization of any
marketer's dream—
instant relationships
!
16.3 Summary
In this last chapter of the topic, we looked at the long-term implications and prospects of the
Information Is Relationship
vision. We also looked at the significance of using customer intelligence
to enable highly proactive and customer-responsive
decision on desktops
. In the end, we identified
that
Information Is Relationship
leads to the possibility of
Instant Relationships
.
