Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

            The customer of Center Parcs are variant, and all the guests that visit there have the similar situation in money and time that they spend. The initial objective of vintage management system in Center Parcs is to enhance the cottage rental. In addition to this, Center Parcs now also aim to provide other services as well. Therefore, Center Parcs has to figure out in getting the diverse customers. Center Parcs also realizes the importance of Customer Relationship management (CRM) to maintain its loyal customers and motivating them, in order to expand their expenses, and at the same time, the wicked customers could leave.

The definition of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) varies, since CRM has many different meanings to many different companies. Regardless, CRM must accomplish three things regarding customer management. Explain each one with regards to the customers attending or not attending Center Parcs, and which one should Center Parcs allocate the most resources and why?( explain)

The three important things regarding customer management that Center Parcs must accomplish are:

Trust on Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

                Center Parcs must able to make the customers to trust the company. This can be done with establishing some advertises to introduce the service, presenting the reliability, and also transparency in the entire business transactions. If the customers will able to trust Center Parcs, then it would be easy for the company to manage a good customer relationship (Baran and Galka).

Loyalty of Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

                Center Parcs must present the loyalty to its customers, and as a result, the customers will also improve their loyalty for the company as well. This can be done by giving rewards for the customers who attend Center Parcs for more than once with discounts or special offers. With this way, the customers will feel that the company remember them, and they will be loyal to the company (Baran and Galka).

Understand the problems of Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

                Center Parcs needs to understand the customers’ problems where they find unsatisfied with the services, and help them to solve those problems. Once the customers know that the company care about their needs, then a good customer relationship will be built (Baran and Galka).

                Keeping all three things in view, it can be said that each one is important in so many ways, but as far as Center Parcs is concerned, they need to focus on the third one more than anything. It is a fact that customer satisfaction is crucial for any company, because it can help them to generate more sales and profits, and they can also win the loyalty of such satisfied customers. So, if Center Parcs wants to target diverse customers and also wants to increase their range of services, they need to focus on understanding the problems of customers that what kind of problems they are currently facing, and how things can be improved for existing services. Once the company will understand these problems, then they will be able to avoid such kind of problems for their customers in future, especially for the new range of services, which they are looking to start. So, Center Parcs’s CRM should focus more on understanding the problems of its existing customers so that potential customers don’t face those problems.

CRM software is certainly helpful with not only segmentation, but also creating profiles of customers so to meet the needs of specific customers. However, there are more elements to CRM in addition to software and segmentation; we’ve reviewed several challenges (in class) with regards to businesses and their customer service. What 3 of those challenges do you foresee Center Parcs having with running its operations, and what one thing do you recommend to offset those challenges?

Three challenges that Center Parcs have in running its operations are:

Monitoring the performance of the company Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

                Center Parcs seems lack in monitoring the performance of the company along with the measurement. To overcome this challenge, Center Parcs could make the indicators for its performance, then discuss with the relevant team to identify the progress and what steps are need to be done.

Review the feedback of Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

            In the modern business, Center Parcs needs to review on the feedback of its reputation and image on the public. This is one of the challenge that the company must consider to make more effective customer service, in order to deliver the customers’ satisfaction for its services.

Vagueness of Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

                Along with the new objective to provide other services, Center Parcs must realize that we are unable to figure out what will happen in the future. However, the company could prepare for the customers along with the market trends with making some future planning for these new goals.

            The above mentioned three challenges are common for business organizations, so it is not a big deal for Center Parcs to deal with these challenges. First of all, they need to set a clear objective that what they want to achieve by installing the new CRM system, and how things will move forward. It means that they should come up with a comprehensive and planned strategy keeping all the future elements in view so that they can deal with any expected or even unexpected challenges. They must assess future risks and should prepare alternative plans, if things don’t go as per expectations. Their proper preparation for the future can help them to easily handle these challenges, and they can certainly find a way out for these challenges. Moreover, they should develop a proper monitoring and evaluation system, which keeps a close eye on every process, and if anything is found with problems, then those problems should be mitigated first before continuing to the next level. These recommended actions can really help Center Parcs to face these challenges more effectively and efficiently.

We all know that perception is also important to create a brand image and for customers to believe they are continuously purchasing a product or service of value. When looking at the Hand of Perception, which two points are the most important for Center Parcs to focus toward, and how can Center Parcs improve its perception with both current and future customers?

Two important points for Center Parcs to focus toward improving its perception with both current and future customers (Mr G Jason Goddard, Ajami and Gargeya) are:

        Center Parcs needs to identify the key audiences which will comprise of internal and external groups such as customers, staff, shareholders, and industry analysts as well. With identifying the key audiences, then it will be easier to create an effective marketing approach for the company to meet the customers’ demand.

            Center Parcs also need to measure the essential goals for the business. The company must really realize about its future plan before the company will make any further steps for the goals.

            The above two points are crucial for the company to improve its perception in the eyes of customers. It is a fact that if customers perceive something valuable for them in a band, they go for it without even looking at any other factors such as price. Center Parcs needs to focus on the needs and demands of its existing customers by taking their feedback on regular basis. It will allow them to know that what aspects of the company are perceived valuable, and which one needs improvements. If company will be able to work on those weak areas, and then develop a strategy to enhance the level of their services, and then market those elements to the target audience, then perception of customers can certainly change and improve for the company.

We have reviewed many industries to date and businesses to date. Which industry and business specifically do you recommend Center Parcs to review and to resemble so to better manage its customer relationships? As a CRM consultant, please provide examples to strengthen your recommendation for Center Parcs.

             In improving a good CRM, center Parcs can view the example of Four Seasons hotels which has been using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) into its business transaction. In fact, the company even has an effective marketing department which supported by the various practice of CRM strategies, starts from the email campaigns to the implementation of some innovative marketing tools. Four Seasons believes that the companies that recognize on the value of their services, and able to conclude how they will get many benefits from learning those values, in result, will able to provide the excellent customer services (Solomon). If Center Parcs could take the case of Four Seasons for example, and learn from that, the company could make further steps to improve its Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy for its future goals as well. Since we know that Four Seasons has famous as the brand which prioritizing on the quality of its customer services, therefore, Center Parcs could learn from this company to apply the best Customer Relationship Management (CRM) into its daily business.

 References of Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Baran, Roger J. and Robert J. Galka. Customer Relationship Management: The Foundation of Contemporary Marketing Strategy. Taylor & Francis, 2016.

Mr G Jason Goddard, Professor Gerhard Raab, Professor Riad A Ajami and Professor Vidyaranya B Gargeya. Customer Relationship Management: A Global Perspective. Gower Publishing, Ltd., 2012.

Solomon, Micah. Four Seasons Hotels: Building A Hospitality And Customer Service Culture. 1 September 2013. <https://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2013/09/01/four-seasons-hotels-building-a-hospitality-service-culture-without-starting-from-scratch/#9d6e0425721c>.