CRM systems used for targeting market: a case at Cisco Systems

Abstract

One of the most significant changes in the practice of marketing during the last decade is the shift in emphasis from a transaction orientation customer interaction to the customer relationship management (CRM). However, in large organizations, it is not very easy to collect, collate, and transform the customer data necessary for creating systems to support customer relationship management as the basis of the enterprise-wide customer relationship strategy. There are many reasons for this difficulty, including organizational structure and the resulting complexity in the enterprise systems. In this paper, we use the example of Cisco Systems Inc. to demonstrate how to build an effective customer relationship management system that integrates with the organization processes to help an enterprise recognize more targeted market. The new CRM system helps Cisco integrate all customers' data in a single data repository to support quantifiable and measurable needs of `knowledge marketing' functions. It led to new marketing processes that are more effective and efficient. The experience in Cisco allows us to identify successful design practices and develop recommendations for organizations that are interested in deploying a similar system