Session 3: Customer Relationship Management Sytsem

Question:

List the customer data elements generated when a customer interacts with an airline by (a) making a reservation, (b) using frequent flyer miles, and (c) completing a flight. How does information from CRM improve these interactions ?

Answer:

When a customer making a reservation, using frequent flyer miles and, completing a flight, he/she require to enter some information, such as:

* destination
* date of depart & return
* class (economy/business)
* ticket type (single trip, round trip ......)
* membership number
* password
* selection of price
* no. of tickets
* meal preference
* payment method
* passenger information (e.g.: passenger name, date of birth, gender, email address for confirmation, contact number ......)

searching for a flight

Flights selection

enter the passenger information

Take the Cathay Pacific Airlines and the Finnair Airlines as example, after using the CRM system, customer can select their the most preferred flight by themselves and make amendment anytime. When the customer wants to change their flight details, they no need to dial to the customer service hotline and wait for a long time of changing the information. They can check the flight status in real time. When the customer selecting a flight, they can search for the most suitable price & flight at once.

Question: What are the benefits of integrating the sales, marketing and customer support function using a single software package and a centralized database?

Answer:

A centralized database can be benefit to both the customer and the company.

1. Reduce typing error

In the sales, marketing and customer services department, they serve the same customer in different stages. Some information are common for three of them. Using a centralised database, the three parties no need to input the customer details (e.g. customer name, address, contact number), then typing error can be prevented.

2. Implement suitable marketing plan

A new marketing plan require many ideas from different sources, the most useful and easily way to collect them is the customer feedback. The sales will record all sales activities in the database, the marketing team can generate and analysis those information for market research. This can reduce the high research cost and time saving of collecting questionnaires.

3. States checking in real time

When we ordered a product, we may in hurry about their states. We will contact the customer services hotline and queries for it, a centralized database help the customer services department to provide the real time states to the customer or an on line checking can be minimize the waiting time of the customer. Besides, the sales can contact the customer once the product is ready to pick up.

4. Increase customer loyalty

A well established CRM system will help the company to implement unique marking plan to each customer by using the loyalty programme (membership). The system help the company to recongise each customer buying behavior, when a customer visit the shop, the sales can realise what he/she want and provide the most suitable information and product to them. When the customer satisfaction fulfilled, their loyalty increased, at last, they increase the usage of our products.