The Role of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Solutions for Financial Services Wholesalers

Transcription

1 Whitepaper The Role of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Solutions for Financial Services Wholesalers Account Managers Product Managers Channel Managers

2 Table of Contents The opportunity...3 CRM: a valuable business investment...4 Industry experience drives superior solutions...5 Corporate Solutions...6 Marketing Solutions...6 Sales Solutions...7 Customer Solutions...7 Call Center Solutions...7 Mobile Solutions...7 Wholesaler CRM solutions can deliver substantial value...8 Quick, definitive return on investment...8 Pre-configured integration with industry-leading back office systems...8 Lower total cost of ownership...8

3 Page 3 of 9 Think you re getting all you can from CRM? Think again Does your organization have the tools you need to acquire and retain a profitable base of channel partners that are loyal to your products? Do you have complete visibility into the sales pipeline of wholesale opportunities and the ability to manage sales efforts toward successful close? Are you able to effectively manage customer relationships to ensure continuous satisfaction and follow-on business? Do your product managers have the information they need to create insightful production reports on each sales channel to determine the most profitable product mix and the most marketable enhancements? Are you able to effectively market to your customers to drive cross-selling and maximize the potential value of existing customer relationships? Do you have solutions in place that help you manage compliance? The opportunity For financial services wholesalers, every business opportunity is dependent on customer satisfaction. Because the truth is that today s customers have a plethora of choices when it comes to choosing product. To combat the perception that every product is a commodity, wholesalers need to focus on two critical areas: ensuring top-notch customer satisfaction and the loyalty that it creates and differentiating their product offerings so that price isn t the primary decision factor. Why has commoditization become such a burning issue? In the past, wholesale customers based the bulk of their business decisions on service. But while service remains the primary differentiator, technology has dramatically changed how business is transacted. Customers can now search for competing products on the Internet. The way that product is distributed has evolved. And regulatory changes have significantly shortened the shelf life of both life and annuity products, creating an opportunity for new business or the loss of business every time a product offering becomes obsolete. Additionally, the wholesaler s customer base is evolving to include brokerages, insurance companies, and banks all competing in each other's markets. As a result, wholesalers face an unprecedented opportunity to extend their market reach in these new channels.

4 Page 4 of 9 Added to these pressures are changing compliance requirements including stringent regulations regarding account maintenance and compliance reports. As a result, the sheer complexity of the business can tend to pull the focus away from managing the sales force and ensuring their ability to build the all-inclusive customer relationships that result in increased sales. CRM: a valuable business investment To be effective, wholesalers need a wide variety of information at their fingertips. From corporate to product management to sales and marketing, they need a solution that can help analyze that information to arrive at the most optimal conclusions, and one that can scale to meet the needs of a fast-growing organization and a constantly expanding customer base. For wholesalers, a comprehensive CRM solution is a business investment that cannot be delayed. The Power of Comprehensive Relationship Management Successfully managing customer relationships is critical to the wholesaler s success. To ensure that each client receives the attention they need and the right products at the right price, a global approach to relationship management is key. This means extending CRM methodologies throughout the organization. It means providing global visibility into each customer touch point, and leveraging that information to more effectively develop new products to ensure future growth, to differentiate existing products in the minds of the customer, and attract and retain a strong, loyal client base that places at least as much value on their proven business relationship as they do on simple product pricing.

5 Page 5 of 9 Think a generic CRM solution can meet your needs? Think again. Industry experience drives superior solutions E-Z Data offers an innovative, industryspecific approach to leveraging your valuable customer assets. From customer database segmentation; to delivery of educational seminars and marketing campaigns; to management of the back office brokerage and pending case processing; to the tools needed by wholesalers to deliver an optimal product mix; our integrated solutions help today s evolving wholesale organization deliver better, more comprehensive service while helping to drive new business and gain a greater share of the distributors business. Our solutions are uniquely designed to help wholesalers: Expand revenue by uncovering untapped opportunities in their existing portfolio of clients Tailor individual customer interactions on a multi-channel basis to enhance customer loyalty, satisfaction, and retention Use proven cross-selling techniques to help generate new business Improve the productivity of every member of their organization The Tangible Value of Industry Expertise E-Z Data s industry experience provides tangible benefits to today s wholesalers. E-Z Data s solutions are built with the insight of nearly two decades of industry insight. As a result, our solutions address the wholesaler s unique challenges without significant customization to help deliver real-time, aggregate analysis of compliance, risk management, customer relationship management, policy administration, and other systems to maximize return-oninvestment and reduce costs. Using E-Z Data s extensive database, wholesalers can evaluate multiple data sources to make quick, intelligent decisions to meet ever-changing compliance regulations, particularly important in the face of the USA PATRIOT Act, Basel II, the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act, and, and other regulatory challenges. E-Z Data is the only CRM solutions provider focused exclusively on the specialized needs of your industry. By marrying the valuable capabilities of CRM with industryunique functionality, our solutions meet the customer-focused requirements of your business. E-Z Data offers unmatched industry expertise and a CRM solution that meets the needs of your entire organization from the robust back-office systems required by wholesalers to the analytic capabilities required for effective product management to the interactive selling and marketing tools needed by the sales force. The result is a powerful CRM solution that transforms data into insight.

6 Page 6 of 9 Think CRM is just for Sales? Think again. While customer relationship management is often perceived as a methodology designed to drive performance benefits strictly for customer-facing personnel, the fact is that a rich CRM solution has the power to drive significant benefits for the entire organization. An integrated, centralized CRM solution can provide wholesalers with the information they need to effectively identify and manage new channels, ensure compliance, deliver a profitable product mix, and increase customer satisfaction and loyalty by closely managing each customer contact. By using the power of CRM to leverage customer information, wholesalers can strengthen strategic sales and marketing efforts and, ultimately, deliver organizational efficiencies that directly impact the bottom line. Corporate Solutions Provide management with global visibility to help manage customer satisfaction and effective product management. These solutions help the wholesale management team to: Prioritize product and customer activities based on market needs Identify and close new sales channels Help manage complex sales cycles Improve sales forecast accuracy Increase productivity across the organization Maintain data and system security to ensure information assets remain safe Effectively manage and realign sales territories and customers Product Management Solutions Deliver the insight required to effectively analyze new and existing customer needs to determine the most appropriate and profitable product mix. These solutions help the product management team to: Identify the most desired product functionality from a customer perspective Define the most profitable product mix by customer segment Match product recommendations to specific sales cycles Analyze customer buying behavior to predict future trends Integrate with third-party data sources for relevant customer investment and portfolio information Marketing Solutions Provide global visibility into customerfocused activities, as well as the mechanism needed to drive collaboration among the key players in sales, marketing, and customer service. Marketing solutions help: Create effective marketing campaigns around changing market conditions, such as interest rate changes, new product trends, and evolving customer segments Drive corporate branding activities based on actual market analysis Analyze customer buying behavior to optimize sales and marketing efforts Target marketing activities to customers and prospects with the highest propensity to buy Develop and automate referral and leadsharing programs Execute cross-marketing campaigns Generate leads via direct mail and broadcasting

7 Page 7 of 9 Sales Solutions Empower wholesalers with mobile solutions that strengthen field sales and service while improving accountability. These solutions make it possible to: Automate and standardize prospecting processes Document each customer interaction, including calls and follow-ups Create and track customer orders Manage service items Focus product discussions on customer requirements Track accounts and the influencers within those accounts See producers in relation to their position in the distribution hierarchy Selectively control access to sensitive information, such as contacts, notes, activities, and letters Set triggers to generate automatic letters based on customer criteria Customer Solutions Help improve distribution customer satisfaction, reduce costs, and strengthen customer control. These solutions make it possible for distributors and producers to: View a history of activities with the wholesaler View policy details including total value via the Internet Track account information, including cases pending issue Access all accounts online Call Center Solutions Help synchronize customer service and sales opportunities by allowing phone reps to more effectively manage customer relationships using scripts, processes, and supervisory tools that require a minimal amount of training. Call Center Solutions support: Outbound telemarketing and telesales campaigns Inbound call management Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) Contact center channels Administration and supervision Lead tracking and distribution Automated workflow and call scripting Sales activity tracking Mobile Solutions Enable wholesalers to remain productive even when on the road. By providing a full menu of downloadable information, the solutions allow users to add and modify records when disconnected, and then synchronize those changes back to the enterprise database. E-Z Data s mobile solutions include support for: Disconnected laptops Palm OS PDA devices Windows Powered Pocket PC devices

8 Page 8 of 9 Wholesaler CRM solutions can deliver substantial value E-Z Data provides the solutions you need to transform your business and become your customers favored provider. Our solutions for wholesalers deliver: Quick, definitive return on investment Our solutions are eagerly adopted and accelerate investment payback. Our customers experience successful system implementations, high user acceptance, and strong return on investment. We are proven in practice with companies just like yours. Pre-configured integration with industry-leading back office systems Our solutions for wholesalers provide robust, out-of-the-box functionality for key marketing, sales, and customer service processes. Lower total cost of ownership A wise investment choice, our solutions leverage strategic technology investments and nearly two decades of industry experience. Our out-of-the-box industry functionality and strategic offshore research and development centers allow us to deliver greater value at a lower overall cost.

9 About E-Z Data E-Z Data, Inc., established in 1986, is the leading provider of front-office systems for wholesalers, insurance companies, general agents, broker-dealers, agents, and investment advisors. Its webbased Enterprise CRM Platform (ECP ) provides a comprehensive solution to synchronize the efforts of all the key players in sales, marketing, and customer service. E-Z Data clients include American Express Financial Advisors, AXA Australia, ING, MetLife, New York Life, Prudential, and Wachovia Bank. Its web-based Enterprise CRM Platform (ECP ) provides a comprehensive front office system to synchronize all key players in sales, marketing, and customer service. E-Z Data s domain expertise, coupled with mature, industry-specific business components, results in consistently successful customer implementations that are proven in practice. E-Z Data is headquartered in Pasadena, California.