How Far Away Is China From Global CRM Standards. Findings & Insights from Best CRM Practices in China and CRMBodyCheck TM The CRM Evaluation Method

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1 How Far Away Is China From Global CRM Standards Findings & Insights from Best CRM Practices in China and CRMBodyCheck TM The CRM Evaluation Method Sampson Lee, President of GCCRM July, 2005

2 About Us GCCRM TM Vision ROADMAP CRM BEST PRACTICE through the collaboration of global intelligence on evaluation and benchmarking. GCCRM is an independent CRM evaluation organization founded in Through evaluation, enhancement and benchmark with best practices, GCCRM helps to roadmap organizations CRM - where they are, where to go and how to get there. GCCRM preaches the belief of CRM Success Beyond Software TM via awards, methodology, research & portal. Best CRM Practice Awards TM Best CRM Practice Awards program is a widely recognized award for the CRM community. It has been launched since 2002 on an annual basis. The key objective is to enhance the standard of customer relationship management through benchmarking with best practices. Every year, the winning enterprises share their success experiences through case studies, public speeches and publications in major regional media and marketing channels. In 2005, the Awards election is extended to Greater China and Asia Pacific region. The CRMBodyCheck TM The CRMBodyCheck TM is a CRM evaluation method originated and developed by GCCRM Global Advisors and Associates. It has been used as the evaluation criterion for Best CRM Practice Awards since The method offers 17 measurement metrics in five categories: Customer, Strategy, People, Process and Technology, which echoes the belief of CRM Success Beyond Software TM. Copyright 2005 GCCRM All rights reserved. The copyright in and title to the report belongs to GCCRM. Please contact research@gccrm.com should you want to reprint or quote any part of this report. Any agreed copy must be marked with all proprietary notices which appear on the original and will be subject to the requirement that you will acknowledge on the face of the reproduced material that it belongs to GCCRM 2

3 Contents Foreword Keys To CRM Success Wrong Implementation Sequence Proper Implementation Sequence Five Keys To CRM Success The CRM Evaluation Method CRMBodyCheck TM LIVE Customer VSOP Strategy CEO People IPO Process RISE Technology China Best Practices Weighted Metrics Quantitative Findings Qualitative Insights...20 About the Author...23 Contact Us

4 List of Figures Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure

5 Foreword Let me ask you one question: Do you have a CRM evaluation method or a full set of measurement metrics to judge how good (or bad) is your CRM initiative? Not a surprise. Most of the answers are No, though it doesn t make sense Not To Measure when you spend huge resources (both $ and manpower) on your customer relationship management initiative; and customer, customer service, customer-centric, customer-focus, customer experience management, whatever you want to name it, is so crucial nowadays to all enterprises around the globe. The next question is is it possible to have a CRM Evaluation Method to do the job? Probably there is no one-for-all solution in defining the standard of CRM, but a relevant set of benchmarks deemed to be necessary in guiding someone to measure CRM. CRMBodyCheck TM The CRM Evaluation Method developed by GCCRM with strategic inputs from its 24 Global Advisors, is thrilled in providing a full set of measurement metrics based not only on Technology, but also Customer, Strategy, People and Process. As a matter of fact, the tool has been used as the evaluation criterion for the Best CRM Practice In China Award since This white paper is divided into three parts. 1. Keys To CRM Success Five Key Elements to CRM Success 2. The CRM Evaluation Method CRMBodyCheck TM 3. China Best Practices Quantitative & Qualitative Analysis I am going to share with you the 17 measurement metrics of CRMBodyCheck TM and how it is used to measure against those Award Winning Enterprises of Best CRM Practice In China. Interesting findings, both quantitative and qualitative are revealed to see the status and maturity level of CRM development in China. Please feel free to feedback your comments to our Research Team at research@gccrm.com. Or you could send to me direct sampson@gccrm.com. 5

6 1. Keys To CRM Success 1.1 Wrong Implementation Sequence There are numerous reasons determining the success or failure of customer relationship management. One of the most critical and fundamental reasons is Implementation Sequence. Figure 1 Starting from the domain of Technology (i.e. you buy or build your software first), you try to build the Process complementing it, then recruiting People who can manage it, and then you make a Strategy to wrap them up. At the end of the day, you realize that you don t even understand your Customer enough and Customer Strategy is something you never think of. It was the most classic and popular approach which led to over 70% project failure in the past. 6

7 1.2 Proper Implementation Sequence Taking CRMBodyCheck TM as a framework of reference, the logic of thinking is totally different. Figure 2 Starting from understanding your Customer, you formulate your Customer Strategy based on your customer needs, which gives you a solid ground on your CRM Strategy. You can derive what type of People you need, train, motivate and retain them in line with your overall strategy. Process can be built on a logical and practical ground following this customer-centric approach. The final step is to decide your Technology support by choosing an appropriate software or tool that can fulfill the above needs. Proper implementation sequence is the foundation to CRM success. 7

8 1.3 Five Keys To CRM Success We believe the five keys to the success of customer relationship management are Customer, Strategy, People, Process and Technology. Maturity Level Figure 3 There are different maturity level at each of the five key sectors, below are the basic introduction of maturity by each sector. Customer Maturity You know your customers. You know who they are, what they buy and why they buy, why they leave, how to sell more to them, how satisfy they are.. A unique customer identifier across different customer systems (sales, marketing, fulfillment, service) can be applied. Strategy Maturity Your strategy is aligned with your company mission (why your company exists), values (guiding principles) and vision (clear direction). And your strategy is executed with clear business objectives and quantifiable performance metrics. People Maturity Your staffs have strong sense of job security, good working environment, a high degree of job satisfaction; and also equipped with the necessary skill-set, clear job description and proper rewards and measurements systems in line with your strategies. 8

9 Process Maturity Your customer process is stable and generally applicable, well defined and documented, manageable and advanced technology could be introduced for continuous improvements and process optimization. System Maturity The systems of sales, marketing, fulfillment, service and the back-end systems are well integrated with common interfaces. Data and information could be shared with all related parties. 9

10 2. The CRM Evaluation Method 2.1 CRMBodyCheck TM CRMBodyCheck TM The CRM Evaluation Method developed by GCCRM with strategic inputs from its 24 Global Advisors, is thrilled in providing a full set of measurement metrics based not only on Technology, but also Customer, Strategy, People and Process. In fact, the tool has been used as the evaluation criterion for the Best CRM Practice In China Award since Measurement Metrics in 5 Elements Figure 4 CRMBodyCheck TM proposes five key elements of success for any customer relationship management. They are Customer, Strategy, People, Process and Technology. LIVE Customer VSOP Strategy CEO People IPO Process RISE Technology Loyalty, Intelligence, Value, Experience. Vision, Strategies, Objectives & Performance Metrics. Change Management, Employees Buy-in, Organizational Structure. Information Flow, Process Design, Organizational Alignment. Requirements Mapping, Integration & Compatibility, Selection of Vendor and Evaluation. 10

11 2.2 LIVE Customer Loyalty It could be defined and measured by means of transactional loyalty (recency, frequency, customer share, length of business), emotional loyalty (recommend your company, make you the standard, pay premium price, perfect your product), and satisfaction level across all customer touch-points. Intelligence Define what, why, how, when and where of your customers needs. Customer data is managed in its best degree of accuracy, completeness, updates and sufficiency. Figure 5 Value Measured in terms of customer revenues (up-buy, cross-buy, and referrals), customer profile (demographics or industry codes), customer profitability and customer lifetime value. Experience Design the optimal customer experience maximizing customer satisfaction by far exceeding customer expectation on critical moments (customer touch-points which customer values the most). This should also be aligned with your company desired brand values. 11

12 2.3 VSOP Strategy Vision CRM vision should be aligned with your company mission and values and appealed to all stakeholders. It should be concise, verifiable, feasible, and inspirational. It reflects perspectives of your company to your customers and prospects. Figure 6 Strategies CRM strategies should aim at learning more about customer needs and values, changing customer behaviors, better customer relationship, which eventually lead to higher loyalty, revenue and profits. Customer interactions could only be meaningful when they are coming from the "eyes of the customer". Objectives & Performance Metrics With clear CRM objectives and performance metrics, customer loyalty, customer value and customer process efficiencies could be measured and quantified, and be assured to align with the vision and strategies. 12

13 2.4 CEO People Change Management Change management strategy must be in place to tackle people from managing resistance to designing motivation and rewards system as well as different kinds of organizational and structural change including crisis management. The ultimate aim is to implant customer-focus philosophy from strategy or vision level to becoming the whole company's culture (values). Figure 7 Employees Buy-in Employees should be equipped with proper software/system, skill-set and mind-set trainings. CRM vision and strategies must be communicated clear to all employees, together with proper rewards and performance measurement systems. Organizational Structure Effective organizational structure enables different departments to work as one team to serve customers, with common language and goals. Their performances are measured and rewarded by customer satisfaction & loyalty, customer value and customer process efficiencies. 13

14 2.5 IPO Process Information Flow Customer information flow, from PRE-purchase/ consumption (marketing) to AT-purchase/ consumption (sales & fulfillment) and POST-purchase/consumptio n (service) of the whole customer process cycle is customer-focus, inter-connected and fully integrated. Figure 8 Process Design Same as information flow, process flow of the whole customer process cycle should be designed in such a way that PRE, AT and POST-purchase processes are customer-centric, inter-connected and fully integrated. Organizational Alignment Process design (functional requirements) is mapped in accordance with business requirements, technical requirements, and is aligned with the vision, strategies and objectives of the customer relationship management initiatives. 14

15 2.6 RISE Technology Requirements Mapping Technical requirements are based on the functional (process) and business requirements, and are aligned with the vision, strategies and objectives of the customer relationship management initiatives. Integration & Compatibility Customer systems (marketing, sales, fulfillment and service) are well integrated and compatible with other front-end and back-end systems. Customers could be viewed by all related parties in a 360-degree prospective in real time and common interfaces. Figure 9 Selection of Vendor Technical requirements are well communicated to vendors or in-house IT team, with proper negotiation, reference check and pilot run. Evaluation should be made from both end-user and customer perspectives. Evaluation Quantitative measures (total costs of ownership, timeliness, and return on investment) and qualitative measures (user-acceptance, problem-solving capabilities, and other direct and indirect benefits) should be taken into account to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the whole customer relationship management system. 15

16 3. China Best Practices As indicated, CRMBodyCheck TM has been used as the evaluation criterion of the Best CRM Practice In China Award since Nevertheless, we believe not all measurement metrics carry the same weight. When applying CRMBodyCheck TM as the election criterion for Best CRM Practice In China, 24 GCCRM global advisors advices have been sought to allocate a proper weight of each 17 metrics. 3.1 Weighted Metrics Based on 24 GCCRM Global Advisors collaborative intelligence, Customer sector carries the heaviest weight, accounts for 31% in sector sum. Strategy and People come second, each carry 22% in sector sum, while Process accounts for 15% and Technology accounts for 11%. Figure 10 As for individual metric, Employees Buy-in scores the highest 8.40%, with Customer Experience, Customer Value and Change Management come after with 8.22%, 8.09% and 8.08% respectively. All the four metrics fall in the Customer and People sectors. Comparatively speaking, the least important ones are Evaluation, Selection of Vendors, Integration & Compatibility and Requirements Mapping. They all belong to Technology sector. An interesting finding: Technology and Process have been, and to some enterprises are still regarded as the most priority factors in their CRM projects. However, based on the weighting of 24 GCCRM global advisors, the key factors affecting the degree of success or failure of CRM initiatives lie elsewhere, i.e. at Customer, Strategy and People. 16

17 3.2 Quantitative Findings The findings provide meaningful insights in understanding and measuring the status and maturity level of CRM development of different enterprises in China. Gap analysis on those Best Practice Award Winners has been made. Comparisons have been made between two groups of data the MNCs and the local enterprises in China. MNCs are defined as foreign-invested companies with local operations in China, whereas Chinese enterprises include both state-owned and privately-owned local corporations built from China. Multi-national Corporations (MNCs) Among the MNC group, they are performing better in Customer, Strategy and People sectors, while Process and Technology are weaker. The top three highest scores are Vision (81.0), Customer Loyalty (79.4) and Customer Intelligence (77.6). The top three lowest scores are Vendor Selection (69.4), Vendor Evaluation (70.2) and Integration & Compatibility (70.2). Figure 11 17

18 Local Chinese Enterprises (Locals) Among the Local group, they are performing better in Customer and Strategy sectors, while People and Technology are weaker. The top three highest scores are Customer Intelligence (75.0), Customer Loyalty (74.0) and Strategies (72.0). The top three lowest scores are Vendor Selection (63.7), Vendor Evaluation (64.3) and Integration & Compatibility (65.7). Figure 12 An interesting finding: There are many similarities between MNC group and Local group in the top three highest and top three lowest scores. They have the exact same five metrics in the list; except Vision is one of the highest scores for MNC group but Strategies replace its place in the Local group. Obviously they have similar strengths and weaknesses at individual scores basis. 18

19 The Comparison MNCs vs Locals In a nutshell, the MNC group performs better than the local group in all 17 measurement metrics (in absolute scores). Though MNCs perform better than locals in all 17 measurement metrics, the gaps vary in different metrics. The top five largest differences lie in Vision, Employees Buy-in, Change Management, Customer Experience and Objectives & Performance Metrics. They all belong to Customer, Strategy and People sectors, while the least differences are at Process and Technology sectors, with narrower gaps (except Organization Structure and Customer Intelligence ). Here come the exact figures (Figure 3): Vision (-10.3), Employees Buy-in (-7.7), Change Management (-7.4), Customer Experience (-7.1) Objectives & Performance Metrics (-7.1) Figure 13 An interesting finding: The largest gaps between MNCs and Locals, i.e. Customer, Strategy and People, are basically the heaviest weighted sectors/metrics by CRMBodyCheck. In other words, using the weighted metrics to evaluate the results, the gaps between MNCs and Locals are being widened, on the performance of their customer relationship management programs. 19

20 3.3 Qualitative Insights China is still far away from global CRM standards, especially for those local Chinese enterprises. We have in particular identified 3 key areas that are far lag behind but most critical. They are Data Management, Brand Management and Change Management. Figure 14 China s data quality and data management are still at a very primitive stage. China enterprises have to segment their customers in the above ABCD Quadrant (Please visit LV Quardrant and Its Application in GCCRM.com for details), to define the best customers so that they could treat different customers differently. But that s not an easy job for them. One of the four national banks got 100 millions customers with 400 millions saving accounts, i.e. on average one customer holds four saving accounts! She has to spend at least a couple of years to clean and de-duplicate the data or do any kind of segmentation, not to mention data-mining and BI. For another key local automobile manufacturer, she has to pay around USD60 on every single piece of clean customer data she bought from her distributor. Since she has over 200,000 customers, she has to pay USD12,000,000 for buying the data alone, for the sake of a possible JV deal with a global auto company. Obviously, Chinese enterprises need better data management to segment customers. 20

21 Qualitative Insights Figure 15 Which are the global brands of China? Is it Lenovo because she buys IBM PC, or Yao Ming, the basketball star? I would say no, though they look really big and famous. We know brand or brand value is not built by advertising, but the total customer experiences across all customer touch-points. Chinese enterprises spend a lot in advertising, we could tell from the fast-growing and big-ticket spending at major China media (USD16 billion in 2004, China will become the third-largest ad market in the world in 2005), but they fail to provide value-added and consistent customer experiences across different customer touch-points. Most of them still focus at price wars, which could only generate low customer experience thus low value to customers. In China, brand trust remains in the hands of foreign brands. Chinese enterprises need a complete revamp in building their brand by improving the overall customer experiences. 21

22 Qualitative Insights Figure 16 China does change a lot in the past 26 years since the economic revolution in But the pressing trend of globalization requires the change to go even faster. WTO opens the door for international trade as well as much more fierce competition, Chinese enterprises cannot only rely on their competitive advantage as the world s low-cost manufacturing centre, but to know what customer-centric is and go for it. Propaganda doesn t work in face of hard reality. However, most of the cases, customer-centric remains as cherry in the cake or a corporate talk. To make it work, it does not only require Strategy level (supported by department or division heads) or Vision level (supported by enterprise heads) involvement but also a top-down, bottom-up change process. It should be a long, sustaining culture-building process rather than workshop-type project or training. In simple term, the concept of customer-centric should be incorporated in the company s DNA i.e. values, to become part of the company culture. Chinese enterprises need change management to migrate from product-centric to customer-centric. China Best Practice is still way behind, but with a quantifiable metrics in place, the progress and development can be measured and benchmarked in a meaningful manner. Once spearheading to the right direction, fast catch up and improvements are expected. 22

23 About the Author Sampson Lee President of GCCRM Sampson founded GCCRM in 2001 and also co-founded the 3C Method (China Customer Care) in GCCRM is an independent CRM evaluation organization. Through evaluation, enhancement and benchmark with best practices, GCCRM helps to roadmap organizations CRM where they are, where to go and how to get there. GCCRM preaches the belief of CRM Success Beyond Software TM via awards, methodology, research & portal. A sought-after speaker, Sampson has delivered public speeches in many recognized forum and events including The Economist Forum, Customer Contact World, China DMA, Suzhou TV Station, China CRM Forum, ideasasia! on the topics of CRM Evaluation and Benchmarking and also Best CRM Practice in China. He was recently interviewed by CNBC in Singapore on the topic of. He also sits on the guru panel of CRMGuru.com - the world s largest CRM Community with 200,000 members. Sampson also provides training and consulting to first tier multi-national companies and leading conglomerates in Greater China region and is the visiting lecturer of the HK University master degree program (customer relationship management module). His first book '1-minute Internet' was published by SCMP Group in Sampson graduated with a Business Administration degree, majoring in Economics. Contact Us Ms Alice Tse Operations Director GCCRM alice@gccrm.com Tel: URL: Address: Suite , 400 Zhejiang (C) Road, Shanghai, China,