Improving the competitiveness of enterprises through effective customer relationship management

Abstract

Motivation: In today’s market, it is impossible for the company to function without reference directly to the customer and building a relationship with him relevant. Today customers are very demanding and have a bigger knowledge about products and market then yesterday. Now enterprises have many opportunities in technology and methodology through which they can establish a relationship with the customer. There are numerous solutions in the field of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software. Very important also are outside of the CRM software tools, such as creation of the proper organizational culture that is focused on the customer. Whether the customer relationship will increase the company’s competitiveness in the market or not, depends on the effectiveness of customer relationship management in the company. Aim: The author has taken up the topic of improving the competitiveness of enterprises through effective customer relationship management. She distinguishes company’s competitiveness improving factors affected by the effective management of relationships with customers and determines the character of this impact. Additionally, in this article shall be defined determinants of the effectiveness of customer relationship management. These issues are supported by appropriate practical examples. Results: The author of this paper has made some observations in a few enterprises and some interviews with managers and enterprise owners. They are qualitative research. They can not be considered in quantitative terms. The size of the sample was not verified, the author realizes that it is unrepresentative. Customer relationship management, as a strategy, system and philosophy, is not always known to entrepreneurs. Especially sole proprietorships apply CRM intuitively and not in a structured way. Not every company uses appropriate software to collect customer data. But all managers are aware of the fact that building a lasting relationship with the customer raises competitiveness on the market. This happens even through the buzz marketing, increasing customer loyalty, rapid response to customer demand, also through the use of knowledge resulting from the data from the CRM system. Smaller companies should consider using some structured CRM solutions. Certainly it increased to their competitiveness at low cost. Whereas larger companies should focus on the use of their physical and human potential to improve the quality of customer relationships.