Speaking clearly

The most frequent form of CRM is the call center. Because it is often the first point of contact between a client and a company, the impression made by its operators is very important. One of the elements that can affect this impression is the speech of the operators. But different companies approach this issue in different ways.
" We didn't take into account the operators' accents, and we have no information that clients notice various accents, what they notice is accomodating behavior and willingness. When we choose operators they take a test on their ability to communicate," says Petr Hajný, the IT department manager for Středočeská energetická. Komerční banka has a different approach to accents. "One of the conditions when hiring employees is literary Czech, which means accentless Czech," says Markéta Dvořáčková of the bank's press department. Komerční banka built its call center near Jablonec nad Nisou, where the colloquial is the closest to literary Czech. Petr Šindler of Český mobil, whose call center also features Slovak operators, takes a third approach. "We have not yet had any complaints about our operators' accents. We see the way the operators react and answer questions and how they handle communications with demanding clients as the most important things," he says. The linguistic similarity of Slovak might lead one to think about building call centers in Slovakia. Why don't firms go that route, since the labor there is cheaper? "One could talk about setting up a call center in Africa if they spoke good Czech there...but let's be serious. The idea of building a call center in Slovakia doesn't seem like a very good one to me," Hajný says. Dvořáčková is of the same opinion. "The condition of Czech spoken without any accent is one of the reasons it would be difficult to set up a call center in Slovakia."

Satisfaction is crucial

Michal Seifert                 Photo by: Petr Poliak

The term CRM began arising frequently in connection with the liberalization of the power market. However, many other companies with large numbers of customers are already working with this concept to some degree or other, for example, banks and telecommunications companies. For all these firms CRM should bring better ways to serve existing customers and better react to their needs. Michal Seifert, CRM & DWH program manager for Česká spořitelna, describes the reason on behalf of all the others. "The room for acquiring new clients is limited, while the room for developing the value of the existing portfolio is huge."
Český Telecom wants to change the way its whole company is perceived by its clients by applying CRM principles. "We are striving to transfer CRM principles into the way many departments actually function. This should lead to a change in work style, with the final effect that our customers will have positive experiences with Český Telecom. This should be reflected in our retention of existing customers and their increased long-term value and thus increased value for our shareholders," says David Seibert, director for development and customer retention for Český Telecom. As the market becomes more competitive satisfied clients are crucial.
Power distribution companies are still waiting for the market for the general public to open up, but many of them are already prepared. According to Petr Hajný, the IT department manager for Středočeská energetická, CRM should lead to the creation of a unified environment and improved quality and professionalism in contacts with customers. It should also result in expanded services provided to customers that are more convenient for them than personal visits - via telephone, e-mail, or fax.
Information about clients's demands are also gaining importance. CRM allows better tracking of customer needs. "Thanks to this we can now react more quickly to changes in customer requirements and adjust the development of our services and products accordingly. Then we can launch services and products that our customers really want and will use," explains Václav Kadeřábek, director of quality, security, and key programs for Eurotel.

The CRM magic formula

The question as to what precisely CRM (Customer Relationship Management) means is far from a simple one. "Each firm supplies its own individual content for the term CRM," says Romana Kubalková of Raiffeisenbank, adding, "We see CRM mainly as a concept for the organization of the company and the provision of services to clients in such a way that we can accomodate their requirements." On the other hand, Václav Kadeřábek, director for quality, security, and key programs for Eurotel, characterizes CRM as follows: "It involves the introduction of analytical tools for marketing needs, for running marketing campaigns, and also for implementing front-end solutions with customers, that is, for example, including corporate web sites or WAP services."
However, it is this very broad concept of CRM that can also lead to a decision to avoid the term. "The term CRM is a buzzword under whose label various firms sell everything from information technology through consulting services to training employees how to speak with customers. It's up to each company to define the term for its own needs," notes David Seibert, the director for development and retention of customers at Český Telecom. "We decided not to use the abbreviation CRM, and instead focused on specific procedures that affect how customers perceive our firm," he adds.