Customer Relations Management (CRM)

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Customer Relations Management (CRM)

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ByDawn Christine Simmons

Customer Relations Management (CRM) in Customer Service Management (CSM) helps you serve customers consistently, protect trust, and prove performance. This article defines the practice end-to-end—what it is, how it works, who does what, and how to implement it with minimum customization.

What Customer Relations Management (CRM) is

CRM-for-service is the discipline of managing customer interactions across channels using a shared customer record, standardized workflows, and measurable outcomes. It connects:

  • Customer context (who they are, what they own, what they’re entitled to)
  • Service operations (cases, requests, incidents, complaints)
  • Knowledge and learning (articles, known issues, root cause)
  • Measurement (CSAT, speed, quality, effort, SLA performance)
Customer Relations Management (CRM) from ServiceNow CRM Solutions

Why it matters

You don’t win on effort. You win on outcomes with proof.

When you run CRM-for-service well, you:

  • Reduce customer effort and repeat contacts
  • Cut backlog aging and SLA breaches
  • Increase knowledge reuse and agent productivity
  • Protect privacy and compliance expectations (especially globally)
  • Improve retention by fixing what drives churn

When it starts and ends

Starts: when a customer need or signal appears—question, issue, request, complaint, or proactive risk trigger.
Ends: when the interaction is resolved/closed, commitments are met and documented, and the customer record is updated (case notes, closure codes, knowledge updates, feedback captured).

Step-by-step Customer Relations Management (CRM)

Step 1 — Define scope and boundaries

Decide if you’re implementing:

  • CSM-focused CRM: service interactions + relationship health, or
  • Full CRM: marketing + sales + service.

Most teams should start with CSM-focused CRM to stabilize operations.

Step 2 — Standardize intake and classification

Create a shared language:

  • Case/request types
  • Categories/subcategories
  • Priority rules (impact + urgency)
  • Required fields for each case type

Step 3 — Route work with SLAs and skills

Implement routing rules that:

  • Send work to the right queue fast
  • Start SLA timers automatically
  • Trigger escalations before breaches

Step 4 — Resolve with knowledge-first execution

Make knowledge the default:

  • Provide agent templates/macros
  • Publish “top issues” articles first
  • Track failed searches (“no-article-found”) and close the gaps

Step 5 — Close with clean documentation and feedback

image

Closure is not admin work. It is your data quality layer.

  • Use standard closure codes
  • Capture resolution steps and customer confirmation
  • Collect CSAT/CES on close

Step 6 — Govern with controls and evidence

At minimum, implement:

  • Role-based access, retention rules, and audit logs
  • A complaints-handling flow (ISO 10002-aligned if relevant) ISO
  • Contact center service requirements (ISO 18295 context if applicable) ISO

Step 7 — Run an operating cadence

Customer Relations Management (CRM) Salesforce Activity Management CRM Dashboard Lead Status by Owner, Pipeline and Revenue Sourced from Market, Campaign Revenue, Wellness Status, Shift status, My Trailhead Learning.
  • Daily: queue health + SLA risk
  • Weekly: top drivers + KB gaps + coaching themes
  • Monthly: trend improvements + automation ROI
  • Quarterly: governance + compliance evidence review

Roles: Who does what (quick view)

  • Agents: capture, classify, resolve, document, communicate
  • Managers: staffing, quality calibration, escalation governance
  • Knowledge managers: publish/retire governance and templates
  • Customer success: monitor relationship health and risks
  • Compliance/privacy: approve sensitive handling and retention
  • Executives: set targets, fund improvements, remove blockers

Metrics that prove it’s working

CRM Metrics You Should Be Tracking are both operational health and customer outcomes:

Customer Relations Management (CRM) Freshworks CRM Account Executive Sales Forecasting, Leads by Territory, Leads by State, Churn Rate.

Leading indicators

  • First response time
  • Backlog aging
  • Repeat contact rate
  • KB usage and “no-result” searches

Lagging indicators

  • CSAT / CES
  • Time-to-resolution
  • SLA attainment
  • Churn/retention impact (where measurable)

FAQ

Is CRM the same as CSM?
No. CRM is the broader approach to managing customer relationships. CSM is the service execution layer that resolves issues and fulfills requests. CRM-for-service aligns both so service outcomes strengthen relationships.

What should we standardize first?
Start with intake fields + taxonomy + routing + SLAs. If those aren’t consistent, everything downstream degrades.

How do we handle complaints consistently?
Use a defined complaints workflow with clear steps, owners, timelines, and evidence. ISO 10002 provides guidelines many organizations adapt to their context.

What changes in global/regulatory environments?
Data handling rules, consent, retention, and cross-border transfer requirements vary. Treat privacy and evidence logging as design requirements, not “later” enhancements.

Next steps

  • Build your taxonomy + SLA matrix
  • Launch your top-50 knowledge sprint
  • Stand up daily/weekly/monthly dashboards and review cadence
  • Choose one improvement loop (repeat contacts, backlog aging, or KB gaps) and drive measurable progress for 90 days

Other Customer Relations Management (CRM) Resources

Dawn C. Simmons is a transformative, visionary leader with over 20 years of executive experience in digital transformation and business process improvement.
Dawn C. Simmons Knowledgebase of learning and executive experience in digital transformation and business process improvement.

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