Developing a Customer Information Database

DEVELOPING A CUSTOMER INFORMATION DATABASE

1. Define the database functions

•      Strategic CRM: Data about markets, market offering, customers, channels, competitors, performance and potential.

•      Operational CRM:  Customer related data to help in the everyday running of the business.

•      Analytical CRM: Data to support the marketing, sales and services decisions that aim to enhance the value created for and from the customers.

•      Collaborative CRM: It includes two subsets of operational and analytical purpose.(OLTP,OLAP)onlineT-transaction, A-analytical processing.

2. Define the information requirements

•      Customer information fields

•      Contact data

•      Contact history

•      Transactional history

•      Current pipeline

•      Opportunities: It looks forward after sales.

•      Products

•      Communication preferences

3. Identify the information sources

•      Internal data: market size ,market segmentation, customer profile, customer acquisition channel, competitor product and pricing, customer requirement

•      External data:

a) Compiled list data:

b) Census data: obtained from govt records.

c) Modeled data generated by third parties includes variety of sources.

•      Secondary and primary data:

a) Competition entries

b) Subscriptions: customer Subscribe of newsletter or magazine

c) Registrations: customers are invite to register their purchase

d)Loyalty programs

4. Select the database technology and hardware platform

•      Hierarchical

•      Network

•      Relational: assign unique number in rows and columns and assign other data's of marketing, service, payments and so on.

5. Hardware Platform

5           Size of the databases :using of PC and server

6           Existing technology : using software

7           Number and location of users

8           Relational Database Management System(RDBMS)

5.  Populate the database

Sourcing: obtain information from customers

Verification

Validation

1. Range validation: Does an entry lie outside the possible range for a field.

2. Missing values: Check for values that are missing in column.

3. Check against the external values: check the details with mail authority.

•      De-duplication :

1. Remove the record that should be retained

2. Retain the record that should be removed

•      Merge and purge &

6. Maintain the Database

•      All new transactions, campaigns and communications are inserted immediately.

•      Regularly re duplicates the database.

•      Get customers to update their own records.(online purchase)

•      Audit the subset of files every year.

•      Drip-feed