Now let’s be real here and take a big-picture look at your company’s knowledge about its customers. For instance, when my firm reviews how a client uses its customer relationship management (CRM) system, invariably we find knowledge gaps in the operational processes it follows.

These gaps make it much harder and time-consuming for the marketing person, sales team, and customer service representatives to do their jobs effectively. Yes, we all get busy, but a disciplined effort should be made to keep your customer information clean, accurate, and fine-tuned. Yes, operational processes can be optimized. Yes, newer CRM systems provide more efficient ways to add and update information on the fly using mobile phones and tablets.

Does the information in your CRM system give you a clear picture of who your customers really are and how they behave?

 …