Case Study On Apple CRM [PDF]

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CASE STUDY: CRM APPLE

Apple Overview Apple is one of the most well-known retailers of innovative technology, from personal computers to handheld devices such as tablets and mobiles. It is the third largest maker of PCs in the US, and since 2001 has had a much higher focus upon retail and customers than its competitors. The customer relationship is now an essential part of Apple’s growth strategy, and is almost as much of a brand feature as the iPad or iPhone. A Mac CRM is a combination of a cloud based app built with Apple's programming language Objective-C or Swift (programming language). Mac CRMs involve using Apple only devices and technology to organize, automate, and synchronize sales, marketing, customer service, and technical support. Salesforce and Apple will work together to create enterprise-focused apps. Apple and Salesforce are developing the first Salesforce Mobile SDK that is optimized for Swift. This will enable businesses and developers to build and deploy iOS apps on the Salesforce Lightning Platform

Apple’s CRM Needs  The company has been using CRM in its customer service departments for nearly a decade, and this has ranged from sending a series of emails to customers who’ve used their instore services, to focus upon assessing the feelings of the customers when they are talking to Apple staff.  The purpose of using CRM in their retail base is to encourage a long-term relationship between Apple and its clients. Part of retaining that relationship involves enhancing the customer experience so that it is a unique memory of buying a phone. Rather than concentrating upon making customers buy a phone, they instead focus upon teaching customers to love and appreciate the benefits of having an iPhone or iPad. This is a central point of the Apple strategy.  There are several different strands of using CRM within the Apple infrastructure. The primary purpose of CRM is data collection. This occurs whenever a customer makes a purchase, whether it is an iPhone, use of software such as iTunes, or registering their product using their Apple ID.  However, Apple has not only used CRM for their own purposes, they have also developed a CRM tool for their customers. The tool is entirely cloud-based and means that there is a pyramid effect of businesses benefiting from CRM data collection which Apple can also use.  The focus of their strategy is to inform and educate the customers about the benefits of having their high end products rather than concentrating only on selling their products.  To maintain a long term relationship between Apple and its clients, the company has been using CRM in their retail base.

How Apple Use CRM  By far the most important focus of CRM is improving the customer service experience for new and existing customers.

The Apple Genius process is part of the Tech support, which focuses upon allowing customers to meet face-to-face with technicians and discuss problems and solutions in depth.  CRM helps to manage the effect of this face-to-face contact, and also helps to enhance brand awareness when focusing upon CRM-based advertising and targeted emails in the future. By using CRM so extensively in their retail structure, Apple has effectively produced a lifestyle experience rather than simply a purchase.  Apple is a multinational company which has had success in a number of different fields and needs a CRM system which can help them to reach customers on a face-to-face level. Small businesses can also benefit from this type of interpersonal CRM.

ADVANTAGES OF CRM IN APPLE  Better customer service: A CRM system can help personalize a company’s relationship with its customers. The program usually comes with a repository that can keep customer profiles, treating every client individually instead of collectively.  Increased customer revenues: CRM can help facilitate customer retention through introduction and implementation of loyalty programs that are based on the customers’ needs and preferences.  Faster sales processes: A business can benefit from the faster closing processes of deals. CRM can make it happen through speedier and more efficient response to customer information and leads.  More efficient and effective call centre: A business call centre can benefit from the faster solutions CRM systems bring about. As customer support and call centre agents gain access to customers’ order histories and details in a much faster manner, targeting of clients can be much easier

DISADVANTAGES OF CRM IN APPLE  Record Loss: Some Customer Relationship Software utilizes remote Internet Connections to keep customers’ data. The downside of this kind of CRM is that the organization has no control of customers’ details, and in case there is an outage in the CRM system, it will be next to impossible for the business to retrieve the relevant details.  Overhead: If a business chooses a local Customer Relationship Management software, there will be overhead costs linked to it. If the application is proprietary, the organization will need to pay for professionals such as system administrator, software developers, and maintenance personnel to ensure the efficient running of the software.  Training: If it’s a small business, the issues of training aren’t so much pronounced. Nonetheless, the large companies will be required to roll out training sessions for the workers. For CRM of larger scale, this will mean appointing professional to conduct the training.  Eliminate Human Element: Although CRM applications allow for the automation of processes within a company, there is a loss of human element in the organization, something which essential for creating an excellent business relationship with customers.

CONCLUSION CRM is a tool, which helps to track down the changing customer profiles, build in this information to get the necessary product design & add value to the individual customer. Today’s customers are global & have high degree of need for cognition, recognition, approvals & respect. They prefer marketers who can give good product, deliver first service, repair, solve problems & improve products. Marketers are striving for a bond with customers, who will be strong & long lasting with the customers.

RECOMMENDATIONS  Marketers have realised that if they retain customers the cost will certainly reduce. On the supply side, it really pays more to develop closer relationship with customer through people, equipment and procedure. It is high time that they re-engineer the marketing department.  As customer expectations have rapidly changed over the last two decades. Fuelled by new technology and growing availability of advanced product features & services, customer’s expectations are changing almost on a daily basis. Customers are less willing to make compromises to trade off in product & services quality. So companies should continuously search for value building approaches through a system of total quality management review process, which will be, resulted in valueladen-relationship with customers.

PRESENTED BY:- YASH BHANSALI (18030122092) PEUSH MAROTHI (18030122056)