In most companies, individual departments or teams believe they hold the key to understanding customer needs more than other areas of the business. The reality is that different departments simply have a different view into customer expectations and none has an all-encompassing view.
CRM teams and EPMO/PMOs are not immune to this misconception. When you look at the two roles, both ultimately focus on customer/stakeholder satisfaction and utilise similar or comparable mechanisms to accomplish this in ways that are meaningful and measureable. It only makes sense if organisations have both CRM and EPMO/PMO teams that both teams should closely collaborate on projects in order to ultimately align common goals to improve customer satisfaction.
Aligning the CRM and project manager focus
As with any other business initiative, the customer’s needs should always be the primary focus when it comes to managing projects and CRM activities. It should not come as a shock to hear enterprise project management offices (EPMOs) should be closely working side-by-side with CRM teams to ensure customer concerns are addressed and expectations are met.
These two groups should not be mutually exclusive, but rather, to some extent, be joined at the hip in an effort to ascertain strategies and initiatives aimed at reaching a complete customer satisfaction rating. Essentially both groups should strive to uphold exceptional customer relationships as well as work towards garnering new customers through positive experience and overall satisfaction. By doing so, this provides additional prospects for ongoing improvements that further solidify market reach.
What are the primary benefits to both teams?
With both of these influential groups collaborating on projects and business-wide undertakings as a whole, it allows for a clearer view from multiple vantage points, thus reducing the risks for error as well as missed objectives and opportunities.
This collaborative approach also increases efficiency and reduces duplication of efforts and is a better use of internal resources. This offers a relevant time and place to also consider tools and software that enabled both teams to message and collaborate within the same solution. The end result is a reduction in redoing work and waste, and improves internal visibility and communication overall. Robust project management solutions should integrate customer relationship management aspects into the software, making them more seamless and relevant for teams to collaborate.
There is also a decrease in the silo effect since both areas should start to develop a like-minded approach in terms of goals and focus. By reducing the silo effect, the CRM team and EPMO/PMO can find common ground and work towards meeting overall customer expectations instead of focusing on department-by-department goals. With both teams working closely together, it increases the chances of realising strategic alignment as the recognition of companywide goals in connection with customer/stakeholder satisfaction is amplified.
What are the primary benefits to customers?
Customers are likely to experience improved levels of service as a result of aligned CRM and PM team goals that factor in the necessary processes. Whether intentional or not, any process improvements are likely be detected by stakeholders/customers at some stage.
Within project management, CRM, like multiple components present throughout the project lifecycle, is not a formalised singular specialised area in and of itself. Project managers can greatly benefit from unique input provided by CRM departments who focus specifically on customer relationships day-in-and-day-out.
By working together, not only do both teams improve their levels of service, they increase the chances of success through quality, cost, and process efficiencies. These teams have the capability to pool their knowledge and skills to offer more powerful businesses insights, with a more holistic view into refining overall customer approval and satisfaction methods.
