The CRM Staff

CRM staffing is complex because there are actually many different departments or groups within the CRM system that contribute to its success. To start off, we have Customer Facing Operations, which involve face-to-face or direct interaction between the agents of the business (and the necessary technology) and the customer. The technology involved in this direct communication may involve programs for private messaging/chatting, online phoning, emails, or video conferencing.

The Internal Collaborative Functional Operations, unlike the first department, is far from the front lines. This division works in the “back office”, and affects how the first division builds and maintains the relationship of the business with the customer. Part of the job of this division includes billing, maintenance, planning, marketing, advertising and manufacturing.

The External Collaboration functions involve people and technology that interact with the suppliers and distributors that get the company's product to the customers, while the Customer Advocates and Experience designers are hired to make sure that the market's experience of the product is largely positive. The Performance Managers and Marketing Analysts collect and handle data that would support marketing campaigns and customer relationships; they are the ones who would know if the CRM approach is working. Finally, we have the Customer and Employee Surveyors and Analysts who study the quality of the interaction between business and customer.