It’s about business processes
In the final of our four-part series of articles on membership management, we look at why it’s important to review business processes up-front.
Implementing any new CRM system or technology provides the opportunity to assess and challenge what you are currently doing as an organisation – and how you are doing it.
Your current processes may be based on existing systems – but don’t just settle for ‘but that’s the way we’ve always done it’ approach. Big benefits and quick wins can be achieved by reviewing your current business processes and thinking about future processes in order to maximise the efficiencies and potential of any new CRM system.
Interdependencies
Every enterprise, large or small, is defined by its business processes. Each process implements some part of what the organisation does – and they are all interdependent.
Today, most business processes are supported by technology that enables some or all of the activities in each process.
While many discussions typically revolve around technology, it’s absolutely vital to take a business-first view. Ask yourself these questions:
- What does our organisation need to support business processes effectively?
- What do these requirements imply about the technology our enterprise needs?
One way to think about the business process requirements for a particular technology is to group them into two categories:
- Structured business processes, i.e. those that are performed the same way every time, such as invoicing.
- Unstructured business processes, i.e. those that are characterised by collaboration among people and are different each time, such as the members’ queries.
It’s essential that technology provides good support for both types of processes. Thinking of a technology platform as a business process platform— its true purpose— isn’t just technology leadership, it’s business process leadership.
Top tips
- Take a ‘business first’ view
- Think about diverse business process requirements
- Consider technology as a business process platform
- Get expert advice to help you review your business processes
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