Customer Database on SAM

[hereticus]

Why does the customer database information on SAM only give us the customer name, number, and address when perhaps the most useful piece of information would be the telephone number, particularly if this can also be used as another search field.

How many times does a customer call but not leave a voicemail message – you can see the missed call on your phone and, unless withheld, you can see the caller’s number – so it would often be useful to be able to go into the database to identify the caller before calling back, and how impressive when you can phone back and address the customer by name and show that you ‘remember’ the address. Similarly when a customer calls and you answer the call live, you could be looking up the customer data by searching on the caller’s number whilst conversing and, by immediately seeing the address, jog your memory to recall the person and any recent business – how professional would that look, and what a way to underline our reputation for personal service. I’m sure there are many ways in which having this information on SAM would enable us to maximise a professional sales approach.

Also, whilst on the subject of databases, has anyone else noticed the horrific amount of duplication ? I checked out my own address (where I have lived for twenty years) and found a total of eleven entries / customer numbers ? I’ve found similar duplication, perhaps not to the same extent but often three or four entries, with many regular customers. However many customers Hillarys claim to have on the database, quite clearly a large percentage of them are fictional due to duplicated entries, customers who have moved, etc. I’m sure this would be a horrendous task to clean up such a massive database but surely it should be attempted – apart from anything else, imagine the percentage of direct mail that is wasted.

[RED]

hereticus said:

Why does the customer database information on SAM only give us the customer name, number, and address when perhaps the most useful piece of information would be the telephone number, particularly if this can also be used as another search field.

How many times does a customer call but not leave a voicemail message – you can see the missed call on your phone and, unless withheld, you can see the caller’s number – so it would often be useful to be able to go into the database to identify the caller before calling back, and how impressive when you can phone back and address the customer by name and show that you ‘remember’ the address. Similarly when a customer calls and you answer the call live, you could be looking up the customer data by searching on the caller’s number whilst conversing and, by immediately seeing the address, jog your memory to recall the person and any recent business – how professional would that look, and what a way to underline our reputation for personal service. I’m sure there are many ways in which having this information on SAM would enable us to maximise a professional sales approach.

Also, whilst on the subject of databases, has anyone else noticed the horrific amount of duplication ? I checked out my own address (where I have lived for twenty years) and found a total of eleven entries / customer numbers ? I’ve found similar duplication, perhaps not to the same extent but often three or four entries, with many regular customers. However many customers Hillarys claim to have on the database, quite clearly a large percentage of them are fictional due to duplicated entries, customers who have moved, etc. I’m sure this would be a horrendous task to clean up such a massive database but surely it should be attempted – apart from anything else, imagine the percentage of direct mail that is wasted.

Hereticus
I have taken your idea one step further.
Many years ago I created my own database, before Sam was even thought of.
Each day I input the customers name, address, sale or otherwise, telephone number, customer number and so on.
It sounds time consuming I know, but once set up is quite fast to use. It keeps track of my mileage for tax reasons and gives me reports on where I get the best concentration of work via postcodes. I can tell what I did 5 years ago to what I am doing today and gives me my true percentages. Something no FSM can argue with.
Its not something everyone could set up without computer knowledge or database design knowledge but I find it very useful. Any missed calls, as you say I can search my database and find out who it is if they are on there.

Red

[brazil]

I would have a very good perusal of The Data Protection Act if I were you !

[RED]

data protection only applies if the data is used for other purposes other than personal reference and if it is made public or used to target individuals for example in cold calling.
Red

[brazil]

I refer the honourable member to the reply I gave earlier ! I was refering to keeping c ustomers data on your PC

[RED]

brazil said:

I refer the honourable member to the reply I gave earlier ! I was refering to keeping c ustomers data on your PC

Perhaps you are right in that respect, data protection is a mine field but the information it holds is exactly the same as is on your hard copy from the fit. So you still hold information on a customer.
Maybe someone with a little more knowledge on data protection can clarify it.
Red

[BlindWizard]

If you are holding records for marketing and public relations for you own business you do not have to register for the data protection act. If you are marketing goods and services for others you do need to be registered.

You can also hold information of suppliers and customers for accounting and goods delivery purposes but you have to delete accounting information after you do not need it for accounting purposes.

The other point you have to consider is that it is information provided by Hillarys therefore there can be contractual implications.