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We spent today at the 13^th annual Gartner CRM Summit in San Diego. VP Distinguished Analyst Scott Nelson, who joined us in a Webinar on the Eight Golden Rules for CRM Success earlier this year, presented the keynote address on the current and future state of CRM. Scott discussed that there are really only four main guiding principles for successful customer-centric strategies.  Scott emphasized that organizations should work on all four strategies at the same time, but one of them will dominate, based on the goals and culture of the company.  The idea is organizations need to understand the four main customer-centric strategies because this will help them to plan and prioritize their investments accordingly, which improves their chances of success. To learn Gartner’s four guiding principles for successful customer-centric strategies, read on.

Strategy 1:  Extend the depth and breadth of relationships to achieve a larger share of the customer relationship.

Organizations should assume that they are underrepresented in the customer’s thinking, and that they can enlarge their "fair share" of the relationship.

Strategy 2:  Reduce delivery channel costs; create barriers to entry for competition. 

Organizations should move customers and transactions from high-cost channels to low-cost channels, such as the Internet.

Strategy 3:  Reinforce the brand.

CRM is the fulfillment of the promise created around the brand. This strategy emphasizes the handoff from branding media, such as television, to more interactive media, such as the call center.

Strategy 4:  Create customer satisfaction and loyalty.

The goal is happier customers. Every interaction with the customer either creates satisfaction or destroys it.

Which customer-centric strategy is your organization pursuing?  Do you find one strategy has dominated your investments in CRM? Maybe it’s time to change your focus?