To create a focus on the customer requires that business processes, technology and employee attitudes are radically altered. Telkom executive Wilbur Crossley, commenting on the organisation's transformation and preparation for competition, said someone in the Networks department was heard to remark that, while upgrading the technology to meet First-World standards was a challenge, changing staff attitudes towards customers was a greater challenge. Companies have learnt that implementing customer relationship management cannot be a sideline project. A call centre is just the basis for changing attitudes towards customers. Many companies have thrown millions of rand at technology that now sits on the edge of the organisation, is largely telephony based, does not form part of a strategy nor take cognisance of the multitude of ways a customer can contact an organisation.
Banks are probably at the forefront of the customer relationship management revolution.
A customer can get adequate information from a branch or ATM but Internet banking is not yet popular. Forrester Research maintains that dynamic shifts in trade will change traditional attitudes towards customers. As the Internet shifts the power to customers and middlemen, companies will be forced to give these parties more control over aspects of the relationship - such as the service or information they prefer. The Internet is a channel for contact with customers but its ubiquitous deployment may be delayed by local constraints. It seems like a fundamental business rule that companies around the world must dive into complex projects with no business plan.