Week 10 Design - Importance in CRM

Design - Importance in CRM

In the lecture Rob spoke about the importance of design thinking in CRM. How does it make its presence in CRM and how does it determine the success rate of CRM. The three core processes that depend on each other for its success.
1. The New product development (NPD), 2. Supply chain management (SCM) and 3. CRM.

The video presentation by Timothy Brown at MIT was real insight how innovative design will be more useful for better customer relationship. He also pointed out that designers miss the focus by trying things to look beautiful. I agree with ideas that innovative and creative design can be used to tackle range of business issues. I think its putting you in customers shoes and if one is able to get the customers idea and solve appropriately, then its success. He also mentioned that how People, Technology and business interact and that was really interesting. I believe it’s getting the basics right to the road of success.

I think when developing a new product, it is very important that the interaction with customers is as important as anything else that we would do to make it success because customers are the one who are going to use it and determine its success. Tim said this lead to functional innovation, using technology that is attractive to people. In business making prototype that is emotional innovation as he mentioned. I was impressed how NIKE’s marketing team proposed a design to management by story and how they were successful. I wonder if management can be convinced by this style, so well can be the customers


The supply chain management in business perspective is more important as to coordinate with the different departments of business. The success of wall mart in supply chain as he mentioned, is an example of the importance of SCM. I would like to relate this with the previous topic discussed by Sawhney to synchronize the business to function effectively. This in turn will lead to effective CRM in the process that meets the expectation of the customers and Employees. This can be justified by the examples of the multinational companies which had their success like Motorola, Microsoft, P&G, General Electric Corporation and much more.


Design thinking as Tim states “is human centered approach to innovation “ and this in one sentence answers the importance of design and innovative thinking in success of CRM.