Most firms lack a 360 degree view of their customers because they have no centralized database. Billing departments, sales divisions and customer service centers might all have their own database, with no effective means for creating a complete customer information composite. To effectively implement a sound customer loyalty strategy, data from all customer touch points must be combined into a centralized customer database. Without it, the firm is greatly handicapped in its efforts to serve the customer.
Action Step: Review your company’s current database situation. How many customer databases exist? For example, does each sales rep keep her own customer database? Does each department keep its own? Brainstorm with staff on how to start consolidating the databases, with the ambitious goal of moving to one centralized database over time.
Source: Griffin, Jill. Customer Loyalty: How To Earn It How To Keep It. 2002.