Assessment 1: Case Study
You work for ABC Company. You have created a very good internet shopping website for your customers who can pick their products online, put them in the cart and pay online. However, you still use manual monitoring system to identify how many product views and website visitors every day. Your website software could only help you collect total number of views of each webpage, and you need to manually type these figures on spreadsheets and create some tables to analysis those figures by yourself. There are lots of potential problems. For example, time consuming, there are administrative errors, you could not segment customers and identify who are new customers.
You want to choose one CRM system in order to receive and track leads then turn them into paying customers. Your business strategy is very simple which is ‘give customers what they want, stay connected and get paid'.
According to your own research and you know that there are some popular products on the market and they do not cost much. For example, Zoho CRM, Sugar CRM etc. You can search these companies online and help you to understand more about how a CRM system to improve customer engagement.
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New CRM System Evaluation
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Ease of use
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Ultimately, the administration needs to be user-friendly. You should make sure that users are consulted and given an opportunity to list their needs and wants, as they are the people who will be directly affected by it. The system must enable users at all levels (with the necessary training) to use the system easily. It should be logical and practical. Productivity will be reduced if the system is difficult to use.
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Capability
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The system must be able to process, analyse and present data in the formats and configuration required by users. Obviously what this means in terms of computerised systems is that they must be capable of (and supplied with) suitable software, and for both manual and computerised systems, system users must have the appropriate knowledge and skills.
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Cost
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What costs are associated with:
1. set up of the system
2. ongoing use of the system
3. training personnel to use the system
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Supplies
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There are extra supplies that will need to be purchased, including disks, paper, printer toner and other associated accessories. Are there resources available as needed and are they cost-effective?
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Improvement/ upgrades
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What upgrades are required and when are they required? Upgrades should be considered part of the ongoing cost of system and should be included in the budget at appropriate intervals.
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Maintenance and repairs
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What maintenance is required and what are the current and ongoing costs - in terms of hardware and system integrity (eg developing consistent storage/ filing systems, deleting duplicates and inactive files, checking for irregularities in the system)?
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Support
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Included in the cost of the system, is the expense, direct and indirect, of supporting and maintaining the system and ensuring that both technical support and training in the system use are available as required.
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System elements
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The system elements consistent with the requirements of the organisation, the capacity and capability of the system itself and the competency of its users
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Integrity
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System integrity is vital. It ensures that records are stored in the correct place, are accessible to the current people in a user-friendly format and that communication between the various sections of the organisation (information sharing) is efficient. Is the system secure? Can policies and procedures be introduced to ensure that data is not lost, that is, system backups, file duplication, storage and archiving (on and off-site)?
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Outputs
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Are the system outputs cost-effective, controlled and user-friendly? Output requirements are often not specifically detailed and can contribute to organisational waste. Waste has obvious associated costs. It is uncommon for multi-page printouts. To be generated in order to check, for instance, a single fact or to access a single paragraph of information. The system should include directive and incentives to encourage waste minimisation.
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Value adding
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What value does the system contribute to organisational efficiency and effectiveness? Does the system provide enough value to warrant the cost? Are there cost reduction measures that should be investigated?
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1. After obtain the trial CRM account, prepare a resource and cost plan by estimating the human, technical and equipment resources required for the project, and their costs.
2. Identify and assess risks to the project and include contingency strategies as appropriate. Complete a risk assessment using the risk management plan template, and submit this with the project implementation plan.
3. Determine how you will measure the quality of the CRM. Develop a quality management plan that outlines how performance of the CRM will be measured.
4. Include a section in the plan on how you will celebrate the achievement of milestones and project finalisation (the launch of the CRM).
5. Prepare a schedule for the development and trial your idea, and its integration with the organisation's systems. Calculate the total time for the project, beginning with estimating the time, it will take to complete activities. Allow for:
• A comprehensive trial of the idea
• Analysis of issues and problem-solving
• Applying identified corrections
Be sure to identify dates for milestones to enable the team to monitor progress.
Assessment 2: Case Study
You work under ABC Company Business Operation Managing Director. At the last senior management meeting, there was discussion about changing the structure of the retail operations of ABC Company.
The key factor behind this is the growing number of consumers who prefer to shop online. Although there is no evidence to indicate this is affecting ABC retail sales figures at the moment, it is senior management's view that ABC should better integrate physical retail outlet with online sales.
You have been delegated the responsibility of overseeing this organisational development plan. You will report directly to senior management, as they will be jointly responsible for approving any plans that are developed.
Please refer to the development plan brief below, for more details of what senior management has in mind.
Development plan brief
The ABC Company business plan is targeting an annual growth in sales of 15% over the next 5 years. There are many ways that have been suggested to achieve this growth, but senior management wants to focus on those strategies that will support growth in the long term, and not just over the next 5 years.
Our 150 retail outlets are located strategically to ensure that we can offer a premium retail experience to more than 90% of the population. We currently have an online sales capacity that is managed centrally and serviced through our warehouse facilities and warehouse staff.
The concern that senior management has with this current online and retail sales strategy is that they are not integrated. Here are some examples of the types of poorly integrated customer service scenarios that exist in the current approach:
• customer will research a product online, then go to a retail outlet to make a purchase. The in-store pricing is usually higher than the online price and sales staff cannot match the price. Consequently, our retail sales staff.
- Make negative comments about our online sales to customers
- Develop the belief that our online business is directly competing with retail outlet's business
- Develop low morale because they feel that the future of retail outlet sales is being threatened by online sales and their jobs are at risk
• Customer who purchase a product online will come to the retail outlet for after-sales support. Although there is a support hotline, the customers prefer to have their problems resolved in person. The retail sales staff are highly experienced in product support, but in instances where a product was purchased online, there is a tendency to reduce and minimise the support that is offered. There have been a number of customer complaints where support has been directly refused and customers have been told they need to access this support hotline.
• Retail sales staff have no access to details of sales made through the online system. This leads to a situation where ABC operations are segmented and it is difficult to establish a work culture that supports the whole organisation.
• Warehouse staff have limited product knowledge and sales expertise. The current online approach is putting greater emphasis on them to develop sales and customer service skills. There are many negative comments coming from warehouse staff. They believe their award conditions should change, as they are being asked to perform duties outside of their position description.
The proposed integrated approach that senior management is seeking should contain some of the following features:
• Pricing for online and retail outlets is the same
• Customer sales record systems are integrated between online and retail outlets. Authorised retail sales staff should be able to access records of a customer's purchase details that were made either online or through a retail outlet. Consequently, retail sales staff providing after-sale support can record this information and use it to demonstrate achievement of key performance indicators
• Retail outlet sales staff are integrated into the online sales system by being rostered onto the support hotline
• Online sales are allocated to the sales budget of the nearest retail outlet. Retail outlet performance will therefore have online sales as one of its performance indicators
One overriding factor that senior management would like to achieve is the development of a sales strategy that has a vision for the future and has no distinction between how the sales was made.
They provided an example of this as a major computer corporation that has a physical presence in major retail centres, which purely have an emphasis on product demonstration and support. Sales are made either online or in the store, but the sales vision is that returning customers will have a preference for using the online system. Consequently, the online strategy is to market directly through email and social media and to promote products through a sophisticated website. The online sales experience should exceed the physical retail store sales experience.
Complete the following tasks.
1. Access the ABC Company business plan and the organisational charts. Using these documents and the development plan brief, prepare a draft development plan for senior management to consider. The plan should include details on the following:
a) The development plan's goals and objectives and possible measures of success
b) Key personnel and their roles in implementing the proposed development plan
c) A list of the stakeholders that need to be consulted, with an outline of what their needs and competing demands may potentially include
d) A stakeholder consultation and communication strategy that outlines what needs to be communicated, who will receive the communication and how it will be communicated
e) Strategies that will be used to gather stakeholder feedback throughout the implementation phase
f) A proposed time line with milestones to achieve full implementation in a 12-month period
g) An outline of resources that will be required to implement the proposed development plan over a 12-month period
h) An outline of possible risk and an assessment of the effects that may exist with the implementation of the development program
i) An evaluation of the proposed development program in terms of the costs, benefits and potential risks
2. While senior management is considering your draft plan, there are several other documents that can be prepared in expectation that the draft development plan will be approved. Prepare each of the following:
a) A process to resolve problems that are raised by key stakeholders - this should also include a recommended process for allowing teams to develop problem-solving skills, so they can actively contribute to the resolution process
b) A process to manage possible conflict that may develop
c) A plan that outlines appropriate steps, corrective actions and interventions for perceived problems that may be encountered through the implementation of the development program
d) A plan to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the development program as it is being implemented
3. Consult and communicate effective with stakeholders to:
• determine agreed objectives and outcomes
• identify organisation's culture and readiness for the organisational development
• manage conflict (retail sales team makes negative comments about online sales; they believe online business is directly competing with retail outlet's business; they feel that the future of retail outlet sales is being threatened by online sales and their jobs are at risk)
• brainstorm alternative options, negotiate with stakeholders and agree on outcomes
• ask for feedback and identify any loss of support for your plan; monitor and promote participation in and support for the development activities
• you have to maintain regular meetings with stakeholders and get individual feedback according to your communication plan. You should do at least 2 role plays. When you do the second role play, you need to check whether you have made changes according to your first role play and ensure the stakeholder reinforces the organisation development plan.
• Evaluate your plan in terms of costs and benefits, including opportunity costs and make adjustment as appropriate.
Assessment 3: Case Study
You take on the role of Human Resources Manager at ABC Company. You are replacing previous Human Resources Manager who is on leave for six months. The managing director are in the process of developing the organisation's 5-year strategic plan. To achieve competitive advantage, the directors are pursuing an innovation strategy with a focus on developing a range of tools to enhance the customer's online shopping experience.
They have developed an innovation strategy to ensure the organisation's sustainability and, consequently, they need to ensure the organisation's workforce is able to implement this strategy. You have been asked to prepare a comprehensive draft of the human resources strategic plan. Please begin by researching the planning requirements to develop a draft of the human resources plan. You will need to review the current business plan and consider the information relating to the innovation strategy to determine the HR direction. In drafting the plan, you will consult with managing director and other relevant mangers (your assessor) about their HR preferences and approaches. You will also need to identify HR services to implement the innovation strategy, their costs, requirements and risks.
Complete the following tasks to guide you through the development and preparation of this project.
1. Research planning requirements:
• Review the company business plan and organisation operational plan in reference to the HR strategic direction, objective and targets
• Undertake a PEST analysis using the PEST analysis template to determine trends and issues, including new and emerging technology that could impact human resource management in the organisation
• State the future labour needs and skill requirements for the organisation and identify potential options for sourcing labour
2. Consider internal stakeholders using the organisational charts. Create a simple engagement and communication plan that lists each manager and how you will communicate with them to identify their preferences, and to reach agreement on philosophies, values and policies. Explain how you will obtain support for the plan.
3. Develop the human resources strategic plan which covers the following items:
• Determine strategic directions, objectives and targets
• Identify the HR training and development services that will need to be delivered to achieve the HR strategic objectives
• Provide a cost-benefit analysis of the training and development services
• Identify appropriate technology and system to support agreed human resource programs and practices
• Using the risk management plan template, develop a risk management plan to support the human resources strategic plan
• Prepare a schedule for implementation (priority and timeframe)
• Prepare a budget for training and development services (projection, actual and contingency)
• Determine how the plan will be monitored and reviewed, and how amendments will be made if issues arise, for example ABC would like to decrease staff
• Outline the process HR will undertake to evaluate performance against plan objectives and make improvement
4. Consult and communicate effectively with finance manager, business operations manager, project managers, customer service manager and sales manager (your classmates) and managing director (your assessor) to develop, implement, monitor and review the human resource plan. You need to ensure your managers are clear about your human resources strategic plan and answer all their questions.