Objective
Profits, continuity and competitiveness of European companies are highly dependent upon customer performance. Only those companies which succeed in the external domains of customer value (profit per customer), customer behaviour (share of customer, customer lifetime) and customer satisfaction (supplier performance vs. customer expectations) can expect to survive the pressures of competitors--headquartered within and outside the EC--which seek to win the preference of the European customer, at home and in the office.
But success in the domains of customer value, customer behaviour and customer satisfaction is dependent upon the customer focus of the supplier. Customer processes of the highest quality are required in the internal domains of organisation (management and staff), communication (contact logistics and methods/media/messages) and information (customer data and customer information systems).
Customer Marketing is a business methodology developed in Europe designed to help companies increase customer performance and improve customer focus. Originated and developed by the Amsterdam-based management consultancy MSP Associates with support from Databank Research (Milan), Customer Marketing has achieved a degree of recognition through books on the subject published in the UK, Netherlands, UK, Germany, France, Italy and Portugal. The Customer Marketing methodology has been applied with success by a number of European companies.
The ACUMAP project is designed to further the development and dissemination of the Customer Marketing methodology and tools to facilitate its implementation in larger companies throughout Europe. In addition to MSP Associates and Databank Research, the ACUMAP consortium participants in include PTT Telecom/Netherlands (PTT/NL) and Telecom Italia (Telecom-I).
The specific objectives of ACUMAP are to:
- increase the customer performance and customer focus of PTT/NL
- stimulate the introduction of the CM methodology in large European companies;
- improve primary Customer Marketing tools and materials for rapid transfer to European end users and consulting partners; and
- lay the groundwork for a Customer Marketing company or institute dedicated to exploit and disseminate Customer Marketing tools and know-how within Europe.
The ACUMAP consortium partners will accomplish the project goals through a highly structured approach which will include these basic steps: investigating current customer-based practices in Europe; implementing the Customer Marketing methodology in the Groningen district of PTT/NL; measuring results in both customer performance and customer focus and testing at Telecom-I the transferability and validity of "lessons learned"; improving Customer Marketing analytical and implementation tools and materials to be implemented at the Best Practices site; undertaking a dissemination program to inform key European companies of the validated "learned lessons"; and making direct contacts with European consulting and publishing companies which can support the end users in Customer Marketing implementation programs.
The expected results of the ACUMAP project for the consortium partners, and the exploitation of these results, are summarised as follows:
PTT/NL:
- results: increase of customer performance and customer focus in District Groningen.
- exploitation: transfer of know-how and experiences to other PTT/NL business units and international consortium partners.
MSP Associates and Databank Research:
- results: measurement and comparison of customer performance and customer focus
- exploitation: transfer of know-how and experiences to Telecom-Italia business units.
Telecom-Italia:
- results: further development of Customer Marketing know-how and tools
- exploitation: transfer of know-how and experiences to other European consultancies and end-users..
European End Users and Consultants
- results: insights and information on the benefits of the Customer Marketing methodology
- exploitation: opportunities to exploit the Customer Marketing methodology.
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
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CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
1075 AK Amsterdam
Netherlands