In business customer relationship management or CRM is the art of opening a two way communication between you and your customer. One way communication, advertising and marketing generally can only take you so far- and will do nothing to endear you to your existing customers if they feel like their concerns are not being listened to.

A new survey has revealed that the scale to which good CRM in the financial services industry is important may be  greater than anybody had thought.   A massive  62% of corporate customers would contemplate changing their banking provider just in order to receive better customer service.

What comprises good customer service in the modern age  is something that is rapidly changing . Social media channels are becoming an increasingly important way through which businesses can communicate with their customers.  It is a very wide range of businesses that are increasingly finding that social media is a thing that they can use to boost their profits. From banks, like we are talking about, to other financial services and even restaurants.

The financial services industry has been cautiously adopting things such as webforms for submitting applications and online banking for some time. Now they are beginning to dip a toe into the world of blogs, forums and social media fro CRM purposes.

Social media allows businesses to be much closer to their customers than ever before. When it comes to things such as choosing a new savings account or deciding whether they want to switch current account, customers are not wanting it to be a one way process of simply being sold the product.

It is this trend that is behind the increasing popularity of private banking. Offering a better service at a premium is proving to be a winning combination for the institutions, who have a much greater focus on what is known as ‘wealth management‘ than traditional high street banks. Higher standards of financial planning, including the tricky art of investment management are wooing the better off.

The financial sector tends to be very conservative, and in many ways that is what you want from it. The ability to adapt and move with the times is essential though – and acknowledging the power of good CRM both on and off line in the digital age must surely be a priority.

More of the same with this post, after blowing the lid on what I have learned about buying dresses for women as presents, it is time to go another level down into the realms of underwear… Just a few tips and a bit of a glossary at the end. It’s always best to know a bit about what you are buying, if you want to get the right thing.

The most important thing is to get the size right. Realistically this means stealing some of her underwear. Try not to make a habit of this kind of thing, or you might end up with a bit of a name for yourself. Garments that are worn right next to the skin, so there is much less wriggle room (both figuratively and literally) so accuracy here is beyond essential.

Here is a brief glossary of  the terminology that you will encounter in the world of lingerie:

Babydoll this is a kind of loose fitting nightdress, most likely ‘sheer’ or translucent. Frequently these a sold along with matching knickers.

Boning Don’t laugh, there is nothing funny about this, it is the rigid support that are vertically sewn into corsets. Genuine whalebone is hard to source – so this will most probably be substituted with steel or plastic.

Bustier A bras that is extended below the breasts to provide additional support. Can go down as far as the hips.

Camisole Covering the upper part of the body, this sleeveless garment can be worn as outer wear, with jeans etc. Made from silk or satin traditionally, cotton iis the most popular choice nowadays, although lycra and nylon are not unknown.

Teddy Put all thoughts of bears out of your mind – this is a camisole with integrated pants. Either tight or loose this is one of the most popular and sexy styles of lingerie.