Business may have been first, but the relationship management wave then reached other fields: public service, local governments, consular organisations, etc.
For public organisations, having a good CRM is just as vital. In this context, the preferred term is Citizen Relationship Management, for the obvious reason that these institutions do not deal with “customers” but rather with constituents. At the end of the day, however, a citizen is a customer like any other. After all, do they not vote on a regular basis to confirm their connection with a particular brand, in this case a party?
Therefore, the same principles apply for CRM in the public environment as in the private sector. “Marketing” actions are communication campaigns targeted at the local population (invitations, newsletters, etc.) and the “customer service” manages claims and complaints from its constituents regarding disturbances in a neighbourhood or questions about public facilities.
So, Citizen Relationship Management is just as multi-faceted as Customer Relationship Management. Of course, the KPIs mentioned earlier are just as critical for these organisations, especially in the months running up to an election.