However, spending more on technology doesn't correlate with improved coverage productivity - often the reverse is true. Instead what is required is an appropriate balance of sales management, planning, contact management and knowledge management - Level 3, or 'Smart CRM', functions which in combination increase productivity. Furthermore, once you have the 'right' technology, the key driver for its adoption by coverage professionals is the quality and integration of the business and system training provided to support it.
In the diagram below, illustrative coverage workflows are depicted to illustrate the CRM functions required to support them. It shows that Level 1 functionality that supports 'Servicing' workflows can make coverage more efficient and help the bank to identify and eliminate duplicated or low value coverage activities.
Very few packaged CRM vendors provide Level 2 and Level 3 functionality that is relevant to the client management methodologies used in corporate banking out of the box. However, Level 2 and Level 3 functions are required for the bank to 'shape' rather than simply 'service' the relationship with the client.