CUSTOMER RELATIONS PLAN OUTLINE

Use the following outline to prepare a comprehensive Customer Relations Plan.

1.0    PROJECT SCOPE

In this section, insert the project Scope Statement, or provide a brief summary of the project. Include a description of work to be accomplished, the customer’s goals and objectives for the project, a high-level description of how goals will be met, and other pertinent information.

2.0    CUSTOMER ACTIVITY PHASES

The customer activity phases should build upon each other. Pay particular attention to the transition points between phases, when responsibility for primary project contact changes.

2.1    Pre-contract Phase. Immediately after the decision is made to proceed with a proposal to close on the sales opportunity, the Project Manager and the Solution Sales Specialist (or Services Sales consultant) draft an initial Customer Relations Plan. Include pre-contract planning, post-contract planning, implementation, and life cycle management (LCM).

Identify a member of the Project Team, ideally the Project Manager, to develop and track progress against the building of a sound, mutually beneficial customer/supplier relationship to support the project. An appropriate member of the Customer Sales Team should share this responsibility.

Insert names and contact information for identified Project Team and Customer Sales Team representatives.

PROJECT TEAM REPRESENTATIVE

NAME	FUNCTION	PHONE	FAX	E-MAIL

SALES REPRESENTATIVE (SSS OR SSC)

NAME	FUNCTION	PHONE	FAX	E-MAIL

2.2    Post-contract Phase. Major contact activities include conducting a customer kickoff meeting and finalizing the baseline Project Plan.

Insert description of responsibilities and procedures for customer contact during this phase. Include frequency of formal meetings, process for calling ad hoc meetings, and guidelines and contacts for casual interactions.

Insert contact information for major customer contacts during this phase.

CUSTOMER CONTACT—POSTCONTRACT

NAME	FUNCTION	PHONE	FAX	E-MAIL

         2.3   Implementation Phase. Insert description of responsibilities and procedures for customer contact during this phase. Major contact activities include managing changes to the project, preparing and installing customer sites, training customer personnel, and performing customer testing and acceptance procedures. Include frequency of formal meetings, process for calling ad hoc meetings, and guidelines and contacts for casual interactions.

Insert contact information for major customer contacts during this phase.

CUSTOMER CONTACT—IMPLEMENTATION

NAME	FUNCTION	PHONE	FAX	E-MAIL

         2.4    Close-Out Phase. Insert description of responsibilities and procedures for customer contact during Close-Out. Major contact activities include transitioning, satisfaction review, follow-up, and monitoring of process development

CUSTOMER CONTACT—CLOSE-OUT

NAME	FUNCTION	PHONE	FAX	E-MAIL

         2.5    Life Cycle Management. Insert description of responsibilities and procedures for customer contact during LCM. Every aspect of LCM is centered on customer contact, so this phase presents the greatest opportunity for nurturing customer satisfaction and building long-term relations. Include frequency of formal meetings, process for calling ad hoc meetings, and guidelines and contacts for casual interactions.

Insert contact information for major customer contacts during this phase.

CUSTOMER CONTACT—LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT

NAME	FUNCTION	PHONE	FAX	E-MAIL

3.0    SCHEDULE

Insert major milestones and target dates for formal customer contact throughout the project.