gement policy and to enforce those rules effectively. INTRODUCING THE CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM What is needed, is a data warehouse system that is different from any warehouse built before, one that includes all of the functionalities of a passive reporting system and can be used to create and enforce policy and resolve differences. We refer to this special kind of data warehouse as the customer management system. Chapter 10 BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM The customer data warehouse must be much more than a passive dumping ground where all random facts about customers are deposited for some future reference. It must serve an active, viable, critical role in running the business itself. The system must serve as the true core of any customer touchpoint activity and have power to assure that the individual business units carry out customer relationship management policies. Critical Success Factors for the Customer Management System A customer management system will provide the central location where customer touchpoint activities are managed. For that, the warehouse must meet certain criteria. It must be both The authoritative source of customer information and 2. The place where all customer related KPIs are set, as- signed, and measured. Let's examine each of these statements and see what they mean. AN AUTHORITATIVE SOURCE OF CUSTOMER INFORMATION A customer data warehouse is the place where you find information about customers, but we want it to be much more than that. We want it be an authoritative source. What exactly does that mean? In our case this means that the system is to be the one, only, and true source of information about customers. That is a very strong statement and is perhaps a little difficult to swallow. eXcellence in Telecommunications The Telco Churn Handbook To guarantee the success of customer relationship management efforts, there are several reasons why this customer data warehouse must be the authoritative source of customer information. Dominion If we do not establish on