Module 4 Learning Assignment - RFID Case Study Discussion

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As we have been discussing data hosting models (SaaS, PaaS, etc.) in this module, let's not lose sight of the primary function of technology in business: to make organizations more efficient, more productive, and ultimately provide the customer with a greater experience that will lead to a forever transaction.

On this topic, and to provide some background on this mini case and video, I wanted to share my personal experience using RFID (a form of CRM/automation) in business operations. As you may or may not know, my family owns and operates a mobile home park near Olympia (Yelm), Washington. It was established by my grandparents in the early 1980s and my family (mom and dad) run it today. There are 42 spaces that are rentable units. The residents typically own their own mobile home and we lease the land to them. It is our responsibility to maintain all of the services to keep the park running (water/well system, septic systems, common area landscaping, including marketing, rent collection, tenant screening, eviction, etc.).

Not long before my grandfather passed on in 2009, he had the foresight to have RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) water meters installed in every space in the park. This was a large and expensive undertaking, but he knew it would make running the park much easier on a monthly basis. The regular way it was done before RFID was to go to every space (all 42, mind you) individually and pull the cover off the meter, dig down in the hole, read the meter numbers by hand, and record that on a piece of paper. This often took multiple days per month of manual work (mostly digging dirt out around each meter) and often was accompanied by being chased by a resident's dog, being barked at, or most recently, being stung by yellow jackets (bees) who create nests in the ground, not to mention having to be physically intruding into each resident's space/yard each time.

Fortunately, RFID changed all of that. In the early 2000s, a company called Master Meter came out with water meters that could be read with a laptop computer and transceiver box with a magnetic antenna attached to one's vehicle. All you had to do then was simply drive around (within a few hundred feet) of each resident's space and the readings from each meter every month would automatically populate onto your laptop. From that point, a person could buy Master Meter's expensive software (around $12,000) to calculate each resident's bill. Or in my case, a person could create their own process using Microsoft Excel and a couple of formulas (this is where the value of those Advanced Excel classes comes into play - yes, I had to take those once also) and do all of that myself for no cost, saving our company essentially $12,000 in unnecessary software.

So this is just one (ridiculous video, I know) unique real-world application of RFID technology. Although RFID is not mentioned specifically in our book for the class, it is commonly referred to in many CRM textbooks as a technology application, along with other specific uses of technology in customer-facing applications such as social CRM, mobile CRM, AI/Machine Learning, Big Data, IoT (Internet of Things), predictive analytics, VR/AR, proximity marketing, cashier-free retail, etc.

Your task for this discussion is to:

1) Share an example of a CRM technology application you have personally encountered. If you can't come up with a personal example or haven't had experience with this, then do some research on other possible CRM technologies, such as the ones mentioned in the previous paragraph, that you can share with the class. Most of us are already familiar with the retail stores that use RFID, for example, to prevent theft/shoplifting, so other less common uses of CRM technology apps would be better or to at least find a different take/perspective on what we are already familiar with. Articles can be found using Google but ideally something academic from the CWU Online Library Resources or a business journal/website would be best. In short, summarize the example you came up with or the article you researched.

2) Now relate the article/example you chose to how this specific technology application applies to CRM and the overall customer experience. In other words, how does this use of technology accomplish CRM and increase the user's experience or perception of the product/service?