IJRIM Volume 2, Issue 9 (September 2012) (ISSN 2231-4334) International Journal of Research in IT & Management 41 http://www.mairec.org CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (CRM) PROGRAMMES IN BANKS: A STUDY OF HDFC & ICICI (INDIA & UK) Dinesh Babu Khurana* Dr. Raj Kumar** INTRODUCTION In the modern times, the existence of the civilized world cannot be imagined without banks. The banking activities have become not only an integral part of the human civilization but also have directed the flow of progress over the lifetime of human civilization so far. In today’s competitive world, banks, like any other industry, are struggling hard to maintain the old clientele while attracting new customers. It is in this scenario that establishing a relationship with the customers and managing it well has become the need of the hour. How successful a bank is at managing a good relationship with its customers determines how well it does. Customer relationship management (CRM) is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes— principally sales activities, but also those for marketing, customer service, and technical support. The overall goals are to find, attract, and win new clients, nurture and retain those the company already has, entice former clients back into the fold, and reduce the costs of marketing and client service. One of the largest challenges that customer relationship management systems face in banks is poor usability. With a difficult interface for a user to navigate, implementation can be fragmented or not entirely complete. CRM systems for marketing departments in banks help the enterprise identify and target potential clients and generate leads for the sales team. A key marketing capability is tracking and measuring multichannel campaigns, including email, search, social media, telephone and direct mail. Metrics monitored include clicks, responses, leads, deals, and revenue. CRM can drive service revenue and profitability with support for service sales and marketing. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in the banking system is fundamental to building a customer-centric organization. *Research Scholar, Singhania University, Pacheri Bari, Rajasthan **Sr. Professor, Director, MAIMT