Customer Relationship Management is essential for all businesses.
But what are businesses doing to manage this?
What is Customer Relationship Management (CRM)?
CRM may be something that you are already doing in your business to a more significant extent than you realise.
Customer Relationship Management or ‘CRM’ is the process of keeping a connection with clients and or potential customers through systems helping manage contacts, marketing, sales, and improve productivity.
By managing the connection with leads and clients through CRM, businesses have more excellent knowledge and faster connection for marketing, sales and customer service.
Also, a CRM software platform is one component towards creating an overall excellent customer experience and a valuable source for business decisions. For example, from off the shelf or free versions right through to a bespoke CRM depending on your needs and stage of business.
Here are some tips for good practice. In time businesses can develop CRM practices and systems.
CRM Tips
1 Update customer information
First, being up to date with contact information is vital to maximising customer contact and streamlining touchpoints with relevant audiences.
Then, through CRM software, businesses can easily organise lead and client information for marketing, customer service, and sales purposes.
2 Consistent format of information
Additionally, using CRM systems means having a more consistent format to store, read and analyse information.
These systems also assist a business when new and existing employees operate the same CRM platform. Likewise it makes it easier for the team to manage and understand client information.
3 Staying connected with customers
Notably a CRM enables businesses to stay in contact with leads and clients throughout all stages of service, including post-sale, making customers feel more valued and listened to.
Customer contact could be by phone, email, or in-person, listening to the customer’s goals and expectations or inviting feedback providing your business with valuable knowledge of your contact base.
4 Be responsive
As well as staying in contact with customers, being quick to respond to client enquiries, comments or complaints is another crucial factor.
This approach presents your business as approachable and professional. Above all negative comments spreading can be avoided.
5 Track consumer behaviour
Certainly having an organised CRM system provides a greater understanding of behaviours.
To demonstrate observing information through CRM systems can help a business to understand consumer demand and expectations for future business objectives.
More CRM Benefits
Below are some examples of further benefits to your business.
1 Sales process – just like project management software, a CRM platform can assign tasks to a sales rep.
2 Marketing activities – examples here include:
- Newsletters
- Holding webinars in your area of expertise
3 Dashboard – showing an overview of the most important information for your business.
4 Reporting – for current data or showing trends you can learn from over time. These insights may lead to changes in your communications or target focus and inform other business decisions.
CRM Software Options
There are many CRM software options available.
Suppose you’re new to CRM. In this case, free versions may likely serve your purposes for the most part and be a good training ground until you’re ready to scale up on this front.
We support our clients on aspects of CRM. Reach out if you’d like to have a discussion to explore how we can help your business.
