Even when the latest technologies modernize the way we do things in our offices and businesses, our priorities remain the same, which include customer relationship management or CRM. After all, the customers are the lifeblood of the business since they sustain its purpose. Any effort towards them is an investment for any business, and establishing many healthy relationships over time is an important aspect that drives growth and profits.
Now that we are in the age of internet and communication technology, the abundance of ways to establish strong customer relationships are well-supported. While it addressed that pressing need for coverage and reach more customers, it also introduced newer challenges alongside. Customers have become more specific with what they want since they are more informed now. It has also become easier for them to access different vendors and companies with a Google search and a few clicks. The growing competition is now happening online, and the one that has built a strong network will be vindicated with a better reputation, which will also determine how profitable it is going to be in the real market.
Having a strong customer relationship management is investing on something that yields the highest returns – people. Especially today, the internet supports an almost natural way of interaction and networking through the social media. The social media influence is of great impact that many consumers have their purchase decisions being influenced by what their peers in social media recommend them. Investing in customer relationship management is like doing it in a social enterprise level – gathering the benefits of long-term partnerships.
According to the 2017 forecast of Gartner for enterprise software, the market for customer relationship management will be increased to 36.5 billion dollars from the 20.6 billion dollars achieved in the first quarter of 2013. The growth is significant, supporting the businesses that expressed their intentions to increase their CRM investments annually.
Ironically, despite the technologies surrounding it, the customer relationship management of today is getting more complex than it was before. Since we are dealing with more people and expanded reach, it is becoming more critical to have it done systematically but not overly impersonal (since there is technological intervention involved). It is time to use CRM software.
How Software for CRM Beats Manual CRM Techniques
Customer relationship management encompasses a broad array of skills that are invaluable for your teams in marketing, sales, and customer service. Thus, it will be more effective if these three departments will collaborate on implementing the ways that will benefit the company in general. For this to happen, they should have a continuous communication amongst them and use a single document repository. This calls for a system that will unite their overlapping processes and streamline their workflows for better and smoother collaboration. And this is why CRM software is needed.
CRM can be used in a myriad of purposes, and before implementation, your reasons must be clear about this. This is to maximize its benefits to your organization and at the same time, you can also realize the value of its investment. To further convince you of getting one, let us continue discussing the many reasons why CRM software is important on today’s B2C and B2B relationships.
Reasons to Start Using A Software for CRM Today
Now that we’ve established the impact of customer relationships to the overall value and profitability of a business, it is only logical to refer the same advantage towards using a customer relationship management software. The internet opened more opportunities for communication between customers and businesses, and by using a CRM software, you can maximize it and improve your customer relationships by taking it a notch higher through gaining their loyalty.
In fact, the Global Customer Service study revealed that 75 percent of consumers express their intentions to continue doing business with a company where they had an excellent customer service experience. We know that CRM encompasses this aspect.
How CRM software works? Here are the 10 reasons why you should start using a CRM software today:
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Your customers are growing
Businesses of today, whether small or big, have more customers than before, thanks to the effect of globalization that was made possible and faster to happen through online marketing and sales. Dealing with growing customer inquiries everyday doesn’t mean you have to add more customer service representatives from time to time, which is a cost-ineffective solution. Having a reliable CRM software to use means less manpower can cater to more customers by automating some of the repetitive and time-consuming processes, leaving your CSRs to focus on managing your communication channels more efficiently.
Another important aspect is not having to memorize the names of your growing client base in order to serve them personally. The system can do that for you, and it can store more data about a specific customer, which your CSRs can easily retrieve anytime they take his or her call.
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You should centralize your customer correspondence
Emails are default business communication tools used in most businesses. However, there are certain limitations when it is being implemented on an enterprise-like communication setting such as in a customer service center. Your CRM software is better at organizing and sorting your customer messages by retrieving the attachments and automatically deposits them in a central repository. You can also automate responses to the frequently asked questions without sounding robotic or impersonal. The system can also automatically designate relevant customer messages to the right CSR by detecting keywords from the content.
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You need to measure your effectiveness
With so many marketing, sales, and customer service campaigns you try to implement from time to time, it is best to make an evaluation of each to know which ones are getting the highest returns for the business. CRM software is integrated with a dashboard, where the users can see how the KPIs are being updated in real time. This way, you can better assess your initiatives, disregard those that doesn’t work, and re-allocate your investments on the campaigns that are effective given a time in the market.
The real-time updates that the dashboard gives lets the user see if there are changes in the market behavior. As we know, the market is an ever-changing aspect, and emerging technologies more or less easily outdate each other. By knowing when it happens can place you in a good position to outpace your competitors. You can also grab opportunities as they happen, and resolve problems the moment they arise.
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You should respond quickly
With the growing number of competitors in each specific industry, it is important that you capture your customers right away. In the online realm, a dissatisfied customer can easily go to your competitors with just a few clicks. Having a CRM software to use enables you to rank priority messages and take care of your customers when they need to reach you. It can also help you nurture your clients by continuously updating them of your latest offerings through emails and by making your customer service communication lines varied and easy to reach.
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You will need ways to track back important messages
Dealing with communication histories can be a huge deal of effort, especially when attachments are involved. With a CRM software, you can easily backtrack on important emails, conversations, and attachments with its search and filter buttons. You can see where an irate customer is coming from, and you can emphatically address their concerns in knowing as many details as possible.
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You can initiate friendly competitions among your team
May it be within the sales department or among your other departments, your CRM software lets you view individual performances to serve as the basis for incentive schemes or promotion. For the sales team, you can encourage them to outdo other team performances by conducting friendly competitions and offering incentives and perks when they reach your designated quota. This cultivates a good sense of competitiveness among your team, which will help them maximize their skills individually and as a team.
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You need to secure your data
Dealing with a growing number of clients means you gather more data alongside. You can use your CRM software to centralize your document repository and have it organized the way it will be effective for your everyday operations. In this age of information technology, data is gaining much importance as it will lead you in making informed decisions and analyze risks that may hamper your operations. This way, you can prepare your team ahead and minimize the risks too.
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You can predict the direction your company could be heading into
Through analytics, the data you get from your customer activities and correspondences can be mined and processed to get valuable insights on how to improve your business. Having substantial data histories to consider, you can also uncover patterns from your data. This may lead you in predicting future market trends and product developments which your business can benefit from.
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You can easily track your team’s schedule and activities
Your CRM software makes a good scheduler and activity tracker so you can assess your team’s productivity levels and maximize their time. Doing so can help you decide when it is time to add more manpower or award exceptional employees that drive the success of your business.
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You need to get organized
Dealing with digital files helps you get better organized, more so, if you are using an electronic system in the first place. Why CRM software? Because it not only organizes your documents and methods of correspondences to your customers but also your ideas and management tasks. More than its calendar and email features, you can also benefit from integration and accessibility, which means you can view and access your work with its mobile integrations.
How companies select CRM software? To maximize the benefits for your business, see CrowdReviews.com and its CRM software reviews for a comprehensive take on both vendor options and real client feedbacks.
Trevor Price
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