CRM is the acronym for Customer Relationship Management and is a tool used to improve the communication between a company and its customers, as well as reaching out for new ones. Through a CRM tool the overall quality of the customer experience can be considerably enhanced. Furthermore, CRM tools can also be used for facilitating communication with different company associates, such as business partners, sales customers and colleagues. By bundling all contacts under one platform, the work surface will be more structured and better organized, providing numbers from all gathered interactions, which can be then turned into valuable statistics. Combined with a project management software, a CRM can pave the way to new, simple and effective marketing strategies as well as profit increases, without having to spend significant sums of money in attempting the acquisition of new customers.
Is a CRM tool the right choice for my company?
CRM tools are highly recommended for any company that, due to the products or services it provides, depends on regular contact with its customers. A CRM system can be applied to all, or specific areas of the workflow. Depending on the specific needs of each company, the following usage options can be considered:
- Gathering and processing of costumer information: CRM systems are designed to evaluate customer data, such as transaction data, and therefore gain new resources, which can be implemented for determining target group characteristics and migration tendencies.
- CRM tools as operational systems: the existing data can also be processed in order to implement further marketing strategies, such as market segmentation.
- Communicative customer management relationship tools: this function simplifies and enhances communication with customers. By bundling the different channels through which customer contact takes place (such as telephone, e-mail and further online platforms), all necessary information about the current communication status will be organized and available to all relevant employees.
- Collaborative CRM: this function allows a more efficient communication between different departments within the company, as well as information exchanges with outsourced instances and sales staff.
What is to be considered?
Before implementing a CRM software in your company, there are different important questions that need to be carefully considered. For which areas is the implementation of the system essential? For which is it optional? Which new possibilities for your company can a CRM system open? Who will be allowed access to the system and the information and how will authority levels be assigned?
Smaller companies without its own server or without an IT department are recommended to choose cloud-based solution when looking for the right CRM system. This option guarantees the reliable performance of the system. Cloud-based solutions also allow data to be accessed in a more flexible way, whether on the road, during business trips or meetings outside of the company.
If you are struggling to keep up to date with everything at work, may be consider investing in contract management software.
