subject: Role of CRM in Your Business [print this page] CRM, or customer relationship management, can be defined simply as a strategy that focuses on how you interact with your customers. Good CRM also requires the broader process of monitoring and analysing the data that these tracking tools record. By obtaining valuable feedback on transaction behaviour and how customers and employees think and interact, you can develop relationships and increase repeat business through greater customer satisfaction.
Traditionally, only larger enterprises could think about implementing CRM. But nowadays, all businesses are realizing the importance of this technology. With the internet revolution changing the options for businesses like yours, CRM has become more accessible.
You might think that CRM is an over-hyped contact management system. But any business manager realizes that increased customer satisfaction, better co-ordination between employees and well-informed staff will boost an organization's profits. All these benefits can be realised through CRM. A CRM solution goes beyond simple contact management. It also affects departmental functions such as sales, marketing and HR to make your organization increasingly customer-focussed through the use of technology.
Any good CRM solution will cover the full spectrum of customer services, from complaint management to providing better product information. Customer service levels can be enhanced by automated communication systems, prompt reporting of customer problems and more effective responses to those problems. The customer experience is enriched by a system that makes management and employees accountable and service-oriented. This leads to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
By providing information on business environment, competitors and industry trends, marketing automation can help you remain competitive. And watch out for enterprise feedback management (EFM) tools. EFM looks at the reasons behind customer behaviour. You need to understand these reasons so that you can provide personalised solutions and a higher degree of service, which will help you differentiate yourself from competitors.
CRM can also help with the automation of sales functions, from tracking customer preferences to quote management..Sales leads become more structured and all contact with potential customers is recorded and stored, which means it can also be analysed.
