Basics Of CRM
Back in 1954, Peter Drucker, a management guru stated that "the purpose of business is to create and keep a customer". We couldn't agree more with Drucker. After all, you just need to think about yourself as a customer. Anytime you buy a product or a service, you expect to be treated well. You want to ensure that when you buy a product or service that you aren't treated as a number and that you get all the support you need in case you ever need it.
Simply put, CRM systems are a way to manage your company's interactions and relationships with both your customers as well as leads. But CRMs go a bit far; in fact, they are also the systems that allow you to automate your processes which allow your business to be more efficient and, ultimately, more profitable.
There's no question that the world changed a lot since Peter Drucker. If back then people would rely on recommendations, advertising, and reputation, the technology we all have at our disposal changed things a lot. Just think about social media platforms, for example. The way businesses can use them to relate to customers but more than this, the data that can be extracted from using them can be revealing for businesses.
Nowadays, businesses have many different ways to connect with their customers. From emails to phones, from social media to mail marketing, businesses need them all. But more than using different ways to connect with their customers, businesses need to personalize their approach. Fortunately, a CRM system allows businesses to connect with customers in a multitude of ways easier and faster than ever.
Understanding the basics of CRM
The most important thing you need to know about a CRM system is that it allows you to know and access all the information you need at a glance, every time you need it. Ultimately, you can see it as a contact management system that keeps up all the data related to both customers and potential customers. With this data, businesses can then establish and build relationships with customers and potential customers as well as improve their sales funnel and amount of sales.
With a CRM in place, a business can keep track of any customer ever since the first contact. From the moment he was introduced to your business, to when he was nurtured and bought your product or service, and even until the point when you make him a repeat customer.
6 Benefits Of Using A CRM System
Now that you already understand what a CRM system is and its main goal, you may be wondering if your business actually needs one. Well, the simple answer is Yes, every business, no matter how big or small, should have a CRM system in place. In case you can't still understand why, here are some of the main benefits of using a CRM system:
#1: Improve Your Customer Support:
Even though you may have the best customer support in the world, you are still lacking information. For example, whenever a customer contacts you related to an issue he is having with a product, your customer support team needs to spend a lot of time trying to see what he bought. When you have a CRM in place, your team cannot only access this information at a glance but also much more information that can be very useful. You may determine if the customer is new or repeat, you may check previous communications, you may see his purchase records, among many other things. When you have all this information in your hands, you can certainly deliver a better and faster answer to your customer. And this can only be done using a CRM.
#2: Increase Your Sales:
If you treat your customers well, you can be sure they will become repeat customers. But more than this, if you take good care of your new leads and nurture them, you'll also transform them into customers.
With a CRM, you'll be able to get in touch with customers and potential customers at the right time to make them buy from you. You'll know how to approach each one, the channel you use to communicate, and when to do it.
#3: Get More Repeat Customers:
When you're using a CRM, you can be sure that your repeat customer number will increase. Just take a look at your business now and see how many repeat customers you have right now. Then, implement a CRM system and put it to use. In one month, we guarantee that you'll be surprised by the number of repeat customers that you obtain. Just think of all the tools that a CRM puts at your disposal. From automated ticketing to customer service automation, sentiment analysis, and better customer support, all these contribute to getting more repeat buyers.
#4: Get Better Analytics:
With a CRM, you'll be able to look at all the information at a glance. Financial data, sales data, and marketing data will always be available for your teams all the time. This means that you can expect to see positive effects in better data management, customer acquisition, and customer retention.
#5: Improve Your Business Efficiency:
As a business owner, you know that you need to tackle many different areas to make your business grow. So, what if you could have all your data in just one place? Well, you can have that now with a CRM. Simply put, you can have there everything that is related to day-to-day business functions as well as this system can also serve as a collaboration tool for the different departments of your business.
One of the main advantages of using a CRM is that you'll be able to automate a lot of processes making things run smoothly and with fewer errors.
#6: Get More Transparency:
It's fairly easy for employees to feel a bit lost with all the tasks they need to complete. Well, a CRM can also be a good help for them.
When you're using a CRM system, you can easily assign tasks, show work, determine deadlines, and know who is doing what at each point. This ensures that your business operates with maximum efficiency but also with more transparency.
Does Your Business Need A CRM System?
The simplest and most direct answer is Yes! No matter if you are running a startup, a non-profit or volunteer organization, a small, mid, or big company, if you're doing sales, have customer support in place, or have a marketing team, you should have a CRM system.
Considering that more and more companies are relying on remote working, or have offices in multiple locations, employees need a place where they can get all the information they need when they need it. And this can easily be done using a CRM like Flowlu.
