What is a CRM?

To manage a large amount of client data, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool will help you be effective and productive. A CRM is not just a fancy contact list, it is used to track the buyer’s journey for every lead or customer you communicate with across your sales and support teams. No more excel spreadsheets, it’s all at your fingertips! The more leads and customers you have, the more important it becomes to have a tool sophisticated enough to organize the data needed to drive additional sales.

Why is a CRM important?

The relationship a company has with their customers has long been the most crucial part of success for any business. People often disregard companies that do not recognize the importance of accessibility, design and convenience.  Walmart is a good example of this, they have long concentrated on having low prices and a wide selection while disregarding the customer experience. For most other companies, they must deliver a high level of service to differentiate themselves from the competition, where many products and services are becoming commodities. To achieve this, companies must know their customer’s true desires.

• Repeat business increases
• Customers feel appreciated even after the purchase
• Customers start feeling loyalty towards the company brand
• Brand awareness increases, making them more likely to consider your company in the future
• The stronger the bond, the more likely you are to obtain referrals or testimonials from customers

The more data you have on those who are buying, the easier it will be to increase sales.

To manage the large amount of client data you need at your fingertips, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool will help you be effective and productive. A CRM is not just a fancy contact list, it is used to track the buyer’s journey for every lead or customer you communicate with across your sales and support teams. The more leads and customers you have the more important it becomes to have a tool sophisticated enough to organize the data so you can quickly and easily evaluate it to increase sales.

What A CRM Does

Building a solid bond means knowing your customers’ name, ways to contact them, buying history, interaction and communications with you (e.g., visits to your site and email clicks). The CRM will house and collect all of these data points. By using a CRM system, you can track employee activity and client relationships.

A CRM like Salesforce can achieve this by serving as the hub for all your customer interactions. Integrating into your website, social media platforms, and email marketing. The age-old saying is true, “knowledge is power.” The more data you have on those who are buying the easier it will be to increase sales.

Automation & Reporting

A good CRM of course does not just store data on your customers, it helps you automate everyday processes and report on those processes. Automation means having the system do the work for you:

• Logging emails you receive
• Recording leads and assigning them to reps
• Sending out personalized emails to customers
• Assigns tasks to employees
• Sends reminders
• Processes customer service requests
• Generating up-to-date reports.

However, the capacity to analyze your customer data is where a CRM really shows its’ worth. Salesforce will show you up-to-the-minute reports on sales performance, productivity, deals closed versus goal, and more. With these insights, you can grow faster by knowing where you need to focus. Helping you not just find new customers but retain past ones.