Getting Started with CRM

In today's tough environment, converting your most promising prospects to customers and your current customers into loyal patrons has become more important than ever. Whether your business is big or small, you need your marketing, sales and customer service people in sync and this can only be done with having a Customer Relationship Management program and system in place.

What is CRM?
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a broad term that covers the management of all aspects of a company's interaction and relationship with customers. It involves strategies, programs, and tactics to put the customer at the center of the business--in the hopes of (among others) differentiating the company's competitive positioning, attracting leads, encouraging customer adoption, improving customer satisfaction, encouraging customer loyalty and ultimately driving revenue growth and profitability.

Why is Automation in Implementing CRM Important?
To implement CRM effectively, automation is important. For one thing you need to properly identify who your customers are. Effective CRM means not only segmenting your customers into groups but actually identifying them one by one so you can tailor your interaction with them in a way that meets their individual needs, wants and expectations. Not only that you need to capture, store, and analyze each interaction with them. You need to implement technologies that support coordinated interactions through all customer channels across all customer touchpoints--be it by email, phone, fax, instant messaging, via the web, or in face to face meetings with your sales people. You can only do all these things efficiently and effectively with automated CRM systems.

What Do you Need to Consider When Evaluating CRM Systems?
Nowadays, there are so many options available, that it can be confusing what to look out for. In doing your evaluation, it is important that you weigh features against your business' goals and particular circumstance. You must clearly articulate what your goals are, the constraints you have to work with (such as budget) and who are the expected users of the system.

Another thing you need to consider is whether you need an "on-demand" or "on-premise" solution. On-demand solutions are externally hosted systems accessible via the Internet which provide the benefit of saving you time and money in having to set up your own hardware, software and IT people to get it running. They also provide the benefit of being easily accessible from anywhere as long as you have an Internet connection. In the days of virtual employees, on-demand solutions are sometimes the best way to go.

Someimes however, there are some legitimate reasons to have software on your own server, inside of your own office. If security is of paramount concern, specialy if your handling sensitive customer data, then you might be uneasy letting someone else manage your system for you. If an always-on Internet connection is not possible, or you need to integrate your system with your other systems (such as your telephony or accounting package) then in that case getting an on-premise solution is the way to go.

Another important consideration is deciding what type of CRM system you want. There are some that are geared towards marketing such as automated lead generation, lead tracking and marketing communication packages. There are others that are geared towards managing the activities of sales people with prospect and account management, as well as opportunity management. Others automate all aspects of the customer service function--such as automated helpdesk systems and knowledgebases. Finally some focus on customer analytics--converting raw customer data from disparate systems into actionable information.

Whatever way you choose, you want to make sure that you have researched all the options. With CRM being such a hot thing in the business community, there are a lot of options to choose from nowadays. Be sure to check out all your options.

Need Help?
If you are looking for help in navigating the different options in implementing an automated CRM system, or if you want something that is pre-integrated and ready to use, let us help you. Contact us today!