7 Ways to Make CRM Effective

With the right customer relationship management (CRM) platform, your business can stay in touch with buyers and meet their needs more effectively, paving the way for happier customers and lots of future sales.

Use CRM ineffectively, though, and you don’t just waste time and money – you miss opportunities and could even harm the relationships you have with your most important buyers. Because there’s so much at stake, it’s critical businesses of all sizes get CRM right. Here are seven ways you can make yours more effective:

1. Choose the right CRM package. It goes without saying that you need the correct CRM platform if you’re going to use it to your advantage. Unfortunately, there are lots of choices… not to mention several different options and configurations. This is where a company like ours can be an invaluable asset in helping you find the right fit between needs and products.
2. Get the proper training. Unfortunately, having the right CRM package won’t improve your customer service and customer retention automatically – you and your staff need to know how to use the tools at your disposal. Usually, a bit of upfront training, along with a few subsequent sessions, is all that’s needed to get your organization up to speed. Don’t skip out on this vital step, however, because it’s the key to getting the ROI you need from your CRM investment.
3. Make constant updates. In order for your CRM package to have any value, it needs to be updated continually. In fact, the ideal way to work is to have your team update your CRM platform with every customer interaction. That way, anyone in your organization can see what contact you’ve had with the customer, what the current challenges and expectations are, and what the expected next steps might be.
4. Use CRM data in customer interactions. The flipside of that coin is that CRM data needs to be instantly available. For example, if someone calls your company or stops by in person, it’s crucial that employees be able to see account history and details about recent requests or inquiries. That way, they aren’t “starting from scratch,” which can lead to an incredibly frustrating experience for buyers (and serve as a motivator for them to take their business elsewhere).
5. Review accounts regularly. The larger an account is, the more important it is you use your CRM package to review it regularly. In this way, CRM can help you “play defense” and stop important buyers from defecting to competitors. Knowing when you have problems with an account, and what they are, is crucial to client retention.
6. Study CRM metrics. In the same way that you want to look through individual accounts on a regular basis, you should also make a point of studying overall CRM metrics to get a sense of how your business is performing and how satisfied buyers appear to be. Sometimes, a simple “top-down” view of your accounts can show some revealing trends, so make the time to study and review the available data on a set schedule.
7. Let CRM lead to marketing and sales opportunities. CRM isn’t just about keeping customers happy and putting out fires. In fact, by studying a pattern of customer interactions – and especially their requests – you might be able to identify new sales and marketing opportunities that were previously undetected.

That’s just one of the many ways CRM packages, when chosen and implemented in the right way, can help your company be more profitable.
Is your company getting the most from customer relationship management, web marketing, and other business technologies? If not, right now is the perfect time to call WebRevelation at 817-283-3324 and see how we can help.