2017-09-13

It is widely accepted that companies often purchase Customer Relationship Management systems based on the benefits they are promised, that they will see. But who, exactly, benefits the most from an organisation having a CRM solution in place?

There are a number of people who will benefit from a company having a CRM system and this is not isolated to the employees of the company.

Customers

CRM is designed to manage the relationship between the business and their customers. Failure to incorporate customers into the design of the CRM eventually causes the intended solution to not meet the original expectations.

So what benefits do your customers receive by your having a CRM system in place?

Personal Touch – the customer’s interactions are recorded within the CRM. Provides your employees the knowledge and power to understand who the customer is and their history. Delivers a personal touch to the customer that instils a feeling that your business truly cares.

Confidence – staff have 360 degree view of the customer, allowing them to deliver a quicker more streamlined service. Installing confidence that, as a business, you fully understand your customers.

Focussed– targeted communications ensure customers are only contacted about things which matter to them. Less spam means less unnecessary interruptions to customers.

Sales Team

The benefits to your sales team are numerous and will increase both efficiency and productivity:

Data Confidence – by tying in external data sources, sales personnel can be sure that the information they see in the CRM is accurate, up to date and can be reliably used.

Increased Efficiency – by having visibility of sales opportunities, customer-centred information and calendared activities, sales are dealt with in a more effective manner.

Increased Visibility – by storing all the information about customers, sales and related items within a single system, data can be reported on by sales personnel as well as by management.

Increased Productivity – time savings through calendared activities, automated processes and data reporting gives sales people more time to focus on closing sales.

Increased Sales – visibility of a full, searchable, history of past purchases gives sales people the ability to upsell or make suggestions about companion products, to an already targeted audience.

Access Anywhere – With sales teams on the move, having the ability to access customer information anytime, anywhere, on any device means that users are no longer tied to the office to keep data accurate.

Managers

By having members of their teams and departments using the system, managers will see increased efficiency both for them and their department

Visibility - See what department members are doing without having to interrupt them or add to their workload.

Reporting - Up to date data allowing accurate reporting on sales forecasts, productivity, timescales etc.

Support /Customer Services Staff

Frontline service staff will benefit from a CRM solution in the following ways:

Clarity of Customer entitlement - have visibility of what is supported and for how long.

Smooth Transitions - streamlined work processes within the CRM ensure speedy hand off of work between personnel/departments.

Time Saving - Storing a past history of same/similar issues with same/other customers reduces time spent resolving repeat issues.

Automatic Customer Updates - automation processes notifying the customer can become an integral, automated, part of the support/service process.

Escalation - SLAs can be monitored and automatically escalate support issues at predefined time points.

Ease of Access - by having all information in a single place, support staff have the full 360 degree view of the customer they are supporting.

Admin Staff

Administration tasks can be simplified:

Process Automation - repetitive tasks are performed by the system, not by individuals, allowing Administration staff to concentrate on the less mundane tasks.

Proactivity - renewal dates, timely notifications and reporting on Contracts ensure that administration tasks are always one step ahead.

Efficiency - Response times to administration questions, generated both by customer and internally, are greatly reduced.

Marketing

Often ignored in CRM discussions, marketing activities are a combination of first point of contact with potential customer, as well as corporate communications to specific channels.

Increased Efficiency - targeted marketing based on interactions with website, sales, support etc. ensures the message given is accurate, appropriate and timely.

Improves Sales Flow - identifying key areas to market to, based on either current success or low uptake, not only informs potential customers of products relevant to them, but also allows sales staff to have a constant flow of new leads and upsells to work on.

Better Insight – linking actual revenue to the marketing activities which generated them gives insight as to which efforts are effective, and which aren’t, allowing decisions to be made based on fact rather than instinct.

A CRM has many benefits both within an organisation and with its customer base. Whilst certain departments or job roles perhaps have more reason to use a CRM system, an organisation can only benefit from having a properly implemented system.

Although the organisation is going to be more effective, more productive and, as a result, more lucrative by having a CRM system in place, it is perhaps the customer who benefits most by an organisation having a single, multifaceted, multi-role system.

Marketing communications would be off message and not targeted to the customers individual needs and requirements. Losing your audience because it doesn’t apply to them.

They would not receive renewals for products and services which have pre-defined expiry dates and would either go in search of another supplier or simply stop using them (or only realise the renewal hadn’t happened when they most needed it).

Calls would be answered by faceless voices who had no idea or interest as to who the call is, what they are interested in, or how valuable their customer is to the organisation.

In a corporate world where reputation is valued as highly as, if not higher than, the products or services delivered, keeping the customer feeling that they are the most valued customer is worth more the cost of a CRM solution when implemented effectively.

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