CRM 1080

 What is CRM again?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a delicate balance between mindset, technology and processes. Well, by mindset, I mean taking the first step in realizing that you would not exist without your customers (check out the quote by Gandhi at the end of this article). Secondly, how you employ technology to ensure that your customers are customers for life!

With just the right touch of mindset and technology coupled with common sense processes, you will be on your way to acquiring new customers faster and retaining existing ones for life! So, why is CRM so important? Quite simple – it’s Lights-On for your Business™! CRM will allow you to better track your customers, preferences, history, sales value and other value that will allow you to cater to them by ensuring that every communication between your business and them is done at the optimum level. The net result is action on their part resulting in sales and great satisfaction all around! Sounds like a bunch of business mumbo-jumbo! Fine, let’s look at an example — you own a service business like a flower shop. Your business depends on recurring customers – not just a one-time sale. So, provide the customer with an option of joining a “customer rewards” program. You know what I am talking about. Track their name, their email address and a few basic preferences online and you and your customer are connected.

Let your CRM software do all the work of communicating with your customers whether it may be a monthly coupon, an event based discount (anniversary, birthday, holiday specials, etc.) or cool articles that will engage your customers to you instead of your competition. With CRM, your customers manage their communication preferences with your business. So, with CRM you do not need to have additional employees, no additional paperwork, no additional overhead and no, you don’t need to be a computer Whiz! With a little bit of effort on a weekly basis on the computer and you will be able to automatically communicate with hundreds of your customers in somewhat like the good old days – with a personal touch! CRM is no longer an option for small business – it is a must! So… got CRM? If not, get it today and keep your customers for life!

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Sundip R. Doshi, CEO, Surado CRM

Online Lights-On for your Business™

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A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so. — Mahatma Gandhi

Small Business Owners: In search of business growth

  

CRM Software exists to help you retain your existing clients and acquire new ones. Because of the efficiencies you will realize, your team will be more productive resulting in higher earnings which can be used to grow your business. 

 Increase Customer Satisfaction. You may have to spend between 3 and 13 times to acquire a new customer compared to selling to an existing one. So, it’s pretty simple. Keeping your existing customer happy will allow you to grow by continuing to sell more to your existing customers while using precious funds to acquire new ones. The Customer Service module of a CRM software will allow you to identify any potential issues prior to it escalating to unmanageable circumstances. 

Let Sales Team Concentrate on Selling. Every minute your sales person works on paperwork is less time selling your product and services. By providing them with tools, templates and automation, they will concentrate on what they do best – Sell! And with CRM software, your sales team can be reminded to follow best practices that will help them increase their closing ratios and better forecast trends.  

Identify your Most Profitable Customers and Keep Them Happy. With CRM software you will be able to identify and provide a higher level of service – whether this is done through automation or simply an indicator on the Contact Screen that informs all your employees to provide “platinum” level service when speaking to valued customers. 

Focus Marketing Efforts on the Best ROI. Because your marketing dollars provide you a bigger return, there will be less wastage and more funds available through campaigns that work. With CRM, you will be able to identify growth opportunities within your business. 

Reduce Disorganization. Since meetings, routine tasks, events, reminders and more can be automated, your employees will be better organized to make the most out of their work day. This will also allow you and your managers better insights as to all your resources and how they are utilized. From a personal perspective, disorganization also increases stress which reduces productivity for the individual and all around him/her. 

Bring New Employees Up to Speed Fast. When there is a change of staff or a new team member that supports your customer, your CRM software can provide accurate and detail historic information to ensure the highest level of transition. And since your business process and process workflow may be used to guide an employee through each step, you will spend less time training your new employees. 

Do More with Less. CRM systems provide a host of automation that can be incorporated into your core front office operations – Sales, Marketing & Customer Service. By incorporating automation, your small business will be able to “respond” like your larger competitor and lend more credibility to your current and future customers and vendors. 

Improve Team Morale. In a small business environment, every employee may wear more than one hat. Because of this, it is extremely important to provide your staff with the tools and technology they need to get their jobs done and feel good about it. The higher the team morale, the higher the productivity, and the better your company will do.

CEO’s Best Practices

1. Business executives must “own” CRM projects, from identifying goals and objectives to defining supporting business processes and metrics to ensuring adequate funding for implementation  

and support. Upper management buy-in and leadership is critical to the success of any CRM initiative.    

2. CRM projects need governance – not command and control. Recognize the dynamic and interdepartmental nature of marketing campaigns, sales interactions, and service calls, and manage CRM deployments accordingly – by a representative team or governing body. Get input from all major areas that make up a CRM initiative, including sales, marketing, and customer care, early in the process.   

3. Establish a customer-focused culture throughout the entire organization.    

 4. Ensure seamless integration with your back-office applications so critical elements of other third-party applications help provide a true 360-degree view of the customer.    

 5. Get expert advice from technologists who have mastered the art of successful CRM implementations.    

6. Design and implement employee buy-in programs that help your team understand the value of CRM.    

7. Review, update, and implement automated business rules throughout the organization and report on the efficiencies and effectiveness of their use.    

8. Implement a system that is highly open, robust, and scalable as the amount of information you gather and manage will grow with the organization and increase over time. Make sure your corporate IT is responsible for the integration strategy, maintenance of master data, and adherence to technology standards in connecting these new applications.    

9. Identify your most profitable customers and provide products, services, and promotions that keep them as happy, loyal, customers.    

10. Identify tangible and measurable links to business performance before implementing a CRM project. First identify the processes that require change, the current level of performance achieved, and ongoing improvements.    

CEO

To ensure the success of a CRM initiative, upper management must have a clear vision and establish a customer-focused culture.

Organizational issues are just as important, if not more important, than the technology behind a CRM implementation. It is well-known that people resist change. The introduction of a new system may be perceived to challenge the balance of how things are done, who wins, and why, and can have dramatic operational implications. Because of this, it is critical that new-system implementation has organizational buy-in up, down, and across, with strong leadership from senior management. The fundamental changes involved may be perceived to have far-reaching impact for your representatives, as well as the business processes and technology that support them. Forethought, coordination, and skill are required for a successful CRM implementation.

For a CRM project to succeed, it is critical that senior management understand that CRM is a business strategy to which they are fully committed, and that they are realistically cognizant of CRM’s many facets and ramifications. At the head of the charge is the CEO, the one person the organization looks toward for company direction and philosophy. It is the responsibility of the CEO to win the support of key groups within an organization – from the board of directors to financial analysts to direct reports – all the way down to the customer.

The CEO must realize that CRM is an initiative for major organizational change and, to this end, must have a clear vision of what he is trying to accomplish. The CRM project requires commitment and leadership and should include organizational objectives that are measurable by specific success metrics and criteria.