Customers are among your most valuable assets. However, many businesses know surprisingly little about what makes customers tick. This is where CRM software can help.
You might have a customer list. It could be scrawled on a piece of paper, or saved in a spreadsheet. Ask yourself: are you making the most of that information?
Other key customer data may be haphazardly spread across your organisation. It could be written in notepads or files. It could be on individual computers and handheld devices. Meanwhile, other information might be locked away in people’s heads. If this is the case, valuable customer information and sales data can walk out the door when staff members leave the business.
It’s time to get organised
This is where a Customer Relationship Management system can save the day. CRM goes far beyond simply storing contact details. In fact, this valuable resource can present a detailed real-time view of your entire customer base. Moreover, it can be tightly integrated with your other business systems to ensure you turn all that data into actionable business insight.
The analytics tools built into CRM can help you look for trends. It can assist you to identify leads. It can help manage your sales pipeline and watch for potential churn.
At the same time, CRM can help retain existing customers. It does this by enhancing your customer service efforts. You can ensure support staff always have the information they need at their fingertips.
Upselling isn’t a dirty word
With the power of CRM, you can also take a more coordinated approach to cross-selling and upselling. Upselling isn’t a dirty word. In fact, some customers can welcome it, but only when it’s done strategically rather than taking a shotgun approach.
There’s no need to take a heavy-handed approach to upselling. On the contrary, it’s better to recognise the customers who will be most receptive to your offers.
You might also be able to identify customers who are considering leaving. However, churn isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, you need the insight to determine whether customers who spend the most money are actually your most valuable customers.
This is where CRM becomes invaluable. It ensures you don’t waste your marketing, pre-sale and post-sale efforts by attracting and retaining the wrong customers.
Don’t make the mistake of taking your customers for granted. Instead, invest a little time and effort into getting to know them.
