Businesses large and small need tools to help manage the relationships that are built with customers, both existing and potential. Long-term relationships with existing customers, while also allowing room for new customer relationships, is the ideal behind customer relationship management or CRM. The only way to really accomplish this goal is through an effective customer management system, which is reached through CRM applications. These applications can be more detailed and high capacity for larger multidepartmental access and input, or they can be simple for smaller businesses that have a limited number of employees.
- CRM entails tracking and organizing information about existing and potential customers. CRM applications are software programs specifically designed to help businesses keep track of their customer contact information and any company interactions. This information becomes invaluable for multiple departments within your company. There are several different uses for CRM applications to accommodate many types of businesses.
- An operational CRM application is best suited for front-office departments, such as sales, customer service and technical support. Customer interaction histories can prove beneficial when your employees need to access a customers' products that have been purchased as well as any support calls that have been made. This information can also be used by your marketing team to decide what to offer existing customers based on what they have purchased.
- Analytical CRM applications can be beneficial when you need to gather customer data. You can use this data when you need to predict customer purchases. You can also use this information for creating marketing campaigns for target audiences and campaigns to acquire new customers. Analytical applications can also be helpful when you are trying to develop and market new products.
- Collaborative CRM applications are best suited for cross-department interactions with clients. When a customer calls your business, she gets transferred to the proper department that will handle her purpose for calling. With collaborative CRM applications, a record of each department's interactions is available to all departments that deal with customers. So, for example, if a customer calls one day and speaks with your technical support department to discuss compatibility between products then that same customer calls another day to purchase a product, the sales department can access the previous interactions.
- Simple CRM applications, as the name implies, are simple. These applications are best suited for small businesses that may not be divided into departments. A simple CRM application allows you to focus on the core of customer relations by limiting features to simple contact management and interaction recording. Instead of allowing multiple employee access, this type of application is single-user-based.
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