| A customer relationship system (CRM) system uses | | | | and what kind of potential growth road blocks you |
| technologically-driven strategies to assess customer | | | | can expect. |
| needs and buying behavior. This allows businesses to | | | | With all the different options available to businesses |
| market their products and services more effectively. | | | | wanting to pinpoint customer profiles, how do you |
| The ever-increasing level of technology available to a | | | | know what to look for in a CRM system? With ever |
| CRM system can, however, provide an overwhelming | | | | more sophisticated technology and techniques |
| amount of information to a company, not all of it | | | | available, making this decision can be difficult. Let me |
| useful. Large corporations compile enough data in | | | | share a few CRM system features that will not only |
| their 'data warehouses' each day to occupy a team | | | | help you track customer information, but also help to |
| of marketing analysts for a lifetime. In fact, 'data | | | | create new revenue. |
| mining,' a relatively recent term coined by marketers | | | | Power Dialing |
| and data analysts, was coined from the attempts to | | | | CRM systems equipped with power dialing allow you |
| sift sales trends and associations out of the | | | | to significantly increase the number of sales calls |
| mountainous volume of data constantly pouring into a | | | | made by your outbound call center. Anyone who's |
| company. | | | | worked in an outbound call center (myself included) |
| This information overload has created a need to give | | | | will tell you that it's only a matter of time between |
| useful meaning to data. This is where a CRM system | | | | two calls that end in a sale. This feature helps you |
| can be essential. A CRM system takes data mining to | | | | shrink that time dramatically. |
| the next level by focusing on data that will paint the | | | | Voice Messaging |
| clearest customer portrait possible. If a CRM system | | | | A CRM system that includes this feature will allow our |
| works properly, a number of important benefits | | | | sales agents to automatically send a pre-recorded |
| should result, including: | | | | sales message to potential customers with the intent |
| · Customer retention improvement | | | | of eliciting a return call. By using voice messaging you |
| · Increase in call center sales conversion rates | | | | will be able to multiply your efforts dramatically |
| · Sales agents are able to more effectively | | | | without paying for additional staff. |
| cross-sell products | | | | Customizable Fax and Email |
| · Deals close more quickly | | | | The ability to customize mass correspondence with |
| · New customer inflow | | | | potential clients will go a long way toward improving |
| · Increase in revenue | | | | your sales conversion rates. Moreover, the ability to |
| To get the results listed above, a CRM system must | | | | do this quickly will ensure that you don't miss out on |
| take the name, address, and other important | | | | time sensitive sales opportunities. |
| demographic information into account. Moreover, the | | | | System Flexibility |
| system must be able to gather information from a | | | | Since every business is different, the CRM should be |
| wide variety of customer 'touch points', or instances | | | | flexible enough to accommodate your business's |
| of customer contact. These can include faxes, emails, | | | | particular needs. Make sure that whomever you buy |
| direct mails, personal sales, etc. | | | | from is willing to work with you until the system is |
| The most important function of any CRM system is | | | | working properly. |
| to provide you with an accurate profile of your | | | | With the right CRM system working for you, you can |
| customer. If you can identify your customer, you | | | | expect a significant increase in ROI. |
| know how to market, where to focus R&D funds, | | | | |