CRM System: Give Meaning to Your Data

A customer relationship system (CRM) system usesand what kind of potential growth road blocks you
technologically-driven strategies to assess customercan expect.
needs and buying behavior. This allows businesses toWith 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 aknow what to look for in a CRM system? With ever
CRM system can, however, provide an overwhelmingmore sophisticated technology and techniques
amount of information to a company, not all of itavailable, making this decision can be difficult. Let me
useful. Large corporations compile enough data inshare a few CRM system features that will not only
their 'data warehouses' each day to occupy a teamhelp you track customer information, but also help to
of marketing analysts for a lifetime. In fact, 'datacreate new revenue.
mining,' a relatively recent term coined by marketersPower Dialing
and data analysts, was coined from the attempts toCRM systems equipped with power dialing allow you
sift sales trends and associations out of theto significantly increase the number of sales calls
mountainous volume of data constantly pouring into amade 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 givewill tell you that it's only a matter of time between
useful meaning to data. This is where a CRM systemtwo calls that end in a sale. This feature helps you
can be essential. A CRM system takes data mining toshrink that time dramatically.
the next level by focusing on data that will paint theVoice Messaging
clearest customer portrait possible. If a CRM systemA CRM system that includes this feature will allow our
works properly, a number of important benefitssales agents to automatically send a pre-recorded
should result, including:sales message to potential customers with the intent
· Customer retention improvementof eliciting a return call. By using voice messaging you
· Increase in call center sales conversion rateswill be able to multiply your efforts dramatically
· Sales agents are able to more effectivelywithout paying for additional staff.
cross-sell productsCustomizable Fax and Email
· Deals close more quicklyThe ability to customize mass correspondence with
· New customer inflowpotential clients will go a long way toward improving
· Increase in revenueyour sales conversion rates. Moreover, the ability to
To get the results listed above, a CRM system mustdo this quickly will ensure that you don't miss out on
take the name, address, and other importanttime sensitive sales opportunities.
demographic information into account. Moreover, theSystem Flexibility
system must be able to gather information from aSince every business is different, the CRM should be
wide variety of customer 'touch points', or instancesflexible 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 isworking properly.
to provide you with an accurate profile of yourWith the right CRM system working for you, you can
customer. If you can identify your customer, youexpect a significant increase in ROI.
know how to market, where to focus R&D funds,