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