The Use of Customer
Relationship Management
(CRM) Tools and Techniques
APRIL JOY REYES
HUAZELIE RUIZ
What Is Customer Relationship
Management (CRM)?
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is
often referred to as a process, strategy, or
software/technology that enables organizations
to manage relationships with their customers,
and potential customers.
A CRM software system performs the following
activities:
1.Collects customer data from multiple sources and applications
and stores it in a centralized location
2.Automates repetitive sales, marketing, and customer service
processes
3.Tracks prospects and customers through their purchase journey
4.Identifies upselling and cross-selling opportunities
5.Promotes interdepartmental collaboration
What Are the
Types
of CRM Software?
1. CRM Software
1.Operational CRM: These CRMs help businesses run their routine sales, marketing,
and customer service operations. An operational CRM system enables you to track the
customer journey through activities such as contact management, lead generation,
lead scoring, and marketing automation.
2.Analytical CRM: Analytical CRMs collect and analyze heaps of customer data and
help businesses make data-driven decisions. These CRMs offer data management,
customer acquisition, and retention activities through data mining, sales forecasting,
conversion attribution, etc.
3.Collaborative CRM: Collaborative/strategic CRM software enables organizations to
share customer data across internal departments and external stakeholders (vendors,
partners, etc.) to enhance Customer Experience (CX). While operational and
analytical CRMs are also capable of information sharing,
collaborative CRMs emphasize, particularly on the CX aspect.
8 Essential
CRM Features
1. Contact Management- All the essential information related to a
lead/customer’s contact such as their name, email address, phone
number, work details, past communications, etc. should be easily
accessible and modifiable.
2. Lead Management- The lead management Opens a new window
feature gives you an overview of your leads with their status, lead score,
etc. By clicking on an entry, you can view their profile, recent activities
on your website, prior communication, complaints, and so on.
3. Pipeline Management- The pipeline management feature gives you a
visual representation of your current leads and deals. The deals are
segregated according to the stage of the sales pipeline. This makes it
easy for salespeople to understand the status of each lead and helps them
decide which leads to pursue.
4. Sales Automation- With the sales automation feature, salespeople can
automate repetitive tasks so that they can focus on hitting the sales
target. Automation workflows are initialized based on triggers or rules.
5. Sales Forecasting- The sales forecasting feature uses this data to
predict future sales. This way, salespeople can get an approximate
understanding of their pipeline and how efficiently they can push sales.
Salespeople can effectively use this information and convert hot leads.
6. File Storage and Sharing- Rather than relying on external file
storage applications, salespeople can store important and frequently
required files such as quotes, feature sheets, sales scripts, etc. in a
centralized repository and share them with co-workers instantly.
7. Email Management- You can integrate your email with CRM so that
you don’t have to jump between multiple tabs to send an email. With the
email management feature, you can send emails right from
the CRM interface, mark the status of the lead, mention a remark, and
prioritize emails. This way, you won’t miss out on connecting with any
of your leads.
8. Reporting and Analytics- This feature summarizes sales
performance in a single dashboard. You can customize or create new
types of reports based on your requirements and export them in different
formats.
Salesforce: A widely used CRM platform that
offers sales and marketing automation,
customer service, and analytics.
HubSpot: Known for its inbound marketing
capabilities, HubSpot combines CRM with
marketing automation and customer service
tools.
Zoho CRM: A cost-effective option for small to
medium-sized businesses, offering a variety of
features like lead management and analytics.
Key CRM Tools
Microsoft Dynamics 365: Integrates with other
Microsoft tools, providing powerful insights and
automation for sales and marketing.
Freshsales is a sales CRM by Freshdesk.
Features such as event tracking, phone, emails,
workflows, etc. enable you to track your leads and
deals across their purchase journey.
Techniques for Effective CRM Implementation
• Data Segmentation: Categorize customers based on demographics,
purchasing behavior, or engagement levels to tailor marketing efforts.
• Personalization: Use customer data to personalize communication and
offers, improving engagement and loyalty.
• Automation: Automate repetitive tasks like email marketing and follow-
ups to save time and reduce errors.
• Feedback Loops: Implement mechanisms for collecting customer
feedback to continuously improve services and products.
5 Benefits of
a CRM
5 Benefits of a CRM
1. De-silo Customer Facing Departments- An organization can be customer-centric when its customer
facing departments work together. As you can integrate your MAP and customer support software
with CRM, it promotes interdepartmental collaboration and allows organizations to serve their customers
better.
2. Improves Communication with Customers- As you track each lead through the different stages of
the sales pipeline, you can deliver the right message at the right time.
3. Brings Efficiency Through Automation- From the time a lead fills-in a form to following-up with
them, everything is automated. Also, since the data is fetched automatically from multiple sources,
there’s no need to invest time manually entering data. Salespeople can focus on what matters the most —
closing more deals.
4. Helps Make Data-driven Decisions- As all customer data is centralized in one place along with sales
analytics, the sales team can accurately identify their prospects’ needs and understand what is working
and what’s not. Armed with this knowledge, sales teams can make decisions backed by actionable data.
5. Boosts Revenue- A 360-degree view of customers enables organizations to understand their
requirements. Using this information, organizations can introduce upselling, cross-selling, and customer
retention programs.
THANK
YOU!!
