If you’re committed to being on the cutting edge with your marketing, you need to know what a customer relationship management tool is (and start using one).

Frequently Asked Questions About Customer Relationship Management:

1. What is it? CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It’s an umbrella term that describes any and all interactions with your customers.
2. What does it entail? CRM includes sales, marketing, and customer service.
3. Who uses it? While it’s most often part of a B2C (business-to-customer) model, B2B (business-to-business) sales utilize it, too.
4. What does it do? A CRM tool usually includes client info and contact information, customer behavior across your sites and channels, hot leads, key contracts, and more— all in one software platform.
5. Is it easy to use? With how much a CRM tool includes, they can sometimes be difficult to use. However, as they’ve become a higher demand, CRM tools have started to better streamline their processes and become more user-friendly. [The majority of CRMs can get you wherever you need to know in the system with just a few clicks. Plus, you can integrate them into your existing marketing tools.]
6. How many options are out there? You have many choices when it comes to deciding on a CRM tool.
7. How has technology changed things? Like most things in life, the changes wrought in CRM have been sweeping. Think of how technology has changed the way you learn about and interact with a business and even the way you buy/use their products or services. Businesses can also learn much more about their customers, thanks to data collection (like opt-ins and contact forms) and site analytics.

While a high-tech CRM certainly won’t hurt your business, there are steps you can take (and helpful tools) to enhance your Customer Experience at every stage of your business growth and development.[Customer-centric approaches]

CRM Strategy: How it Helps Your Business

Now that you’re familiar with what CRM is, it’s time to get fired up for everything it can do to help your business. Here are some of the things we love most about a good CRM:

• Everything—all your customer data and behavior—is contained, tracked, and annotated in one place. Gone are the days when you have to log in and out of spreadsheets, messaging clients, and your personal client notes. Now you have a one-stop shop. [Time to throw out the Rolodex and Post-Its.]
• Your strategy is more integrated. Because a CRM puts all the sales/marketing/customer service/HR  data in one place, your teams and their strategies have to be more integrated. That will only help your business goals clearer and more attainable— and there’s nothing wrong with that!
• You know your customers better. You have a whole-person view of your customers. For example, you know their demographic info, their preferences, their buying behavior, and how they most like to interact with your brand.

CRM was designed to make business strategizing, implementation, and innovation easier. It’s a great investment because it’s scalable, and it allows you and your team a lot more latitude for productivity. After we set up their CRM, our clients love what they can achieve:

• Super-Targeted Buyer Personae
• Better Customer Retention
• Lead Generation and Tracking
• Decreased overall customer management costs
• Better team communication and inter-connectivity
• More profitability
• More effective cross-sells and up-sells

All in all, a CRM tool is one of the best ways to fortify your marketing, integrate it with all other parts of your business, and constantly improve your Customer Experience. If you’re ready to stop feeling like a hamster in a wheel, it’s time to dream big about what CRM can do for your business— then, take action! No idea where to start? Let’s talk about how to improve your Customer Relationship Management.