5 Ways CRM Can Improve Customer Service
“Every company’s greatest assets are its customers, because without customers there is no company.” – Michael LeBoeuf.
Customers are the backbone of a company. Companies that take care of their customers and look after them well scale new heights, while those found lacking hand over the advantage to their competitors.
Entrepreneurs have always been smart, but this is even more true for tech savvy customers. With the internet and social media connectivity, the market place has become a small world. It should be no surprise that according to Marketo, 93% of customers start the process of buying through an internet search. They know what to buy, from whom to purchase and when exactly to get it. Be it a product or service, they know whom to do business with and when to engage.
Customer experience is the new king! If keep your customers happy, and most importantly, keep their data secure, you stand to gain tremendously.
As per Gartner, in 2016, 89% of the organizations were ready to compete on the criterion of better customer experience. In the years to come as retail stores continue to die off, buying decisions could squarely rest on customer experience, and not on factors like price, product, or service.
What you can do to keep your customers happy and satisfied?
The more you look after your customers, the better it is for your organization. In order to survive in today’s times you should not just strive to provide, but you ought to ensure that your customers get the best possible experience.
You need to reach out to your customers much in advance and engage with them on a constant basis, so that they feel that they are important. Customers should never feel neglected. Research and studies show that when you proactively get in touch with your customers, they feel elated.
What you should you do to keep your customers happy and satisfied?
Don’t worry, technology has yet again come to the rescue of businesses, and we call it the customer relationship management (CRM) software.
Why CRM?
CRM or customer relationship management system is a software that can take care of all your customer’s needs. It is a software that allows businesses to automate, organize, and streamline every aspect of customer interaction, including sales, marketing, customer support and service. When all of these key aspects of business are combined, security is of the utmost importance. This is where eServe comes in, securing all of these vital documents with the latest encryption algorithms and methods, so nothing goes where it shouldn’t, and no one’s security is compromised.
Let’s take you through how a CRM software can improve your customer service and hence their experience.
5 ways you can improve your customer service with a CRM software
With the growing competition and readily available products and services on the internet, customers these days have several options to choose from, and they exercise this new found liberty to maximize their interest to the fullest. A CRM software solution not just allows you to keep your existing customers satisfied, but it also helps you attract new ones.
1- Manages all your customer information in one place – With a robust CRM system in place, all your customer information, including their personal details are stored in one single location, which can be accessed by all your team members. You not only have their contact details and purchase history, but your CRM software also stores your customer’s birthdays, their interest and hobbies and their social media preferences. These details, when used at the right time fetch you rich dividends and develops a strong personal connect with each of your clients. You know when, how and what to communicate to each of your customers.
And, best of all, your CRM system stores all the communication you have, or anybody in your organization has with every customer, so that you don’t miss out on any detail when speaking to them the next time.
A CRM software also ensures that there is no miscommunication with any of your clients, and that everyone in the organization is abreast with the recent developments with all your existing and potential clients. This sends out a positive signal about your company, which naturally impresses all your customers.
2- It keeps you connected with your clients – A CRM system is a powerhouse of customer database, you need to tap into those resources and keep in touch with them on a regular basis. It helps you in sending your customers targeted messages, promotional offers, and sales campaigns, which not only keeps you in touch with them, but also makes them feel important. It keeps their interest in your organization alive and kicking.
A CRM system also allows you to separate your customers into categories and segments. You can use it to filter out your all-important clients who give you maximum business and communicate with them separately to make them feel special. Also, you can send out different, yet relevant communications to each group separately, so that a meaningful engagement is established with all your existing customers.
3- Respond to customer complaints and queries immediately – This is one of the most important and significant advantage of having a robust CRM system. These days’ customers neither have time, nor do they have patience, and if you are able to provide them support quickly, they are bound to stick around with your organization. A CRM system automates your customer service function, which means all the complaints and queries you receive from your customers is stored in one single place, available online to your executives. As soon as a complaint is registered, the system generates a reference number, which automatically is passed on to the support staff, so that the issue is resolved.
Your CRM software also speeds up the process of responding to customer queries and complaints. Complaints are automatically forwarded to the relevant departments, which significantly reduces their turnaround time. When people who are technically capable of handling a complaint resolve the problem, it takes less time, and your customers feel happy and satisfied.
4- Tracks buying patterns of your customers to analyze their needs – A CRM software gives you the wherewithal to analyze the buying patterns of all your customers. You get to know their likes and dislikes, their buying habits and the time when they need it, you have all the information with the help of your CRM system. You can accordingly prepare your marketing strategies and your executives can then deliver precise sales talk to each customer, as per their needs and requirements. This shortens your sales cycle and helps you retain your existing customers, which increases the overall revenue of your organization.
Since everything that you communicate with your customers is recorded in your CRM system, you therefore know what they like and dislike, issues that bothered them in the past and whether they were satisfied with your services or not. You can mend your ways, or keep giving your customers best of services in order to retain them.
5- Keep in touch with your customers with a survey – Two way communication (read: surveys) have always worked wonders for businesses. With a CRM system in place you can have as many surveys as you want, but they should have relevance. You obviously would want to know what your customers think of the product or services you offer. It is best to ask them directly through a survey. Involving your customers in the improvement of your product or services and asking for their suggestions makes them feel important. This helps you get a better understanding of your customers.
When you get a genuine feedback, and if your product or services need some improvement, you should always honor such suggestions. After making amends when you approach your customers again, they are bound to get impressed and can become your loyal customers.
Looking after all your clients effectively requires technology support, and without it you just cannot give your customers a happy experience.
