A just-released article from Super Office reveals that 91% of companies with 11 or more employees now use CRM software. In addition, 60% are increasing spending on email campaigns this year.
But here's an unanswered question: Is everyone on your team maximizing the CRM to manage customer relationships? If not, you might be losing out on improved efficiency, increased effectiveness, happier customers and higher revenues. The solution? Review the latest CRM best practices and put them into practice.
Wean yourself off spreadsheets and manual systems.
In an article on how to grow your contact with customers, the writer pinpoints the main reason CRMs never reach their potential: Many of us stick with the old ways instead of embracing the new system.
But the only way to return the investment on a CRM is to dive in and use it. All data sources - be they spreadsheets or old-school methods - should be wrangled, then fed into your CRM. Need an email list? Pull everything from the CRM on an as-needed basis.
Track prospect leads sooner not later.
Enter leads into your CRM system right away. The more information you add, the more valuable the system becomes. You might be surprised by how fast customer data begins to build.
Segment your customers to serve them better - and create more business.
Your CRM can identify the most profitable customers, as well as segment them by any sort of data you consider to be valuable - including region, industry, age, interests, you name it.
Enhance communication with marketing automation.
Targeted email is one of the best ways to keep in touch with customers. Your CRM lets you pull email addresses from a single list. You can automate email campaigns for any purpose, including special announcements, upcoming events, or the latest product innovations.
Boost customer loyalty.
Customers who prefer your brand tend to buy more often and place larger orders.
This is another area where a CRM shines. Research shows that companies with CRM systems outperform those that don't.
Resist the temptation to procrastinate. Take the time now to get up to speed with your CRM. Fully embrace its capabilities. Then round out your knowledge with these handy tips on email list protocol and database marketing:
Better manage your email marketing by managing your contacts from a single list.Three phases of good email list hygiene.
Data base marketing: It's not what you think.
Last modified: February 6, 2018
