Do These So You Can Treat Your Customer Right
by: Aina Neva Fiati - www.ThinkAboutCRM.com
There are a few infallible truths about CRM that do not change regardless of your business, choice of CRM software and mode of availing the technology, i.e. whether hosted or on-premise. Keep in mind the following points and your CRM will deliver an ROI sooner rather than later.
- Business today is more data-driven than ever before and CRM holds the key to bringing information out of the silos and making it available to everybody.
- Configure CRM applications such that data access is prioritized and segmented according to need. Try to keep down the number of fields on the screen and clicks required to access data.
- Predictive modeling is now the backbone of all CRM marketing initiatives. Do not let high-value leads slip through the gaps. Spend time to segment your present and prospective customers.
- Personalization these days is easier than ever before; personalize your communication, it lessens the impact of an unsolicited call or email.
- Customer care is the single most important reason that ensures customer retention; if you do not have a call center, at the very least have a detailed FAQ on your site and an easy to navigate self-help module so that customers can resolve most issues themselves.
- Within a call center environment, it is important to strike a balance between cost effectiveness and customer satisfaction. Have processes in place to minimize time for routing enquiries, train staff to reduce escalation and therefore resolution time.
- Make CRM a part of your value chain across all functions. Chart out a non-editable audit trail to pin accountability and track progress.
- Keep in mind CRM functionalities that are in sync with your business requirements. This will help you focus on relevant data to generate actionable information and sieve out information of secondary significance.