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A customer relationship management (CRM) system is an IT technology that allows you to manage the business relationships you have with your customers, service users and suppliers.

What does a CRM system do?

CRM is a software or a tool that provides a central place for storing all your customer data and sharing it with other teams within your business. It allows you to create records and track the history of all your interactions with the customers, including:

• phone calls
• emails
• meetings
• presentations
• service enquiries
• leads
• purchasing habits and preferences

As well as tracking contact history, in most CRM systems you can also:

• add notes
• schedule follow-ups
• assign tasks to staff
• generate reports and sales forecasting

Why have a CRM system?

With all your information collated in one place, it becomes easier to understand and anticipate the needs and behaviours of your customers. This, in turn, allows you to:

• keep customer contact relevant, personal and up-to-date
• modify your business to better serve your customers
• identify new leads and sales opportunities
• win new business

In essence, CRM can help you to recognise the value of your customers and capitalise on improved customer relations. The better you understand your customers, the more responsive you can be to their needs. See more on the business benefits of CRM systems.

Do I need a CRM system?

Not all businesses need a full CRM system. If you are a sole trader or you typically have very few leads and no repeat business, the costs of enterprise-level CRM software may outweigh the benefits. Find tips to help you decide if your business needs a CRM system.

Even the best CRM system will need to be properly managed, if you are to make the most of its features. Without good management, significant challenges can arise - such as creating duplicate records and accumulating vast amounts of incomplete, unnecessary or out-of-date data. It's important to consider the potential drawbacks of CRM systems.

Customer relationship management (CRM) is important in running a successful business. The better the relationship with your customers and suppliers, the easier it is to conduct business and generate revenue.

Technology can greatly help you to optimise your CRM and make your service more efficient, cost-effective and reliable.

Types of CRM systems

Different types of CRM software exist. Most are capable of performing key CRM functions - storing, tracking and sharing your customer data. However, many software solutions can also 91香蕉黄色视频 specific business goals. For example:

• operational CRM can help better manage your day-to-day operations, such as marketing, sales and customer service
• analytical CRM can help track customer interactions or improve your customer acquisition and retention processes
• collaborative CRM can strengthen engagement across various departments, suppliers or stakeholders

See also what is a CRM system.

Examples of CRM solutions

CRM software typically falls into four broad categories: outsourced, off-the-shelf, bespoke and managed solutions.

Outsourced CRM solutions

This includes web-based CRM solutions for your business, including cloud CRM software. This approach is ideal if you need to implement a solution quickly and you don't have the in-house skills to tackle the job from scratch. It is also a good solution if you are already geared towards e-commerce. For examples of CRM systems and their features, .

Off-the-shelf CRM solutions

Several software companies offer CRM applications that integrate with existing packages. Cut-down versions of such software may be suitable for smaller businesses.

Off-the-shelf products are generally the cheapest option as you are investing in standard software components. The downside is that the software may not always do precisely what you want and you may have to trade off functionality for convenience and price. The key is to be flexible without compromising too much.

Bespoke CRM software

Consultants and software engineers can customise or create a CRM system and integrate it with your existing software. However, this can be expensive and time-consuming. If you choose the custom-tailored option, make sure that you carefully specify exactly what you want. Costs will vary, so it may be worth getting several quotes from different reputable professionals.

Managed CRM solutions

A half-way house between bespoke and outsourced solutions, this involves renting a customised suite of CRM applications as a bespoke package. This can be cost effective but it may mean that you have to compromise in terms of functionality.

Find tips to help you decide if your business needs a CRM system.

Customer relationship management (CRM) can offer significant advantages to most businesses. No matter what your industry or size - or the type of products or services you offer - customers are the single most valuable business asset. They are the main source of revenue and the foundation of any business' success.

The key to happy customers lies in understanding them. This is exactly what a CRM system helps you to achieve. If you are not sure what a CRM system does, see what is a CRM system before assessing the potential benefits to your business.

Benefits of CRM software

CRM tools can help you to identify, understand, and assist your customers. Some of the notable benefits of using CRM in business are:

• efficiencies, particularly in data management
• better collaboration and communication across departments and teams
• greater accountability
• improved customer experience
• better reporting and analysis capabilities

You may also be able to reap the financial benefits of CRMs. For example, you may be able to:

• increase sales by anticipating customer needs based on historical trends
• cross-sell products by suggesting alternatives or enhancements
• identify which of your customers are profitable and which are not

Other reasons why you need a CRM system

Most CRM software can integrate with other tools, for example, marketing automation systems. This can help you:

• interact with customers in a way that wouldn't otherwise be possible
• target marketing communications according to specific customer needs
• segment your customer base and tailor your marketing to groups or individuals

Ultimately, a CRM system can help you:

• improve customer satisfaction and retention
• maintain good reputation in the marketplace
• increase value from your existing customers
• reduce costs associated with 91香蕉黄色视频ing and servicing customers
• increase your overall efficiency
• reduce the total cost of sales
• oversee all interactions during the full customer life cycle

Keep in mind that implementing a new CRM can involve considerable time and expense. Carefully consider the potential drawbacks of CRM systems before committing to change.

Implementing a customer relationship management (CRM) solution is a great way of making the most of your business assets. However, problems in implementing a CRM can cause major difficulties for your business.

CRM costs

One of the greatest challenges to CRM implementation is cost. There are dozens of software options available and many pricing plans that go with them. To work out the actual costs of CRM software, make sure that you consider the total cost of ownership including:

• software subscription or purchase fees
• premium upgrades, eg add-on marketing or reporting features
• customisation
• IT resources needed
• hardware or software requirements
• staff training and upskilling

Other factors such as data migration and quality, and converting business operations may also affect the total costs of CRM implementation. Proper planning and careful assessment of any potentially hidden costs should help you set a realistic budget for your CRM project.

Business culture

A lack of commitment or resistance to cultural change from people within the company can cause major difficulties with CRM implementation. Customer relationships may break down and result in loss of revenue, unless everyone in the business is committed to viewing their operations from the customers' perspective.

Poor communication

To secure buy-in and make CRM work, all the relevant people in your business must know what information you need and how to use it. Make sure to communicate integration needs in advance if other teams need to cooperate on the implementation, eg payroll staff.

Lack of leadership

Weak leadership could cause problems for any CRM implementation plan. Management should lead by example and push for customer focus on every project. If a proposed plan isn't right for your customers, don't do it. Task your team to come up with a better alternative.

Trying to implement CRM as a complete solution in one go is tempting, but it may prove a risky strategy. It may be better to break your CRM project down into manageable pieces by setting up pilot programs and short-term milestones. A pilot may incorporate all the necessary departments and groups but is small and flexible enough to allow adjustments along the way. Find more tips to help you create your CRM strategy.

Finally, don't underestimate the volume of data your CRM project may generate. Make sure that you can expand your systems if necessary. Carefully consider what data you collect and store to ensure that you only keep the necessary information. Follow the relevant data protection laws and comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

If your business sells, markets or provides services to customers, it is likely that you need a customer relationship management (CRM) system.

Reasons you may need a CRM system

Consider replacing spreadsheets and handwritten notes with a more efficient CRM system if any of the following is true:

• Your customer information is scattered in more than one location. You're keeping spreadsheets, notes and casual records, and there is no central repository for all this data. You have no single view of your customers' contact information, orders, queries and general interactions.
• You're losing track of data. You're searching through miscellaneous documents, multiple hard drives and random folders, and none of the information is secure or organised. You realise you're missing valuable data on your customers.
• You have no remote access to your data. You're restricted to viewing it from a certain office or machine, which is causing problems when you're travelling or away from your desk, meeting customers and sourcing new prospects.
• You have no visibility of what your sales team are doing in or out of the office. You can't tell what customers they are approaching and how they are performing. You have no way of keeping your sales staff accountable and ensuring that they meet their goals.
• You struggle to create meaningful and actionable sales or customer service reports. You miss cross-sale and up-sale opportunities, and chances to target prospects. You struggle to identify the best leads and convert them into opportunities.
• Your processes are rigid and unable to scale. Your productivity falls as your workloads increase, and you find yourself wasting time on tedious or repetitive tasks that could otherwise be automated.

A CRM system gives you visibility into your sales and marketing activities and allows you to deliver a better overall customer experience. If you're still not sure if you need it, check out these business benefits of CRM systems.

For many businesses, customer relationship management (CRM) can be a large investment. It is therefore vital to choose your supplier carefully. Making the wrong choice could be expensive and even jeopardise your business.

Questions to ask a CRM supplier

Before implementing a solution based on CRM technology, you might want to ask any potential suppliers the following questions:

• How long has the supplier been established?
• What are the specific costs associated with the product, ie a one-off purchase price, an annual renewable license, a charge per user etc?
• Does the supplier offer any form of evaluation software that allows you to try before you buy?
• How much do they charge for technical 91香蕉黄色视频?
• Does the supplier provide consultancy and, if so, at what rates?
• Is the system scalable? If your customer base grows, will the system expand to cope?
• Can the supplier recommend any third-party developers that make use of their core CRM products?
• Is there an active, independent user group where you can freely exchange experiences and ideas?
• Can the supplier provide references for businesses in your industry sector that use their software?
• Do they offer training in the CRM solution and, if so, at what typical cost?

Read more about choosing the right suppliers and find out how to choose an IT supplier for your business.

Building a successful customer relationship management (CRM) system isn't just about choosing the right technology. You will need to put in place the right strategy for implementation.

CRM strategy development process

To plan your CRM strategy, you should:

• Set your vision - Agree a clear, impactful and actionable statement that your team can rally around.
• Define your strategy - Decide on actions that will help you achieve your vision. Eg, offering superior after-sales service or innovative products.
• Define your objectives - Review and optimise your business objectives and processes to align them with the new CRM system.
• Lead your team - Provide training to help them develop the necessary skills and proficiencies before the new CRM goes live.
• Choose metrics - Define what metrics you wish to measure to track success, and how you will use them to prompt corrective measures.
• Think long-term - Find the best ways to implement, measure and maximise the technology, and integrate it with other IT systems.

CRM implementation plan

Once you've developed your CRM strategy, plan the implementation of the new system. This can generally take place in stages:

Stage 1 - Collect information

Capture the information you need to identify your customers and categorise their behaviour.

Stage 2 - Store information

Collect and store this information centrally. Some businesses use a relational database - see more on types of database system.

Stage 3 - Access information

With information collected and stored centrally, the next stage is to make this information available to staff in the most useful format.

Stage 4 - Analyse customer behaviour

Use data mining tools to analyse data and identify patterns or relationships. That way you can begin to profile customers and develop sales strategies.

Stage 5 - Market more effectively

Use CRM to understand which customers generate the most profit. Learn about their needs and preferences, and reward and target your most valuable customers.

Stage 6 - Enhance the customer experience

Complaining customers can take up a substantial amount of staff time. If the CRM system allows you to identify and resolve customer issues quickly, your staff will have more time for other enquiries.

Remember - if you are collecting, using and processing personal information (of customers or staff), you must comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).