CRM, or customer relationship management, is software used by business teams or individuals to optimize communications with customers. But what does CRM do? The software enhances relationship building and management for better customer experience from the first interaction to purchase and return. Only large companies could afford CRM in the past. However, the CRM of today is affordable to small businesses as well. It is made simpler and easier to implement.

Customer relationship with a business is key to growth. Companies should therefore strive to management these relationships in the most effective way possible. The world is evolving technologically and every company needs a CRM. But what is a CRM? Businesses now need to have deeper understanding of CRM software, how to use the platforms and how to best integrate them into the company operations.

CRM delivers measurable advantages such as backing up growth and operational excellence. In addition, the system provides platforms for interacting with teams, marketing and engaging with customer. Therefore, CRM is not only promotion, but a business process management tool that entrepreneurs use to captivate and nurture customers. So, why is CRM good for business?

Data consolidation

Many entrepreneurs keep asking how does a CRM help with data management? CRM software consolidates data into one central unit where every member of your business team can access the information on need basis. These could be customer contact details such as phone numbers, email addresses and websites. The central data unit also helps in tracking your business interactions with customers through phone calls, chats, email, and support tickets. Other historic customer interactions such as purchases are also stored by the software for easy retrieval.

Finding the right customer

Attracting customers may not be difficult to many companies with access to the several marketing platforms. However, finding the right customer for products and services still remains a big business challenge to many. Companies that do not use CRM may find it very difficult to attract and convert the right customers. Even after attracting some customers, without a CRM system, your sales teams may not easily identify the hottest deals. It is therefore more effective for a business to connect all its marketing tools, such as email, to a CRM.

Know your customers and put a value on them

Another way CRM helps businesses is knowing customers and understanding their individual preferences. Businesses should know who is buying from them and how often they buy. Additionally, you should have their contact details and their purchase histories for a detailed trend of interaction. CRM will also let you know which customers have interacted recently and which ones require targeted campaigns to improve their interactions with your business. The buying trends of your customers will give let your business know exactly what each one of them is worth to the company.

Sell more and faster

CRM automates a number of sales activities. Business teams therefore spend less time entering data and redoing a number of repetitive tasks and instead devote more time to selling products and services. It is projected that in the future, the automation features of CRM platforms will be able to differentiate customers, product details, and customer requests while still being in a position to appropriate shipments.

Being in a position to predict your win rates makes it easier for businesses to forecast sales as well as set dependable revenue goals. CRM collects data and gives predictive reports that help businesses to sell more and faster.

A big plus to commerce, CRM will be in a position to select large number of requests as well as make use of them without requiring human oversight. Consequently, sales reps will spend less time closing leads and in essence be able to sell more and faster.

Stay focused on customers

Businesses that use CRM software get more access to customer information such as behavior and interest. By making your business a customer centered experience, CRM helps business for sales teams to focus on the right opportunities. Selling therefore become more personalized and generates more revenue for the company.

Increase employee productivity

Employees spend a lot of time collecting data and doing manual data entry in the absence of a good CRM software. These manual operations can be easily eliminated by the CRM systems. Employees therefore spend more time connecting with leads in the field and are not worried about long office hours required for manual data entry. Businesses can also use fewer employees to accomplish more tasks with CRM as marketing campaigns can be automated by the system with far fewer human errors.

Increased customer retention

Research shows that companies that integrate CRM systems record an over 25% increase in customer retention. CRM therefore helps to manage your customer relationships for a better experience and an increased retention rate.

Integration with other applications

Among the key benefits businesses get from CRM is seamless integration with social media platforms and other software. CRM software seamlessly integrates with other applications to make customer collaboration and accounting processes easier and less costly.

Transferring data between applications becomes easier. Businesses may need to transfer big customer data and other crucial business details when upscaling or changing apps. CRM makes this process easier and cheaper through its automation features and totally eliminates the need for labor-intensive data entry.

Another benefit of CRM integration with social media is the ease of digital marketing. Digital marketing is a new way of attracting leads. The process utilizes social media accounts. Businesses that use these platforms gain greater advantages over the rest by easily attracting, engaging, delivering robust experiences converting and retaining customers online. The ease of advertising reduces business process costs and in turn make businesses more profitable.