Why an effective CRM is essential in business

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a huge part of not only successful sales and marketing in 2019, but in business as a whole.

CRM is a broad concept and can seem a bit overwhelming, especially when you have a large database to look after. However, at its core, it’s the practice of managing and nurturing customer relationships. Typically, it’s implemented through a CRM software solution, like Zymplify (that’s not all we do though).

CRM does a lot more than simple contact management. It allows you to automate lots of manual tasks that would traditionally take hours – saving you not only time but resources and potentially money too.

An all-in-one CRM, like Zymplify, will give you marketing automation opportunities as well as sales enablement and lead nurturing.

 

But why should you have one? In this blog post, we’ll show you the top benefits of a CRM system.

 

Better relationships that last a lot longer

It costs a lot more to gain new customers than retaining existing ones. When you take the time to develop relationships with your customers, they will appreciate your value a lot more and naturally (most of them, anyway) be loyal to your product or brand.

An effective CRM allows you to store extensive amounts of data about each customer. This should include demographics as well as their behaviour when interacting with you. Not only will you be able to store their name and contact details, but also how they interacted with your emails, content and website.

With all this data, you can create a clear digital picture of who your customer base is and (potentially) what they want. You can then create a much more personal approach and allow them to see you as a human and not just as a brand. This results in closer relationships, customer loyalty and helps to develop trust.

 

Deeper insights into your audience’s online behaviour

Like we said in the point above, an effective CRM will allow you to store an extensive amount of information about your customer base. Over time, as you accumulate more information, you can then segment your database into different buyer personas. You’ll be able to create tailored content that will resonate with them based on a common issue they are all facing.

 

Improved data management

If you’re still storing and managing your data on a spreadsheet, then you need to jump into 2019 and consider an effective CRM. Improving your data management should be a key objective in 2020, and a CRM will be the first step. Without one, you run the risk of human error in the data entry process. As well as that, you are wasting hours every week trawling through spreadsheets trying to find specific information.

Your entire team has a clear picture of each customer because they are all working from the same central database.

 

Increased productivity

Moving on from point number 3, another fantastic benefit of a CRM is that it automates lots of otherwise time-consuming tasks. This will only add to the overall productivity of your team.

When you use automation, you’re giving your team back hours that they can spend on higher-value tasks.

 

Reduced expenditures

The more you automate, the less you need employees to do. This means less money spent on salaries.

Another way you can reduce expenditures is to streamline and align everything together in one platform. If you use an all-in-one CRM system, like Zymplify, you get all the added benefits such as marketing, sales and automation support automation.

 

The ability to personalise the customer experience

Personalisation was a huge marketing trend in 2019 and will not be going anywhere in 2020. An effective CRM system allows you to personalise the entire customer experience without spending hours sending out individual emails.

The CRM will store everything you need to create a super targeted and personalised experience for your customer from the very first interaction.

 

Data-driven decision making

Any CRM system worth it’s salt will provide you with extensive reporting, analytics and metrics which you can use in decision making at a later stage. The beauty of marketing analytics is that you can continuously improve and update your strategies in real-time, depending on the behaviour of your audience.

You can stay ahead of your competitors and update your marketing messages in real-time, and continuously impress your audience.

 

Final thoughts 

Strategic CRM will give you a competitive advantage over your competitor, as you can really get to know your audience and create experiences they want to see. Personalisation and customer-centric business culture are a top priority for 2020.

If you’d like to find out more about Zymplify’s all-in-one CRM get in touch with us here. Alternatively, you can sign up for our weekly live demo with our Sales Manager, Pete, who will show you around the platform.

 

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