CRM + Customer Service = Happy Customers

Abe Dearmer

Feb 02, 2017

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5 min read

Customer-Service

In a world where the consumers have no dearth of options, it's important for businesses to stay on top of their game and be in the forefront. One of the best-proven ways to find customer loyalty is to offer a great customer service.

By now it is a known fact that present, loyal customers who have stayed with your company provide more business than new customers do. So how can companies maintain long-lasting relationships with their customers?

"70% of companies say it's cheaper to retain a customer than acquire one" Oursocialtimes

This is where a CRM solution proves to be very beneficial. This is due to it providing sales and marketing reps with a multi-channel communication platform which makes it easier to understand a customer's requirements, due to it giving a 360-degree view of contact history and purchases made. So, by having a CRM solution in place how can it really lead to you offering great customer service?

Understanding your customer

A CRM will store all the information about your customer in one single place. This doesn't just mean basic information such as name, age, etc., but also purchase history, the pages of your website they browsed, their preferences with your company, and any piece of communication that they've had with you.

Such detailed information available at your fingertips provides a powerful insight into your customer. It also offers a simple easy way to communicate with them, while making them feel like you understand their requirements.

"You'll never have a product or price advantage again. They can be easily duplicated, but a strong customer service culture can't be copied." Jerry Fritz

Targeted allocation

Having this information about your customer's can help in creating a detailed customer persona. With all this detailed information, it enables you to categorize your clients in a way that lets you target them for sales and marketing more effectively. With a CRM, you can determine which customers purchase frequently from you, and allocate sufficient resources to them to keep those sales going.

Continual communication

Continuous communication with your customers makes them feel valued and keeps you on their mind when they want to make their next purchase. It's important to engage with them through a range of social platforms so email, social media, SMS, outbound calling and many other communication methods with a CRM's multi-channel communication features is essential.

"The more you engage with customers the clearer things become and the easier it is to determine what you should be doing." John Russell

Add value to your services by sending out updates about what the latest news for your company is, or if you have some new products or a sale coming up. Or simply write to them to thank them for their loyalty! Writing an in-house company newsletter can prove to be very beneficial as it shows a more personal and human side to your company, this is by informing clients of staff news, company performance, product updates or exciting upcoming events.

Customer satisfaction

Many customers believe that the quality of any company depends on the customer service that is provided, and this is one of the biggest areas CRM software should be utilized. Customer service can make or break a customer's relation with your company, as customers are more likely to choose good service over a lower price.

Customer satisfaction is necessary for retaining customers and success in business as it keeps your clients with you. Ensure to get back to them in the quickest time possible and the CRM will also help you in keeping a tab of where you stand, and what priority needs to be given to the customer's problems.

"Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning." Bill Gates

A satisfied customer is very likely to recommend a company to their friends and family, while a dissatisfied customer would talk about their bad experiences. Word of mouth is important, as many new customers base their decisions on recommendations and references by others that they know.

Identify trends

Analyzing the buying patterns of your customers can disclose a lot about what can get you to make more sales. While some CRMs come with these analytical trackers, other can work in tandem with third-party tools to keep an eye on these metrics.

Creating reports on areas such as customers' shopping history, likes and dislikes can all help in creating the perfect sales pitch for the customer and the selling will be more targeted and customized towards them. By doing this it offers a more personalized approach as you understand a customer's requirements and can see all their preferences. Since you are promoting products and services that are preferred by the customers, the chances of sales are much higher as well.

"Know what your customers want most and what your company does best. Focus on where those two meet." Kevin Stirtz

The benefits of using an all-in-one CRM solution are endless and can help any business create better bonds with their customers while increasing their profits and success. End of the day it is a well-known fact that happy customers are loyal customers and to keep it that way a CRM can come in handy. When you have many happy customers, it can mean that they aren't afraid to recommend you to their contacts and review your services.

"Loyal customers, they don't just come back, they don't simply recommend you, they insist that their friends do business with you." Chip Bell

Michael King says...

"I can’t think of a time where a client has requested something that we weren’t able to do with FiveCRM. Unlike most systems, it has a lot of flexibility."

Managing Director, Senior Response

JANE HUSBANDS SAYS...

“Each client, and each of their campaigns, has its own unique specifications. We essentially needed to set up mini CRMs on one platform to meet those requirements.”