4 ways to ensure your CRM system is a help rather than a hindrance

Are you doing everything in your power to ensure that you use your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system properly to ensure your customers have a positive experience and leave happy?

There are hundreds of companies out there today that have spent literally millions on high-tech Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems – and never used them to its full potential. It always surprises me to hear that so few businesses and SME’s implement strategies to make their customers feel good.

Money spent on CRM is wasted unless your company can effectively use the systems properly to ensure that your customers have positive experiences, and also feel that they are getting good value when they do business with you. When that CRM information system is also used to analyse and implement strategies and tactics for customer retention, for cross- and up-sales, and to mobilise the power of word of mouth and referrals, then you will have an unbeatable competitive edge.

So what can you do to make sure that your CRM system helps rather than hinders your relationships with customers? Here are some tips:

1. Ensure that the information which you keep is relevant to the customer, and their needs and preferences, rather than just your own

Find ways to say ‘hello’ and initiate a friendly chat. Gather information on what they like and then give them what they want. Make them feel welcome and special. Remember their names. The more you know your customers, the more specific your segmentation becomes. Get to know what they’re most interested in by segmenting the list to see which offers drive the best response

2. Don’t burden your customers with your information problems

You know what it’s like when you apply for financing for a new car or house, or even when you re-do your cell phone contract or get your new credit card: it is usually an absolute nightmare of paperwork and bureaucracy.

3. When people are trained, don’t focus only on the technical aspects of how to use the system reasonably efficiently

It is also crucial that they know how to use the information proactively to help customers.

4. The “human touch” is also critical

Apart from the warmth, courtesy and interpersonal skills of staff dealing with customers, you also need to ensure that you understand the human needs of your customers. We are not talking about telephoning them on their birthday here. For example, some of my best experiences as a customer have been with a business where I don’t experience any human contact at all, such as an online store.

However, the development team of the online store website has taken into consideration that I have more needs than just ordering books. It allows me to look at the content pages of the book, and to read about what other people have said about it. The site keeps me informed about the processing of my order, even after it has dispatched the items. And when another book on the same subject is published, it lets me know about it.

If businesses could put themselves in their customers’ shoes when they implement new CRM systems, and use them to add value rather than save money and improve efficiency, customer loyalty and delight will improve dramatically.