CRM - Customer Relationship Management

How well do you know your customers ?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a way of doing business; a way of thinking that puts the customer at the centre of the enterprise. The analogy is a good one because organisations that practice CRM increase the satisfaction of their customers by proactively managing their relationships with them. They ensure that when the customer comes into contact with a representative of the organisation, whether face to face, by telephone, or by any other mechanism, that the representative has all the information he or she requires to service the customer's need immediately to hand.

CRM is not primarily about increasing efficiency through reducing costs, although costs will certainly be reduced. Rather, CRM systems are designed to provide revenue and profit growth by improving the effectiveness of marketing, sales and service organisations.

How does CRM benefit the customer?

Put simply, CRM systems ensure that customers:

• Only receive marketing information that is relevant to their interests or needs
• Enjoy a higher quality of service during the sales process
• Receive an after sales service that is always based on a consistent and complete knowledge of their circumstances

How does CRM benefit the organisation?

When a company implements a CRM system it should expect to realise the following benefits:

• More leads generated from a given marketing expenditure
• Accurate measurement of the revenue generated from a marketing campaign vs the campaign's cost
• Shorter sales cycles, allowing sales reps to address more prospects
• Higher win:loss ratio
• Higher customer satisfaction during the sale
• Quicker resolution of customer support issues
• Higher customer satisfaction with after sales support
• Lower customer attrition
• More satisfied customers and staff

Want more information?

We're always happy to discuss methodologies and technologies with our customers. Alternatively, see the links on the right of this page.