If you are in the customer relationship management industry, you probably have a lot on your mind. Because managing relationships is not an exact science, it requires constant care, innovation, and attention. That being said, any tools you can use to help facilitate the process should be taken full advantage of. Here are some of...
If you are in the customer relationship management industry, you probably have a lot on your mind. Because managing relationships is not an exact science, it requires constant care, innovation, and attention. That being said, any tools you can use to help facilitate the process should be taken full advantage of. Here are some of the tools we recommend in order to keep your customers happy, and to keep you operating at your full CRM potential.
1. Informative blogs
One great thing about the rise of inbound marketing is that there is a lot of free, helpful content on the internet for anyone interested in bettering their customer experience and increasing customer knowledge. With everyone trying to win clicks and shares, companies are putting some of their best tips and advice on managing and winning customers into blog posts and Ebooks. Sites like:
- and Salesforce
have great educational content that is raw, real, and truly helpful.
2. Automated Social Media Posting
A CRM manager has to constantly be checking social media for customer reviews, questions, and complaints; and then they need to respond to any of these inquiries with a satisfying response: usually within a few hours. Because these kinds of customer interactions and damage control take up so much of a CRM manager’s time, it’s helpful to leave the day to day social media updates to an automated system.
- and Hootsuite
are great examples of the social media automation services that are available to help you consolidate your posting and save time.
3. A CRM Management System
If you’re in the CRM industry, it’s pretty much impossible to do your work if you don’t have a quality CRM system to support you. At its most basic, a CRM system helps you to store all of your CRM data, and at its most complex, like with the CRM system SharpSpring, it can help you create custom marketing flows and analyze every customer interaction you have.
There are a lot of options for CRM management systems, but things to consider are automation options, the format and interface of content, the level of customer service and technical support available, and any other applications the CRM is compatible with.
Click here to optimize your CRM for a better experience.
4. An automated survey system
When you’re in the CRM industry, surveys serve as the foundation of your customer knowledge. Getting to know your customers: who they are, what they are looking for, and how they think; is the job of any good CRM employee, and without surveys, you are pretty much flying blind. Make sure the survey system offers different surveying formats, and smart survey options to allow you to properly measure and analyze your responses.
5. A customer rewards program
Customer rewards programs are one of the most effective ways to increase your customer retention and attract new customers, so it’s no wonder they are one of the most popular approaches companies take to improving their customer relations.
CRM professionals need to create a comprehensive customer rewards program that offers discounts, benefits, and tokens to its most active and loyal customers.
Programs such as this are also great ways to find potential brand ambassadors, or customers who take their loyalty to the next level and actively promote your brand through word of mouth or social media. Brand ambassadors are an invaluable tool for your company’s image, and they should be cultivated and nurtured through customer rewards programs until they are ready to become official ambassadors for you.
These tools serve the purpose of streamlining and facilitating the tasks facing any CRM department, and are a great place to get started if you are beginning a new campaign. However, no matter how many smart tools you have helping you, remember that successful CRM management really comes down to people to people interactions, and will depend on you staying attentive, accessible, and relevant for your customers.