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Created: Wednesday, 25 March 2015 12:27

Last Updated: Wednesday, 29 April 2015 09:39

Written by Super User

It’s 2015 and most of us by now have heard of CRM. It stands for Customer Relationship Management and at its simplest a CRM system allows you to store key information about prospects and existing customers in one central point.

Before you can define what CRM means to you, you need to know what you want to get out of it. What are you looking to achieve by using CRM? Increased revenue? A larger customer base? Whether you’re a small business looking to keep records of new prospects or a large company looking to improve the relationship you have with your existing customers, everyone has a need for a CRM system.

Don’t be easily swayed or feel pressured into buying an off the shelf product, or go for something last minute just because you “heard” it was great. It may have been great for the other person using it but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to give you the results you want.

The majority of businesses are looking to build long lasting, quality relationships with their customers and the only way we can make this happen is by setting aside some time and thinking about who our audience is and how they like to communicate. There are so many different ways people communicate these days. It isn’t just as simple as a phone call or a visit anymore, there’s a whole host of other areas to update. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, these are all places we’d like to make ourselves more visible but how do we do this effectively without it eating into our other responsibilities at work?

I could sit for hours updating, posting and surfing but without implementing a strong CRM strategy my efforts could be wasted.

Obviously, being biased I favour Uniplan CRM by Pinnula. For me I see it as a perfect way of viewing all relevant information about my existing and potential customers. By allocating calls to myself and other colleagues, managing all aspects of communicating and making sure I deliver the best possible customer service becomes extremely simple so I have more time to focus on maximising our sales and generating revenue.

Being more organised and having a strong process in place, guarantees you will without doubt enhance every customer’s experience. Every week I see how improved customer relationships can change a business. Little things like getting in touch with a contact you haven’t spoken to for 6 months could open endless opportunities.

Unless you know what you’re looking for how can you really determine which CRM system is right for you? You need to work backwards from your desired result and figure out what you need to get you there. Once you’ve figured that out, what’s stopping you?

There are consultants on hand to help you, our own included, who will not only help you but genuinely want to see you succeed. It’s hard to do without a process so put yourself ahead and choose the right CRM for you.

Rachel Gibson

Pinnula Limited