Nov
17

By CommenceCRM

CRM Software – More Than Just Sales

When people think about CRM software, they often think only about sales and that is understandable because without sales you don’t have a business.  But Customer Relationship Management is more than just about sales.  It’s about making a commitment to improving how you market, sell and provide service to your customers.  Smart companies have moved past the days of contact managers and sales tools that were focused on improving internal communication and operations. They are instead focused on two specific areas, marketing and customer retention.

Customer Service is the New Marketing
Photo owned by Intersection Consulting (cc)

Building brand recognition and lead generation at one time required a marketing mix of magazine advertisements, article placements, internet advertising, banner ads, public relations, joining industry specific trade groups, and more.  But things have changed and social networking also referred to as viral marketing mixed with search engine optimization, site linking, data mining and bulk e-mail campaigns have become today’s standard for building awareness and attracting new customers.  Mature CRM solutions incorporate marketing software programs and tools to automate many of these processes.  While many small to mid-size firms seem to overlook this critical component of CRM, it is the one area that can have the greatest impact for getting an edge over your competition.

Leading edge companies are also paying close attention to customer retention.  This may be because the cost of attaining new customers is significantly greater than retaining the ones your have.  Smart companies are looking to improve the customer’s buying experience and maximize the lifetime value of their business relationships by providing world class customer service before, during and after the sale.  Many are using CRM software to ensure that everyone within the organization has immediate access to the customer profile including what they purchased, when they purchased, the sales representative responsible for the sale, how the delivery went and if the customer is pleased with the product and the buying experience. This is the type of personalized service that drives customer loyalty.

If you are looking to move past the traditional contact management and sales forecasting stage for your business, this narrows down the selection of top rated quality CRM products and companies.  Commence Corporation has been helping small to mid-size businesses become more effective sales and service organizations.  The company’s award winning software provides the foundation for building brand awareness through automated marketing and lead generation programs while improving sales execution and customer service.  Experienced professionals offer the guidance, coaching, and CRM Best Practices that ensure that Commence customers realize the maximum value from the CRM software features.

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