What role does technology play in a CRM strategy?
To begin with, we need to know what a CRM is. A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a customer relationship management system,
We know that this is a highly competitive world; We do not want our company to be shipwrecked. We must be attentive to each new tool that promises the improvement of our activity.
Currently, what is setting the trend is CRM. It is an approach rather than just software.
Knowing the implementation phases of a CRM supposes an ostensible improvement in economic terms and an incredible optimization in the management of resources.
Next, we will tell you what a CRM consists of, what are the phases of implementing a CRM and what are the benefits for your company.
Always keep in mind that CRM is more than enterprise resource management software. It is an approach that will help you optimize your activities. Stay to find out how it is implemented.
Quickly, let's see what exactly CRM is. This term is the acronym an acronym in English that stands for Costumer Relationship Management. In Spanish means Customer Relationship Management.
It currently refers to software that facilitates corporate and business management, optimizing your resources (such as capital, the joint work of people, and time); In addition, they allow us to strengthen relationships with current customers and leads.
However, seen from another perspective, CRM is a way to more efficiently direct all business efforts. It is, let's say, directing all the power of our company to a common goal.
How is it possible? Easy: the CRM allows all the dependencies of your company to speak the same language, their work is unified. Information is shared more fluidly, greater amounts of data are dealt with in less time.
The CRM serves, basically, so that your company is better governed in terms of efficiency. Because keep in mind that being efficient does not mean working harder and harder; rather, it means that your work reports the best results with the least amount of resources invested.
There, in efficiency and optimization, lies the difference between having and not having CRM. You save time, staff, money, and retain old customers while still harvesting leads. All this may sound great to you, it's true. But it is not achieved automatically or spontaneously.
A previous study of your company is necessary, studying its needs; You have to see what type of CRM you need (because although they all do the same thing, they don't do it in the same way: the one that works for one company may not work for yours).
It is necessary to see which processes most urgently require optimization, etc. The list of tasks that must be fulfilled beforehand is long, but you should know that count on us so that the CRM implementation is fast and achieves the expected results.
In the world of business and digital marketing, it is necessary to stay at the forefront in terms of technological tools. But that doesn't mean having to buy every new product or tool that promises heaven and earth for your business.
Acquiring these resources is an important step, and must be carefully considered. A decisive factor has to do with the implementation process. And you may be wondering, "what are the implementation phases of a CRM?"
You should know that the implementation phases of a CRM do not consist of simply downloading the software and installing it on each and every one of the technological equipment of our company and hoping for the best. The CRM does not work miracles; although it is susceptible to deep automation. However, for such automation to be effective, efficient, and suppose a real optimization of resources, a series of essential phases must be followed.
Although each company is particular in itself (because each one has a different history, and has carried out different processes, with also different results), it is possible to elaborate a general action framework applicable to all companies in order to effectively implement CRM. Below, you will find the phases you must go through.
What must be considered?
Every company that has ventured into the digital world essentially consists of four elements. These are: Processes, Strategy, Technology, and People.
The CRM will help you direct these elements in pursuit of a common goal: streamlining the sales cycle, customer loyalty, lead amplitude, etc. Taking this into account, what comes first?
How is it possible to intervene in the functioning of something if, previously, an adequate diagnosis is not made? It is impossible. You have to know what things do not work as expected; which processes fail most often; what kind of tools or processes or even entire strategies are beginning to be inefficient.
Specific questions are asked, such as how effective is communication between dependencies? How is accounting done? Is communication with customers the best that can be offered?
An evaluation prior to the implementation of CRM would help determine the shortcomings and weaknesses of our company. Here, the four elements mentioned above are examined in some detail. This phase of preparation, analysis and general mapping of the company is one of the most important to guarantee the final results of the CRM implementation.
The weaknesses of your company suppose, after all, unnecessary difficulties. They are like obstacles that hinder the achievement of the goals that your company wants to achieve. It remains to be seen how such difficulties can be overcome; or in other words, how those weaknesses are strengthened.
For this, specific objectives are established, by virtue of which, subsequently, an appropriate action plan will be thought out and executed. The importance of this phase lies in the fact that it clarifies the panorama before us.. It lets us see where CRM can help us more definitively.
The implementation phases of a CRM, as you already know, are not simply reduced to the installation of software. It is necessary to prepare the ground where the CRM will act, and it is also necessary to know what type of software (what characteristics) is the most appropriate.
The CRM, as much automation as it can offer, does not do everything by itself. The relationship between technological resources and human resources is fundamental.
Because, again, it's not just software, it's a change of focus. The staff at your disposal must be receptive to such change, and that means the socialization of a specific action plan contemplated in the phases of implementing a CRM.
What is the type of CRM you really need? There are many options on the market, and although they may be similar in terms of the advantages they offer, not all of them will be equally effective. There are very specific applications and tools that are the ones you need and with which you will optimize yourself better.
Most likely, the data and information you have prior to the implementation phases of a CRM will serve as input. It is necessary to know if that information you have is usable, and if it is, how you could articulate it to your new approach.
The management of these resources will be streamlined, so the pace of the company will grow exponentially. The company needs to know how it will deal with this growth, so as not to get stuck.
But it is not enough to implement the CRM and start it up. A subsequent analysis is necessary to identify the possible gaps that may remain, or the new administrative needs that may arise.
By doing so, it will always be possible to overcome such difficulties and always keep the direction of our company upward.
Remember that at Auladig we are always attentive to your concerns about CRM. Contact us for a quote and to start the implementation in your company.
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