The ultimate guide to customer relationship management

You have probably heard the term “customer relationship management” before—but do you know how to optimise the process with tools?

If not, don’t fret; you’re not the only one. 22% of salespeople have never heard of a CRM tool. Besides that, 40% still use manual methods, such as spreadsheets and email programs, for customer data storage. Considering that CRM applications can help increase sales by up to 29%, it’s important to understand how to use this technology to nurture buyers down your sales funnel, and continue the relationship once the deal has been closed.

Check out our guide on customer relationship management to learn what CRM is, why it’s important, how to select the best CRM software, and how to make the most of your CRM software.

What is Customer Relationship Management (CRM)?

At its core, “customer relationship management” is a strategy for managing potential and current customer relationships through collecting and analysing data. You can select and implement different customer relationship management models and frameworks to detail how you’re going to approach your relationships with customers.

Generally, however, “CRM” refers to customer relationship management as software (which is what we do in this article), not as a strategy. CRM tools are designed to help you efficiently manage customer data to improve relationships. Think of it as a type of intelligent database built round relationships. As you insert customer info into your CRM (e.g., phone calls, emails, contact details), it not only organises the data but also turns the data into insights.

Before we dive into learning about CRM software, check out these resources to learn more about customer relationship management as a strategy and framework.

• A Strategic Framework for CRM
• What is customer relationship marketing vs customer relationship management?
• What is a CRM model?

Why is Customer Relationship Management important?

By reducing inefficiencies, improving customer conversations, and offering personalisation opportunities, a CRM tool helps businesses build strong relationships with current and potential customers.

• CRM software reduces inefficiencies. Automate manual tasks, so teams are more productive and can spend more time interacting with customers.

  CRM software improves customer conversations. Streamline communication across departments so brand messaging is consistent, and no conversation falls through the cracks.

  CRM software offers personalisation. Offer more personalised experiences to your customers based on data insights, such as purchasing behaviour.

Using these CRM features, businesses see greater customer retention and high-quality referrals.

For example, according to a Capterra CRM user survey, 47% of respondents cited their CRM as a major factor in customer retention. That same percentage also cited their CRM as helping to increase customer satisfaction. When potential and current customers are happy, they’re likely to not only buy your product but also refer others to your business.

Want to learn more about the value of a CRM? Check out the following resources:

• 7 Signs That Your Business Needed a CRM Yesterday
• How to build customer relationships that increase retention and revenue
• CRM examples: How companies use CRMs to strengthen relationships and close more deals

Finding the best CRM for your team

CRM software can be divided into three capability categories: operational, analytical and collaborative. Although every CRM should have these capabilities, different companies will lean more towards a specific one depending on their needs.

• Operational CRMs assist with managing the daily activities of company teams. For example, rather than agents having to manually create customer records, the CRM automatically inserts customer contact information into the platform. An operational CRM works well for companies with short sales cycles, as these CRMs are extremely efficient.

  Analytical CRMs organise and manage large amounts of data to gain insights on the customer experience. For example, analyse past buying behaviour within your CRM to determine what campaigns to roll out for specific customer segments. An analytical CRM is great for companies with heavy competition and multiple customer data points.

  Collaborative CRMs connect communication and data across a company’s sales, marketing and support departments. This integration makes for a seamless customer experience. For example, when support members can see the conversations that sales reps are having with customers, they can offer better service that matches the agents’ messaging. A collaborative CRM is an excellent option for companies to manage pools of data across departments.

Beyond capabilities, there are many factors that go into choosing a CRM. Do you wish to build your own or use a pre-existing tool? What are the goals of your CRM? How much can you realistically spend on the software? All these are important considerations as the costs of choosing the wrong CRM are high.

Check out these resources for selecting and investing in a CRM.

• Building a CRM? Read these 5 critical considerations first.
• How to determine your CRM requirements (free template included)
• Uncovering the hidden costs of CRMs
• Create a CRM strategy in 8 steps

How to use a CRM software

Customer relationship management software can be used by a number of departments, including sales, marketing and customer service. Here’s how the tool is typically implemented in each department.

Sales

A sales CRM has become an essential tool for sales departments as customer activities, conversations and tasks are spread out across sales teams. Use it to manage your sales pipeline, monitor deals, and track customer interactions and progress. Contact management, sales tracking, and reporting tools are all in one place with a sales CRM, so you don’t have to implement multiple point solutions.

Zendesk Sell sales CRM

A sales CRM is used by both sales reps and sales managers but in different ways. Sales reps use CRMs to communicate directly with customers, while managers use the tool to monitor and assess performance data for their team.

For example, sales reps can connect with customers by phone or email, manage tasks and appointments, and keep an eye on whether they are on track to meet their sales quota. Sales managers can use the CRM to keep tabs on team performance and activities, complete sales forecasting, and create/review reports to see which targets were met and which areas of the pipeline need improvement.

• 5 essential sales forecasting techniques
• A 7-step plan to sales pipeline management
• How sales managers should use the 5 most important sales reports
• How to create the perfect sales stages journey
• Build a sales management process that works in 4 steps

Marketing & customer service

If you’re with a marketing department, you need to know as much as you can about customer needs. And if you’re with customer service, you need a way to quickly and easily access and answer customer questions. This is where a CRM comes in.

Marketers use a CRM to learn about leads and customers, so they are able to more effectively target them with campaigns. For example, with a CRM, you can segment customers by geography or industry. The software also allows marketers to track the effectiveness of their campaigns and determine how much revenue their marketing efforts are bringing in.

Support reps can also use a CRM to manage all customer interactions on one platform — track tickets, make phone calls, and review customer satisfaction metrics. No matter where customer interactions are coming from (social media, live chat, phone, email etc.), your CRM should be able to create tickets based on each interaction, so you can solve customer problems faster and more efficiently. You can also make better solution recommendations after reviewing past interactions.

Whether for sales, marketing or customer support, a CRM is a valuable tool for all activities that involve the customer. Learn how to make the most of your CRM (specifically for sales) with the following resources:

• 8 ways to effectively manage your customer data
• What makes good sales data?
• 5 customer-centric sales lead generators
• 5 Strategies to Improve Your Sales Team’s Productivity
• 4 ways to use your CRM to power your sales and marketing feedback loop
• CRM best practices for every stage of the sales funnel
• 34 powerful CRM reports you should be using
• Must-have CRM dashboard elements for sales teams
• How to get sales and customer service teams working together

Customer relationship management: Going above and beyond for customers

Customer relationship management is not a sprint — it’s a marathon. It takes time to develop strong customer relationships and requires a focus on improving the customer experience. However, combined with the right strategies and software, you can efficiently and effectively manage customer relationships.

Of course, we’d like you to consider choosing Zendesk Sell as your sales CRM software. Beyond managing your customer information, our tool also provides valuable insights to improve your pipeline, sales performance, conversations and processes.

Try Sell at no cost with our free trial.