Fine-tuned customer support from start to finish sales cycle (and even afterwards!) is essential to better meet their expectations and increase their satisfaction. Far from being an easy task, customer relationship management requires a few best practices to optimize it. Here's how!
Customer relationship management: what does it mean today?
Customer relationship management: definition
Customer relationship management (CRM) encompasses all the measures implemented by a company to maintain and improve its interactions with customers. Present at every stage of the sales cycle and at every point of contact with customers, CRM must be thought of holistically to be successful. Today, the customer experience tends to be increasingly digital, as consumers use more and more channels to engage with businesses (website, social media, chat, etc.). It is therefore essential for companies to adapt by offering a multichannel CRM that is continuous and consistent with these new modes of communication.
Customer relationship management: why optimize it?
Good customer relationship management has many advantages for companies, such as :
- Meeting customer expectations;
- Tailor-made support for a wide range of customers;
- Building customer loyalty;
- Increased sales;
- Improving service quality;
- The ability to anticipate and resolve consumer dissatisfaction.
With the rise of social media, these challenges are magnified: the experience of a single customer can either help promote a brand or severely damage it. For example, a negative comment about a brand on Twitter can quickly gain traction and impact an organization’s image and sales. Now more than ever, companies have a vested interest in carefully managing their customer relationships to provide their clientele with the smoothest and most satisfying experience possible.
Customer relationship management: 6 ways to optimize it
Multiple relationship management customer relationship is based on a variety of tools and strategies. Here are a few ways to optimize it.
#1 Using CRM
A CRM (or Customer Relationship Management) gathers all data specific to your customers or prospects. This information can range from their basic contact details (name, company, email address, etc.) to information specific to their purchasing habits (e.g. the last product they purchased, or the minutes of their customer meetings). This centralization enables everyone in your company to gain in-depth knowledge of each prospect or customer. Thanks to this fast, efficient access to information, customer relations managers are able to offer a more personalized service. This approach is particularly appreciated by consumers.
Read also: Digitizing customer relations: a key factor in acquiring and retaining customers
#2 Marketing automation
Marketing automation involves adapt message content to the specificities and maturity level of a prospect or customer. This type of solution makes it possible to segment the database according to predefined criteria, and send emails to your prospects and customers based on different identified scenarios. For example, a prospect who has just registered on your site will receive a presentation of the different services on offer, while an existing customer will receive a presentation of products or services that complement their previous purchases. In this way, you share relevant and interesting content with your prospects and customers, strengthening your relationship.
#3 Deploy a chat or call center
When it comes to customer relationship management, nothing beats direct contact. For example, deploying a chat or a call center makes for a more fluid dialogue with customers, and takes the pressure off e-mails. So setting up a immediate, easily accessible service ensures :
- Provide personalized answers to our customers;
- Increase sales efficiency;
- Unclog mailboxes;
- Respond promptly to customers' needs and expectations.
#4 Setting up a FAQ
In the context of customer relationship management, integrating a FAQ not only improves the company's brand image, but also, if it's well done, helps to significantly reduce the number of emails and calls prospects looking for information. For it to be effective, it is essential to :
- Get the information you need to answer your customers' and potential customers' most frequently asked questions;
- Write short, understandable answers with a vocabulary suited to all your targets;
- Structure the content in a question-and-answer format;
- Make your FAQ section visible and accessible.
#5 Conduct satisfaction surveys
Evaluating the customer experience is one of the best ways to optimize customer relationship management. By offering satisfaction surveys or surveys to your customers, you'll be able to measure customer satisfaction and retrieve invaluable information for the future. improve your products or services, your processes and your communication tools. With this in mind, there are a number of online platforms that make it easy to conduct surveys and satisfaction polls free of charge.
#6 Outsourcing customer relationship management
There are many ways to improve customer relationship management, but to be effective, they require time and resources. And the problem? Companies often lack them. To optimize customer relationship management, it's sometimes best to outsource it. That's right, outsourcing will enable you to focus on your core business without neglecting customer relationship management. What's more, this practice will help you optimize your costs. Indeed, although CRM outsourcing represents an investment, it is often more cost-effective than launching a recruitment process and in-house training sessions.
Read also: Customer relationship outsourcing: 5 things you need to know before taking the plunge
Expert in multi-channel customer relationship, Vivetic Group offers you a outsourcing solution to optimize your customer relationship management. At every stage of their purchasing journey, consumers benefit from a satisfying, personalized experience.
Would you like to outsource your customer service?
