The acronym CRM means customer relationship management in Czech. And although CRM systems are mainly presented as tools for business management, they take communication with customers to several levels higher. Salespeople and customer support have a quick overview of what was dealt with which client a week ago and a year ago. The result is more effective communication and a more satisfied client.
What is a CRM system
CRM is a tool in which you record all data about customers and orders in one place. This makes it easier for the sales team (as well as marketing or customer support) to use data to win new business and maintain customer satisfaction.
CRM developers like to say that the system works like a Swiss army knife for marketers. It contains:
- client directory including the history of everything you have done with clients,
- registration of orders including the sales funnel and information on how many deals are in play, for how much and what needs to be done to move them,
- a business calendar where each event is linked to the job and the client it concerns.
You can get CRM either as a separate cloud tool or as an optional module in an ERP (enterprise information) system.
How CRM improves communication with customers
Imagine that you receive a call from a client who has been communicating with a colleague who is on vacation. Thanks to CRM, you can pick up exactly where your colleague left off, thanks to the client history function.
If you honestly collect and record data for clients in CRM, you will see the following in the client's history:
- held meetings and their content,
- records of e-mail, personal and telephone communications,
- offers, invoices, contracts and other documents,
- products and services that the client has purchased or expressed interest in.
For example, in our RAYNET CRM, the client's history resembles a user's Facebook wall. In it, you can see basic information about the client, such as name, address and contact, but mainly a timeline of everything that was dealt with with the client and when.
You don't need to enter data into the business history manually, it will be written into it automatically every time the traders register the data in the CRM. So, for example, as soon as they create an offer and send it to the client, it immediately appears in the history.
Thanks to the client's history, you can get a quick overview of any job or client, even going back several years. When you see what the client has ordered from you in the past, what his budget is or what he once expressed interest in, you know exactly what makes sense to offer him and what you will succeed with. In addition, every client will appreciate that you know everything important about them, even if you haven't been in contact for a long time or a colleague communicated with them before you.
Among other CRM functions that improve communication with clients, we will highlight the following:
- You can create offers, invoices and other documents for customers in a few clicks, because the CRM will pre-fill most of the data for you. It will speed up your work and avoid mistakes and typos.
- Send e-mails including attachments (e.g. with an offer) to clients directly from CRM, so you don't have to click through to the mailbox. You save time and have everything stored in one system.
- Some CRMs (such as our RAYNET) allow online signing of contracts with all legal validity, so you do not have to exchange physical documents with the client and you can solve the paperwork faster.
If you want to experience the benefit of CRM for communication with customers for yourself and without obligation, test the trial version for 30 days for free.
Linking CRM with customer support tools
CRM will take communication to a higher level on its own, but you can go even further. Connect it with other tools and your clients will feel as cared for as during a wellness stay in Switzerland.
One of these tools is the czech software SupportBox – online help desk. It combines all communication with clients in one place. So whether the client calls you on the phone, writes an e-mail, or chats, you handle everything from SupportBox.
In addition, if you connect SupportBox to RAYNET CRM and the client sends you a message or calls you, you will immediately see all the information you record about him in CRM, for example:
- client name and address,
- orders,
- assigned tasks,
- scheduled meetings,
- history of communication
- or issued invoices.
So even a customer support novice will address the client by name as soon as they pick up the phone and have all the necessary information to resolve their request smoothly.
