Customer Records: Which Information Is Really Important?

Where to Record Customer Information

There aren't that many options. Freelancers and small businesses often use Excel spreadsheets, creating a separate tab for each client and gradually adding information. However, this method becomes difficult to manage with a larger number of clients and requires hours of work.

Companies with dozens of clients and leads typically use a CRM, a tool for sales planning and customer relationship management. Businesses may use a standalone CRM system or a CRM module within an enterprise information system.

Most Important Data to Record

1. Basic Contact Information

Details such as the company name, registered office, and billing information are a given. It's also recommended to keep general company details separate from those of the contact persons you communicate with—especially if you're in touch with multiple people at the client company.

A CRM makes recording these basic details easier by automatically pulling them from the ARES database, saving you from entering them manually.

2. Technical Details Related to the Product

Your CRM should include client information that is critical to your industry and offering. For example, if you sell warehouse systems, record the size of the warehouse, stocking strategy, or number of inventory items. In short, everything you need to know about the client during communication.

CRM systems offer custom fields for such industry-specific information. You can create and name your own fields or windows within the client profiles to store this data.

Record this information not just for existing customers, but also for leads. Learn more about lead classification not just in CRM in a dedicated article.

3. Communication History with the Client

Whether it's a current or potential customer, always save your communication history. Before meetings, this helps you quickly recall the client’s past interests, what their situation was a year ago, or what your colleague discussed with them.

Be sure to record:

• emails
• meeting notes
• phone call summaries
  
  

4. Sales History and Documents

Depending on your business, there are dozens of client-related sales details you can track.

Common ones include:

• Total sales volume
• sales volume in the last year
• rejected offers
• most frequently purchased products or services
• value of currently open deals
• percentage of revenue from this client
  
  

This data helps you plan sales more strategically and be better prepared for future upsells. For example, you can:

• identify which offerings were successful
• predict future sales volume
• target ads more effectively
• provide better customer support by having all key info in one place
  
  

Also, store all related documents contracts, invoices, offers in one place. CRM allows you to navigate from the client directly to these documents.

5. Events

Track every past and upcoming client interaction quarterly meetings, regular calls, service checks. A CRM can sync these events with your calendar, so nothing slips through the cracks.

6. Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)

LTV predicts future revenue from a client. Calculate it by multiplying the average order value by purchase frequency. You can also record the client's annual budget and other data to refine the number.

Most CRMs calculate LTV automatically, using deal data to visualize future profits in clear charts.

By using a CRM, you can track all six types of customer data in one place. For example, Raynet CRM offers a well-organized client directory, linking clients to deals, documents, and events. With the mobile app, you can access all this data even in the field.

Try the tool free for 30 days and see how CRM-based customer records simplify your daily work.