When working with a considerable volume of information and contacts, when there are several lines of business in the same organisation, or when communication between departments is poor and needs to be improved, the answer is usually to invest in technology. But why a CRM and not other software? Because, among other benefits, it allows you to centralise information in one place.
1. All the information in one place
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It seems obvious, but the centralisation of data, the possibility of integrating contact and business (or sales) information is something that both Marketing and Sales teams need to determine their short and long term strategies.
However, many companies prioritise a technological investment that does not help to integrate all the information, but rather compartmentalises it into different tools that have a single use. Or, those organisations that do have a CRM only use it at a commercial level, missing out on its full potential.
And we agree, centralising information also implies a change of mentality, an internal change. But we must bear in mind that contact data (both qualitative and quantitative) are of utmost importance for Sales and Marketing, and both departments or managers must learn to work as a single team to get the most out of the data and achieve the company’s objectives.
Think of it another way. Marketing strives to understand the buying motivations of potential customers, works on the right strategies to increase traffic, encourage lead generation and accelerate their qualification as potential buyers; while Sales tries to push these qualified contacts to purchase, exposing the advantages of the product or service of your business. Don’t you think that constant communication between the two is essential?
A CRM allows you to store relevant information for both teams, improving not only communication with customers, but also internal communication. The contact data obtained in each of the phases of the purchase cycle are essential for defining a joint strategy that leads to greater revenue for the company, especially if there are different lines of business.
The right CRM tool can not only store socio-demographic information, but also qualitative data obtained from different conversion channels, as well as quantitative data regarding the business or sales made, as well as, of course, the browsing and conversion history of users.
2. Navigation and conversion history
Recording accurate and accessible data on preferences, needs, concerns and, yes, transactions can mean the difference between a relationship that benefits both the company and the customer and one that leaves both unsatisfied when the objectives of, on the one hand, satisfying the overall customer experience and, on the other, improving the company’s economic profit are not met.
And in this sense, knowing the browsing and conversion history, that is, the real purchase cycle of each of the contacts allows you to identify patterns of behaviour, needs and consumption trends that lead to optimal buyer profiles, to improve strategies (Marketing and Sales) that enhance better communication with your contacts.
The CRM is essential when you want to enhance customer satisfaction, because through the browsing history (which indicates the pages and content they are interested in) and the conversion history (which shows which channels, routes, CTAs and forms call to action) it is possible to get to know them better.
3. Get to know your customer better
Think that as you get to know your customers better, it will be easier to offer a positive purchase or service experience. Therefore, a tool that allows you to integrate not only qualitative and quantitative data, but also to document all types of interaction that prospects make with your company, and the work that your team does to boost conversion has an indisputable value.
As we have mentioned, the information stored in the CRM has great value for creating buyer profiles, which we know as buyer personas. These buyer personas should be representations of your most influential prospects/ideals. Well-defined groups that can be optimised over time thanks to the data obtained in the CRM, which will also help you to create the right segments for your strategies.
4. Segmenting into smarter lists
When we talk about a considerable volume of subscribers and leads (sales opportunities) it is difficult to think about personalising communications. However, personalisation is one of the key factors in the success of many campaigns. Being able to target potential customers knowing in advance what their preferences and needs are boosts the performance of the strategies implemented and ensures greater success for both Marketing and Sales.
For this reason, one of the great benefits of CRM is segmentation into smart lists. Lists, in many cases, based on the same buyer personas defined previously, and in others, based on those properties or contact and business categories that are key to developing a specific campaign.
The automatic segmentation in these smart lists makes personalisation possible, taking into account the consumer preferences and the browsing and conversion history of the contacts, in short, it ensures that communications are more effective, meeting objectives.
5. Improve communications.
Consumers are tired of receiving notifications, weekly, fortnightly or monthly on topics that have nothing to do with them. The newsletters, lead nurturing emails, even commercials lose effectiveness as long as they are not personalised. But as we have said, smart lists can help you personalise channels such as email marketing.
But when it comes to improving communications, thanks to CRM software, you can go one step further. Thanks to the information in the contact database, it is also possible to personalise pages, forms and even pop-up content.
And the truth is that the possibilities of Smart Content thanks to CRM are not limited to this personalisation, but it is also possible to automate a flow of actions and notifications that optimise the work of your Marketing and Sales teams.
6. Automate marketing and sales actions
Many CRM software allow you to automate workflows of actions and notifications following certain actions and properties. These workflows are especially essential when working with large volumes of information and contacts, or when you have few resources and a lot of work.
Actions can be triggered as contacts meet certain requirements set by the activity in their buying cycle: page visits, content downloads, form submissions, etc. But these actions can also trigger changes in lists, activate parallel automations, communications and even internal notifications.
These internal notifications are essential to keep Marketing and Sales managers aligned in the achievement of objectives. In addition, the creation of workflows saves time and improves the effectiveness of the work performed.
7. Improve team efficiency
The main idea is that thanks to CRM software you can work more intelligently, dedicating efforts to improve the user experience. In this way, not only the customers get what they want, but also the company.
As we have mentioned, being able to visualise all the information from one tool, that is, having all the data centralised and automating different tasks and actions can improve the efficiency of the teams.
In this case, internal organisation is fundamental and establishing who is responsible for dealing with contacts at each stage can help with the performance of each team, improving the final conversion results.
Once both Sales and Marketing learn to align and use CRM, the productivity of this tool increases, sales cycles decrease, and the company has the ability to increase customer satisfaction, thereby increasing customer satisfaction.
8. Do cross-selling.
The more you know about your customers’ needs and desires, the easier it is to offer additional products and services that improve customer satisfaction. A CRM improves your ability to cross-sell.
Your most experienced representatives, armed with qualitative and quantitative information, as well as browsing and conversion history, will be able to find an effective solution to customer needs thanks to an accessible database.
9. Get analytics and reporting
Since a CRM system is able to store information centrally, data analysis as a whole is much easier on the one hand. On the other hand, thanks to easy integration with other tools and plugins, it is possible to obtain automated performance reports, as well as to visualise lead conversions and customer acquisition in real time.
For example, tools such as HubSpot allow not only to monitor content performance and user interaction, but also to manage forecasts, evaluate sales performance and team activities that affect the closing of business.
10. Cost
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a software that although at the beginning may consume a little more management and learning time, in the long run it is an asset that saves time and improves the productivity of the Marketing and Sales teams, so that in the medium and long term not only the cost of its integration is amortised, but it is a lucrative tool for the company.
