What is a CRM and why it is important for your business

Paying attention to the customer right away is a sign of professionalism and quality of service. Keeping the same degree of attention during all stages of the purchase process (and after-sales) is a job that rewards in the long run, both in terms of performance and revenue.

Focusing on the customers means knowing them, that is, collecting and ordering a series of information that concerns them closely and that are relevant to your business. This is where CRM comes in.

What is CRM and what it does

The acronym CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It is an approach linked to strategy, communication and the integration of business processes. The tool that allows the adoption of this approach is usually a software that stores information relating to customers and prospects in a single place accessible to authorized employees and collaborators. The CRM then manages the communications history, analyzes and classifies contacts and automates business processes.

Relevant data in hand, it is possible for management to set up a loyalty and sales strategy.

Why is it important to have a CRM?

Having a CRM is important because nowadays marketing is focused on the customer, not the product. It is increasingly important to know and understand the customer and put him at the center of one’s business. Contact alone is worth little if it is not managed in the best possible way. CRM is made to feed the contact and follow it throughout the whole sales process, from lead registration to purchase.

Advantages of CRM

CRM avoids the confusion and loss of relevant data over time. It allows you to easily manage thousands of contacts and keep the sales funnel under control, establish follow-up actions and timing; last but not least, it promotes greater coordination between departments and employees.

Schematically, the CRM allows:

1. Optimal management of the customer relationship

Analyze and classify customers and prospects based on sales objectives and keep all data and documentation in a single database.

2. Scheduling of communications and appointments

Schedule the sending of emails and customize the communication. This will give you more opportunities to grab the attention. Schedule and manage appointments accordingly.

3. Sales tracking

Monitor current and completed sales, create reports to make the sales area more aware and performing.

4. Organization of targeted follow-up actions

Know your customers and plan to send tailored messages at strategic moments.

5. Customer loyalty

Accompany the customer in all stages of the purchase process. It takes time, but it is critical to the success of any type of business.

6. Performance control of the sales team

Extract performance reports in just a few clicks.

The levels of a CRM

1. Analytical

It includes the collection and organization of existing and potential customer data, or information to support management decisions

2. Operational

Applications that support back and front office in order management; and also supply chain and logistics

3. Collaborative

All the tools that allow you to establish a relationship with the customer through the available channels (e-mails, phone calls, web pages, etc.)

Summing up

In summary, CRM is essential for planning, coordinating and monitoring sales activities and optimizing the process that leads from online and event lead generation to purchase, as well as providing important information to the customer service staff.

Jolie’s CRM

As automotive specialists, we are committed to the constant implementation of our Jolie software which, in addition to event management in the broad sense, has a CRM module focused on the customer’s business. In particular, we focused on the business model of car dealerships and large car manufacturers.

Currently, Jolie supports dealers in all phases of the customer journey of buying a car: from collecting data on potential leads, to participating in events and test drives; from the tracking of interests for specific car models, to Intention to Buy, up to the purchase order and follow-up.

Are you a dealer or are you at the head of a sales team and are you interested in learning more? Contact us without obligation!