How can CRM software help deliver the 'wow factor' to your customers?

Posted by Melanie Howell on Thu, May 27, 2010

For many businesses, wowing customers has moved to the forefront of their strategic objectives, focusing primarily on customer service from order taking through delivery and support.

Which is good, but is far from being all that needs to be done.

Delivering excellent customer service must become an integral part of all customer interactions, regardless of the entry point. Many tools can help you improve the customer service experience, but before you get;started, define what you want and which tool is the right one for your business. In this case, it is critical to define technology's role before, during, and after the customer experience

As you evaluate different technology ask yourself these questions, is the technology in alignment with the vision and mission of my company? Will it support the existing structure of my business?

There are three CRM initiative levels to consider - operational, analytical and strategic

Operational CRM focuses on improved customer service, customer data capturing, building your customer database and customer relationships.

Analytical CRM seeks to combine all the pieces together in the CRM system to provide a powerful resource for analysis. Integrating your CRM system with the ERP software can provide a solid infrastructure for customer knowledge and targeted marketing communications and offers.

Strategic CRM reflects a shift in focusing efforts on customer value, competitive differentiation, market segmentation and strategic brand & positioning.

A strategic CRM system would offer you deeper insight into your customer and challenge some of your underlying assumptions.For example, just because a customer was profitable in the past doesn't mean they will be profitable in the future.

Which CRM level is right for you? Download our guide, "52 Questions You Must Ask When Evaluating CRM Software" and get started.