CRM systems are an excellent way to improve business performance and reduce the time spent on routine tasks. However, there is one caveat: companies often find it challenging to choose a specific type of software. Therefore, let's look at CRM systems and their main types and examine specific examples of customer relationship management systems.
What Is CRM in Software?
So, what's CRM software? It is a separate program allowing businesses to manage their customer relationships effectively. It contains convenient tools for collecting and analyzing customer data, automating sales and product promotion, and improving the service quality for your online school or corporate training.
Every CRM system is built on the idea that successful businesses are based on profitable customer relationships. Properly managing these relationships helps companies increase customer loyalty, reduce the time and resources spent on attracting new customers, and make the business more profitable shortly.
What Does a CRM Software Do?
The customer relationship management system performs several important tasks for working with a company's target audience. Here are some of the main functions a CRM system conducts daily.
- Collecting customer data. Every CRM system contains contact information, order history, support requests, and other important information. Managers can find all these data in a separate database for further analysis and improvement of customer relations.
- Data analysis. With the help of a CRM system, managers can analyze purchases, reviews, and customer behavior on the website. It will allow them to divide them into separate segments for more personalized and practical work with the audience.
- Sales management. The CRM system allows companies to control the sales process from start to finish, starting with the first contact with the customer and ending with the end of the deal. It also helps to track potential company customers, manage sales planning and tracking, control every step in working with customers, and much more.
- Promotion management. With the help of a CRM system, companies can more effectively organize marketing activities. For example, this software will help increase the number of attracted customers or increase sales. Besides, the CRM platform allows you to analyze the results of such campaigns and consider possible future shortcomings.
- Service management. Businesses can check the effectiveness of the support service via the CRM system. Thus, the platform allows you to check customer requests and their processing and final result. In the future, this data will allow you to build a more apparent algorithm for solving customer problems.
- Business analytics. The customer relationship management system also allows you to view the overall business results, identify strengths and weaknesses in customer interactions, determine customer pain points, and improve service.
- Management of individual projects. Some platforms for managing relationships allow you to work with personal customer projects (for example, managing the implementation of a CRM system in a company).
- Access on any device. Most CRM platforms support work on smartphones and tablets, which allows company employees to work with customer data anytime, anywhere.
- Integration with other systems. Users can integrate a CRM system with email, social media, content management platforms, and other solutions to expand the range of data for analysis and customer relationship management.
Thus, the CRM system has all the necessary tools to solve various tasks. Therefore, it is required to understand the differences between the main types of CRM management software for more effective work with customers.
What Are the Most Common Types of CRM?
What's CRM software as a comprehensive tool? It is challenging to find a one-size-fits-all solution, but there are three types of apps for specific tasks. Let’s review them in more detail.
Operational CRM
This CRM system is perfect for automating tasks requiring a lot of time and effort (such as working with clients, sales planning, managing client projects, etc.). With its help, businesses can effectively manage customer relationships by providing various tools to simplify day-to-day tasks.
Analytical CRM
This CRM system is suitable for analyzing customer data, purchases, marketing activities, and other vital aspects. It allows businesses to access valuable metrics about their business processes (such as sales volume, average purchase value, conversion rate, etc.) based on data collected in the customer management system.
Collaborative CRM
Several departments or units use this type of software within one company. In this case, all customer data is stored in one place, accessible to all company employees with the appropriate access rights. A collaborative CRM system allows employees to interact with each other and with customers, exchange information about customers, their history of contacts, and orders, as well as analyze this data to make the right decisions.
How to Choose a CRM Software?
Choosing a CRM system can be quite a hassle. However, there are several essential aspects to consider.
- Your business goals. Before choosing a CRM platform, determine your goals and how the CRM system can help achieve them. For example, choosing software with extensive sales management features is better if your business emphasizes sales.
- Budget. Make sure that the selected platform fits your budget. The cost of a CRM system depends on available tools, scalability options, and other factors.
- Integration with other systems. Check how easy it is for the CRM system to integrate with other platforms you already use. It may include social networks, email clients, content management systems, etc.
- User interface. The customer relationship management system should have an intuitive user interface that will be easy to use for your employees. Request a demonstration or test the CRM system before purchasing.
- Scalability. If you plan to expand your business, make sure that the chosen customer relationship management system is scalable and can grow together with your business.
- Support. Ensure that the CRM system offers sufficient support for your company, including technical support and user training.
- Security. Pay attention to the level of security that the CRM system provides, especially if you store confidential customer data.
Choosing the right CRM system can significantly increase the efficiency of your business. Before making a decision, carefully study all the aspects and functionality of each CRM system to choose the one that best suits the needs of your business.
What Does CRM Mean in Software: The KWIGA Case
Kwiga has created a customer relationship management system that allows you to manage your company efficiently. In addition, this educational platform offers a convenient student database storing all information in individual cards.
Besides, all users can take advantage of the benefits of a transparent sales department. Learn about specific employee roles, forecast profits, and plan the development of your business without any restrictions.
Furthermore, the CRM system provides detailed data on the behavior of individual customers, including order history and support requests through various communication channels (SMS, email, and messengers). These features reduce the time spent building quality and productive customer relationships.
KWIGA also supports automated document management. All tools are available on the CRM platform, including creating ready-made templates, quick printing, searching for documents by unique parameters, and much more. Users can work with electronic signatures, access, and document relationships. It reduces the time spent on online school or corporate training program paperwork.