The Importance of CRM in a Business
Technology has advanced significantly in the recent years. There are advanced systems and technology in every area that we can think of, one of which is the business area. There are a lot of systems that can improve a business. One of them is the CRM (Customer Relationship Management). CRM is a software that help businesses to manage its interaction and relationship with their customers. However, CRM is not just software. CRM is also about strategic business processes that shape the customer experience with a business. Because customers are one of a business’s sources of income, customer can be viewed as one of the most crucial things a business needs. For businesses looking to operate in a customer-driven environment, CRM is a great tool because it combines corporate strategy, business philosophy, and technology to achieve many goals.
Today, CRM has evolved a lot because of globalization and ubiquitous connectivity. CRM can help businesses to reduce costs, improve processes, improve communication, and to manage their customers. Other than those, CRM nowadays can be used to increase a business’ value, such as bland loyalty and growth. For example, a customer’s preferences are different each customer. When a customer made a contact with a business, they give their data/information. A CRM can be used to provide a unique branded experience for each client based on the data collected and analysed. By doing that, a customer is expected to be loyal to the business/brand, thus increasing sales and loyalty customer. Additionally, CRM is important because it allows a business to track the lifetime value of their customers. This data will assist the business in optimizing marketing so that it can spend more on what approaches work and less on what doesn’t.
An example of a successful SCM implementation is at Samsung Indonesia (PT. Samsung Electronics Indonesia). They apply various methods in terms of customer-touching applications and customer-facing applications in order to provide the best customer experience. In the customer-touching applications section, Samsung Indonesia offers a variety of support methods for customers if they need help with Samsung products. Samsung Indonesia offers many ways for customers to contact them, such as call centers, live chat feature on their website which is available at any time, including public holidays, email, and others. In addition, Samsung Indonesia also offers a remote service that allows their agents to remotely control the customer’s Samsung smartphone or tablet to provide direct assistance. In the customer-facing applications section, Samsung Indonesia has a useful and user-friendly website. An example of a useful feature on the website is that Samsung has an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section that customers can access. In addition, Samsung has a loyalty program to retain its customers in the form of an application called Samsung Gift Indonesia. Customers can obtain various promotions or discounts as well as access to interesting content through this application. In addition, there is also a Samsung Members application for customers to get support, feedback, and analysis and also get special promos. In the analytical section, Samsung implements CRM in various ways to make the right decisions. Samsung examines the information received in order to make the best business decisions possible.
So, how to implement CRM properly? CRM software should eventually become part of the company’s philosophy and brand. To implement SCM, a business need many time and resources. Implementation process cannot be rushed to ensure proper implementation thus reducing many risks. All parts of a business must be able to work together to be able to carry out the implementation process properly. The IT department should not be held entirely responsible for the CRM program’s performance. To ensure the implementation process runs smoothly, a cross-functional team consisting of IT, sales, marketing, customer support, and management, among others, must be formed.
In conclusion, CRM is a business process and software that helps businesses to manage their interactions and relationships with their customers. CRM can help businesses to reduce costs, improve business processes, communication, and provide many advantages for managing their customers. CRM is also important because it allows businesses to track the lifetime value of their customers so that it can help businesses to optimize their marketing.
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