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If you’re a small business owner managing a steady stream of customers and clients, there will come a time when spreadsheets and file folders aren’t going to cut it.
Nowadays, customer relationships can be efficiently managed with CRM platforms, short for “customer relationship management.” These online tools can help you oversee customer interactions, reference historical data, view analytics, and track sales. They can also help bolster the trust you’re cultivating as an organization.
For businesses, this trust is crucial in maintaining (and nourishing) customer relationships. As you build these relationships, CRM software can help your team be more honest, consistent, accountable, and communicative.
These ingredients set the foundation for trust, and while manual processes might serve the needs of some, a CRM tool could refocus your whole approach to building stronger customer relationships.
When should you consider using a CRM tool?
The short answer is that a CRM system might be in order if tracking multiple clients or leads is part of your business. That said, there are a variety of other reasons you might turn to a CRM platform:
- Better project management
- Centralized customer data
- Improved collaboration among teams
- A need for more detail-oriented customer engagement
- Customers that may require multiple check-ins over time
- Tracking sales cycles/trends
- Monitoring team performance
Five ways a CRM system can drive trust
1. Personalization in customer interactions
If you’re making a sales call, checking in with an existing customer, or handling a customer service issue, your team needs access to previous interactions. CRM systems fulfill this need by giving users features like call logs, customer files, notes, and follow-up options like scheduled calls, emails, and events. By keeping detailed records of interactions and commitments, a CRM helps businesses follow through on promises. It also enhances team collaboration, ensuring customers receive consistent and reliable support.
The trust factor: Being properly informed to handle customer interactions keeps you attuned to your clients’ unique needs. Having instant access to things like contact details, service history, and customer preferences lets you focus on giving them a more personalized experience. In other words, you can always pick up the conversation where it left off to create a seamless customer experience.
2. Consistency in customized workflows
Whether it’s a customer service ticket, an email series, or something else – you don’t want to miss or repeat an essential step in your workflow. CRM systems let you automate workflows by creating and triggering sequential tasks. This takes the pressure off employees to manage it all.
The trust factor: This is about being detail-oriented and efficient simultaneously. For example, a kitchen remodel might involve work with clients, designers, and external contractors like tilers and plumbers. If touch points like these are planned, this workflow could be tracked and updated to stay consistent with customers’ expectations.
3. Being proactive with customers
Data is a massive advantage of using CRM tools. When looking at customer data, you can better identify more substantial customer leads, cross-selling opportunities, and new marketing initiatives. This comes down to knowing your customers, analyzing trends, and putting it together to serve them better.
The trust factor: Anticipation is the name of the game. If you’re identifying a customer's need before they can, you’re driving trust and loyalty for your business.
4. Prioritizing communication
CRM platforms do not just track customer phone calls and workflows; many also offer email functions. These could be used to create monthly newsletters, promotional messages, and other company announcements. A CRM can schedule follow-ups, ensuring customers don’t feel forgotten. Automated reminders for check-ins or renewal notices demonstrate reliability and attentiveness.
The trust factor: Good communication drives good relationships. When you use a variety of communication tactics to deliver messages that resonate with your customers, you’re adding value. You might also double down in your communication efforts by asking for feedback or comments from your readers to be responsive to their needs.
5. Transparency in your organization
A centralized data hub lets teams be more transparent in their collaborative efforts. When teams log in to work on a project, they can view updates made by others, letting them be accountable to one another. For customers, a centralized information hub can also help provide timely and transparent responses to their needs. A reliable CRM ensures customer data is protected and compliant with privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA). Customers are more likely to trust a business that safeguards their information.
The trust factor: Being open and honest is best accomplished when everyone has access to the same information. With a CRM tool to help organize it all, this increases accessibility across the board for both customers and co-workers.
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BBB Great West + Pacific contributed to this article.