Creating Loyal Customers through Cloud CRM

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 by Sidney Angelos

 


Cloud CRM, or customer relationship management, applications are opening doors for increased customer satisfaction while simultaneously lowering a company’s cost of providing for those experiences. By creating environments where a business can quickly and easily implement software solutions, on infinitely scalable hardware platforms, the cloud computing providers have made for effective channels of two-way communications between the business and its customers.

Hosting a CRM application on a cloud platform makes sense for the business because it:

  • Greatly reduces costs. Original applications required dedicated servers hosted directly in data centers (for the best performance.) In addition to the tens of thousands of dollars required to pay for software licenses, the cost of purchasing and maintaining server hardware could become astronomical to the business.
  • Provides near-instant scalability. Things happen fast in today’s online world. Being able to fulfill demand by quickly creating additional server instances can spell the difference between success and failure.
  • Eliminate Need of Dedicated Professionals. Many of the current cloud CRM solutions are so automated and easy to use, the business using such solutions no longer need an IT professional on their own staff. With the wages now commanded by such trained professionals, this savings alone often times more than covers the cost of implementation and maintenance of the Cloud CRM solution.

With this establishment of what Cloud CRM is and why it makes sense, now let’s discuss a focus on how to use this new technology platform to create loyal customers.

Many of today’s tech savvy customers are quickly becoming used to having information about their purchasing habits collected by equally savvy companies. In order to get maximum use of the data collected, businesses are regularly implementing Cloud CRM solutions. With a little fore thought and systems design, even the smallest businesses might realize a number of benefits in providing superior customer service through the cloud.

What are some of those benefits? The following list will briefly describe the more effective ways the business can ensure a happy customer experience; one that has higher chances of being repeated.

5 Benefits To the Business Of Implementing Cloud CRM Solutions

Capture & Management of Customer Information:

If information is power, then the effective collection and management of customer data allows the company the power it needs in order to provide quick, easy and cost effective customer service. Cloud CRM solutions which make the harvesting of customer info its top priority should be at the top of one’s list when seeking a CRM solution.

Brand Recognition:

Whether employing social CRM modules in ones relationship management or simply taking advantages of cloud scalability, having low cost, immediate delivery of the company’s marketing message increases brand awareness, and does so at previously unrealized cost and effort.

Sales Cycle Management:

Even the simplest retail sales have specific sales cycles. Cloud CRM solutions provide the company with both customer data as well as meta data associated with how the customer behaves. Having immediate access to when a customer buys, what they are spending their money on, whether or not returns are happening, and if so, to what level, and more, can provide management with a more complete picture of the entire sales cycle. The use of that information in constructive and relevant manners could make the difference between increasing sales to existing customers and seeing quotas go unmet.

Ease of Delivery of Priority Customer Service:

Most customers want to feel they are the only thing important to the company. It can be a challenge to know which customer should be treated with priority and which ones should simply be respected, but not necessarily promoted to the level of those getting the very best treatment.
The harsh reality is that there are certain customers who pay much more to a business with the expectation of being taken care of. This does not, of course, excuse a company for ignoring or otherwise offending all of their customers, but with the information made available to the sales associates via a Could CRM solution, those who spend the most will be immediately identified and treated as the company wishes them to be.

Highly Personalized Service:

Even with the last benefit having been stated, one of the most alluring aspects of a business using Cloud CRM is the ability to personalize many of its interactions with its customers at little to no extra cost. Today’s computer power and Internet delivery speeds makes it very easy for a cloud based solution to present an employee with a massive amount of data when dealing with the current customer. Even in an online approach where the company provides the customer with direct access to their individual account information, the use of Cloud CRM solutions can provide a richer more robust user experience.

At the end of the business day, it is usually the customer’s purchases which make the company’s world go round. For a minimal investment in Cloud CRM technologies, the savvy business can provide for superior customer relationship while still holding down its costs of doing so. Happy customers tend to spend more money. They also tend to tell their friends, family and associates.

Manage Your Contacts More Efficiently with CRM

Monday, June 20, 2011 by Sidney Angelos

Still not sure how customer relationships management can help you and your business? Recently we put together a very helpful presentation to address just that. A few things we cover in the presentation including:
  • What is CRM?
  • How is CRM useful to you?
  • How can CRM systems help you manage your contacts more efficiently?
  • What reporting elements are available when using CRM systems?

Let us know what you think of the slideshow. We’re interested in hearing your thoughts!

Managing Your Contacts More Efficiently with CRM

SearchCRM.com Social CRM Report Review

Friday, June 17, 2011 by Sidney Angelos

We had a chance to sit down with Angela Stone, social media and brand strategist. She discusses SearchCRM.com’s social CRM report. Check it out!

Social Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is one of the most useful tools available to today’s business. Its ability to embrace the new social media customer along with the way it can embrace the desire for greater interaction between business and customer already has a proven track record. The only downside is that for some there can seem a lot of information from disparate sources and it is easy to feel overwhelmed.

The solution for any business wanting to get to grips with all social CRM has to offer is to take just a little time to read a social CRM report. The one produced by SearchCRM.com is an excellent example of a document that draws together a number of areas to give a highly useful overview.

The report is split into three sections that cover social CRM software, how to get the most out of social CRM and finally expert opinion and advice.

For anyone who wants to maximize the potential of social CRM, the report is a must-read. It stresses that while the right tools are important, to get the best out of social CRM the importance of a well-developed strategy cannot be over stressed. Helpfully, the report provides a link to 10 steps to a practical social media business strategy, many of which can be adopted for businesses in a wide range of sectors.

Importantly, the report does not get sucked into the “old is bad, new is good” school of thinking that all too often blights otherwise helpful documents. The report stresses that while social CRM is a forward-looking platform, it is important that the past is not forgotten. Indeed, the report points out that the enterprise value chain should still form a vital part of any new strategy.

Perhaps most welcome is the manner in which the report engages with one of the main worries that businesses encounter when considering the move to social CRM – namely, the logistical concerns involved with such a venture. The report acknowledges that some companies dive headfirst into social CRM without fully thinking through the consequences. It then addresses the best way to remedy an over-enthusiastic approach through some superb tools (some of which are even free).

The coverage of software throughout the report is strong, with the first section concentrating on the options available across a range of budgets. These range from Facebook apps to dedicated suites. Perhaps the report’s strongest element is its refusal to adhere to unthinking approval that spoils some reports. This is evident in the way in which the report engages with the ongoing debate about the overall usefulness of social CRM. While its writers clearly see the potential social CRM has, they do not avoid the pitfalls that can sometimes affect adopters.

For all the excellent coverage of software and CRM strategies, the report’s central point seems to be that the most important of element of any social CRM strategy is the people involved. Whether this be the level of training a business gives its employees or the user-friendly level of software, the report helps underline the pivotal role that people should play in any business’s social CRM plan.

The final section of the report offers advice on how to get the best primer for anyone unfamiliar with social CRM. It covers not just social media, but its role in an overall marketing strategy. It touches not just on general apps such as Twitter and Facebook, but dedicated CRM software such as Socialtext and Jive.

Finally, the report offers some examples of where things have gone wrong. These should prove an invaluable aid to businesses, as there are few better ways of learning which mistakes to avoid than seeing the results of such errors.

 

Interview Series Continued – Measuring CRM Performance for Small Business

Monday, June 13, 2011 by Sidney Angelos

We’ve had the chance to sit down with Vern, a freelance writer who has experience writing about customer relationship management. He’s also had a chance to test and measure effectiveness of small business CRM usage through his work with private companies.

There can be little doubt that a well-implemented CRM strategy can have huge benefits for small business. It can make all the difference between a strong, customer centric business and one that fails to compete with its rivals.

However, putting a CRM strategy in place is only half the battle. The other half is arguably even more important: measuring the success of CRM. This is where there is the potential for problems to arise. While many forward-looking small businesses understand the importance of CRM, many are unsure as to how they can measure its performance.

One of the key issues is that while CRM is intended to increase profitability, it is also by definition designed to improve relationships with customers through improved service and a higher level of brand loyalty. While profits are easy to measure, many businesses struggle to find ways to measure the other areas that CRM impacts.

The good news for small businesses is that there are a number of methods that can be employed to measure CRM success.

  1. Combine old style and new style platforms. One of the mistakes some businesses can make is to think that as CRM is a “new” platform that exists in the world of Web 2.0 then only new methods, such as social media platforms can be used to measure it. This is a fundamental error and one that will lead to inaccurate results. CRM is designed to increase customer satisfaction through a better system of holding and retrieving data in which customers’ details are available to different departments so that the customer can receive more detailed marketing. The result of this can be measured by monitoring customer feedback. Of course, this feedback can be found online in a wide range of platforms (everything from Twitter and Facebook to comments on the business’s website). However, offline feedback is just as valuable. This could be in the form of written communication or verbal conversations. The key is to record these interactions (i.e. make a note of them afterwards) and enter them onto the business’s system. When combined with online platforms, a true result of CRM measurement can be gained. For the small business, this can be particularly effective as it is a relatively low-time consuming procedure that will provide invaluable information.
  2. Social Media isn’t just for the Big Boys (and Girls). While it is important not to forget more traditional methods of communication, there can be no doubt that social media is an ever more important area for business. However, there is sometimes a feeling among small business that social media is for the large businesses and corporations. This could not be further from the truth. By embedding social media into a small business website (for example, including a Twitter feed or link to a simple Facebook page) a small business has an ideal way to monitor customer feedback and measure how their CRM is performing.
  3. Two-Way Dialogue. One of the key facets of CRM is that it has shifted the old-fashioned businesses model of a monologue (the business advertising) to a dialogue in which the customer has an equal part to play. What this means for the small business is that they are presented with a way to measure CRM that is simple and cost effective. Based on customer’s details held on the CRM system, a small business can send emails, flyers or even call customers to discuss new products or updates to products they already have. This is a much more targeted method of marketing that used to be the case and it holds itself up to measuring much better. By tracking the customers contacted and their response, the small business has a simple yet highly effective method to measure its CRM performance.

 

Interview Series Continued – Dealing with the “New” Social Customer

Friday, June 10, 2011 by Sidney Angelos

As we progress in the age of social CRM we’re slowly learning how to deal with the “new” social customer. We sat down with CRM strategist Rebecca Levin of Rebecca Levin Consulting Group. She discusses this “new” social customer.

No one likes to be forgotten. Yet as we move into the second decade of the twenty-first century, businesses that have prided themselves on knowing their marketplace and its key demographic are forgetting their key customers.

How is this happening? Surely businesses invest heavily in market research and other methods to get feedback on products and services?

Many businesses do just that. The problem is not that they are no longer doing this; but more often that this is all they do. The bottom line is that they may not have forgotten yesterday’s customer, but they are in danger of forgetting today’s customer who is likely to be very different.

What businesses need to understand is that there is a new social customer on the block and his or her shopping habits as well as they way they discover and discuss a business’s product or service has completely changed. This means that the old ways of marketing a product (such as the glossy brochure) plays anything from a much smaller to non-existent part in they way they interact with a business.

For this reason, any business wanting to remain successful needs to take into account some key facts about the “new” social customer:

  • The process starts a lot earlier. One of the key concepts today’s business needs to grasp is that they are no longer in charge of the flow of information. Previously, a company could surprise its customers with a new product and choose which details and/or features to publicize. Those days have now largely gone. Even a company that is as media/social media savvy as Apple finds it almost impossible to surprise its customer base. The reason for this is that customers know as much (if not more) about products and services before they buy than the companies themselves can seem to do. This is because social media has completely changed the business/customer relationship matrix. Customers discuss products and their features before they are released and are thus much less likely to be swayed by glossy marketing, as they are much better informed.
  • Great marketing still works. It would be a mistake to suggest that there is no place for marketing; the difference today is that marketing has to be better and more accurately aimed at its target audience. If this is the case, then social media will work in the business’s favor by getting consumers to discuss the product and by creating a much greater awareness that would have been possible in the past. A good example of this is when Apple ran a series of commercials that featured actors as a Mac and a PC. They were very simple and yet became huge internet talking points. They created a buzz by getting consumers talking about the product. This is an interesting example, as Apple sells a product (a computer, for example) that can be bought cheaper elsewhere. However, by creating a new social customer aware campaign, they shifted focus from price (not mentioned) to other areas (reliability, features). Understanding how the new breed of customers discusses products, Apple utilized social media to create a strong marketing campaign.
  • Lifestyle. Related to Apple’s success, is that their new social media campaigns tap into the importance of lifestyle issues. Mac computers have a “wow” effect that is only increased by discussion on social networks. Of course, not all discussion will be positive, but by creating the platform for debate, the company ensures that whatever an individual’s opinion, their products are being discussed.
  • The liberation of the best staff. Perhaps one of the biggest revolutions that the new social customers have helped create is that the most forward-looking companies understand that their best staff should be allowed to become more customer facing. For example, if a business has some experts on its products in a traditional position of being hidden away in an office complex beyond the reach of customers, they are being given the opportunity to interact with the customer base. It could be that a product expert blogs on the company’s site therefore enabling customer to comment and interact. This leads to a much greater level of customer interaction in both product development and a business’s future plans.

The “new” social customer is well aware of a business’s products through online discussion, forums and a whole new level of social metrics. A business now needs to be accessible to customers and instead of the old business/customer divide, look to its customer base as an intrinsic and valuable component of its new business model.

 

CRM Interview – How to Use CRM to Improve Efficiency and Effectiveness

Saturday, June 4, 2011 by Sidney Angelos

We had the chance to sit down with Vera, a CRM expert and freelance writer. She discusses how to improve customer relationship management, how to improve efficiency and effectiveness as well.

In today’s business environment, forward-looking companies are on the look out for anything that could give them the edge over their competitors. It could be argued that nowhere is this more apparent than in the drive to improve efficiency and effectiveness. After all, these two areas provide the foundation for all business success.

The problem lies in the fact that while all businesses would like to be more efficient and effective in all they do, it is often far from clear exactly how this may be achieved. Businesses spend hundreds if not thousands of hours searching for ways to streamline their processes while maintaining strong products and/or services and hopefully improving levels of customer service.

The good news for any business who finds themselves in this position is that there is a superb resource available that can help move these goals from wish list to part and parcel of every working day.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a flexible and powerful tool that can give a business a new level of impetus and help it move to the next level and beyond.

So how does it do this? For any business unsure of what CRM has to offer, or for those who want to take the next step, a good idea would be to investigate an appropriate webinar to help get a firm grasp on what CRM can do for a business.

Essentially, CRM can benefit a business by improving efficiency and effectiveness across a wide range of areas. There are a number of ways in which it can be used:

 

  • Front line staff benefits. CRM provides a platform for sales, support and service staff to become much more efficient and effective in all their dealings with customers. The reason for this is simple: because CRM allows them to have immediate access to a history of all interactions with customers, they are placed in a much stronger position to offer bespoke advice and suggestions. The great thing about this is that it benefits both business and customer. The customer gets information relevant to his or her interests/buying habits and the business can save a large amount of time (and money) by targeting appropriate products or services.
  • Marketing campaigns revolutionized. It is no exaggeration to say that CRM revolutionizes marketing campaigns. It does this by helping create much more targeted marketing through efficient use of the customer database. The difference can be astounding. Instead of sending out details of a new product aimed at parents at everyone on the database, CRM could easily help a business target its customers much more effectively thus saving a considerable amount of money. It also helps build customer relations, as inappropriate marketing materials do not frustrate customers.
  • Working better together. CRM promotes a closer working relationship between teams as it encourages sharing of information in a mutually beneficial manner. This leads to improved efficiency as less time is lost by different teams attempting to access the same information. With CRM, it can be accessed through a central database. This also means customers are not being constantly asked the same questions. Once the information is gathered, it is there for every team to view and use.
  • Managing the pipeline. One of the key areas of success for CRM is the way in which it significantly increases efficiency and effectiveness of pipeline management. By having an up-to-date database of customers, CRM helps a business predict future trends and therefore puts it in a much stronger position to capitalize on future market directions. Of course, one of the best ways to do this is by analyzing historic trends and using CRM to interpret this data in order to best position the business for what is to come.
  • Cross-selling. In many ways, the holy grail of business – the ability to sell more than once to the same customer. This is a highly effective way to increase the bottom line. CRM comes into its own here by helping a business see purchase history and therefore being in a position to offer products that have been improved or are in a new edition.

CRM is a powerful tool to improve efficiency and effectiveness and drive sales efficiency by helping create an enhanced level of customer service which in turn leads to a more receptive customer base.

 

Faster, Bigger, Better: Growing Your Business with Cloud-Based CRM

Monday, November 8, 2010 by Sidney Angelos

Cloud Computing

Cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software provides businesses with flexibility for marketing, sales, and support teams. Because all of the company’s applications operate in the cloud—which is simply another term for the Internet—the applications can be accessed from anywhere. Sales teams may access CRM software in the office, from their Blackberry, or from a laptop at a remote location. Cloud-based CRM tools require only an Internet connection; each team member simply logs into their website and the applications instantaneously appear.
Continue Reading: ‘Faster, Bigger, Better: Growing Your Business with Cloud-Based CRM’

Application Development Platforms in the Cloud – Why Use Them?

Friday, November 5, 2010 by Jace Modavi

Rapid Application Development

Some have made the claim that application development in the cloud is like a new language for application development. I disagree. It’s more like an entirely different planet. Application platforms run in the cloud have tremendous advantages.

The cloud erases all the barriers between users and developers that were once imposed by the physical realities of computer hardware. The idea is something Plato would approve of. It’s as though the pioneers of software development were, even until now, only working on an imperfect physical product—a product which was, Plato would assert, a bad copy of a higher, purer process taking place in the heavens.
Continue Reading: ‘Application Development Platforms in the Cloud – Why Use Them?’

Effectively Manage Your Marketing Campaigns with Marketing CRM

Thursday, November 4, 2010 by Sidney Angelos

Effectively manage your marketing campaigns with marketing crm

The foundation of a successful business is good customer relationships. And the way to build and sustain good customer relationships is with marketing customer relationship management, or CRM.

CRM provides a 360-degree view of customers and all of their interactions with your company’s various departments, from sales to the help desk. By utilizing CRM applications that run over the Internet, you—and all the employees whom you authorize—can view an up-to-the-minute snapshot of your customers. Additionally, CRM allows data that can be concisely gathered and prioritized to give a company a good handle on marketing approaches to use to gain sales with those customers.
Continue Reading: ‘Effectively Manage Your Marketing Campaigns with Marketing CRM’

10 Reasons why Cloud Computing is the Wave of the Future

Wednesday, November 3, 2010 by Sidney Angelos

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing refers to data storage and workflow-related software programs that are accessible from anywhere using a computer or other device with an Internet connection. Rather than the old model of on-premises server-based computing, in which companies stored all data and ran all programs from massive servers that had to be housed, cooled, maintained and upgraded, cloud computing lets you essentially outsource this hosting capability. And rather than purchase expensive software and licenses, with cloud computing you can choose applications from online libraries or have custom apps developed to meet your company’s specific needs. Software is evolving from discrete, stand-alone programs into an accessible Internet-based service; it’s even sometimes called “Software as a Service.”

Let’s look at the top 10 reasons why cloud computing represents the future of computer networks.
Continue Reading: ’10 Reasons why Cloud Computing is the Wave of the Future’

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