Managing Customer Relationships

We like to hear what our members think about the hottest issues of the day. Navjot Singh, Content and Editorial Manager at The Knowledge Engineers by AVADO, offers key insights into managing customer relationships.

In my career, I have had my fair share of experiences using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the damn right ugly when it comes to CRM systems. Without going into detail and naming any specific product suites, I can say some CRM systems are just for the use of sales people to track their sales progress. Other products are so complicated it is a challenge to find even simple things because every person in the agency who uses the system labels it in a different way. So, what are the key strategies to managing customer relationships?

Keep it Simple

These days, brands are taking full advantage of CRM as a central knowledge hub and using it to analyze behaviour and data usage. It can get overly complicated and before you know it, it can create unnecessary panic. With that in mind, when it comes to managing a CRM system, it’s wise to apply the “keep it simple, stupid,” (K.I.S.S.) principle to managing customer relationships.

 Embrace Digital

The key to appreciating and understanding CRM is not just about being a tool for ‘direct marketing.’ It is a central hub for everything a brand knows about its customers. With a sophisticated CRM system that applies structure in one place, brands can use certain digital resources to target individual customers based on their needs and interests. A lot of legacy brands have so far failed to grasp this concept, including luxury clothing retailer Hugo Boss, whose CEO, Mark Langer, confirmed earlier this month that digital transformation is his priority. And it starts with getting a good CRM system in place. The bottom line is brands that are not using digital technology to manage customer relationships may find they are losing ground to competitors that are.

Indeed, it is taking time for brands to realize how much of a drastic change there has been in the last 10 years when it comes ‘to customer relationships. Technology has become a ubiquitous aid for everyone–from sales execs to CEOs using social media and mobile devices to effectively communicate and engage with their clients. Things like a mobile CRM are becoming the essential lifeline for brands to manage key customer relationships.

Your People are your Brand

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was to understand how your company interacts with its clients. That paves the way for you to appreciate your clients more. Creating an agile culture that infuses positive energy in the workplace and a sense of teamwork nis the most important point I can make. Train your team to deal with managing customer relationships in an honest, transparent and structured way. That way, you’ll win the hearts of your clients because they will feel the positive energy from your team.

To ensure positive interactions. Today, customer relationship management is about more than just customers. It’s about giving your people the tools to build lasting relationships with them. This is also important because when clients engage with your brand, they are effectively engaging with your people–and people are what makes all customer relationships blossom. This includes the sales people, the marketing people and even the way a junior unexperienced employee may communicate with the most highly-valued clients- So, creating a good working culture is important for building a good CRM base because people determine whether a company’s customer experience is a good one or not.

Don’t Miss Out!

Want to learn more about how an agency can benefit from CRM? Join Nick New from AVADO on the 21^st of March for an exclusive webinar as he takes you through how CRM can be used to drive brand loyalty through e-mail, mobile and social, while sharing the essential principles of CRM optimizations. This webinar is the seventh in a series of eight brief but powerful webinars, providing a comprehensive curriculum, where you will learn key digital skills around digital.