Customer relationship management (CRM) systems have always served primarily for the active creation and keeping of long-term beneficial relationships with customers. For CRM, data have always been the alpha and omega. Most of them were put into internal systems manually. However, via big data, it´s possible to process, store, and analyse an enormous amount of data that a customer does not have to even know about, but a company can work with them. Thanks to big data, customer relationship management can become a true help in every company’s business.
The future is here – at least in the world of software for customer relationship management, one of the most rapidly developing categories of company software. We are entering the era of intelligent and integrated CRM. The sales, marketing, and service teams – from small companies to global enterprises – use CRM solutions to provide better customer experience, attract and retain customers, and gain new knowledge that would improve their company.
Big data can help generate countless business opportunities. However, organizations often do not know how to integrate the right systems to benefit from them. Thus, modern CRM systems monitor and analyse customer-related data from various sources and present them to users in a comprehensible, consistent, and rational manner.
Look at an example. Almost every company has a coffee machine in its office. It provides coffee for employees all day long. It´s a part of the company culture and it´s great. But what if it gets broken? It can be out for hours, sometimes days, and the employees will notice. But it does not have to happen at all. Considering big data and an analysis of relevant historical data, such as data about previous service check-ups, the problem can be prevented. CRM sends a warning that a potential problem is approaching and using an early intervention by a technician can prevent the outage of the coffee machine. That´s also the reason why the future of CRM lies in predictive modelling which is similar to targeted marketing.
Companies shall take it as a priority to build data storage so the information stored within can be further analytically processed. Based on it, CRM systems, for instance, can propose or even manage what is about to happen. Based on historical data, CRM connected to big data can evaluate a need to strengthen communication via some channels or suggest which products to offer. For example, if a salesman recommends a product to a company, CRM can evaluate that other companies could benefit from the product as well and a notification appears on the CRM control panel. It´s been proven that proactive contacting leads to more closed business deals.
Moreover, CRM leads and registers interaction with business partners, and if more than one employee works with the contact, for example, sales, marketing, or manufacturing departments, then everybody can see who dealt with what. The connection between CRM and big data has a whole range of use. For instance, in customer service, a modern CRM solution can find out that one support worker is good at one particular area while the other is in a different one. So, CRM wisely assigns them adequate customer requirements. That way, the employee potential is used much more effectively.
A system dedicated to managing relationships with customers connected to big data helps to make the right decisions. Potential business deals or customer requirements are therefore closed faster, and companies get valuable feedback on how their business is perceived. However, a company will not manage without collaboration, collaboration within the company as well as with business partners.
If a company uses various systems which are not interconnected, it means they do not collaborate, the company will not reach the desired effect. Besides, the interconnection of systems makes the work of employees easier. Let´s say that a salesman intends to make a phone call with his customer via Microsoft Teams. It sure would be great if he had all information about the customer in one place beforehand, and the possibility to make notes to the customer file directly during the phone call.
The advantage is that CRM systems can gradually delegate the requirements based on various parameters, so they will notify whom to contact within the company if needed. The employee will see who has already dealt with a similar case. Of course, it can be done manually, but it would be a more laborious and lengthy process – the CRM system simply interconnects.
Companies more and more interconnect their individual departments in order for them to grow. CRM makes sure that all the gears fit properly and point towards a common goal. Unified CRM helps to transfer all the details into a centralized system and enables each team to fulfil customer requirements. With a unified CRM, a whole range of information can be integrated and a path for optimized data collection and data-based decision-making prepared. Moreover, it creates a smooth information flow across the company. For example, CRM can interconnect marketing functions, such as generating potential customers, with a sales channel and, subsequently, service operators, so the entire life cycle of a customer is managed. Therefore, CRM should be considered as a source of analysing customer behaviour and gathering important knowledge. It helps to understand their long-term and short-term needs.
In the future, CRM will interconnect every aspect of a company – from employees, departments and teams to all parties involved. In upcoming years, CRM will become technology used not only by teams focused on customers but by entire organizations. Each system is just as good as the data within. Thus, even the latest CRM system is powerless without sufficient high-quality data. It´s necessary to bear that in mind, such as the fact that it takes a while until CRM starts to work properly. Firstly, the data must be created.
If you are thinking about implementing a solution that would make your business processes more efficient, do not hesitate to contact us. We will review your requirements and suggest the optimal solution.
