Customer Relationship Management - A Brief Look At What It Is

The Awesome Article Database

Articles Area
	Home
	Browse Articles
	Search Articles
	Submit/Edit Articles
	Get RSS Feeds
	Free Articles Content
	Most Viewed
	Popular Articles
	Latest Articles
	Most Emailed
	Articles Rating

Popular Articles
	Vitamin Capsules, Li
	Indian Baby Names -
	How To Make Money Wi
	Natural Ways to Indu
	Gastric Bypass Recov

Latest Articles
	Toronto Psychotherap
	Destination for Mili
	Retail Store for Arm
	Precision Engineers:
	Tailored-Golf Soluti

For Publishers
	Free Email Alert
	Manage Subscriptions
Guidelines
	Author
	Publishers
	Terms & Conditions
Advertise Here
	Contact Us to Advertise

Home \| Business \| Management \| Customer Relationshi ... Customer Relationship Management - A Brief Look At What It Is Submitted by Cynthia on 2006-02-15 and viewed 174 times.

Rate This Article |

Add Comments |

Send To Friends|

View Comments (0)

Publisher |

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) can make or break your business...learn how to use it.

Small business/large business management and success is largely dependent upon customer acquisition, customer relationship enhancements, and customer retention, otherwise known as Customer Relationship Management, or CRM. CRM is a combination of enterprise strategies, business processes and information technologies that are used to learn about customers� needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships with them. In the not-too-far past, CRM mainly consisted of a roll-a-deck index file and a telephone and answer machine. An enhanced CRM system would have included an Excel spreadsheet. Today the Net offers businesses many software applications that simplifies and speeds up the 3 cornered processes of customer acquisition, relationship enhancements and retention. CRM software systems streamline CRM at each phase. CRM systems generally consist of a contact manager program, snail mail and/or email marketing campaigns, a sales tracking program, and a voice mail system or a multi-media contact center. On the downside, CRM systems are only as good as the information it contains. The old programmer�s motto �garbage in, garbage out� applies to CRM data quality. One of the most common reasons cited for high failure rate of CRM systems is poor data

quality, but this is easily avoided. Make rules for creating new profiles. Double check data entries so that duplicates are avoided, email addresses are correct and that the data is inputted completely and correctly and isn�t out of date. Re-establish customer contact if their info isn�t correct or complete or is out of date�.the extra contact can�t hurt and will make them feel special. All aspects of CRM are now available on the Net. Some big name packaged CRM systems are ACT!, Goldmine, and Epiphany. You can do a Google search for more packaged CRM systems. If you are looking for free CRM software, try Open Office, a free replacement for MS-Office with some enhancements. Or go to FreeCRM.com . Packaged CRM systems or free systems might meet the needs of a small business, but large businesses generally require a custom-built, integrated CRM system. What will using CRM do for your business? Besides streamlining all the functions of running a business and saving tons of time, basically, it will make your customers feel special by understanding their needs and fulfilling those needs in a personal manner, which will keep them coming back for more. Your alternative? Don�t use CRM and lose 50% of your customers every 5 years. Can you afford to do that?

Article Source: http://www.awesomewebessentials.com/

Cynthia Macy has been a self-employed entrepreneur/consultant for 26 years and has found the software CRM systems to be time-saving and labor-saving and money-enhancing. To learn more about CRM, please visit: http://www.featureblog.com/blogs/customerrelationshipmanagementsite/

Are Self-Limiting Beliefs Constraining Your Sales Team?

Moving from 'Chiefs' and 'Indians' Management

Effective Management � 4 Ways to Inspire loyalty in your Business

7 Tips When Choosing Assessments

Time to Stop Yourself Doing Everything in Your Business

Stepping Into Possibility Thinking

100 Successful Management � The Ten Winning Behaviours

Tips to Avoid Business Failure

5 Ways Great Managers Improve Employee Performance

Working in Organisations

Data Storage - Managing Massive Amounts of Data

Workplace Motivation Secrets