The key to generating revenue and building a reputable brand is staying in good graces with your customers and closing deals quickly. Great customer service is necessary for brand longevity, and no business owner can afford to not emphasize the importance of maintaining great customer relationships.
There are dozens of studies and surveys that demonstrate the importance of staying in good graces with consumers. The 2015 Aspect Consumer Service Survey found that 76% of customers consider a business’s customer service etiquette to be the true test of how a business values them. For this reason, it’s important to use top-of-the-line customer service software when managing the customer-business relationship.
Customer relationship management software (CRM) is one way to achieve this. Through this type of software, you can better manage inquiries, speed through the sales cycle, and increase profits — among many other tasks that can be completed, too. For a roundup understanding, here’s what customer service software can really do for your business:
Allow You To Better Cross-Sell & Upsell
As you probably know, cross-selling is a method where salespeople attempt to sell the customer a similar product to one they are interested in or have already purchased. Upselling, on the other hand, is the technique used to sell a prospective customer a higher-cost product than the one in consideration. There are different types of cross-selling, but the process is fairly straightforward. For example, let’s say your business manufactures high-end hair products. If you are selling a blowdryer, a cross-sell might be an anti-heat serum. An upsell might be a blowdryer with higher heat levels and advanced features.
Customer relationship management software makes cross and upselling much easier because you’re able to have a full bird’s eye view of your client’s needs and predict their behavior. You know exactly what they’re purchasing, and when they’re purchasing it. And because you know what they’re interested in, you don’t have to come off as a pushy salesperson; you’re providing them with valuable suggestions for new purchases, each and every time.
Solve Issues Quicker
One of the best benefits of CRM is having the ability to quickly solve issues. With CRM, all requests from a variety of channels (sometimes even social media) is stored in one centralized area. This eliminates confusion and keeps all corresponse organized, allowing you to focus on providing great customer service through quick problem-solving.
Through the platform, the most relevant customer service representative can answer questions, and will be able to view customer details and history. Furthermore, you can bet that no issue will get lost in the shuffle. In fact, with some CRMs, you can set up parameters that automatically escalate issues that have been sitting idle too long.
You’ll also be able to leverage your mobile workforce via cloud-based software that can be utilized across different devices. This makes on-the-go-management as effective as in-office, ensuring you never miss a sale, no matter where you are.
Enhanced Marketing
CRM allows you to take advantage of the powerful potential of email marketing — which is still the preferred method of communication from brands to customers and potential customers. There are several benefits under the marketing umbrella. For example, because many CRMs offer marketing integration capabilities (with applications like Mailchimp and Marketo), you can determine your ROI much easier and receive better sales visibility. You’ll have real-time insight as to when customers are opening your emails, what links they’re clicking, and whether they’re making purchases.
Furthermore, you can better target the right customers for your email marketing campaign. Referring back to the hair product manufacturer example, if you sold your high-end blowdryer to 500 customers, you could send those 500 customers tailored emails inviting them to purchase your new heat-protectant serum. You could even include a coupon code and thank them for their loyalty — the marketing potential here is endless. Sort by customers who’ve spent a certain amount of money, or even sort by age and geographic location.
Save Money, Shave Man Hours
Every business wants to save money, and the right software makes this more than doable. You’ll quickly see that the costs of acquiring the software and onboarding will pay for itself in no time. Salespeople can go through the sales cycle much faster, and the methods of doing so are much more streamlined than the manual methods most sales teams employ pre-CRM. For example, preparing weekly and monthly reports is easier than ever. With just a few clicks, sales people can view progress, determine what needs to be done, and where improvements can be made in the long-run. Other important areas, like order processing and generating quotes, are also streamlined.