(CRM) stands for Customer Relationship Management which is a model for managing a business entity’s interactions with its customers, both current and future. An integral part of CRM is call handling, an aspect of CRM that can’t be overlooked because of its importance regarding customer relations. For example if your customers, both current and future, can’t get in contact with a representative of your business chances are they’ll look for alternatives and you’ve lost a customer. Discussed over the course of this article are 5 strategies to better handle your CRM.
#1: Evaluate your CRM strengths and weaknesses to identify areas that require improvement. This is the first thing that must be performed in order to create a dynamic, effective CRM that will help you to achieve the results you’re after. Ask yourself, or discuss with your colleagues, the following questions.
- Do we have an acceptable customer retention rate?
- Why do we lose customers?
- What is the cost of acquiring a new customer?
- What is the cost of losing a customer?
- How can we improve our CRM?
#2: Place adequate emphasis on proper planning in order to meet your CRM requirements. Most successful business professionals claim that no other single factor has a greater impact on business success than proper planning. Planning should begin by documenting what youâre setting out to do and how youâre planning to achieve it. Have a clear understanding of your goals and methods and ensure that your employees are also aware of what these are and how they’ll be achieved.
#3: Utilise message taking services. First impressions count and by making a good first impression your clients and customers will be predisposed to viewing your business favourably in the future. An accurate and quick message taking service helps you to make a favourable first impression and maintain that impression throughout your relationship with your customers. Such a service could be used when you have employees on holidays or absent on sick-leave, or alternatively, could be set up as a permanent service.
#4: Create a customer growth strategy. Businesses that create customer growth strategies are generally the most successful because they’re better equipped to meet their customers’ needs and requirements even when they change and evolve. This involves cost cutting with regard to customer interaction but cutting costs mustn’t detract from the quality of service your business provides its customers with. Stabilising your business’s ‘customer service activities to overheads incurred ratio’ will help your business to better weather turbulent economic times and deal with any challenges thrown your way.
#5: Utilise call handling services. This is an integral part of CRM as it enables businesses to better manage their resources and meet the needs of their customers with greater competence and efficiency. Overflow call handling is an excellent example of a call handling service that enables businesses to reduce their overheads whilst staying contactable. This could be set up with 24/7 support, or just for the times when you need it.
Sienna Hart is a writer for Message Direct, a reliable provider of a telephone answering service in the UK. They cover emergency response and overflow call handling too.
