How to improve customer relations thanks to e-CRM?

e-CRM, electronic Customer Relationship Management, is a notion that no e-retailer can afford to overlook. Online shopping is becoming an increasingly important part of total consumer purchases: companies must pay attention to their website visitors if they want to convert them into customers and then retain them.

In this article we discover the challenges of online CRM, from e-commerce to marketing, and offer a comparison of software to easily manage your customer relationships on the Internet.

See all software Customer relationship management

Definition: what is e-CRM?

Let's start by recalling the meaning of CRM (Customer Relationship Management).

It is more precise and accurate to speak of interactions with contacts in general.

These contacts can be of different natures: members, prospects, customers, clients, users, staff, suppliers and many others.

CRM Evolution

We can mention the main components of CRM

1. The CRM project in companies: in principle, it is the strategy defined in a company for the management of relationships with contacts. The CRM strategy defines the means and the way to manage interactions with customers.

2. CRM in IT: this is the CRM system, the software as such. Its features allow employees to work efficiently by recording and analyzing every interaction.

3. The CRM processes used: this is the working method to follow for each action. The functionalities of the CRM tool allow the implementation of procedures that serve the strategy.

The e-CRM is born from the fusion of all these components and the rapid democratization of the Internet:

• the use of e-mail,

• the rise of e-commerce,

• SaaS (Software as a Service) or cloud solutions.

In fact, e-CRM refers to an electronic or online solution for customer management. It can be implemented by both traditional companies and e-shops.

What does a CRM in the cloud do?

A CRM places collaborative work at the heart of contact relationships. In an economical, centralized and intuitive way, e-CRM makes it possible:

• Centralize and share information in real time.

• Access to an online database.

• Understand contacts and integrate them into a database.

• Track interactions with contacts thanks to the history.

• Identify the best business opportunities.

• Prospect the right contacts with effective monitoring.

• Sell by contextualizing the commercial offer and loyalty.

• Improve the quality of support and customer service.

• Manage commercial activity.

• Analyze performance with a dashboard .

Why use an online CRM? 5 advantages

Still not sure whether to integrate an e-CRM? The most competitive companies know the importance of using a CRM program. Discover the 5 main benefits.

1. Know your customers better

A good knowledge of contacts allows the company to improve the customer experience online, in the store, by phone, by email, by mail or by videoconference.

The company collects important data from every interaction with a contact. It is important to keep the history of these exchanges up to date. e-CRM centralizes them in one place.

2. Improve prospecting and increase sales

Knowing your customers is the best way to effectively meet their expectations and provide them with personalized commercial offers at the right time.

By segmenting the contact base according to the information collected and updated, campaigns automatically become personalized.

Improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Listening to customers and users, almost in real time, is also essential: we must be able to react quickly to the request, regardless of the communication channel.

Moreover, winning a new customer requires much more effort (human and financial) than winning the loyalty of an already acquired customer. A CRM tool connected to all channels to meet this objective.

4. Be more responsive and work better

Company teams must have the same information and documents to work effectively.

By using the collaborative capabilities of CRM in the cloud, both employees and salespeople gain productivity and increase sales.

5. Staying competitive

In a digitized world where the customer interacts in real time thanks to the Internet, companies must have a connected tool.

Sales, marketing and customer service must have tools adapted to the digital world for the company to create or maintain a competitive advantage in the market.

The search trend on appvizer confirms this imperative:

Our trends and statistics engine lists the monthly search volume for software on appvizer. With a record of almost 30,000 searches for CRM software in January 2019, as well as an increasing search curve, the trend is clear. More and more marketers and sales executives are looking for a powerful CRM solution.

How an e-CRM works

How does a CRM work? 6 fundamental characteristics

What are the characteristics of an e-CRM tool? What is a CRM database? Discover the essential features, as well as what each one brings to the company.

Contact management

All contacts are centralized in the CRM software database. We also speak of a CRM database. The various departments of the company have access to the information in the contact sheets, either to update them in real time or to search for information. Also, each sheet lists the interactions with a customer, for example.

This contact management system is essential for customer relationship management. At a glance, the sales representative can see, for example, whether the customer has received his purchase or paid for his order.

Completing a contact sheet correctly and keeping it updated with the correct information is crucial for all commercial departments: sales, marketing, logistics, invoicing, accounting, customer service. This also avoids having duplicates that lead to sometimes disastrous mistakes with customers.

Document management

A cloud-based CRM solution has the advantage of being able to centralize all documents and make them available to employees 24 hours a day. For example, an out-of-office salesperson can access an online quotation template and send it to a potential customer. If the customer signs the order, the sales rep uploads it to the document database. With electronic signature, the customer can sign electronically.

Everything is dematerialized.

The customer's order is sent through the cloud. This action triggers the production or packaging of the ordered product for delivery, or the implementation of the purchased service. Logistics is notified immediately. The billing department issues the invoice and sends it to the customer.

The vast majority of CRM systems are interoperable with office suites, such as Microsoft Office 365, for example. This means that the CRM offers connectors to communicate with other software and facilitate the fulfillment of your tasks by importing/exporting information from the database.

3. Sales process management

A CRM system is essential for the company's sales force. We have noticed how publishers are improving their software to make it the perfect sales assistant.

Sales reps must effectively track prospecting, managing each contact and reporting on every step taken by each prospect: making appointments, opportunities, sales, etc.

The main advantage of CRM software for sales reps: it is configurable according to the sales process. You can set up a sales funnel, a sales process, a way to manage leads and much more.

Many solutions help automate sales processes: they detect the best business opportunities and suggest them to salespeople!

Other functionalities are very attractive and requested by sales executives: a module that gives access to a product catalog to advise the customer and the geolocation function of the contacts. These last two features must be accessible from the mobile version of the CRM application.

4. Sending targeted marketing campaigns

If your contact base is well informed and segmented, the marketing department can send personalized email or SMS campaigns to help your leads mature.

Objective: to guide and advise them until the purchase decision. The great interest of a CRM software is to be able to align marketing objectives with commercial objectives.

Customer profiles are well identified. The marketing department can send different messages according to the contact's interest. Adapt the nature of the content according to the status of the contact: simple website visitor, prospect at the beginning of the reflection, hot prospect for whom a need has already been identified.

5. Performance analysis

You can set up the dashboard to have the information on key indicators and sales targets in the e-CRM software. The indicators help you make better decisions.

This dashboard has an analytical function: you can monitor the sales activity by having key figures in real time.

Depending on performance, you can adjust your commercial action plan to meet sales targets.

You can also make sales forecasts based on past activities and detect periods that lead to the prospecting or purchase of your customers. Some data helps you to identify the best customers or, for example, to calculate the cost of acquiring a new customer.

6. Customer support and service

This module is essential for the company: customer service uses a tool directly integrated with the e-CRM program and the contact database. It is on this basis that each interaction with a contact, a user, a customer is preserved.

A support and/or customer service module allows your team to communicate with your customers regardless of the communication channel: telephone, email, chat, social networks, etc.

This type of module provides a sales tool that allows you to attribute the customer's request according to its nature and its priority to the competent employee: a technical expert, after-sales service, logistics, etc.

A customer care module allows the team to work more efficiently and be more responsive to satisfy the contact. The team can implement the appropriate corrective action in a short time.

To facilitate collaboration and customer service responsiveness, some CRM software offers the ability to provide customers with a knowledge base and an F.A.Q.

2 examples of e-CRM systems

Copper

Copper is a CRM that connects to the Google suite. The solution helps you manage all your contacts, documents and business proposals from one place.

With Copper you can work directly from your Gmail inbox:

• Add leads,

• Update offers,

• Search for past interactions,

• Create Google Calendar events ,

• Follow up on tasks.

Holded CRM

Holded CRM is suitable for all types of businesses. It is an intuitive and easy to use online platform, in just a few clicks the platform synchronizes with the most popular ecommerce applications: amazon, shopify and prestashop.

With Holded CRM it is possible to import, sort and organize contacts in a single click, in addition to:

• Customize sales funnels,

• Schedule activities,

• Manage professional expenses,

• Access customer profiles at any time and from anywhere.

See all software Customer relationship management

How to choose an e-CRM?

To find the best software for your business, we invite you to compare the best e-CRM on the market. It's all about finding the right solution according to your current and future needs and the size of your company.

Collaboration features and interoperability with your existing applications can (and should) be decisive in your choice.

Finally, it is useful to see the modules offered by the CRM solution as an option. This can allow you to evolve, adding, for example, a functional module that meets new needs.

The editor of the CRM software you choose must also listen to your expectations and understand your environment, your constraints. He will advise you on the technical options.