What is the role of the CRM manager?
What does the role of CRM manager involve? What are his or her main duties? What software does he use?
An expert in customer relationship management, his or her actions are crucial to long-term customer retention.
In this article we reveal everything you need to know about this important figure, who is increasingly central and relevant within the most advanced organizations.
Who is the CRM manager?
Role Definition.
The CRM manager is a customer relations professional whose main mission is to improve customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
He is a key figure in the commercial success of a company: he is responsible for deciding the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) operational plan.
To do this, he must be able to leverage consumer information (behaviors, lifestyles, transactions, demographics, etc.), to define a marketing strategy capable of satisfying customers and improving conversion rates.
A level-headed CRM manager is able to identify new market trends in time, so as to seize new opportunities as they arise. In addition, through well-crafted segmentation, he must be able to improve the offering and customize it according to the audience.
The tools he uses are constantly evolving and adapting as customers' needs change.
Academic background
To become a CRM manager, one must first have earned a bachelor's degree (usually in management, business administration, or computer science). It is then possible to attend a master's or higher education course designed specifically for entering this profession.
Salary in Italy
According to the Glassdoor portal, the average salary in Italy is around €43,000 per year gross. However, as with all professions, the salary varies greatly depending on the size of the company and experience. Depending on success and experience, a Gross Annual Income (RAL) around 70,000 € can be reached.
What skills are required?
To be effective, a good CRM manager must have several skills, pertaining to different disciplinary areas. Indeed, this is a highly collaborative role, in which it is necessary to constantly relate to other company departments.
Let's see what are the main personal and technical skills to be successful in this important role.
Soft skills
First, must have great curiosity and a keen sense for analysis. Must have remarkable listening skills and empathy to understand the needs expressed by customers. One must also have an extremely rigorous and meticulous approach. In addition, a certain charisma must be demonstrated in order to be able to convince teams and train them to use new software.
The hard skills
First of all, he or she must be well-versed in digital marketing, and he or she must master the Internet and office automation tools perfectly. Next, he must be comfortable processing formulas and analyzing data. Finally, he must demonstrate clarity of presentation in order to present his achievements to management.
What are his main tasks?
His main duties
In direct contact with the company's management (CEO, Marketing Manager, etc.), his duties can be summarized in 4 points:
- Analyze customer needs. Must be able to analyze the needs encountered by customers, and translate them so that they can be implemented effectively within the CRM system.
- Provide concrete solutions. To be satisfied, a customer must feel understood and listened to. The CRM manager must be able to group problems encountered and list them in a way that provides a clear, simple, well-argued answer.
- Set up and monitor the customer database. All customer information must be recorded in a database. Active monitoring of customers leads to better satisfaction in the medium term, and a consequent increase in the retention rate.
- Install, organize, and manage CRM software over time. The CRM manager is in charge of choosing and installing customer satisfaction monitoring software. He or she must then define metrics and set goals, which are critical for evaluating performance over time. He must allocate an accurate budget and establish a roadmap for software implementation and team training. Here, in bullet points, are the main tasks in this area:
- update the database consistently and accurately, etc.
- monitor performance through relevant and specific KPIs,
- train teams for proper use,
- constantly update on new features available,
💡 Sharing new and emerging best practices in CRM can give the company an edge over competitors in customer acquisition.
Who does it relate to?
The CRM manager's strategic and cross-functional role connects him or her directly to the company's general management, as well as the IT and marketing departments. This particular positioning leads him to mediate and interact with different areas of the company, depending on the needs of the moment.
☝ He must report to management on his analysis and development plans for customer relations.
Depending on the size of the company, may relate to the following business figures:
- Webmarketing manager,
- Technical director,
- Data manager,
- Growth Hacker,
- System administrator,
- Technical project manager,
- Business intelligence consultant,
- Data scientist.
What tools do you use?
A good CRM manager is an expert in essentially 2 types of software:
- analytical CRM software. They enable the analysis of customer data through sophisticated business intelligence features.
- operational CRM software. They allow setting up marketing automation campaigns.
☝ With the rise of Software as a Service (SaaS), the CRM market has become much more competitive than it used to be. To help you choose the right solution for your needs, you can take a look at our CRM software comparator.
An increasingly important role for sales and marketing
All actions performed by customers, constitute an information capital to be put to good use.
Today, all cutting-edge business strategies agree on placing the customer at the center of everything. This customer-centered approach means that the CRM manager plays an increasingly prominent role within business processes.
What about you, do you have this figure within your organization? If you want to increase the customer lifetime value, that is, the long-term value of your customers, all you have to do is hire a CRM manager!
Article translated from Italian