What Are CRM Systems?

Have you wondered what are CRM systems? What do businesses use them for and how do they work?

In this article, we’ll give you a crash course with everything you need to know about CRM systems. By the end, you’ll know everything about CRMs and how they can benefit your business.

What Are CRM Systems?

CRM systems (Customer Relationship Management systems) are a suite of tools designed to manage a company’s customer interactions. It gathers information from all channels and allows a business to operate efficiently – all from one place.

CRM systems are used for sales, marketing, customer service, recruiting, and even project management. In other words, if your company has customers, a CRM system is one of your most powerful tools.

The goal of a CRM system is to give businesses a 360-degree view of their customer so they can provide the best possible service at every stage of the customer lifecycle.

CRM systems were used as simple contact managers in the early 2000s. But as technology has advanced, CRMs have become much more powerful. The best CRM systems now come with features like:

• Contact management
• Lead management
• Opportunity management
• Pipeline management
• Sales forecasting
• Quota management
• Marketing automation
• Email marketing
• Customer support
• Help desk

Why Are they Called CRM Systems?

CRM systems are called that way because their main benefit is to combine different services that were separate tools and gather insights from multiple departments of a business – in a systemized process.

This helps businesses and companies understand their customers better and manage their customer relationships in an organized way.

In its most basic form, a CRM is a database where companies store information about their customers, such as:

• Contact info
• Billing and purchase history
• Preferred method of contact
• Support tickets

And anything else that would be useful to know when trying to build a relationship with a customer. The important thing is that all this data is stored in one place so it can be accessed by anyone in the company who needs it.

The power of a CRM system is the transparency it provides to an organization. Also, it’s used as one source of truth for an organization’s data.

What Are The Types Of CRM Systems?

The two main types of CRMs are:

Operational CRM

This is when companies use a CRM to automate and streamline their business processes. The goal is to make it easier and faster for employees to do their jobs so they can serve customers better.

An example of an operational CRM would be a sales automation tool that streamlines the process of tracking leads and opportunities.

In this case, a CRM system is used to store new leads’ information, send them onboarding messages (through email marketing), follow up conversations if needed, and schedule a demo call in order to convert a lead into a customer.

Meanwhile, the sales team would use the CRM system to manage their sales pipeline, update the status of opportunities, and see what’s the next best step to take with each lead.

That way, an operational CRM system helps sales teams be more efficient and close more deals.

Analytical CRM

This is when companies use a CRM to gather data about their customers and then use that data to make better business decisions.

The goal is to use data to improve customer relationships and the overall customer experience.

An example of an analytical CRM would be a tool that uses customer data to segment customers into different groups.

Then, based on those segments, the company can send targeted messages to each group.

For example, a company could use data from its CRM system to segment its customers based on their purchase history.

Then, it could send targeted emails to each group with different offers. This would be more effective than sending the same offer to everyone because it’s tailored to each customer’s specific needs.

Meanwhile, the marketing team would use the CRM system to track the performance of their campaigns and see which ones are more successful with each customer segment.

That way, an analytical CRM system helps companies improve their marketing efforts and better understand their customers.

Benefits Of CRM Systems

There are many benefits of using a CRM system, such as:

• Improving customer relationships
• Increasing sales
• Improving marketing efforts
• Reducing costs
• Improved business intelligence
• Improved lead generation
• Improved knowledge sharing
• Improved customer satisfaction
• Improved sales forecasting
• Improved internal communication
• Improved organization transparency

Improving customer relationships

A CRM system can help you manage your customer relationships better by giving you detailed information about each customer.

This way, you can easily see the interactions you’ve had with a customer, their preferences, and what they’re interested in.

As a result, you can provide them with a better customer experience because you can give them what they want.

Increasing sales

A CRM system can help you increase your sales by making it easier to track leads and opportunities.

It will help you optimize your sales pipeline so you can close more deals, give you insights on when to give upsell or cross-sell messages to your customers because you know their purchase history, and help you increase customer loyalty by providing them with a better customer experience.

You can also use a CRM system to automate your sales processes, such as sending follow-up emails or scheduling demo calls.

This way, you can focus on other tasks and increase your sales efficiency.

Improving marketing efforts

A CRM system can help you improve your marketing efforts by giving you insights into which campaigns are more successful with each customer segment.

It will help you track the performance of your campaigns so you can see which ones need to be improved. It can help you automate your marketing processes, such as sending targeted emails to each customer segment, and help you increase customer loyalty by understanding what content, language, and interactions are most efficient when it comes to customer retention.

This way, you can focus on other tasks and increase your marketing efficiency.

Reducing costs

A CRM system can help you reduce your costs by automating tasks that would otherwise be done manually.

For example, if you’re manually sending follow-up emails to customers, a CRM system can automate that process for you. If you have multiple tools for email marketing or sales automation – a CRM system can unify those tools into one platform, which would save you money.

A CRM system can also help you reduce your costs by giving you insights into which areas of your business are most efficient and which ones need to be improved.

This way, you can focus on making the most impactful changes to reduce your costs.

The bottom line is that a CRM system can offer many benefits to businesses of all sizes.

Improved business intelligence

A CRM system can help improve business intelligence by giving managers an overview of the sales pipeline, marketing pipeline, and customer interactions.

It can give you better analytics so you can make more informed decisions about where to allocate your resources.

A CRM system can also help improve business intelligence by integrating with other business intelligence tools.

For example, you can connect your CRM system to your financial software to get a better understanding of your customer’s lifetime value.

You can also connect your CRM system to your social media accounts to get insights into what customers are saying about your brand.

The bottom line is that a CRM system can help improve business intelligence by giving you better data and insights.

Improved lead generation

A CRM system can help you generate leads by giving you insights into which marketing campaigns are most effective.

It will help you track the performance of your campaigns so you can see which ones need to be improved.

It can also help you optimize your current lead generation workflows to make them more efficient.

For example, if you’re generating leads from a form on your site, using a CRM system you could do a/b testing to see which form fields are most effective in converting visitors into leads.

That way, you’ll be able to test different variations of your copy, call-to-actions, and form fields to see what works best.

Doing all of this manually would be time-consuming and expensive.

A CRM system can automate all of these processes so you can focus on your core business goals.

Improved knowledge sharing

A CRM system can help improve knowledge sharing by giving employees access to a knowledge base where they can write articles, FAQs, and how-tos.

This way, employees and customers can find answers to their questions without having to wait for a response from customer support.

A CRM system can also help improve knowledge sharing by giving employees the ability to comment on and discuss articles.

For example, if an employee is reading an article about how to use a CRM system, they can leave a comment asking a question or providing feedback.

This way, they can get clarification from the author or other employees.

The bottom line is that a CRM system can improve knowledge sharing by giving employees and customers access to true knowledge from one place.

Improved customer satisfaction

A CRM system can help improve customer satisfaction by giving you insights into what customers are saying about your brand.

It will help you track customer interactions and identify patterns.

For example, if you notice that a lot of customers are unsubscribing from your email list, you can investigate why that is.

It could be because they’re not finding your emails valuable, or it could be because they’re getting too many emails from you.

A CRM system can also help improve customer satisfaction by giving you the ability to respond to customers quickly or creating survays to get feedback.

For example, if you’re using a chatbot to communicate with customers, you can set up automated responses to common questions.

This way, you can get the information you need from customers without having to wait for a customer support representative to be available.

The bottom line is that a CRM system can help improve customer satisfaction by giving you the ability to respond to customers quickly and efficiently.

Improved sales forecasting

A CRM system can help improve sales forecasting by giving you insights into your customer’s buying behavior.

It will help you track the performance of your sales team and identify patterns.

For example, if you notice that a lot of customers are closing deals using a specific script by one of your sales representatives, you can investigate why that is.

It could be because the script is effective, or it could be because the sales representative is using high-pressure tactics.

A CRM system can also help improve sales forecasting by giving you the ability to track your pipeline.

For example, if you’re using a sales funnel, you can see how many leads are in each stage of the funnel.

This way, you can see where your sales are coming from and where they’re going.

The bottom line is that a CRM system can help improve sales forecasting by giving you insights into your customer’s buying behavior and the performance of your sales team.

Improved internal communication

A CRM system can help improve internal communication by giving you the ability to share information with your team.

It will help you track the performance of your team and identify patterns.

For example, if you notice that the performance of one of your employees is slipping, you can investigate why that is.

It could be because they’re not getting the support they need from their teammates, or it could be because they’re not meeting their goals.

A CRM system can also help improve internal communication by giving you the ability to create tasks and assign them to specific employees.

For example, if you need someone to research a new product, you can create a task and assign it to an employee.

This way, you can make sure that the task is completed and that the employee is held accountable.

The bottom line is that a CRM system can help improve internal communication by giving you the ability to share information with your team and create tasks.

Improved business opportunities

A CRM system can help improve business opportunities by giving you insights into which segment of customers will convert best.

It will help you track customer interactions and identify patterns.

For example, if you notice that a lot of customers are subscribing to a specific service, you can investigate why that is.

It could be because they’re finding value in the service, or it could be because they’re getting a discount.

That way, you could expand your services and find more opportunities for monetization.

For example, if you’re selling a product, you can use the CRM system to recommend other products that the customer might be interested in.

This way, you can increase the chances of making a sale.

The bottom line is that a CRM system can help improve business opportunities by giving you insights into which segment of customers will convert best and by giving you the ability to cross-sell and upsell.

Improved organization transparency

A CRM system can help improve organization transparency by giving you the ability to see and share how your employees are performing.

It will help you track employee performance and identify patterns.

For example, if you notice that one of your employees is consistently meeting their targets, you can share this information with the rest of your team and even reward that employee.

This way, you can improve morale and motivate your team to achieve their goals.

You can even create contests among employees to see who can achieve the most sales in a given period.

The bottom line is that a CRM system can help improve organization transparency by giving you the ability to see and share how your employees are performing.

Who Needs a CRM System?

In short, businesses of all sizes, from solo entrepreneurs to large enterprises – all need a CRM system.

A CRM system can help them improve sales, communication, business opportunities, and transparency.

In fact, a CRM system is an essential tool for any business that wants to stay competitive and grow.

#1 Businesses with a dedicated sales team

Businesses can use a CRM system to track leads, monitor employee performance, and close more deals.

A CRM system can help a sales team stay organized and focused on their goals.

It can also help managers see which employees are struggling and need more support.

If you have a dedicated sales team, a CRM system can help you improve your sales process and close more deals.

#2 Businesses with a marketing team

A CRM system can help a marketing team track customer interactions, segment customers, and create targeted campaigns.

It can also help managers see which marketing campaigns are performing well and which ones need to be improved.

If you have a marketing team, a CRM system can help you improve your marketing process and create more effective campaigns.

#3 Businesses who need automation

A CRM system can help businesses automate repetitive tasks, such as sending follow-up emails or scheduling appointments.

This way, you can free up your time to focus on more important tasks.

If you need automation, a CRM system can help you automate tasks and improve your efficiency.

#4 Businesses who need customer support

A CRM system can help businesses provide better customer support by having a ticketing system and keeping track of customer issues.

It can also help managers see which employees are providing the best customer support.

If you need customer support, a CRM system can help you improve your customer support process and provide better support.

#5 Businesses who have a remote team

A CRM system can help businesses keep track of their remote team’s progress and performance.

It can also help managers see which employees are struggling and need more support.

If you have a remote team, a CRM system can help you improve communication and keep track of your team’s progress.

What is the History of CRM Systems?

The history of CRM systems dates back to the early days of customer relationship management.

In the early 1990s, CRM systems were developed to help businesses manage their customer relationships.

These systems were designed to help businesses track and manage customer data.

However, these early CRM systems were not very user-friendly and were difficult to use, as they were aimed to be used by developers.

As a result, many businesses did not adopt these systems.

In the late 1990s, CRM systems began to be more user-friendly and easier to use. CRM systems like SAP CRM and Salesforce CRM were developed to be used by businesses of all sizes.

These systems were designed to help businesses manage their customer relationships and sales processes but were mostly available to large companies and enterprises.

Since then, CRM systems have evolved and become more sophisticated. They are now used by businesses of all sizes to manage their customer relationships, sales processes, marketing campaigns, and more.

In 2020, as the whole world was forced to become digital due to the pandemic, CRM systems became even more popular.

Businesses of all sizes started to adopt CRM systems to manage their customer relationships, sales processes, and marketing campaigns.

As a result, the CRM industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.3% from 2022 to 2030, which means its value will surpass $170 billion by 2030.

How Do CRM Systems Work?

CRM systems work by tracking all interactions a company has with its customers. These interactions can include:

• Phone calls
• Emails
• Website visits
• Social media interactions
• In-person meetings

Phone calls

The CRM system records when was each phone call received or took place, who was the customer, what was said during the call, and how long the call lasted.

Emails

The CRM system records when was each email sent or received, who was the customer, what was said in the email, and what was the reaction of the customer (unsubscribed, opened, clicked on a button etc.)

Website visits

The CRM system records when was each website visit, what pages were visited, how long the customer stayed on each page, and what actions were taken. This includes whether the customer filled out a form, subscribed to a newsletter, or made a purchase.

Social media interactions

The CRM system records when was each social media interaction, what platform it took place on, who was the customer, and what was said or done in this interaction. This includes whether the customer liked, commented, or shared a post.

In-person meetings

The CRM system records when was each meeting, who was the customer, what happened in the meeting, and how long the meeting lasted. Most of the time an employee would fill out a meeting report which would be added to the CRM system.

This data is then used to help businesses track their customer relationships, sales processes, and marketing campaigns.

Marketing, sales, and customer support teams can then use this data to:

• Identify customer needs and wants
• Create targeted marketing campaigns
• Improve sales processes
• Provide better customer support

Identify customer needs and wants

The data collected by the CRM system can be used to identify customer needs and wants.

For example, if a large number of customers are unsubscribing from emails, this could be an indication that the emails are not relevant to them.

Similarly, if a large number of customers are leaving the website after visiting a certain page, this could be an indication that this page is not relevant to them or is not user-friendly.

This data can then be used to improve the marketing campaigns and make them more targeted.

Create targeted marketing campaigns

The data collected by the CRM system can be used to create targeted marketing campaigns.

For example, if a customer visits the website but does not make a purchase, the CRM system can add them to a targeted marketing campaign that offers a discount on their first purchase.

This data can also be used to create targeted email campaigns.

For example, if a customer has not opened an email in 30 days, the CRM system can add them to a targeted email campaign that offers a discount on their next purchase.

Improve sales processes

The data collected by the CRM system can be used to improve sales processes.

For example, if a large number of customers are not converting after a demo call, this could be an indication that the sales process needs to be improved.

This data can then be used to warm leads before they are passed to the sales team.

Provide better customer support

The data collected by the CRM system can be used to provide better customer support.

For example, if a customer is having difficulty using the product, the CRM system can add them to a targeted customer support campaign that offers help and assistance.

This data can also be used to identify trends in customer support issues.

For example, if a large number of customers are having difficulty with a certain feature, this could be an indication that the feature needs to be improved.

This data can then be used to improve the product and make it more user-friendly.

What are Nontraditional CRM Systems?

Nontraditional CRM systems are CRM systems that are not designed for businesses.

Instead, they are designed for other organizations such as schools, hospitals, and government agencies.

These CRM systems are designed to manage relationships with students, patients, citizens, etc.

They are often used to track data such as contact information, demographics, and interactions.

Nontraditional CRM systems can be used for a variety of purposes such as:

• Tracking data about students
• Managing relationships with patients
• Providing customer support to citizens

Tracking data about students

Nontraditional CRM systems can be used to track data about students.

For example, a school could use a CRM system to track data about students such as contact information, demographics, and interactions.

This data could then be used to improve the school’s communication with parents, schedule online classes, and improve the overall student experience.

Managing relationships with patients

Nontraditional CRM systems can also be used to manage relationships with patients.

For example, a hospital could use a CRM system to track data about patients such as contact information, demographics, and interactions.

This data could then be used to improve the hospital’s communication with patients, schedule patient appointments, and improve the overall patient experience.

Providing customer support to citizens

Nontraditional CRM systems can also be used to provide customer support to citizens.

For example, a government agency could use a CRM system to track data about citizens such as contact information, demographics, and interactions.

This data could then be used to improve the government’s communication with citizens, answer public questions, and improve the overall citizen experience.

Wrapping Up

 CRM systems are essential for businesses that want to manage customer relationships effectively.

By automating marketing, sales, hiring, and customer service tasks, a CRM system can help your business improve communication with customers and prospects, increase sales, improve customer satisfaction, and better retain customers.

If you’re not currently using a CRM system, we recommend that you consider implementing one in your business.

And if you’re already using a CRM system, we recommend that you take some time to learn about all of the features and functionality that it offers.

You may be surprised at how much a CRM system can improve your business!

We hope you found this article helpful.

If you have any questions about CRM systems, please feel free to contact us. We’d be happy to answer any of your questions.