Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

I was recently asked for a definition of Customer Relationship Management.

I looked on the internet and saw lots of definitions, but they all look a bit theoretical. So instead I asked our community about how to define CRM in an easy-to-understand way – particularly in the contact centre / customer service environment.

Here are the community definitions of Customer Relationship Management:

1. A lasting customer relationship

CRM is making sure that our customers will be our customers for ever.

Thanks to Mike Brown

2. Knowing what drives your customers

CRM is determining what drives your customers and also what makes them angry.

Knowing this will help you create one-call resolutions and better handle time on each call.

Thanks to Ashandra Cruthis

3. Knowing what your customers are like

I would describe it as: knowing and following what your customers like and dislike and shaping the company to suit both ways – toward customers and toward company.

Thanks to Vladimir Maletin

4. Knowing your customers by name

When I walk into my local, they greet me by name, know what I order and accommodate me appropriately.

CRM is the industrialisation of this process.

Thanks to Martin Taylor

5. Going beyond the service level agreement

It’s going above and beyond the contractual obligations and defined service level agreements.

More often than not, organisations meet the expected SLAs as defined in the contract but clients are still unhappy.

Going beyond the service level agreement is making the client see that the team performance is ‘looking’ and ‘feeling’ on their side.

Thanks to Angela Katimbang

The definition of CRM software

…And here are a couple of definitions of CRM software:

A visible view of a customer’s interactions

It’s a fully understood and visible view of a customer’s interactions, across all touchpoints, enabling you to develop intelligent and appropriate messages/conversations/instructions.

Thanks to Michael Anderson

Giving everyone in your team access to your customer database

If used properly, cloud-based CRM software provides everyone in the team with instant access to your customer database, productivity and social media needs, providing a more up-to-date and personal approach to interactions with your customers.

Thanks to Barry John

Do you have a different definition of CRM?

Please leave it in the comments box below.

With thanks to Jonty Pearce at Call Centre Helper