What are the key elements of CRM to keep in mind? CRM is the software used to manage the relationship with a company’s existing and potential customers. With this system, the sales force gathers as much information as possible about its users in order to establish long-term relationships based on a high degree of satisfaction.

Working with a good CRM and knowing how to get the most out of it helps to increase the value of a company’s offer. This software is designed to put the customer at the center of our strategy at all times in order to understand and respond to their needs.

Thanks to the benefits provided by the key elements of CRM, we increase productivity and sales efficiency. But what are these key elements?

What are the key elements of CRM?

Every company that works with a CRM shows a clear commitment: to know its customers better, studying their needs, and offering them a customized solution. It is a strategic orientation tool supported by technology, thanks to which we can optimize the collaboration between the sales department and the rest of the teams.

With CRM we build lasting relationships with our customers because it allows us to store and analyze data about their preferences, buying habits, and/or needs.

Previous steps in the use of a CRM

To start working with a CRM we must have at least a database of our own customers, a corporate website, and a presence in social networks. Whether you are an SME or a large company, this technological solution must adapt to the size of your company so that it is flexible and can grow and improve the functionalities of your business.

CRM technology must be easily integrated with other company solutions and show scalability, i.e., it must keep pace with the company’s productivity. On the other hand, the fact that this system stores so much data require it to be easy to use.

Key elements of CRM: Unanimous bet on high-tech

A good CRM must collect concrete information about the relationship with the customer from any channel (visit, call, email, form…) and the state of the buying cycle.

Thus, it is important to invest time and economic resources in developing or buying this system in order to have, in an orderly way, valuable data that will mark the commercial strategy of the company. All available customer information will help to create the most personalized experiences possible.

But the human factor is also involved.

Yes, it is true that we refer throughout the article to CRM as an intelligent data collection system. However, the people who are part of a company are really the determining factor in the success or failure of this technology.

Key elements of CRM: The human factor

When a CRM is implemented in a company, there is a need to train all employees in this new customer service culture. Despite being a simple program, there is a lot of information at stake. Lack of training is still the main problem in the use of Big Data in the business world. If we want to add value to the company and the customer, we must anticipate their needs and offer them customized solutions; we must master CRM.

Implementing a CRM in a company is not easy and even more so when you start from a previous scenario where people have been doing their job in a certain way for many years. If you ask sales teams what a CRM is, many will tell you that it is a control tool. One thing is clear, the approach is to put technology at the service of people and not the other way around. 

For this reason, it is important to train the employee and do continuous monitoring, especially when you implement a tool that will be useful in their day to day and not the other way around.

Key elements of CRM: Business Intelligence

On the one hand, we have technology and on the other hand, the human factor, what is left? To be efficient thanks to business intelligence. Many studies on sales efficiency agree that lack of planning is one of the most important obstacles for salespeople. Planning is often a difficult and time-consuming activity, and salespeople may feel that they are wasting valuable hours that could be spent on sales.

To deal with the natural tendency of many professionals to sell “on impulse”, it is a good idea to draw up a clear, effective, and realistic sales plan. This is the real business intelligence: trying to concentrate the time available on the right activities. 

To do this, the company must have all the information it needs to make decisions about its sales processes. Planning should not be carried out by the manager alone, but it is important that each salesperson has his or her own plan, which is essential to maintain focus at the individual level as well.

 The results generated by the salesperson are not the only important thing. Attention must be paid to how these results are achieved and a series of questions must be asked, such as “what kind of commercial activity is being most effective in selling each product?

Business intelligence also includes all those skills that a salesperson needs to be able to generate the necessary confidence in his or her interlocutor. In the current context, we are referring to a salesperson with a much more complete profile than the traditional stereotype of the profession, one that generates trust and credibility, while showing an honest and empathetic attitude. Salespeople who work in consultative selling.

The experience must serve, at the time of elaborating a good sales plan, to be able to collect information about our customers, in order to predict more accurately their buying behavior.

The perfect combination for your business

Mobile-based sales management tools can be useful in this regard, as it saves the data of each record so that you can consult it at any time. In this way, you can identify opportunities for improvement without fail and take the appropriate measures to move in the right direction.

The key elements of CRM; technology, human factor and business intelligence, are the perfect combination to improve sales, generate more business impacts and above all create lasting relationships with customers.