Using the Sales functions of CRM is very important for our Perth-based consultants for Microsoft Dynamics. Often companies in Perth will experience difficulty as they do not understand the proper link.

Understanding the Link between Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Sales

Very often, when a salesperson closes sales and generates leads or when service calls are concluded, customer relationship management (CRM) is usually also considered completed because the database is updated and a note is made that the transaction is closed. However, CRM concerns building a long lasting relationship and cannot happen only when the sales team closes or after a marketing campaign. In addition, software updates and database upgrades in the CRM are only one aspect of the process. CRM has to be utilized to improve the management of your relationship with your customers over time, not just with marketing and promotions.

Firstly, you need to understand the present life cycle of your relationship with your customers, further than what your database says. Then, you have to consider what you can do to improve the management of the relationship with customers and the actual interactions. You also have to consider the management of all your human resources, including sales and marketing, as they play the most important role in the maintaining the relationship with your customers. CRM is far more that updating a database of customer information.

The sales team can partially take the blame for the break in the customer relationship. Their main focus is to close sales via marketing and direct contact and they are rewarded for this with bonuses and other perks. In addition, the database is also considered updated when sales are closed.

Profits, however, are earned from renewals, cross-sells and up-sells which are the result of engaging and keeping customers happy after sales are completed and via ongoing marketing efforts. This information is usually updated in your database. You are incorrect if you think that your customer relationship management is completed when a contract is signed. Instead, management can utilize the database to keep record of other interactions such as servicing and to conduct follow-up with each customer. Marketing will still play a big role in the process because you can reach customers through promotions and other incentives.

Employee Performance

No matter how well you plan your sales and marketing campaign and analyze the information in your database, your efforts will be futile if you do not train the employees who interact directly with your customers daily. They also have to be trained to record interactions and transactions in the CRM database.

It only takes one bad experience with an employee to damage the relationship with a customer. No amount of marketing can save a broken relationship. Therefore, you have to hire employees who are committed to giving excellent customer service and who understand your product and business ideals.

Unfortunately, the management teams in many Perth organizations do not explain the CRM concepts and ideas to the employees who face the customers. Management would only tell the sales team that CRM creates leads, database updates and support tickets. Management would also encourage them to continue marketing efforts for the products and services.

So you have to give your employees credit for what they do with sales, marketing and database updates. Then you have to inform them about the plans and concepts behind CRM and its importance in the management of customer relationships. Let them know that their roles extend past marketing, sales and customer support.

You have to develop your employees to understand the dynamics behind CRM so that they can use the techniques necessary to improve the overall customer relationships. Management plays a very important role in this CRM process in ensuring that the database is properly updated and utilized and that marketing efforts are customer and product focused to improve the relationship with the customers. Customer relationship management (CRM) intricately involves sales, marketing and database management.

If your Perth-based company would like to better implement the sales features in a Microsoft Dynamics CRM software. Contact our Microsoft Dynamics Software Consultants right here in Perth, at crmperth.com.au