CRM 100 Success Secrets 100 Most Asked Questions on Customer Relationship Management Software, Solutions, Systems, Applications and Services Gerard Blokdijk
CRM 100 Success Secrets Copyright 2008 by Gerard Blokdijk Notice of rights All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Notice of Liability The information in this book is distributed on an As Is basis without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of he book, neither the author nor the publisher shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the products described in it. Trademarks Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.
CRM 100 Success Secrets Gerard Blokdijk There has never been a CRM manual like this. 100 Success Secrets is not about the ins and outs of CRM. Instead, it answers the top 100 questions that we are asked and those we come across in forums, our consultancy and education programs. It tells you exactly how to deal with those questions, with tips that have never before been offered in print. This book is also not about CRM s best practice and standards details. Instead, it introduces everything you want to know to be successful with CRM.
Table of Contents CRM Software Example - the Act! CRM Product...12 What is Best CRM for You?...13 Getting Optimal Use Out of Your Preferred CRM Application..15 How to Choose Between Competing CRM Applications...16 Analyzing the Intense Competition among CRM Companies Today...18 Using CRM Comparison Results to Make Better CRM Products...19 Certain Things Any Credible CRM Consultant Should Know...21 What Results a CRM Consulting Session Should Produce for Your Organization...23 The Value of a CRM Database in Proper Customer Relationship Management...24 The Right Way to Approach CRM Implementation...25 What CRM Integration Means In Real Life Terms...27 CRM Supporting Management Plans and Objectives...28 How to Make CRM Marketing An Effective Process...30 The Growing Pains behind Developing a Great CRM Product..32 CRM Solution: A Great Help in Business Productivity...34 Reasons Why You Need CRM Solutions for Your Company...35 Reasons Why it is Important to Have a CRM System...36
Customer Appreciation: The Best Way to Maintain Loyalty from Clients... 37 Adopting a Truly Customer Centric Worldview... 38 How to Handle Customer Complaints... 40 How to Manage Countrywide Customer Relationship Management... 42 The Importance of Getting Customer Database... 44 Ways to Get Customer Feedback... 45 Getting Customer Focus via a Customer Centric Worldview... 46 Factors That Affect Customer Loyalty... 47 The Potential Value of Knowing Your Customer Profile... 48 Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for Beginners In the World of Sales... 49 The Value of a Customer Report Card... 50 A Brief Description of the American Customer Satisfaction Index... 52 How to Interpret Customer Satisfaction Surveys Correctly... 54 Customer Service Quotes To Inspire Your Sales Team With... 55 Should I Use Free CRM Software or the For-Pay Ones Instead? 57 Great Customer Service Determines Corporate Survival... 58 Competition Heats Up in Hosted CRM Solutions Industry... 60 Know Your Customer to Avoid Legal Hassles... 62 Know Your Customer Via Microsoft Dynamics CRM... 64 On Demand CRM Means Hosted CRM Solution... 66
Selecting the Correct Sage CRM for Your CRM Needs...68 Siebel CRM A Look Back on Siebel Inc. s Roots...70 The Value of CRM on Small Businesses...72 SugarCRM A World Leader in CRM Solutions...73 Web Based CRM Software - Its Advantages Over Traditional CRM Solutions...75 Web Based CRM Strengthening Customer Relationships Anytime & Anywhere...77 Web Based CRM Is Your Business Ready For It?...79 What is the True Essence of Customer Service?...80 What it takes to have a bad customer service...81 Providing the best customer service...82 Where have All the Call Center Jobs gone?...83 Call Center Jobs Scope and Qualifications...84 The need for Call Center Management...86 Call Center Outsourcing, is cost saving...88 The Use of Call Center Software...89 What training does for Call Center...91 Basics of Customer Relationship Management (CRM)...92 CRM 3.0, made easier...94 Learn from CRM Reviews...95 The Advent of CRM s...96 Choosing the Right CRM Software...97 The Right Strategy in Implementing CRM...98
CRM Support as a Virtual Agent... 100 CRM Systems Evolve... 101 CRM Technology Now Available For All Businesses... 102 What CRM Tool Actually Is... 104 CRM Tools as An Online Benefit... 106 CRM Training Is A Must... 108 Quick Reference on Customer Acquisition... 109 Customer Experience is the Best Gauge... 111 Managing your Customers... 112 Software to manage your customer... 114 The Approach on Customer Relationship Management... 116 How Do I Use Customer Relationship Management Software?... 118 Effective Customer Retention Strategies for Entrepreneurs... 120 Read the Customer Reviews... 122 Knowing your customer satisfaction... 123 The Value of a Customer Satisfaction Survey... 124 Role of Customer Service Representative... 126 Contact your Customer Service Center... 128 Customer Service Jobs Boosting Asian Economy... 130 Your Customer Service Manager... 131 Who Needs A Customer Service Rep?... 132 Customer Service Representatives Need a Customer Service Resume... 134
Good Customer Service...136 What Customer Service Skills Do I Need As A Customer Service Rep?...137 Why Do Organizations Need A Customer Service Survey Form?...139 What Customer Service Tips Should Be Followed by Employers of Customer Service Reps?...141 Importance of Customer Service Training...143 Do We Need To Celebrate Customer Service Week?...145 The need for Customer Survey...146 The Need for Customer Surveys...147 The Simple Concept of Customer Value...149 The Value of Dynamics CRM from Microsoft...150 How To Provide Excellent Customer Service...152 Steps for Providing Good Customer Service...154 What is Microsoft CRM?...156 Why Did Microsoft Jump to the Microsoft CRM 3.0 Version and Skip Version 2.0?...157 MS CRM May Be Better Known As the Microsoft Dynamics CRM...159 What is Online CRM Exactly?...160 Are Open Source CRM Products Better than Proprietary CRM Software?...161 Defining Outlook CRM for Newbies...162
What Goes Into a Good Sales CRM Product?... 164
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12 CRM Software Example - the Act! CRM Product Act! is the name of a leading customer relationship management (CRM) product that can help both individuals and corporations become better at managing their customer relationships so that productivity goes up and profits increase too. Act! is a product from Sage Software. With Act! around, you can organize data about your contacts, manage tasks daily, and improve communication with your clients so that productivity goes up. With a total of 2.7 million people using it and 41,000 corporate clients satisfied with its use, you will not find it hard to believe that Act! is THE top CRM software on the market today. You can use Act! in various ways to get your CRM jobs done. For one thing, Act! can be used in combination with Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Word so that you can use the functions of both Act! and these programs seamlessly. If you are the type who needs close coordination with contacts, then Act! might be the perfect program for your needs. Sage Software made Act! an easy, user-friendly product that can be readily deployed out of the box or even customized specially for your business requirements, as deemed necessary. This means you need not go out of your mind trying to figure out complicated programs from other manufacturers with Act! around to help you. It also leaves you with more time, energy and mental resources intact that you can devote to making your core business function better and more efficiently which is what any CRM product worth its sale price ought to be able to do in the first place.
13 What is the Best CRM for You? Best CRM is not an individual product or software system that you simply buy, install then start running daily. Best CRM translates to optimal Customer Relationship Management which is more of an organizational philosophy than just a business function. In short, Best CRM is a way of life that the members of your organization have to espouse. That being said, it is possible to derail any CRM efforts by choosing a CRM software system for your organization that does not function well. Thus, it is equally important to balance using the Best CRM practices with use of the best CRM software you can get with your budget. You should look at the functionality of the CRM system you are aiming to get before you decide to get it. In plain words, can this CRM software help you secure the optimal CRM results you were aiming for? If it does not, you should stop looking at how cheaply it is being offered to you and scout around for a better one instead. Examine the advantages and disadvantages of the system under scrutiny well, with emphasis on how this system can help make customer relationship management easier. If the system is all bells and whistles but no substance, then you should drop it and look at other options. A cute system is not going to help you as much as a highly functional system. Ask for the opinion of others you trust who know what you will be using this CRM system for. Sometimes, others may see another angle to the system than that which is obvious to you. If they will be using the system with you once it has been deployed,
14 then it becomes more important than ever to get a good CRM system.
15 Getting Optimal Use Out of Your Preferred CRM Application In Customer Relationship Management (or CRM), you need to make sure you know what your priorities are and that the CRM system you are angling to get is best for your needs. This means analyzing what the key function of your business is, and how the CRM system can help you optimize your pursuit of that key business function. Only when you know this clearly can you start canvassing for the most appropriate CRM system you can get. It is often quicker, more efficient and less risky to let a team of CRM specialists handle the research about and search for the right CRM application, than to involve a whole bureaucracy. There is a reason why private companies let project teams handle specific tasks they save big bucks this way. Also, there is less room for lengthy arguments on a small team of experts compared to a larger group of not-so-experienced users. The size of the CRM specialist team will depend on how complicated and how vast is the scope of CRM application to be sought after. You may then proceed to trying to figure out how the CRM system chosen is to be customized for use in your particular organization. (This, incidentally, is the most complicated step of all, because the team has to reconcile the functions of your business with the functions of the CRM system itself.) One that lengthy and arduous step has been finished, your organization now has to come up with a feasible training program so that the other members of your organization gain expertise in using this CRM application you have selected and deployed in the organization.
16 How to Choose Between Competing CRM Applications Customer Relationship Management (or CRM) is a broad field of discipline and the number of CRM applications being introduced into the market can be quite confusing to sift through. So how does one choose between competing CRM applications then? One reason making a choice between competing CRM applications has gotten harder in recent years is because customers have gotten smarter and more difficult to please lately. Whereas basic CRM in the past may have been as simple as just creating a mailing list, nowadays, CRM has to both please a specific customer need and be efficient at that function as well. This means your ideal CRM system needs to be flexible enough to be scalable for use in varying degrees of magnitude, competitive enough to function for you well on a daily basis, and precise at managing CRM for you so that the key function of your business is not confused with the CRM function. Unless your organization is willing to pay for a customized CRM solution produced by CRM specialists on an as-you-need-it basis, you will probably have to settle for out-of-the-box CRM applications to make your choice from. This also means that at some point you may find it hard to use certain aspects of your preferred CRM application because it does not jive with some parts of your business. This is the hard part of choosing pre-designed CRM applications and it is caused by the fact that the CRM application developer did not have your own business in mind when the product was being developed.
17 Because of this, all you can really hope for from an out-ofthe-box CRM application is to make sure that you can apply it to most parts of your business, and that it can be flexible enough to be customized for those parts that the developer did not think would need to be part of his original product.