What is Your CRM Goal?

What is Your CRM Goal?
Hendra Lim

Are you thinking to start using a CRM application or software for your company? Before you talk to your CRM vendors, do you know what CRM goals or impacts you want to achieve?

In my own experiences talking to many business managers, oftentimes the real reason why they want to utilize a CRM program is because other companies have used it, or because it is a trend now. For me it’s not a firm enough reason.

CRM application usually requires a lot of money invested, time, and energy. Without knowing where you will go and how, it’s useless and will most likely become a failure.

Here are four main goals of any CRM; whatever results you expect from a CRM application, it will fall onto one of the these four goals. Here they are:

1. Increasing sales effectiveness

2. Increasing customer loyalty

3. Increasing better customer service

4. Having deep customer information

Which one of those goals is your primary reason to implement CRM software? Which one is your priority? Do you need them all?

If you say that you want to maximize the work of your sales force, that means you want the goal of number one. If you say that you want your customer service staffs answer the complaints faster, that means your priority is the goal number three.

It’s very common that CRM software is usually consisted of 3 main modules, which are Sales Force Automation, Marketing Automation, and Help Desk. Knowing what goal you want to reach in your CRM strategy will help you choose which modules are best and suit your needs, thus saves unnecessary cost of purchasing the modules you don’t need. Furthermore, firmly deciding the goal will keep the team on the right track to complete the CRM implementation.
Hendra Lim works for a software-based company that specialized in CRM software and Sales Force Automation application. He lives in Jakarta, Indonesia.

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