Campaign Management could be undertaken using CRM by launching promotional campaigns for segmented consumers when suitable products are appropriately positioned for niche set of consumers. Channels used for business mobilization could be SMS, mobile, emails, walk-ins, twitter etc, which increases marketers outreach. Campaigns help in generating additional revenue, thereby increasing top-line. Appropriate business strategy and optimization would create awareness about products and services offered. Campaigns supports execution of business strategy by offering attractive options on products. Campaigns induce consumer engagement, and act as a tool to communicate with consumer en-masse. These campaigns could be used to gauge consumer feedback in short term and consumer behavior in long term.
Sales Planning through CRM enables alignment of business targets with Organisation goals. These targets could then be disseminated at the department and resource level. Sales Planning also encompasses business target allocation at the product variant level for the resources. Digital approval or rejection simplifies the verification and clearance process. Automation of processes enable daily monitoring and tracking of Sales target for mid-course correction. Sales planning aid Supervisors in guiding resources for achievement of targets,
Activity Management module of CRM tracks daily activity of resources in lead generation and conversion. Birthday and the Anniversary alerts could be used as a tool to get in touch with consumers. Appointments with consumers/prospects could be scheduled and tracked through Activity module. Notification could be issued to a group of resources through this module. Resources activity could be tracked by Supervisors, including assignment of activities. Scheduling resource meeting could be undertaken using this module. Escalation mechanism could be created for monitoring activity execution.
In the process of adopting CRM, challenges faced include convincing Management on evaluation, application scope, evaluation of software and cost budget. Subsequent to Management clearance, IT infrastructure compatibility while deciding Networks, Servers, Logistics, and formation of support teams for integration is next step. Post adoption, implementation is another challenge when testing within time-frame, training resources, pilot testing and phase-wise role out has to be undertaken. Change Management in any Organisation is crucial for driving CRM usage, resource buy-in and extending functional & technical support wherever required.
In a nutshell, CRM takes care of consumer acquisition, consumer communication, consumer loyalty, after sales service, creating database for the purpose of analysis to enable retention.
Keep watching this section for updates on Marketing!
Comments