1/18/23, 3:07 PM What is CRM (customer relationship management)?

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What is customer experience management (CEM or CXM)?

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DEFINITION

CRM (customer relationship management)

Wesley Chai
Tim Ehrens
Karolina Kiwak

Customer relationship management (CRM) is the combination of practices, strategies and technologies that companies use
to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle. The goal is to improve customer
service relationships and assist in customer retention and drive sales growth. CRM systems compile customer data across
different channels, or points of contact, between the customer and the company, which could include the company's
website, telephone, live chat, direct mail, marketing materials and social networks. CRM systems can also give customer-
facing staff members detailed information on customers' personal information, purchase history, buying preferences and
concerns.

Why CRM benefits businesses

The use of CRM systems can benefit organizations ranging from small businesses to large corporations, through:

Having customer information such as past purchases and interaction history easily accessible can help customer
support representatives provide better and faster customer service.
Collection of and access to customer data can help businesses identify trends and insights about their customers
through reporting and visualization features.
Automation of menial, but necessary, sales funnel and customer support tasks.

Components of CRM
At the most basic level, CRM software consolidates customer information and documents it into a single CRM database so
business users can more easily access and manage it.

Over time, many additional functions have been added to CRM systems to make them more useful. Some of these
functions include recording various customer interactions over email, phone, social media or other channels; depending on
system capabilities, automating various workflow automation processes,
Customer such as tasks, calendars and alerts; and giving
9managers the ability to track performance and productivity based on information logged within the system.
Experience g
Marketing automation. CRM tools with marketing automation capabilities can automate repetitive tasks to enhance
marketing efforts at different points in the lifecycle for lead generation. For example, as sales prospects come into the
system, it might automatically send email marketing content, with the goal of turning a sales lead into a full-fledged
customer.
Sales force automation. Sales force automation tools track customer interactions and automate certain business
functions of the sales cycle that are necessary to follow leads, obtain new customers and build customer loyalty.

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Contact center automation. Designed to reduce tedious aspects of a contact center agent's job, contact center
automation might include prerecorded audio that assists in customer problem-solving and information dissemination.
Various software tools that integrate with the agent's desktop tools can handle customer requests in order to cut down
on the length of calls and to simplify customer service processes. Automated contact center tools, such as chatbots,
can improve customer user experiences.
Geolocation technology, or location-based services. Some CRM systems include technology that can create
geographic marketing campaigns based on customers' physical locations, sometimes integrating with popular location-
based GPS (global positioning system) apps. Geolocation technology can also be used as a networking or contact
management tool in order to find sales prospects based on a location.

TECHTARGET
The benefits of CRM for social media

k CRM tools specifically for social media platforms help companies foster customer relationships and monitor customer sentiments around their brands.

Workflow automation. CRM systems help businesses optimize processes by streamlining mundane workloads,
enabling employees to focus on creative and more high-level tasks.
Lead management. Sales leads can be tracked through CRM, enabling sales teams to input, track and analyze data
for leads in one place.
Human resource management (HRM). CRM systems help track employee information, such as contact information,
performance reviews and benefits within a company. This enables the HR department to more effectively manage the
internal workforce.
Analytics. Analytics in CRM help create better customer satisfaction rates by analyzing user data and helping create
targeted marketing campaigns.
Artificial intelligence. AI technologies, such as Salesforce Einstein, have been built into CRM platforms to automate
repetitive tasks, identify customer-buying patterns to predict future customer behaviors and more.
Project management. Some CRM systems include features to help users keep track of client project details such as
objectives, strategic alignment, processes, risk management and progress.
Integration with other software. Many CRM systems can integrate with other software, such as call center and
enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

Types of CRM technology

The four main vendors of CRM systems are Salesforce, Microsoft, SAP and Oracle. Other providers are popular among
small to midsize businesses, but these four tend to be the choice for large corporations. The types of CRM technology
offered are as follows:

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THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF

 What is customer experience management (CEM or CXM)?

Which also includes:

5 tips for creating customer journey maps from buyer personas

4 customer data collection best practices to follow

A strong CX technology spending plan can bring big returns

Cloud-based CRM
With CRM that uses cloud computing, also known as SaaS (software as a service) or on-demand CRM, data is stored on
an external, remote network that employees can access anytime, anywhere there is an internet connection, sometimes with
a third-party service provider overseeing installation and maintenance. The cloud's quick, relatively easy deployment
capabilities appeal to companies with limited technological expertise or resources.

Data security is a primary concern for companies using cloud-based systems, as the company doesn't physically control the
storage and maintenance of its data. If the cloud provider goes out of business or is acquired by another company, an
enterprise's data can be compromised or lost. Compatibility issues can also arise when data is initially migrated from a
company's internal system to the cloud.

Companies might consider cloud CRM as a more cost-effective option. Vendors typically charge the user on a subscription
basis and offer the option of monthly or yearly payments. However, cost may still be a concern, because paying
subscription fees for software can be more costly over time than with on-premises models.

Popular cloud-based CRM providers include Salesforce, HubSpot and Zendesk.

On-premises CRM
This system puts the onus of administration, control, security and maintenance of the database and information on the
company using the CRM software. With this approach, the company purchases licenses upfront, instead of buying yearly
subscriptions from a cloud CRM provider. The software resides on the company's own servers and the user assumes the
cost of any upgrades. It also usually requires a prolonged installation process to fully integrate a company's data.
Companies with complex CRM needs might benefit from an on-premises deployment.

Many cloud-based providers, such as Salesforce and WorkWise, also offer on-premises versions of their CRM software.

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TECHTARGET
CRM software evolution

k CRM systems have moved far beyond traditional customer profiling functions.

Open source CRM

An open source CRM system makes source code available to the public, enabling companies to make alterations at no cost
to the company employing the system. Open source CRM systems also enable the addition and customization of data links
on social media channels, assisting companies looking to improve social CRM practices.

Open Source CRM platforms such as OroCRM, Bitrix24, SuiteCRM and SugarCRM offer alternatives to the proprietary
platforms from Salesforce, Microsoft and other vendors.

Adoption of any of these CRM deployment methods depends on a company's business needs, resources and goals, as
each has different costs associated with it.

CRM examples in practice

Examples of CRM usage vary by the type and purpose of the specific CRM system.

Contact center
Traditionally, data intake practices for CRM systems have been the responsibility of sales and marketing departments, as
well as contact center agents. Sales and marketing teams procure leads and update the system with information throughout
the customer lifecycle, and contact centers gather data and revise customer history records through service calls and
technical support interactions.

Social CRM
Social media in CRM involves businesses engaging with customers directly through social media platforms, such as
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Social media presents an open forum for customers to share experiences with a brand,
whether they are airing grievances or promoting products.

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To add value to customer interactions on social media, businesses use various social CRM tools that monitor social media
conversations -- from specific mentions of a brand to the frequency of keywords used -- to determine their target audience
and which platforms they use. Other tools are designed to analyze social media feedback and address customer queries
and issues.

Companies are interested in capturing customer sentiments, such as the likelihood they will recommend products and their
overall customer satisfaction, to develop marketing and service strategies. Companies try to integrate social CRM data with
other customer data obtained from sales or marketing departments to get a single view of the customer.

Another way in which social CRM adds value for companies and customers is through customer communities, where
customers post reviews of products and can engage with other customers to troubleshoot issues or research products in
real time. Customer communities can provide low-level customer service for certain kinds of problems and reduce the
number of contact center calls. Customer communities can also provide new product ideas or feedback that companies can
use in lieu of feedback groups.

What is Customer Relationship Management? Benefits of CRM Software

Mobile CRM
CRM applications built for smartphones and tablets have become a must-have for sales representatives and marketing
professionals who want to access customer information and perform tasks when they are not physically in their offices.
Mobile CRM apps take advantage of features that are unique to mobile devices, such as GPS and voice recognition
capabilities, to give sales and marketing employees access to customer information from anywhere.

Business-to-business (B2B) practices

A CRM system in a B2B environment helps monitor sales as they move through the sales funnel, enabling a business to
address any issues that might come up during the process. CRM systems in the B2B market help create more visibility into
leads and, therefore, increase efficiency throughout the sales process.

CRM challenges
For all of the advancements in CRM technology, without the proper management, a CRM system can become little more
than a glorified database in which customer information is stored. Data sets need to be connected, distributed and
organized so that users can easily access the information they need.

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Companies may struggle to achieve a single view of the customer if their data sets are not connected and organized in a
single dashboard or interface. Challenges also arise when systems contain duplicate customer data or outdated
information. These problems can lead to a decline in customer experience due to long wait times during phone calls,
improper handling of technical support cases and other issues.

CRM systems work best when companies spend time cleaning up their existing customer data to eliminate duplicate and
incomplete records before they supplement CRM data with external sources of information.
This was last updated in September 2020

∙∙
m Continue Reading About CRM (customer relationship management)
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