CRM Strategy: essential steps and benefits for your company

A CRM strategy is a company-wide action plan to increase sales, expand the customer base, strengthen relationships with current customers, and evaluate the results of CRM practices through appropriate success metrics. Learn the key steps for a successful CRM strategy and the benefits of using CRM software!
 

Essential steps for creating a CRM strategy

• Define business goals

A company needs to define what it aims to achieve regarding customer relationship management to establish its strategy. 
 

• Adopt the right CRM system

With growing customer bases and increasingly complex customer-centric business processes, CRM solutions have become staple elements in the software ecosystems of small and large companies, helping them implement their CRM strategies. These tools function as hubs to gather customer data and other relevant information from business or external systems. To choose the right software, one must consider the company's size, the industry, and the complexity of customer-oriented processes.
 

• Identify the target audience

Defining a general portrait of the target audience can help ensure that the CRM strategy meets the specific needs and expectations of potential customers. This requires combining various types of behavioral data (browsing and purchasing patterns, etc.), demographic data (age, gender, profession, etc.), psychographic data (interests, values, attitude, etc.), and geographic data (region, city size, etc.). This audience can be grouped into segments based on their shared characteristics and behaviors to plan specific actions, such as personalized messages and offers tailored to their needs.
 

• Map the customer journey

A customer journey map visually represents the experiences of a potential or existing customer with the company as they move through the sales funnel and later become customers. Creating this map helps monitor the behavior of potential and current customers at each touchpoint and optimize marketing and sales operations based on needs and decision patterns.
 

• Establish KPI's to evaluate the CRM strategy

Key performance indicators (KPIs) allow companies to compare measurable goals with actual results and assess the effectiveness of the CRM strategy. Companies can use the analytics and reporting features of CRM systems to collect performance data and visualize KPIs through their integrated dashboards.
 

Benefits of a CRM strategy

• Data-driven decision making

An appropriate strategy and software can help companies aggregate data to create comprehensive customer profiles and track relevant KPIs, gaining superior visibility into marketing and sales operations. This can improve decision-making in customer interactions and optimize business operations.
 

• Increased productivity

With an appropriate CRM system, it is possible to refine marketing campaigns through better segmentation and direct sales efforts towards higher-value customers, maximizing resource efficiency and accelerating sales cycles.
 

• Improved customer relationships

A CRM strategy aims to create stronger relationships with customers by providing content, messages, offers, and services tailored to individual preferences and behaviors, offering a more personalized customer experience and a solid connection between customers and the brand.
 

• Increased revenue

Adopting a CRM strategy opens multiple opportunities to maximize profits. In the long term, it can also maximize customer lifetime value through loyalty programs and more attentive customer service.
 

Does my company need a CRM?

Does your company need a CRM? Here are some signs that indicate yes:

• Teams collaborate even when in different locations; 
• Teams travel frequently;
• It is difficult to find customer data to make quick decisions;
• Information is scattered, making it difficult to close deals; 
• The company is growing faster than expected; 
• The company wants to improve the customer experience; 
• The IT department is overwhelmed with maintenance requests.

 

Microsoft Dynamics 365

As Microsoft partners for over 18 years, Hydra iT offers Microsoft’s CRM solution natively integrated with other Microsoft 365 applications, such as Outlook and Microsoft Teams.
 

Features and Benefits

• Complete Customer and Contact Management Solution; 
• Intuitive Interface – Microsoft; 
• Native integration with all Microsoft apps like Outlook, Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, Power BI, and Power Apps; 
• Availability on Tablets and Smartphones via APP; 
• Reporting and Dashboards – easy parameterization and real-time data; 
• Evolutionary solution: functionally and technologically - Roadmap with continuous updates; 
• Customization features for all users; 
• GDPR compliant - Online solution hosted in the EU: North Europe (Ireland) + West Europe (Netherlands); 
• Monthly or annual subscription model; 
• Access to Microsoft AppSource.

In the modular range of customer and account relationship management solutions of Microsoft Dynamics 365, you can find two complementary applications:
 

Dynamics 365 Sales 

The Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales CRM module combines various areas of the commercial and marketing sector, allowing you to have a broad view of your teams’ progress at all stages of the sales process. With this solution, you can:

• Boost productivity and increase revenue; 
• Foster relationships through genuine and personal interactions; 
• Sell smarter with relevant information; 
• Accelerate sales performance; 
• Gain new customers; 
• Centralize information; 
• Innovate with a modern and adaptable sales platform.

 

Dynamics 365 Customer Service 

The Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service CRM module provides tools that help companies manage customer service in the post-sale and retention phase. This solution can be customized according to each company’s needs to operate according to their goals. With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service CRM, you can:

• Create support experiences; 
• Solve problems; 
• Achieve ideal results; 
• Capitalize on opportunities;
• Learn from your customers; 
• Transform insights into actions.

These CRM solutions can also be complemented with other Dynamics 365 modules such as marketing, and business/financial management (ERP), among others.

Interested and want to know more? Contact Hydra iT and schedule your free demonstration of Microsoft’s CRM now.