Enhancing customer relationships is the desire of every entrepreneur. However, to achieve this result, it's important to align a set of strategies to meet each customer's needs. Investing in Customer Relationship Management, better known as CRM, is the main method that helps efficiently manage customers and the sales funnel.

CRM, which operates from lead acquisition, conversion, retention, and loyalty, also assists in the entire process of business development and growth, as it focuses specifically on directing strategies to reach the target audience. After all, it's pointless to invest heavily in production and actions if you don't captivate the customers who are the final piece of your production chain. Therefore, it's increasingly important to know your customers and find effective ways to develop efficient communication with each one.

In this text, we will discuss the benefits of adopting a CRM for businesses and how to implement this strategy. But first, let's look at the topics we will cover:

• What is CRM?
• What are the types and areas of application of CRM?
• What benefits does CRM bring?
• Does CRM help the sales team?

What is CRM?

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. This concept is broad, as the system is often reduced to simply software and platforms that perform this function. However, the modality goes far beyond this definition. CRM involves a series of processes focused entirely on the customer, aiming to improve the quality and development of relationships and help increase sales.

Through this tool, it's possible to have a comprehensive view of customers and accurately analyze all their interactions with the company, products, support channels, and other aspects. However, the practice of CRM is not new. The world has evolved, and human relationships have followed this trend. For years, entrepreneurs have known that it's necessary to enchant customers, not just sell to them.

The CRM model we know today emerged in the early 1970s. During that period, customer satisfaction was measured through annual surveys. In the 1980s, some marketing strategy concepts, such as data analysis and collection, were included in this process. It was only in the 1990s that the first CRM system was created, leading to the popularization of this resource.

Today, for companies aiming to expand their growth, optimize customer relationships, and speed up decision-making processes, CRM is undoubtedly a crucial solution to consider.

What are the types and areas of application of CRM?

Although the core concept of CRM is to improve management and customer relationships, it's important to emphasize that the tool can adapt according to the organization's objectives. The resource can be implemented online through a cloud platform, whether a management software or Software as a Service (SaaS). There is also the On-Premise format, which demands a more robust IT infrastructure to ensure platform efficiency.

Moreover, CRM can operate in different areas of the organization. The strategy behind using this resource provides a significant advantage in the actions to be developed. Among the main areas where CRM can operate, the following stand out:

• Sales: The tool helps the organization analyze the customer's journey more precisely, aiding in building efficient relationships and approaches to identify those with the most potential to close a deal.
• Marketing: More than producing, it's necessary to ensure your product reaches the consumer. CRM helps create personalized campaigns, increasing the chances of success.
• Support: "The customer is the center of everything." It's common for consumers to have questions or open tickets during their purchase journey. CRM makes it easier to provide efficient and quick support and create support methods.

Besides these areas, CRM can also be used strategically according to the company's goals and objectives, applying to the following aspects:

• Analytical: Identifies the company's current scenario and lists the most qualitative leads for the business.
• Collaborative: Integrates different team activities, focusing on improving the customer experience quality.
• Operational: Connects departments and consumers, ensuring tasks are performed efficiently and quickly.
• Strategic: Directly impacts the company's management and reach, aiming to improve performance.

Thus, using CRM results in significant gains for the company by aligning all areas toward the same direction.

What benefits does CRM bring?

When investing in a tool, it's essential to know precisely what it will add to the company. Regarding CRM, beyond its applications, it's important to understand the benefits it will bring. Considering that information is becoming the most valuable asset for companies, CRM directly addresses this aspect by centralizing various data in one place for strategic use.

Certainly, the tool brings a range of benefits, including:

• Lead tracking: Helps understand which stage of the sales funnel the lead is in and analyze which actions are most effective.
• Centralized information: CRM consolidates the company's entire history, from customers to suppliers and partners, in one place. It also provides indicators about their interests and other data about their experience.
• Productivity gain: With reliable data, the sales team can perform their tasks based on this information, avoiding repetition and optimizing time.
• Communication: A common challenge for many companies is achieving efficient and practical communication between departments. CRM solves this issue by bringing teams closer together.
• Management improvement: All work is performed through a single tool. This makes it possible to identify reasons why a customer did not close a sale, analyze team performance, and determine the best opportunities for the organization.
• Decision-making: CRM makes it easier to capture and attach data that can be consulted later. Business Intelligence provides these records with precision and detail, aiding in assertive decision-making.
• Customer satisfaction: The primary goal of every entrepreneur is to achieve customer satisfaction. This is achieved by conveying organization and transparency in service.

These benefits occur simultaneously, helping the company achieve high performance and growth levels.

Does CRM help the sales team?

Yes. CRM helps the sales team by providing all the information and performance indicators needed to measure sales performance. Through technology, the tool helps the team identify business opportunities and analyze important characteristics of those interested in acquiring a service or product from your company. All data provided by the platform allows for a personalized sales funnel, attracting customers and converting them into qualified leads.

Moreover, CRM is crucial in the post-sales stage, as maintaining customer satisfaction goes beyond immediate support. Even after closing the deal, it's essential to provide effective contact methods for support and services. This set of actions helps the sales team perform an even more strategic job, resulting in significant growth and reach gains.

Are you interested in adopting a CRM to further enhance your sales team? Discover Sales Journey! Sales Journey is a CRM platform for opportunity management, customer management, and sales force automation, offering all the convenience of the mobile world and the possibility of integration with various ERPs and marketing automation solutions.

Contact one of our specialists for more information.

Conclusion

For companies aiming to stand out in an increasingly competitive market, CRM is an important strategy to implement. Besides helping with greater control and understanding of the customer's journey, it is also an effective tool that can bring significant benefits to the sales team. More than developing strategies, it's important to use the right resources to apply them efficiently and securely. For this reason, CRM encompasses these characteristics and stands out as a key factor in the quest for growth and organizational reach.

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