Microsoft Dynamics representative Seth Patton recently argued that “going beyond managing the existing customer relationship to managing the future customer relationship.” Today's consumer knows so much about your business before they even meet you that it's almost rude not to know something about them, at least if they are open enough to tell you something about themselves.
Modern sales teams need more than knowledge, they need foreknowledge. By taking advantage of CRM, companies can make information universally available, so that it isn't confined to the system at the point of sale, and so that endless copying and re-entries aren't necessary.
Furthermore, tools like Yammer and Skype can keep managers in touch with one another, creating a more fluid corporate culture that isn't bogged down by no longer necessary bureaucracy.
Businesses can then take things another step forward by integrating internal knowledge with data from social networks and other third party data sources. By taking advantage of services like , sales reps have access to sales and behavioral data right when they need it most. Meanwhile, rich CRM tools can analyze mountains of data in order to make predictions and arm marketers and salespeople with proactive tools.
As an example of how effective this can be, US Xpress Enterprises was able to recover $350,000 lost opportunity costs by implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Instead of spending 7 hours preparing for sales meetings, they gather information and share it in minutes.
By blurring the lines between marketing, social networking, and project management, new CRM technologies present businesses with staggering new possibilities.
CRM Software Blog Editors, www.crmsoftwareblog.com
