is a fantastic way to store & track customer interactions. This really is not news – people have been using , and it is generally understood the advantages of storing client information in a package like Microsoft CRM (workflows, record of activities, etc.). A new concept that is gaining traction is using portals to allow clients to connect to your Microsoft CRM database through the internet, and access data that you allow them to see. This has many advantages.
- Clients can create and view support tickets themselves. This can allow for faster creation of support tickets, and can free up resources that otherwise would have been answering the phone and setting up support cases. It also can allow for faster routing of support cases to the right personnel. And of course, allowing customer to view support tickets online leads to greater customer satisfaction – and means support staff do not have to look up info and answer as many phone calls.
- Your data will be more accurate. While no all clients will use a customer facing portal, many will, and those who do will update information as it changes (should you allow them to do so). That can mean adding new key contacts, changing phone and e-mail addresses, and other client info. Imagine the benefits of having more accurate data – and your staff didn’t need to do a thing.
- Web sites dumping data into Excel spreadsheets is a wasted opportunity. If your web site is set so that contact form go into an Excel data base, than you are missing a great opportunity to automate your processes. An Excel spreadsheet is essentially an end point. Sure, you have all the pertinent contact data, but if you want to do anything with it, you have to kick off manual process. But using a portal to put info directly into Microsoft CRM, you can have contact forms kick off workflows in CRM – automated e-mail can generate, workflows can kick off, nurture campaigns can be launched – the possibilities are limitless. Assuming you have the data in CRM, as opposed to a dead end Excel spreadsheet
To learn more, or to see a demo of CRM Vertex, please contact Intellitec Solutions at 866-504-4357
By , a Microsoft CRM partner serving Delaware
