How a CRM consulting service can make call centers more competitive for their customers

A CRM consulting service can diagnose, remedy, and magnify companies’ marketing, sales, and CRM operations. As a result, customers remain loyal and establish a relationship with the company; the companies increase their revenues and reduce the costs of customer turnover, all while increasing their market share. 

Call centers and large enterprises are more likely to use CRM consultants because these services are costly, and larger firms require a complex, customized approach which consulting companies can provide. For example, a consulting firm like Digisoft specializes in developing customized solutions for complex call center problems. These seasoned CRM consulting specialists analyze and design new projects, setup networks and can integrate new CRM technology in order to retain customers and quickly increase their client’s productivity. 

An effective CRM consultant will analyze the client company’s operations to observe the current state of operation and the desired future state, which will give a clear picture of the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The consultant will also diagnose the situation to see what specific actions can be taken to improve operations and efficiency. Management in these companies should note that a project set-up, script design, and installation of the CRM system takes time and preparation in order to meet the needs of their customers. 

CRM consultants save money for the client company in the long run by adding overall brand value. They also decrease operational costs and the cost of having to replace customers – for if a company can even keep 20% of its customers loyal with incentives and value, its annual revenues will increase. 

Areas included in a Digisoft consultation

• Project consultation -- Consultants maximize the time needed to gather information on the client company while finding an efficient CRM solution. Consultants focus their call center analysis on capital funding requests, ROI, and vendor selection.
   
• Contact center analysis -- CRM consulting services start with a session studying the overall design of the contact center, computer network, phone system, and database in order to implement the Digisoft CRM solution, which is called Telescript.
   
• Project and CRM script development -- If the client company plans on implementing multiple projects to run simultaneously and still wants to retain control of the project design, Digisoft can provide experienced script developers to customize that client’s network and database design. These consultants can also install a predictive dialing installation to reconfigure the call center’s telephony system.
   
• Computer telephony and database integration -- Once the call center’s system has been configured, Digisoft consultants link the database to the client’s phone system using Telescript. Whether it is FoxPro, Access, Oracle, SQL or others, Telescript, the CRM solution, can utilize the client’s databases, word processing documents, graphics and programs to incorporate them into the new CRM system.

Contact center management needs CRM consultants to help make technology investment decisions and provide the client’s customers with value and service. A consulting firm like Digisoft delivers more than just a technical analysis on a project; they will offer greater value to their client’s customers, who will in turn establish a long-term relationship with that company. 

Digisoft’s CRM software, Telescript, enables the client to customize sales, marketing, research, and other telephone work to match their specific needs to increase productivity and customer relationships.

Where to find relevant online customer relationship management articles

CRM professionals trying to find relevant online customer relationship management articles that discuss CRM offerings, research, and trends need to look no further than Small Business CRM. This umbrella CRM website lists several other websites that contain numerous CRM articles, press releases and up-to-date software information. 

This is only one example of the numerous website that can be found online for researching and evaluating CRM technologies, market trends, and software solution providers. Furthermore, the following is a listing of five more useful customer relationship management websites and what information they can provide CRM users and trend watchers.

• The Customer Management Community -- This well-organized site features the latest CRM news, information and events. If users are interested in accessing the sites’ library including its white papers and other documents, then registration is required but the membership is free. The Customer Management Community website also announces jobs in the CRM industry and has a section for CRM professionals to mentor others who are new to the customer relationship management industry.
   
• CRM Guru -- If users register on this site, they will receive the CRM Guru’s award-winning Customer Think Newsletter, occasional special offers, and a free pack of CRM white papers, all at no cost. The Guru announces that it has 200,000 CRM members worldwide and it keeps those members informed with relevant articles listed in an extensive database, along with online forums featuring CRM Guru panelists.
   
• CRM Daily Newsfactor -- This website divides its articles into 10 CRM categories: CRM daily news updates, customer service, management, sales force, supply-chain, contact centers, customer data, CRM systems, and marketing automation, which all give users specific answers to their CRM questions. Users can also download white papers when they submit their free registration information, as well as hunt for software update information on the resource center page.
   
• The Shared Insights Network -- The Shared Insight Network encourages users to immediately join the membership for free in order to receive information on the latest CRM trends, online debates, and discussions. The SI Network has access to hundreds of research articles along with a powerful search function that is competitive with Google.
   
• SearchCRM -- SearchCRM provides CRM professionals with original daily news, recognized experts, hand-picked web links, discussion forums, webcasts and customized research. The site also offers tips on vendors, product selection, deployment and management of CRM initiatives. Also, members may receive multiple newsletters and a free subscription to CIO Decisions magazine.

All of these resources and their online articles make it easy for a CRM manager to locate information on the industry or to find answers for CRM software questions. These websites offer free memberships, so that users will be more likely to keep abreast of CRM industry news and developments.

Finding an effective automotive CRM software tool for the automotive vertical market

There is much potential and challenge for today’s automotive CRM software market since an effective automotive CRM tool for this vertical market will help dealers increase sales, customer loyalty and achieve customer retention. This market can be classified as a vertical one since car companies only sell to dealers, and not to other businesses. 

The car companies and their relationship with their suppliers has been traditionally difficult, but armed with a proven CRM solution, like Siebel, the automotive industry can fight off lagging sales and build customer loyalty by targeting specific clients to boost leads and boost sales. Other automotive CRM solutions include AutoCRM and Terrasoft CRM. 

Because the car company and dealer relationship is so important for developing sales and customers, finding a sound CRM solution should be a management priority. Siebel is an expensive ($70/month per user), yet extremely effective solution for car companies and dealers, and AutoCRM improves business by smoothly integrating customer relationships through touchpoints, technology, and information. The Terrsoft CRM software solution monitors vehicle stock levels, delivers reports for the most popular models, and generates invoices for the used car exchange. 

All of these CRM solutions focus on accomplishing the following between car suppliers and their dealers:

• Address problems within the automotive industry
   
• Increase sales and market share
   
• Address difficult dealer/supplier relationships and a lack of dealer collaboration
   
• Increase multichannel capabilities
   
• Integrate supplier and dealer planning to lower high IT costs
   
• Share sales, service and marketing information
   
• Collaborate to manage complex data governance requirements
   
• Effectively manage employee relationships

In order for car dealerships and their dealers to work together and gain customers, both need to let go of the notion that they are cannibalizing each other’s customers. Since there are few incentives or efficient methods for dealers and car companies to share critical customer data, management will not receive effective product, service, and household information if there isn't an effective CRM solution in place. In addition, consumers receive conflicting marketing communications from the two camps, which dilutes the brand value. 

Key features of Siebel’s CRM software

 

The right customer relationship management can give the sales and marketing divisions of the car companies access to the same customer information at the same time. In the case of Siebel’s CRM OnDemand Automotive Edition solution, dealers can take sales leads and centralize them for the automakers’ use.

These are Siebel’s key features:

• Sales management shares customer information between sales, service and parts departments
   
• Vehicle management gives complete vehicle data along with sales, service and financial history, as well as dealer and license information and owner and contact information
   
• Activity and e-mail management systems link e-mails with associated contacts, leads and opportunities
   
• Service management increases customer loyalty by enabling consistent, personalized interaction across all customer touchpoints including, telephone, e-mail, Web, wireless devices and in-person meetings.

There are numerous challenges for getting automotive manufacturers and their dealers on the same page with CRM. However, today’s CRM tools can effectively serve the needs of the automakers and dealers by increasing customer trust and loyalty with an integrated software system.

A look at how hosted software can fill the need of small business CRM solutions

In a small business, if customers are not satisfied, the fall-out can be devastating. Once you learn more about the small business CRM solutions available on the market today, you may realize that the benefits you will receive far outweigh any cost you will have to incur. 

There's no question, the size of your business affects your strategic planning in many areas. How you determine and set your customer relationship management strategies are no exception. Just because your business is small doesn't mean you don't have to spend time focusing on all of the areas that large corporations focus on. In fact, small businesses often have to be more focused on customer needs and satisfaction since they cannot afford to loose even one customer. 

The CRM solutions for small business that are available in the market today are referred to as hosted CRM solutions, and they are specifically designed with the small business and small budget in mind. Let's look at how these tools are specifically designed to help your small business. 

A review of hosted CRM solutions

 

Using hosted CRM solutions can be a great way for small businesses to gain access to all of the advantages CRM software can offer without the high price tag and complexity associated with an in house implementation. With a hosted CRM solution, IT costs are virtually eliminated because you do not have to purchase any additional hardware or software, and you do not have to retain any IT personnel resources. This is really a terrific option to consider because you are usually only required to pay a low monthly fee to gain access to the system, and most of the hosted solutions available on the market are very user friendly and require very little training to get started.

There are many companies out there today that market hosted CRM solutions. One of the more popular names is Salesforce.com. They have been dubbed the leader in on-demand customer relationship management, and with over 500,000 users, it's easy to see why. For as little as $65.00 per month you can have access to some of the most innovative CRM strategies available. Visit their website to download a free trial version to see if this service is right for your business. 

There is another company out there called Entellium. Entellium is not quite as well known as Salesforce.com, but their service has some unique features that are worth noting. Entellium does not require a long-term contract, you can subscribe on a month-to-month basis. They also provide 24/7 customer support free, and offer wireless access to their sales CRM solution. They also guarantee 99.7% uptime availability or you will get your money back. It's hard to argue with that. 

With several great options available, no IT expenditure required, and no long-term commitment contract needed, hosted CRM solutions are a terrific way to stay on top of your customer's needs.

Small business customer relationship management web-based solutions

Solutions for a small business customer relationship management system need to be different than for a SME (small or medium enterprise) or SMB (small or medium business). A SSB owner (small small business) wants to find an affordable CRM solution and one that is easy to install and operate. The best CRM for small businesses is a hosted web-based solution such as FreeCRM, CRMbyWeb and SalesProCRM that offers smooth data integration with a contact manager, efficient functionalities, and lead capturing and data sharing. All of these features are vital for a small business's sales, service, and marketing CRM strategy. 

Since small businesses (SSBs) don't have a lot of personnel on staff, and anyone who is in CRM training is taking time away from their job duties, finding a fast and easy CRM solution is key for success. Unlike the larger SMB's who have more staff members, and can afford the higher priced software and monthly fees from Siebel or ACCPAC International; CRM software for a small business has to have a lower cost of entry and lower total cost of ownership. The CRM solution also has to function without a server infrastructure and without a complex IT network. Overall, SSB's will gravitate to the CRM solution that focuses on timeliness, so that the business can be able to respond to potential problems or opportunities faster than its competition. Staff and clients must be informed about the relevant customer data in order to use this information for generating more leads and retaining existing customers. 

A look at some competitive small business (SSB) CRM solutions

• FreeCRM (www.freecrm.com) -- This software is available for free to customers because of its limited storage capacity and its use of banner advertising. Customers also have access to 128 bit SSL encryption, data that is backed up hourly, contact, e-mail and lead management and document sharing, as well as import and export functions that work well with database software such Act!, GoldMine, Outlook, and other database applications. Unlike a SMB CRM solution like ACCPAC CRM, which integrates with existing IT solutions, and offers training and support services, FreeCRM keeps its CRM solution simple, yet is fast and secure.
   
• CRMbyWeb (www.crmbyweb.com) -- This CRM application emphasizes customer maintenance and would be an ideal for a service-based business like a doctor's office. It features a customer self-service area for customers to submit their information directly online to the CRM database to check the status of their cases, and to review order history, invoices or pay online. The Customer Maintenance function is the key feature for this software because of its ability to add, review, update, and delete customer information. The feature also manages locations and contacts, maintains information on leads and prospects, accesses account activity reports, prints labels, and sends mass e-mails. In fact, Customer Maintenance is linked to the calendar/scheduling areas, the quotes area, and most importantly to the ordering area. Unlike Siebel's multichannel capabilities and centralized data integration, CRMbyWeb is designed for servicing a single customer and would be ideal for a small small business in the service industry.
   
• SalesProCRM (www.salesprocrm.com) -- This CRM solution is easy to use and is available in several editions for customers, including a free one that can later be upgraded. The editions include the Enterprise Edition with forecasting and document library, the Personal Edition-Plus, with bulk data importing and live support, and the Personal Edition-Free. This CRM solution of the three small business (SSB) CRM solutions is perhaps the most comparable to the ACCPAC software SMB solution because of its database and e-mail integration systems, although SalesProCRM does not have PDA or wireless capabilities to connect to a mobile sales force.

Characteristics of an effective SSB CRM solution

Smaller businesses can least afford to waste valuable time and financial resources on ineffective CRM solutions. A strong CRM solution for an SSB will have the following characteristics.

• Increase the productivity of the company's salesforce, so that more revenue can be earned with fewer salespeople.
   
• Target customers and prospects that would be most likely to buy, and would not spend time on those customers who be less likely to buy. |
   
• Convert the staff into product or service experts who will gain skeptical customers through their knowledge and expertise, and keep them coming back.
   
• Increase profits, revenues and customer satisfaction.

Today, a small business owner in a SSB has a lot of choice in the small business CRM solution market. Looking at FreeCRM, CRMbyWeb, and SalesProCRM, plus many others, is the right step for building the business. While these CRM solutions may not have all of the capabilities and features of a Siebel or ACCPAC CRM solution, these solutions will fit the small business and help it better respond to its unique customer relationship management and marketing needs.