Definition: what is a CRM?

These acronyms actually refer to three different areas of customer management:

• The marketing strategy.

• Commercial management.

• Customer service or after-sales service.

• These tasks are managed through specific software known directly as CRM.

What is CRM software?

It is a tool that encompasses all the information that a company has about its customers. It allows you to create files in which you can keep track of the client’s personal data, forms of contact, incidents that have been presented, and even the last contact that has been maintained with them.

How does CRM work?

The program collects all the data that the company considers important and then allows access to it using different filters. This results in a much more organized and practical information file, which can only be accessed by those authorized to do so.

Advantages of CRM

The terms CRM and marketing frequently appear together because of how important this software is in customer relationships. Having all the commercial management information centralized provides three great advantages to the company:

• Improves commercial activity by having a more detailed profile of the products or services that interest each type of customer. It allows you to send fully segmented advertising with more possibilities of conversion, making the marketing plan more effective.  

• It speeds up the work of managers, who have centralized all the information they need to do their work.

• It improves communication with the customer, especially in cases of complaints, by preventing the consumer from having to present their problem several times to different interlocutors.

CRM Examples

Free

• Suma CRM:  has a free trial version for one month, enough to check if it is really useful and how this tool can improve different areas of online marketing. 

• Hubspot:  is very focused on marketing and sales, and is one of the most used by Spanish companies. It also stands out for having an area that allows you to automate tasks.

payment

• Sugarcrm:  very focused on sales and with a specific area dedicated to mobile CRM, which is something that not all tools of this type offer. Highly recommended for large companies that handle a large volume of clients.

• Vtiger CRM:  includes three sales services, customer communication and All-in-One to get more leads.

Is it essential to have a CRM in the company?

In businesses that have just started or have a low volume of clientele, data management and business relationships can be done with Excel, but since it is not a specialized tool it can soon fall short.

CRM is considered one of the best productivity tools in the commercial and customer service area, allowing workers to automate repetitive tasks that reduce their productivity. If your client base is growing considerably, it is best to start using one.