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DSC Tech Library
This section of our technical library presents information and documentation relating to CRM Service and Customer relationship management software and products. Providing customer service is vital to maintaining successful business relationships. Accurate and timely information provided in a professional manner is the key to any business and service operation.
Our CRM software application TELEMATION, was developed with this in mind. But the ability to change is just as important in this ever changing business environment.
Telemation call center software was designed from the very beginning for this environment.
Many call center managers, with unique and changing requirements, have chosen and continue to use our CRM software as their solution of choice.
Our contact center CRM solution is ideally suited for call center service bureaus.
The Value Of CRM
The following is an extract from the article "Is CRM Worth It?" from CRM Daily.
"In 2003, some studies reported that only 30 percent of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) implementations were successful. That is an extremely low satisfaction rate and points to the fact that installing a CRM system does not necessarily result in success. Ensuring a good match between the company's needs and the software's capabilities is critical for success. Determining that match requires careful preparation.
Some businesses have realized a good ROI on their CRM system in a reasonable amount of time. Some companies have even experienced better customer retention. To achieve these benefits, however, you need to choose the correct CRM system for your company's needs and constantly re-evaluate the system to make sure it's providing your company with the maximum benefit.
It's not as simple as doing a few minutes of research, placing an order, and never thinking about it again. To get the optimal benefits, you need to evaluate a set of criteria to determine your best option and then make modifications needed over time. The following will help you choose the best CRM system for your company's needs.
Choose Your Vendor Carefully
Most software companies entered the CRM market with a handful of basic products. However, end-user companies found these products didn't always meet their unique needs-resulting in a low success rate and discouraging company leaders. Variations of CRM software, designed to meet a broader range of needs, were created and had varying degrees of success.
CRM software is only successful when it meets a company's goals in managing relationships with its customers. But not all software manages customer relationships or provides managers with the same data. Some software specializes in data-mining, so that a company can identify characteristics of different customer segments or specializes in collecting and analyzing information from customers who visit websites.
Other software is linked with Enterprise Management software so customer data from accounting, shipping, invoice processing, marketing research, and consumer service can be combined to get a 360-degree view of your customers. Yet more software specializes in matching incoming calls with designated customer service reps, or automatically generating responses to customers. Some software provides a combination of these services. As you can see, the choices are plentiful.
Choosing the right CRM vendor for your company will make all the difference between a successful implementation and an unsuccessful one. Just as not all CRM software is the same, neither are the vendors. As you choose a vendor, consider these questions:
- Does the vendor who is selling CRM software ask you about your company's goals or the kind of Customer Relationship Management you are attempting to create?
- Does the vendor explain the advantages and disadvantages of different analytical processes in terms of the kind of data generated and what it tells you about your customers?
- Does the vendor explain the use of the data in terms of business processes?
If the vendor can't explain how the data generated by their company's software enables you to manage the kind of relationship you want with your customers, then talk to another vendor.
Focus On Your Customers and Your Goals
Now that you know which vendor is best for you, you need to determine which product the vendor offers will meet your needs. Remember, most vendors offer several solutions. An effective CRM system identifies customer demand and maintains customer loyalty .
Using CRM software is not a matter of describing a target market by identifying customer characteristics. It is not a matter of using software to computerize current business processes. It is not a process of matching customers with products. Rather, CRM software needs to accomplish the following:
- It needs to gather, process, and analyze all customer information to create insight as to how and why they make purchases.
- It needs to create a simplified process for customers to do business with your company.
- It needs to make relevant customer information available where and when it is needed throughout the organization.
To uncover which CRM software will help you focus on your customers and your goals, consider the following questions:
- What customer relationship do you want to manage? Do you want to attract more customers? Do you want to encourage current customers to purchase more often? Do you want to turn occasional customers into loyal customers? Do you want to manage the lifetime value of your customers?
- What data do you need to gather? What information do you need for decision-making? What process will you use to manage your customer relationships? What kind of ongoing communication do you want to have with your customers?
- What business processes are necessary? The processes need to enable employees to respond to customer questions, capture customer responses, and to create ongoing two-way communication between your company and your customers. Who in your company interacts with customers? For what purpose? What information do those employees need to respond effectively to customer questions? How is the customer communication captured? Who analyzes it? How does it become part of an ongoing communication process?
Now that you have identified what you need CRM software to do to achieve company goals and what information you need to create and manage relationships with your customers, you can effectively evaluate products and determine which software best fits your needs...."
To view the entire article, please visit www.crmdaily.com.
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