If you thought to yourself ‘Does my company need a CRM’, then chances are, you do. What is a CRM really? And what exactly can a CRM do anyway? Well, you’re in the right place, as you will find answers to these questions (plus a bonus info) in this article.
What is a CRM?
A CRM, or Customer Relationship Management system, is essentially a database that holds information on- you guessed it- your customers. Except your customers don’t necessarily have to be customers in its traditional sense that they are not an individual who has, or will make a purchase. They could be the volunteers for your charity or initiative like National Trust. They could also be the other organisations or businesses you need to contact. They could be used to hold any, or all, of the above.
What can a CRM do?
It not only holds information on these consumers, it also allows you to automate a lot of the communication and business processes; and as a bonus, provides you with a range of analytics tools to help improve yo
ur business. National Trust, mentioned above, uses a CRM system to organise and manage their volunteers’ data. The CRM holds expense sheets, collates information on whom they need to get in touch with and gives them customised reports on a range of things they can specify. This is a no brainer as it saves time for the volunteers and National Trust as well as allows them to cross reference data across different NT revenues.
Can Satori CRM give you all you need?
With all this information flying around the Satori CRM catches information Associations need to keep to stay in touch with members by using an easy to use system. The beauty of the Satori system is it is modular so it allows you to gather all the bio data you need from purchasing history to events and conferences attended over a period of time. This then builds a picture of each member so when it comes to communicating with them you can personalise your messages to create a greater response rate. The richness of the data will become more apparent with time as the data will organically grow. Have a read about Satori CRM. It also has a feature to collate information on members across regions and departments using a single admin system which can be used across different linked websites. Such power gives it the punch you need to run an Association well!
Take Community Coffee as a different example. An online business company, they use CRM to keep track of their customers- who can then be ‘queried’ on, so that they know who has made a purchase recently, or who has been a regular customer, and those with whom they have lost contact- and this information is used to then send targeted communications towards these groups of people and increase customer engagement and ultimately sales. All of this is automated so this happens in a timely manner and on a regular basis without having to employ extra staff members to run this. We are so accustomed to regular information it makes sense to build relationships with customers in this online manner, especially as many of us are using our mobile phones to buy online. .jpg)
Additional things you can do with a CRM includes buddying up with other systems so that you can enable options like online logins and data updates for your consumers, in-system email marketing options and online event booking options amongst other things. Ultimately, it can give you the option to make more informed and data-driven decisions, and help you grow sales by giving data analysis on the ongoing sales activity.
How can I get one for my company?
The first and most important thing I would recommend is to do lots of research. What do the other associations in your industry use?
Like the sound of Satori see some our case studies and request demos of Satori
We at Satori treat each and every one of our clients as unique beings, and provide highly customised CRM solutions which cater to their organisation or business needs. Why not call or email Anita at Satori MM now, to request a demo for your business and discuss what we can do for your association?