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How can you adapt your CRM to your business sector?

Le CRM (Customer Relationship Management), dans sa plus simple définition, est un outil qui regroupe un ensemble de fonctionnalités destinées à la gestion de la relation client, en vue d’optimiser et maximiser le chiffre d’affaires par client.

But if CRM was as simple as its definition, why is the market offering so broad? Are all CRMs the same?

 

Of course not. Is the difference in the functional coverage or in the ergonomics of the software? Perhaps... Beyond the interest of integrating a CRM into your information system, it is important to understand the need to adapt the tool to your business sector.

 

From one company to another, business processes differ and it is not possible to shoehorn all companies into the same software... To be effective, a CRM must first of all correspond to your business. A CRM must be adapted to your current and future organisation.

Our partner, the CRM solution provider KOBAN This week, our partner, the CRM solution provider, explains the right questions to ask yourself when choosing the right CRM for your company.

 

What is the purpose of a CRM?

CRM is above all a tool, not a magic wand. If the effectiveness of such a tool has yet to be demonstrated, this is due more to a failure to adopt it thanto the choice of the right tool for the organisation. According to the latest study carried out by Nomination*, specific and internally developed CRM comes third in terms of equipment for SMEs. And yet, the level of user dissatisfaction is high... Proof that, however well adapted a CRM may be to an organisation, it remains poorly perceived and therefore poorly used.

 

Most often the result of an initiative by general management, CRM equipment is part of the company's overall strategy. The standard CRM functionalities must then respond to a motivation to improve the management of commercial activity.

 

The objective is clear: to structure the activity. However, not all CRMs are created equal. From the simplest to the most complete, the functionalities range from business portfolio management to customer/prospect relationship management, thus covering all invoicing, sales and marketing processes. At all levels of users, from the marketing department to the sales force, via the manager, the CRM boosts growth by increasing efficiency in prospecting and acquiring new customers.

 

Insofar as CRM is primarily used to manage sales activitythe corresponding functionalities are standard: sales process, sales pipeline, collaborative diary, messaging, geolocation... all means to improve the daily efficiency of the sales force.

In practice, business processes may differ from one sector to another. For example, a property developer will not apply the same sales actions as an industrial company. Because neither the clientele nor the products sold are identical, just as the prospecting methods will also be different. A CRM, which brings together all the techniques used by the sales force to monitor and manage customers, will have various channels for interacting with contacts. The notion of CRM has therefore gradually expanded to meet the more current needs of existing customers, integrating multi-channel, data collection and analysis.

 

Choosing the right "type" of CRM

As we have seen, whether simple or complex, a CRM tool is above all about functionality. When the choice of a CRM equipment is necessary, it is easy to list the functionalities required for an organisation. Faced with a very broad offer, it is advisable to choose the type of CRM before the CRM itself.

 

The evolution of uses implies customer relationship management in multi-channel mode. However, CRM functions extended to digital channels, by collecting and analysing data for scoring or profiling purposes, are not offered in standard CRMs but in so-called analytical CRMs. Analytical CRM is used to discover patterns of customer behaviour, to determine targets, additional sales potential, customer lifetime value, etc. Similarly, by definition, CRM is used to manage the customer relationship, not the prospect relationship. Prospect relationship management consists of defining a relational process for managing prospects inspired by customer relationship management practices, based on the PRM (prospect relationship management) model. The actions are different because of the obvious difference between customer and prospect status.

 

So many features for different uses and types of CRM. It is clear that the SAAS model has largely contributed to the democratisation of CRM by making it more accessible technically and financially for companies in all sectors. The other side of the coin is this quest for the most complete tool possible at the lowest cost. But each sector of activity has specific functional needs...

 

Why are some CRMs suitable for some sectors and not others?

Let's take two sectors of activity: the hotel industry and transport. On the face of it, everything is in opposition and if they were to equip themselves with a CRM, the choice would be different for each. But what are the differences between them? The customer base? The sales process? The product? The hotel industry involves notions of reservation, staff management, stocks... Transport involves the management of time, expenses, delivery... Specific functionalities for each activity but... in the end, doesn't this have more to do with a "language" specific to the sector rather than with the functionalities of a CRM?

 

As a reminder, in the strict sense of the term, CRM is used to manage customer relations. In a more extensive version, i.e. adding marketing functionalities for example, we would then speak of a "Suite". To add the management of reservations or a cash register, we will speak of "integration". To have a CRM adapted to 100% of your organisation is to speak either of "specific" or "customisation". When a CRM is only adapted to one organisational model for one sector of activity, then we speak of a "vertical". Can a standard CRM be adapted to several sectors or several organisations? Yes, fortunately. Because it is not so much the customer relationship management that differs from one sector to another, but the commercial management.

 

Choosing the right CRM means above all choosing the right CRM for your sales processesTaking into account the type of customers (or contacts) to be managed. Commerce in a BtoB context does not imply the same organisation as in a BtoC context. In a BtoB context, a customer relationship management software allows to centralize then to improve the customer knowledge, and to propose offers and products adapted to their expectations. Commercial management and channels are different for managing a private customer base. Individuals will tend to use digital, mobile and more generally Internet channels for their purchases. The purchase path may be direct, indirect or both. Most CRM software is not adapted to BtoC because of the difference in management between a marketing department and its prospect base (mainly loyalty), and a sales department that is more customer-oriented.

 

A scalable and customizable CRM, really?

You have the right "type" of CRM, adapted to your sector of activity, you now need to find the CRM adapted to your organisation. The mistake would be to go looking for the tool that fits 100%. Because this tool does not exist, or you will have to have it custom developed, which represents a cost. The right tool is one that you can customise and that will grow with your business.

 

Most CRM software is customisable: fields, sales process, sales pipeline, etc. so that it is perfectly adapted to your company's specificities.

But customisation does not stop at simply being able to add or modify fields. Personalisation must go further, by proposing relevant settings that take into account the overall business dimension of the company. A practically "tailor-made" setting that "makes your data speak". Each company, each sector of activity does not use the same data. From one company to another, the need is different. If we take our examples of the hotel industry versus transport, each uses different indicators: the occupancy rate for the hotel industry and the tonnage transported per kilometre for transport... All these specific indicators do not require the same CRM settings.

 

In the same way, CRM customisation implies the ability to integrate into a complete information system. Because a CRM allows you to manage customer relations with its own functionalities, by linking it to your production tool or your accounting software, you are able to cover all your business processes without losing data. Because a CRM, to be functional and efficient, needs to be constantly fed with fresh and quality data, from your system or from third-party applications, thus becoming a real decision-making tool.

 

Lors de la définition d’un projet CRM, évaluer le périmètre fonctionnel à travers un cahier des charges est indispensable, mais pour choisir le bon CRM il est essentiel de voir plus loin. La compréhension du métier de l’entreprise est primordiale pour pouvoir lister l’ensemble des besoins auxquels doit répondre un CRM. Cette étape garantit l’adéquation parfaite du logiciel aux processus et à l’organisation de l’entreprise.

 

A CRM is not only a data repository, it also allows you to analyse your activity to better manage it. A CRM is a tool that must be able to adapt to the current needs and future developments of a company. Choosing a scalable solution is therefore essential in order to support the development of a new market or the redesign of a business process, for example. The stakes can be considerable at the level of an organisation if the company's strategy is not taken into account at the start of the project.

 

To find out more about CRM and to help you in your projects, find all our methods and tools here:

*Studyconducted in November 2017 by Nomination among 427 contacts from sales, marketing, CEO functions. Companies from all sectors whose company is based in France (27% microenterprises, 32% SMEs, 22% ETIs, 19% large companies)


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