Tuesday 13 June 2017

Taking CRM to Another Level – Customer Centrism, AI Chatbot and More

While you will come across a lot of CRM 101 talk in 2017, telling what to do what not, you must accept the fact that CRM is much more than calling and emailing now. With AI chatbot being the hottest trend in in this arena, and businesses going highly automated, you know you can't handle customer only via calling and emails. The world of sales and marketing has come to much more than that, and what exactly is what we'll find out here.

What is Customer Relationship Management about in 2017?


  • Selecting the Apt CRM
Remember this one rule of the thumb – one size doesn't fit all. Even if two businesses are the same in essence, they are never the same in all aspects. Every setup is unique in its own way and that is why you can't just pick up a CRM software or model just because it works well for your competitor. Be sure to understand the requirements of your business as well as your audience, only then can you choose the best one.

You've got to figure out what works best for you according to your audience, their culture and habits, the demographics, your financial as well as organizational setup, only to name a few.


  • Integrating Marketing and CRM – Automation is the Key

  • So, have you already opted for automated marketing? Does your business have the ability to differentiate between SQLs and MQLs? Have you eased the process of sales with marketing? Is digital marketing a major part of your overall marketing plan? If yes, there is no way you could skip automating CRM.

AI customer service is something you will have to look into and implement sooner or later because that is how you will end up integrating the best of marketing with the best of CRM. Live chat through chatbots, customer support through WhatsApp and Facebook messenger is something you must adopt sooner rather than later to get the entire automation process in line.

  • Understanding the Related Processes and Having them in Place
CRM is not a magic wand. Today, the emphasis on customer journey and feedback is necessitated just for one reason – betterment of processes. CRM is a process in its own right, but what will surely ensue after it will be more processes, better processes that set all the things standing in the way of great customer support and even greater sales, right.

  • Data – This Year is All about Data
Now, one great thing about using automated marketing and AI customer service is data – something that cold calling and outbound prospecting doesn't give you. And, 2017 is all about data. Like mentioned above, customer information and journeys are a mine of business possibilities and success. If you can use that data to the fullest, there is no stopping you.

CRM 101 – Organize this data correctly and you will be on the top of the game. Make is so easy to comprehend and access that you can pull it out and read it in a moment. This will act as your basic and biggest step to more conversions through lessons learned.

  • Listening Socially
These are not the times to believe in letting the dogs bark if they may. The times are playing high on social media. Customers also get back to you through social media platforms, especially, Facebook and Twitter. And, people have stuff to say – good and bad.

The key is to listen, both positives and negatives. While appreciation is always something we chance upon eagerly, criticism is something you must never leave unaddressed. Address your shortcomings; revert to criticism in the most positive possible manner. That is one implicit but great way to manage your CRM intelligently.


If CRM 2017 is to be summed up, the biggest lesson to learn is that of automation. Do you think it's about time you had an AI chatbot in place?

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