The marketing industry categorizes CRM into three main types of CRM systems: analytical, collaborative, and operational. Choosing the best CRM for your business can be a hustle, considering that for it to be optimal, it should fit your brand's needs.
A good business model relies on creating and maintaining excellent relationships with your customers. However, it's challenging to keep track of your clients and what's their relationship with your brand. Whether your business is large with thousands of customers or small with a hundred, keeping track of them is not a ball you should drop.
The best option to handle this issue is to implement the right tools into your strategy, in this case, getting the best CRM for your business. If you're not familiar with CRM marketing, then one of the first things you should learn is these three main types. You should understand the difference between them so you can choose the right fit for your organization.
What Is CRM Exactly?
In simple terms, CRM or customer relationship management is the products and services that allow effective management of customer relationships. The most relevant thing about CRM is in the first word; it's all about the customers.
The right CRM should help you understand your clients better and allow you to utilize the collected data to provide the best customer experience possible. However, since the development of new communication channels, achieving the goal of providing the best CX possible has become a challenge.
With more than one way to conduct product research and make purchases, the complexity of the customer's journey has grown. Naturally, the difficulties of managing businesses offering many products to different audiences are more notable. That's why the range of CRM products grew, basically out of the need to address the various challenges. But you shouldn't worry, with the right team guiding you in the right direction is not difficult to choose the best CRM for your business.
Collaborative CRM
One of the main goals of collaborative CRM is to take down barriers. Usually, sales reps, marketing teams, and customer support aren't in the same department, and there's a lack of connection. This is more noticeable in bigger businesses since those departments may be further separated, considering the channels they serve, products they focus on, geographic locations, or skill specialties.
Collaborative CRM makes sure that all teams can access the same customer info in real-time, no matter what channel they work in. The channels and departments integration saves customers from repeating themselves every time they reach out.
Operational CRM
This type of CRM allows streamlining the customer relationships processes of a company. Usually, they provide tools to have a better picture and handle the customer's journey. Even when the process comprehends a large number of touchpoints, operational CRM will help you provide a better service.
Typically, operational CRM includes automation features. Sales, marketing, and service automation offloads some of the tasks your teams would have to handle otherwise. This creates room for your employees to focus on more personal and creative aspects of their work that need a human touch.
Analytical CRM
Its primary focus is to help analyze the customer info to obtain relevant insights. Digital platforms and tools make it easy to obtain large quantities of information. But data analysis is a complex feature to handle easily. Statistics show that more than half of the data gathered by organizations is never utilized.
The data you obtain from your customers is too valuable for the development of your brand. An analytical CRM offers the means that will help you use that data in your favor. That information can help you understand what worked and what didn't for your sales and customer retention.
Choosing the Best CRM for Your Business
In case you're sure your company is in need of a CRM, but you're still in the search process, it is crucial to understand the difference between these three types. While there are similarities among them, each category focuses on specific features and functions.
To pick the best for your business it is critical to understand what are the particular needs of your business and set the goals you want to achieve. Although your business will benefit from investing in all three kinds, this may be overkill for a small organization.
So what should you prioritize when looking for a CRM? Well, first, it's essential to figure out a strategy for customer relationships. What are the objectives of your brand? What are the primary challenges? The answers to these questions will provide you with clarity on where you should start.
We know this process could be overwhelming considering all the factors that play a role in your company's success, but you can sleep at ease; Antelope’s got your back. Reach out to us; we want to hear from you, we'll be glad to help your company reach the next level.
