CRM in SMEs

Why are CRM solutions useful for SMEs?

shutterstock_301162325

Why CRM in SMEs?

To be able to answer this question, it is worth to have a look at the situation of the SMEs: the competitive pressure on small and medium-sized companies is growing. The customers are naturally pleased with an increase in the number of products so too in the choice. At the same time, the products become interchangeable for him. He no longer has to remain loyal to a particular product. If he buys a product from the competition at once, then it might stay unnoticed until he buys a second or third product from another supplier. In the worst case, it is then too late to win him back as a customer. If a customer turns away from a company, countermeasures must be taken early on.

Increasingly demanding customers

The expectations of the customers increase as the number of suppliers does. Ideally, the care should be

  • fast,
  • qualified
  • and individual.

If one receives no appreciation from the company or does not feel well advised, sooner or later one will look for another supplier. After all, this is not too difficult because of the large number of competitors, so one can choose the company in which one feels best cared for. For companies, this often means more intensive customer service associated with higher costs.

Lost customer knowledge

The SMEs internal processes frequently follow a trend: the employees’ work load increases but not the division of labor. If an employee is away on sick leave, for instance, his work is left undone in SMEs. Since no colleague is familiar with his field of work and could substitute him. If an employee leaves the company, valuable knowledge is then lost with him.

Increasing customer satisfaction and therefore customer loyalty

Selling a product is no longer sufficient. The loyalty of the customer for their own supplier is also important. This bond must be consolidated. The customers who are satisfied and feel individually cared for remain loyal. Individual care requires that one can specifically address the customer. Therefore, you have to know your customer.

Next to the external communication, the internal corporate communication has to be reconsidered as well. Countless information is exchanged and transmitted via various transport routes such as telephone or e-mail. These communication channels must be bundled together in order to make the flood of information transparent and make it available to all employees. Only then, processes can be more effective and efficient.

This is where CRM comes into play – a CRM system supports and optimizes
shutterstock_72881119

Since in a CRM system, all information is documented – a retrievable knowledge database is created.

Optimal visit preparation

Visiting a customer for field service staff is no longer a trip into the unknown. A look into the CRM and he immediately knows about the necessary customer or prospective customer information.

  • The customer has not bought anything for a long time?
  • He has shortly registered a complaint?
  • He has not reacted to a seminar invitation?

The field service employee can act accordingly during the next visit.

Always up-to-date

On the other hand, the back office keeps track of the quotations and agreements created by the field service for instance, without having to hunt the information. Important data do not get lost and all employees of sales, marketing and service departments find in the CRM system the data they need.

The consequence: you can react faster, more competently and more accurately to customer requests. Thereof customer contacts improve as well as customer satisfaction – and in the end a growing customer loyalty.

The CRM system comprehensively supports the sales staff in winning new customers.

Satisfied customers – satisfied employees

Automation of processes

Not only the customer satisfaction is growing – but also the satisfaction of the own employees. 
The standardization of the work processes relieves the employees. Here some examples:

  • With a central storage of information, these must not be laboriously requested by colleagues.
  • Pre-defined templates can facilitate quotation writing.
  • An automated substitution management cares for a problem-free substitution in case of vacations or sick leave.

Time and cost savings

In SMEs, standardized processes care for time saving and lower costs, satisfied customers for turnover growth and for valuable potential in referral marketing.

CRM in SMEs means:

  • More efficient processes in marketing, service and sales
  • Consolidation of the customer loyalty
  • Satisfied employees

Actual situation in SMEs:

  • High competitive pressure
  • Interchangeability of the products for the buyers
  • Low customer loyalty
  • Increasingly demanding customers
  • High costs for customer care
  • Increasing work load of the employees
  • No information transparency
  • Time-consuming processes

CRM uses:

  • Bundling the information
  • Significantly more transparent
  • Access for all employees
  • Improved customer care
  • Growing customer satisfaction
  • Higher customer loyalty
  • Potential for referral marketing
  • Optimized customer acquisition
  • Efficient processes
  • Huge time savings
  • Lower costs
  • Increasing employee satisfaction

Get to know our SME customers from the manufacturing and wholesale trade.

SMARTCRM in the capital goods industry

Closer to customers in sales and service

Customer contact has a special significance for a manufacturer in the capital goods industry, since it does not end with the sale. The subsequent care is crucial for customer loyalty. Learn how SMARTCRM supports companies in the capital goods industry.

more

Tips on CRM implementation

Questions you should ask yourself before introducing a CRM system

You would like to implement a CRM system in your company? So that your CRM project runs successfully from the start, we provide you some questions to make you think about it.

more

Checklist for a successful CRM implementation

You would like to implement a CRM system in your company? In order to succeed in your CRM project in the end, you should pay attention to certain criteria. Our CRM implementation checklist gives you a summary of the important tips along the way.

more