Let’s start by making sure we’re all on the same page: Client Relationship Manager (CRM) programs allow you to better manage your relationships with your clients. These have been growing more popular over the last few years as businesses have started using modern technology to better manage their customer’s information and use that information to cultivate better relationships with them. A newer term that may be better is the Customer Experience Manager (CEM).
Why is CEM a better term? It’s actually more accurate in describing how the better programs are intended to work, based on the fact that a customer’s experience is a major factor in determining how that customer feels about your business, and how likely they are to come back. The customer experience also determines how and what they’ll say about you on social media, and as we know that’s a major factor in determining how new customers decide to engage with a new-to-them business.
This shift has largely been driven by our shift to mobile-based internet, and the interactions we have there. Modern smartphones are powerful computers in their own right, and people are accustomed to using them for basically everything. Having the world in your hand —literally and figuratively— means that your business needs to interact with customers in ways that reflect this. Fast, convenient, on-demand, consistent, and personalized interactions via a wide variety of channels aren’t a luxury but a necessity. It’s estimated that more than four out of five —a massive 86%— of customers will pay more for a better experience, and how they interact with your team is a critical factor in determining the experience.
However, a recent Forbes survey showed that ⅔ of companies don’t believe CRM supports the customer experience. Several factors enter into this — they may be used old, inadequate systems, their staff may not be fully trained on their system, or management may not be aware of what a good system can do.
There are several solutions to using CRM as a true CEM platform, with obvious benefits for your business in the form of happy customers. First, a good CRM platform like CarDog is essential. CarDog is especially suited for CEM use because of its full feature set, intuitive use, and mobile-centric design. The ability to access complete databases from a smartphone or any other device, send and receive a wide variety of messages and alerts, and automation capabilities mean that your team’s responses are always fast and consistent. Fast, consistent responses lead to better engagements, and that leads to better customer experience.
The pace and pressure of modern business mean that old-school methods of managing customer information and contacts just isn’t enough. That’s why we created CarDog —it’s Old School Wisdom Made Mobile!
