Creating a Cohesive CRM Strategy
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is not a new concept. The cultivation of the relationship between vendor and customer was present in the earliest sales transactions. With the surge of CRM technologies in recent years, companies have rediscovered the fiscal benefits implementing CRM.
Traditionally, CRM solutions are comprised of functionality for automating customer support, sales and marketing. However, there are other elements that should be incorporated in order to achieve a truly comprehensive CRM strategy.
Self-service and e-mail marketing are valuable functions of CRM that are often overlooked by vendors and customers alike. The cost-savings afforded by self-service, coupled with its customer-pleasing convenience make a highly beneficial addendum to traditional CRM. And e-mail marketing lowers the cost of communicating with both potential and existing customers.
A Complete CRM Solution
Implementing a truly comprehensive CRM solution that incorporates Web self-service and e-mail marketing, in addition to the traditional functions for sales, customer service and marketing, can help maintain and grow customer relationships while producing a cost savings that directly impacts the bottom line.
Amplify Customer Satisfaction with Self-Service
In the face of demands to cut costs, while maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction, Web self-service technologies are working their way into today’s enterprises. The potential for cost savings and increased employee efficiency make Web self-service an attractive option to consider. Yet, as the enterprise evolves, self-service is destined to become more of a necessity than an option. Clients crave 24x7 access to account information and value the convenience of being able to locate information on their own. As more customers turn to the Web to conduct business, Web self-service will become a critical component of competitive customer service strategy.
Create Value through E-Mail Marketing
E-mail marketing is experiencing dramatic growth as marketers in virtually every industry begin to take advantage of this powerful technique that helps reduce marketing costs by enabling more efficient communication with customers and prospects. Response rates for e-mail marketing are substantially higher than traditional marketing techniques because there is much greater opportunity to target messages to the interests of the recipient. E-mail marketing costs are substantially lower because it eliminates postage, printing and other costs associated with traditional direct mail marketing.
Taking advantage of e-mail marketing requires careful attention to its unique characteristics. The ease of reaching out to prospects via e-mail marketing must be balanced with compliance to federal regulations on spamming. Additionally, it’s important to select software that will help reach the right people with the right message, while generating metrics that will facilitate future successes. Effective marketing projects are results-oriented. The ability to analyze the success of a campaign can help you plan for future campaigns and prepare for changes in your organization’s sales or service activity.
Epicor Solutions
Self-Service
Clientele Self-Service Portal from Epicor helps meet the demands of today’s customers by providing access to information and answers to their questions at their convenience. The AnswerBook feature, an online store of answers to customers' questions you anticipate they will ask or have asked before, allows customers to help themselves to information anytime, anywhere. Whether searching the Web-enabled AnswerBook for a solution, adding a request for assistance, viewing the status of open requests, or checking up on request details, customers remain well-informed at all times. To read more on self-service, visit clientele.epicor.com and and download, “If You Teach a Customer to Fish: The Power of Web Self-Service.”
E-Mail Marketing
Clientele eMarketing delivers a flexible environment for tracking and measuring campaign results. It provides immediate feedback, allowing you to track campaign activity as soon as the campaign is launched. Clientele eMarketing gives you the power to track customer behaviors such as when they opened the e-mail, how many times they viewed it and whether they logged in to the corresponding Web microsite. To read more on e-mail marketing, visit clientele.epicor.com and download “Boost Profits and Customer Relations with Effective E-Mail Marketing.”
Clientele eMarketing and Clientele Self-Service are available as integrated supplements to the Clientele CRM suite of solutions, creating maximum efficiency in your customer-facing operations. Clientele allows businesses to better communicate, track and build relationships with customers.
For nearly 20 years, Epicor has supplied small and midsize enterprises with everything they need for a successful implementation: quality products, experienced professional services, and excellent support