Keeping track of customers
When you start to do business online, you may find it useful to develop a database to keep track of your contact with your customers or suppliers.
You can use a database to store contact details, email addresses, account and sales information, so that it is easily accessible.
In its simplest form you could retain this information in a simple spreadsheet format or in a simple database. A more complex solution would be a dedicated Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
There are many pieces of CRM software widely available on the market. These start from under a hundred pounds for software suitable for small companies, through to highly complex systems, that can be integrated with e-commerce websites, financial reporting and stock control software.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
CRM covers all aspects of interaction between your business and your customers – this could be sales or service related. Computerisation has helped many businesses keep better data about their customers, and quickly access it when needed. A good CRM system will also allow you to produce high level management reports to look at customer trends and plan your future business strategy.
CRMs can be complex – and therefore are often the type of system that could be hosted by an Application Service Provider (ASP).
For example, a solicitor’s CRM could keep a track of all their customers’ progress when in the process of buying or selling a house. A sophisticated CRM could also allow customers to access their details over the web, and check the status of their sale or purchase. This would allow the solicitors to offer a better customer experience and a cheaper service, with less time taken up dealing with day to day queries.
A significant amount of data will need uploading to the ASP on a regular basis, to keep the CRM up to date, and broadband will allow you to do this quickly and easily.
