News and features

Mon, 8 Dec 2008

CRM 'can boost business sales'

Unified customer information helps to build loyalty and generate new opportunities, expert notes.

The use of customer relationship management (CRM) systems can help businesses generate new leads and increase opportunities for growth, a technology expert has claimed.

Jason Nash, product marketing manager for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, said that while adopting a CRM system is "no small undertaking", the potential benefits in terms of increased revenue and profitability mean businesses "shouldn't shy away from the challenge".

CRM systems are business-wide strategies designed to reduce costs and improve consumer loyalty by bringing together different strands of client information to create a holistic, real-time view, according to DestinationCRM.

This allows employees dealing directly with clients in either sales or customer support to use records that detail all previous contact, while also identifying possible cross-selling and upselling opportunities.

"High level of customisation, ease of installation and the ability to manage vertical applications and/or solution extensions helps businesses to identify new leads and opportunities, growing their customer base and creating additional revenue streams," Mr Nash said.

He added that greater knowledge of client history and preferences also helps in developing customer service, improving loyalty and generating repeat business.

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