Customer management: how to make a truly effective strategy

Imagine that you were finally able to start your business or venture and sales are going very well, you are getting more and more customers. However, although it is great to have many buyers, without good customer management you may end up losing them. In this article we tell you what customer management is and how to make a really effective customer management strategy.

What is customer management?

Customer management comprises all the strategies and techniques that are carried out by companies to manage every interaction and relationship with customers, both potential and existing ones.

This involves orienting the resources and processes available to the business towards customer service and satisfaction (streamlining processes, profitability and contact). Remember that it is the customer, in the end, who sustains the viability of the company with his purchase or contracting of the services you offer.

Customer management is considered a fundamental activity, capable of determining the company’s projection and performance. In fact, many companies tend to make customer management the priority of their business, involving different departments and areas.

Good customer management can be of great importance, since every effort you make is an investment that contributes to customer loyalty, and what could be more positive than a large group of buyers who prefer your company over others?

Types of customer management

The customer lifecycle has several stages within the company and each of them needs to be managed correctly. Below, we will tell you about the types of customer management that can exist in a company:

customer management

Customer relationship management

Companies need to attract and retain as many customers as possible. Therefore, the first contact is crucial and must ensure the creation of a lasting bond between the brand and the customer.

For this type of management, CRM plays a crucial role in customer relations. However, it is mostly part of strategies and processes that pursue the following objectives:

  • Search, collect, analyze and centralize customer information.
  • To know the clients in depth.
  • Build close and strong ties.
  • Maintain constant contact with customers.

Customer portfolio management

The customer portfolio consists of both current and potential customers. The purpose of customer portfolio management is to build customer loyalty, expand the market and identify new opportunities.

In addition to this, it is important to mention that the customer portfolio must contain complete data such as name, contacts, address, invoicing data, purchase history and everything that contributes to the correct management of a particular customer, according to its characteristics.

Some good practices for this type of management are: 

  • Customer segmentation.
  • Define the ideal salesperson for each type of customer.
  • Collect important data.
  • Maintain a good relationship.
  • Identify patterns of behavior and consumption.
  • To build loyalty among current customers.

Customer service complaints and claims management

The first thing to understand is that a complaint and a claim are not the same thing. A complaint is filed in a mild form, while a claim has a more significant level of dissatisfaction on the part of the customer.

Managing and addressing complaints and claims is extremely important, since -although you may not believe it- it fosters customer loyalty. You can take into account that 79% of companies ignore customer complaints and claims to differentiate yourself from the competition and help your customers.

Some good practices that you can implement in this type of management are:

  • Facilitate the registration of complaints and claims.
  • Comfort your customers from the first contact.
  • Generate direct actions and prevention.
  • Offer definitive solutions.
  • Follow up on complaints and claims.

Customer experience management

Managing the customer experience is nothing more than understanding and planning strategies so that every interaction meets the customer’s needs and expectations.

Remember that their experience will speak to how they feel about your company. Therefore, some good practices that we recommend you apply are:

  • To offer a personalized service.
  • Have your teams collaborate with each other.
  • To offer fast and real time attention.
  • Offer self-service.

 

You may also be interested in: Multiexperience Developments (MXDP): improve your customer’s offering

 

10 keys to effective customer management

The main objective of proper customer management is to retain customers and find new sales opportunities with existing customers. Below, we will tell you the keys to get the full potential of a customer management strategy:

customer management

1. Segment your customers

Depending on the needs of your buyers, you can segment them according to their location, income and type of business. In addition, you should analyze active and inactive customers, because over time it is important to know if they are willing to pay more money, if their needs are still the same or if it is worth contacting them again.

Thanks to customer segmentation you can qualify, monitor, identify consumption habits and provide data to help you understand the different customer profiles that come to your brand.

2. Provides customer information to other areas of the company.

The data obtained from each lead (person interested in your products or services) should be shared with other departments of the company. Remember that each part has a line of products or services that are ideal for them and can even be improved.

3. Record as much data as possible in customer management.

Every conversation by call, mail or any other means with a potential customer is valuable material. You can get a valuable exchange of information that contributes to the improvement of sales made by your executives.

4. Define quantitative information

When managing customers, add a number to each piece of information to help you pinpoint what type of customer they are. That way you will be able to measure their levels of liking or disliking to determine how you should address them, what their needs and expectations are, etc.

As a result, you will create a closer relationship, avoid abandonment and boost loyalty.

5. Determine the right sales representative for each customer.

When a customer is sympathetic to a salesperson, the chances of closing a deal and being satisfied with the service received are higher. 

6. Link processes to your leads

It links skills, tools and areas so that the members of the commercial area can concentrate on finding new leads and get the most out of their useful life.

7. Observe the behavior patterns of your consumers

To increase sales you need to know what your customers like and dislike. Not only what they like, but how they like to buy it, how long it takes them to decide and when they are most likely to buy something.

8. Organize well the management of your customers

We recommend that you use colors to be able to differentiate the level in which each buyer is. We believe that this is also a good way to avoid forgetting other important things such as meetings or having to contact a client at a specific time.

9. Maintain a good relationship with previous clients

Maintaining a good relationship with your long-time customers opens the door to many opportunities, remember that if you give them a good treatment, it is very likely that they will recommend you.

10. Take care of your client portfolio on a daily basis

This part must become a habit for you. Assign dates and times to review the daily progress of your client portfolio, you will notice a big difference.

 

You may also be interested in: Are there ERP systems for SMEs?

 

Benefits of customer management

A correct management of your customers can bring you multiple benefits that we will mention below:

More sales

If you get to know your customers better and identify their consumption habits, it will be easier for you to offer products and services that meet their tastes and needs.

You will also be able to offer a personalized and complete service that will guarantee, in the long term, an increase in your sales.

Increases loyalty

Good experiences associated with the knowledge you have about the customer will bring you positive results. Remember that most people prefer to spend their money with companies that offer a better experience, as well as those that offer faster online transactions.

However, after a bad experience, most customers will also choose a competitor.

Improve your reputation

If you manage your customers well, it is certain that they will be satisfied and will have many good things to say about your company. Then, what we know as “word of mouth marketing” would be put into practice.

Thanks to this, people close to these customers will trust your recommendation and the next purchase decision they make will lead them to you.

Your internal customer is also satisfied

In case you don’t know it, your employees are also customers and their satisfaction is very important for good relationship management. Every happy employee can do great things for your business, but how do you do it?

You can start by offering them a healthy work environment where aspects such as motivation and training are valued. You can also provide them with the digital tools necessary to streamline team collaboration, which is critical to the success of customer management.

 

You may also be interested in: The digitization of sales: use of CRM’s

 

Now that you know the importance of good customer management, the success of your business depends on how well you do it. The best thing you can do is to make the most of technology and plan a good strategy based on the keys we have just given you. Offer them a pleasant experience and make them loyal to your brand.

At Gestion Direct we have the best digital solutions that can help you take your customer experience to the next level. Enter our catalog of tools and choose the one that best suits your needs. Also, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to write to our email gestiondirect@gd.eu and our consultants will be happy to answer you.

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