What is CRM?
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) encompasses all strategies, processes, and technologies for managing customer relationships. CRM software (like HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive) stores contact data, interaction history, deals, and tasks in one central place. Benefits: 360° customer view, automated follow-ups, pipeline management, reporting and forecasting, improved team collaboration. Modern CRMs integrate marketing automation, email marketing, and analytics. Important: A CRM is only as good as the data quality - regular maintenance and training are crucial. CRM data is gold for personalized marketing.
Key Points
- Central place for all customer data
- 360° view of every contact
- Automation of follow-ups possible
- Pipeline management for sales
- Data quality crucial for success
- Integration with marketing tools important
Practical Example
“Since implementing CRM, we have oversight of 3,000 leads and can automate follow-ups.”