Why Do I Need A CRM?

“Why do I need a CRM? I don’t need another complicated and expensive piece of software. All of our customer data is in Quickbooks.”

I was having coffee with an aviation professional at an event, and the topic of Customer Relationship Systems (CRMs) came up.  His opinion was not a positive one.Among his questions and objections:

“Why should I use Infusionsoft Crm campaigns for aviation?  What good does it really do me? They’re so complicated and expensive. I already have my customer data in another system.”

Fine. But consider:

• Do you feel a certain amount of distrust and “sales resistance” when you call a prospect or customer?
• Can you”zone in” on the topics and features of your product that your prospect is the most interested in, without wasting his time on the parts he doesn’t care about?
• Can you be sure that a prospect will be treated intelligently by everyone in your office, and will never be frustrated by having to “tell his story” more than once.

There is nothing more frustrating to a customer than having to tell his story more than once.

We really like doing business with American Express – partly because they have really smart customer service people who think resourcefully and creatively, and partly because they are using a Customer Relationship Management system that makes them seem even smarter.

“We appreciate your business, Mr. and Mrs. Williams.” Is not just lip service when the agent just resolved an unauthorized charge, express-mailed a new card AND recommended a good restaurant for a company event in Orlando based on an eerily detailed knowledge of our habits and preferences. And yet it’s NOT eerie because we’ve done business with them for so long and they are always so professional.

It’s one thing if you, as the salesperson or account manager or owner of the company are the only person that interacts with a particular client. But what happens when they call your office? Will everyone at your company be so informed and helpful?

The only way to maintain this seamless professionalism with a growing company is to use a good CRM.

This screen shot from our CRM shows us which forms he has completed on our website, which emails this person has opened, and which links he has clicked.

 

Which CRM Should We Use?

The short answer is that the brand doesn’t matter as much as the discipline of actually using it- but here’s a list of the features we needed most:

• Easy to use mobile app (so that salespeople will actually use it in the field)
• Cloud-based, accessible from anywhere.
• Customizable – can keep specific data like tail numbers, ratings and purchase history
• Marketing automation – email templates, scheduling, etc.
• Custom campaigns
• Schedules, tasks and reminders

This screen shot shows the visualization of a campaign, including forms, email sequences, and other activities.

 

For us and for most of our clients (unless they have a special situation like multiple levels of commissions) the answer is Infusionsoft.

Whatever you use, it is well worth the time make sure everyone who interacts with customers commits to using it for every phone call and email, and learns to use at least the the basic functions very well and quickly. ..