There is no doubt that the overall consumer behavior has changed dramatically, forcing brands to rethink their customer strategies and find technology solutions that will help them properly manage their customer base and dominate the customer journey. That is why Customer Relationship Management strategies and marketing automation tools are becoming so important. But how can you decide which technology solution to invest in first?
If you are a growing business, you’d probably already have a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system in place. As the needs of your customers are evolving, a real-time, integrated approach to information management is essential to the success of your business.
According to a Boston Retail Partners (BPR) report, 73% of retailers plan to have a unified commerce platform implemented by the end of 2019.
Customer Relationship Management benefits
CRM enables you to have a clear overview of your customers as you can successfully store and manage all customer information (demographics, behavioral/transactional data and history with your company), build a unified customer profile, get smart insights and finally identify which leads matter to your business the most.
While CRM platforms are sales-focused, they can benefit your business in many other ways beyond lead management and lead generation. CRM systems allow the employees to easily access the customer data and quickly address to issues that might come up. By improving the customer service, you also increase the customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Related: The role of CRM in customer loyalty
Marketing automation software
On the other hand, marketing automation platforms are mainly marketing-focused, although they can also track interactions and store similar customer data as CRM platforms. Marketing automation software doesn’t do marketing for you but can help you scale your efforts and make them more efficient.
More specific, marketing automation enables businesses to connect with their customer with the right messages at the right moment, delivering personalized and consistent experiences across touchpoints. Through marketing automation, you can acquire rich insights about the customer that will help you design data-driven communication strategies.
Related: 3 ways to engage customers with B2C marketing automation
Do you need both CRM and marketing automation software?
CRM and marketing automation software are really important to your business. They can often be integrated and this is the best option in order to take your business to the next level and maximize the customer lifetime value (CLV). Set your marketing goals, examine all processes and determine your next steps. Then you would be able to choose the right technology solution for your needs.
Are you still complicated about CRM and marketing automation solutions? Contact our team and find answers to your questions.
