The goal of using a customer relationship management (CRM) system is to improve relationships to grow your business. To this end, a CRM system provides a highly organised, online collection point for customer-related information. This makes managing and tracking information easy. For example, you can document and track the buyers’ journey for current clients, keep in touch with old clients and keep a record of prospects. CRM technology helps companies stay connected to customers, streamlines processes, and improves efficiency. This helps to save time and grow the business.
Here are 3 benefits of using a CRM system:
- Since a good CRM system can store a wide range of information, it can be a central “archive” for all information, aligning processes between marketing, sales, customer service and administration.
- By intelligently storing and managing your existing prospect and clients’ information, an automated CRM system more than maintains an existing database, it can help to improve the strategies that determine the number of leads your marketing and lead generation campaigns generate.
- CRM systems allow both sales and marketing teams to personalise communication. This helps companies to build a relationship with their clients and prospects that converts prospects into clients, fosters loyalty, and nurtures customer retention.
When it comes to data input, IT specialists will tell you, “Garbage in, garbage out.” In other words incorrect or poor-quality data input will produce flawed or useless output. Today CRM data management is of such importance to Estate Agencies that it is seen as an advantage to have someone in your team who oversees your database to ensure it is comprehensive, accurate, and up to date. To the point that some Estate Agents are taking on a dedicated CRM Virtual Assistant – in other words, Virtual Assistants with the appropriate knowledge to manage customer relationship management systems to keep client data organised and actionable.
Here are 3 valuable ways that your Virtual Assistant can help you optimise the use of your CRM system:
- Data management: To ensure that data is updated regularly and accurately entered in the CRM system.
- Lead management: To track target markets and lead generation campaigns – from prospect through to lead conversion.
- Analysis: To mine the information for valuable trends and insights. For example, to analyse and report back on what is working and what is not working in generating and converting leads.
To further elaborate on the above actions, there are 4 recognised steps in the CRM process, each of which require a collaborative effort between marketing, sales, and support staff. All of these can be handled by the right Virtual Assistant – or a team of VAs. They are:
- Generating brand awareness
The first step to landing new clients is to introduce them to your business. The company’s marketing team typically takes on this task through creating marketing campaigns that speak to a specfic target market. For marketers, a well-maintained CRM systems provide a wealth of information. The data can show patterns among past leads and clients to give marketing teams a clear picture of their target audience. Marketers can also analyse sales notes saved for each client in the system to understand what led to past client conversions. By understanding what worked, marketers are better equipped to create effective campaigns.
- Acquiring leads
CRM plays a vital role in lead generation, helping businesses to identify and target new prospects. By leveraging CRM automation and its integration with other marketing and sales tools, a CRM system can provide a comprehensive view of each customer and provide the automated processes that make actioning the campaign easy. Plus, with prospect and client data on hand, you can personalise your outreach. This will start the relationship off on a personal note that yields better results.
- Convert leads into customers
To turn leads into clients, Estate Agents must first be skilled at identifying how genuinely interested leads are, whether prospective clients are ready to view properties – or if a seller is ready to put their home on the market. Their CRM system is very helpful in this regard. If a lead seems on the verge of taking the plunge into buying a property, the Estate Agent has the resources to nurture them further and build their trust to the point of conversion. One way to do this is to send valuable information or resources that may sway their decision. Agents can use their CRM platform to set reminders and tasks to follow up with interested leads to ensure that no opportunities are missed.
- Provide superior customer service
The CRM process doesn’t end when a lead becomes a client. To grow as a company, it is essential to land new clients, retain existing clients and get their referrals. With the right CRM, Agents have past, present and future client information at their fingertips. Estate Agents can use their CRM systems to set reminders to regularly reach out to existing clients to ask how they’re doing and to ask for referrals. Clients’ needs change and they may be ready to upsize or downsize – or to buy an investment property to let.
In the hands of a Virtual Assistant an automated CRM system is a great tool to maintain current contact information, track your clients and prospects (including their preferences and histories). It provides a central place where you can store all information and share this information with colleagues. And, of course, to stand out from the competition, you can’t go wrong by delivering a seamless, personalised, and meaningful customer experience — one that makes your clients feel that you know them and care about them.