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As a business manager or owner, you know the value of your CRM (customer relationship management) system to your company. CRM is great for endless types of business including sales, real estate, non-profits and so on. In the digital world of 2021, a CRM system is an invaluable tool for marketing and sales teams. CRMs aids marketing teams by tracking interactions on both the company’s website and social media platforms, sends automated, targeted emails, and more.
CRM systems help your company nurture prospective customers, retain existing customers, and resolve customer issues. Knowing all the benefits your CRM system already brings to your business, let’s explore what you can expect for 2022 and beyond.
CRM system success is based on data driving the personalized customer experience. As these solutions evolve, business managers will see greater ease in collecting data for leads and customers, complete with real-time updates which will deliver continuous data flow. In fact, trends are indicating a merger in the collection and analysis of date from a variety of touchpoints.
These touch points are social media, marketing campaigns, sales, and contact centers – with the promise of full circle insights into customers, showcasing customer experience, and allowing for more successful marketing and retention strategies. On top of all that, with the coming integration of AI-powered analytics, business managers will garner real-time insights into customer behavior and buying patterns for greater conversion success.
Another iteration of the coming integrations is that of CRM systems with big data sources and third-party software. CRM platforms integrated with business systems and data sources will be able track customer interactions to deliver better, more relevant data, streamline processes like billing, and deliver a better view of the overall customer journey.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is coming to next-generation CRM systems. Industry pundits are estimating the AI/CRM integration will drive global revenues by $1.1 trillion before year’s end. CRM AI applications already boast a 20 percent share of the AI software market, a trend that will only continue into the future.
AI will enhance CRM automation, improve current conversational tools, increase productivity in service areas, and predicting customer needs and prompt customer service agents to deliver more proactive resolutions for customer problems.
While social and mobile CRMs are already in use, both CRM technologies will rise to new heights as mobile technology advances and customers continue to use social media – Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and others – professionally and personally.
To help business managers build relationships with target customers and grow online brand reputation, the integration of CRM with social media has begun. Track your followers, engage via the software, and garner the most reliable analytics available to date. Mobile CRM functionalities go hand in hand with Social CRM technologies enabling constant connectivity. In fact, the coming CRM systems will deliver full function, with data security on smartphones, as well as tablets and other connected devices.
Social CRM is crucial for businesses because it creates a two-way street between the business and its customers. Businesses are no longer dealing just with data and information, but also with conversations and relationships both positive and negative. Customer expectations are rising and social media is how most people express themselves so managing customer interactions via the most popular form of communication nowadays ensure maximum exposure and visibility to the end-user.
Recent research suggests that nearly all users agree that voice technology is easier to use, saves time, and improves the quality of life. Not only will the integration of voice technology improve user experience but also allow the capture of voice conversations with greater quality to aid managers, marketing, and sales professionals. CRM systems will leverage the power of voice technology, alongside AI to optimize more sophisticated data, analytics, and insights.
Additionally, 50-80 percent of CRM system implementations are not complete because the process is time-consuming and costly. Voice technology helps with that providing a 97 percent accuracy. Call centers where employees have to enter and access data in a timely manner rely heavily on voice recognition technology. It automates around 85 percent of the incoming call which improves service quality.
Among the most requested CRM system tools are scheduling, auto-reminders, management of contacts, monitoring of the pipeline, and tracking of digital interaction. For 2021, the request for more advanced features grows to include email marketing, sales automation, customization, and enhanced reporting and analytics.
The new wave of users, many from the Millennial generation, wants greater flexibility to modify/customize their CRM, add new modules, control access, and develop unique layouts. CRMs are considered crucial to business success, not only for millennials but for the growing number of freelancers in the gig economy.
As your company works in 2022 to communicate more effectively with your customers with the help of your CRM system, Unim is ready to help you improve client relationships through exceptional customer service with custom marketing automation solutions designed to drive better sales and enhanced customer retention. Contact us today.