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7 reasons for CRM in local retail

7 reasons for CRM in local retail

7 Reasons for a CRM

Why local retails should implement a CRM
Reading time: 5 minutes

Find out:

  • What advantages does a CRM offer?
  • When does a CRM effect in the customer journey?
  • What are the 7 reasons for you to work with a CRM?

The three magic letters that stand for Customer Relation Management should be familiar to you as a retailer. Why? Because you live, benefit and grow from your customers and your relationship with them.

Perhaps you have already implemented one for your store and your team or have at least thought about it. However, when you read our article why you need a CRM as a retailer, you already know how important a CRM is nowadays with the variety of contact options and data provided by those.

The goal of a CRM is clear: It is a system that allows your business, or more specifically you and your salespeople, to efficiently and effectively track interactions with potential or existing customers.

Which advantages exactly does a CRM offer?

Basically, with a CRM, you not only have the complete history of each customer available, but the data is also no longer recorded redundantly. Everything can be viewed transparently and is therefore measurable and plannable for the future. Today, a good CRM must be able to collect and store all data from all contact points on the entire customer journey. In the past, a lot of data was recorded manually, which led to errors and to extra work. But today manual records are simply no longer possible due to the shortage in labor and the variety of fragmented data.” Markus Demirci, Founder and CEO of mPocket.

How does the today’s customer journey look like and when does a CRM come into play?

The customer journey is the entire process that your customers go through when discovering, evaluating and purchasing a product. A CRM accompanies and simplifies this process and helps to evaluate the results which were achieved. We can distinguish between three phases in the customer journey: awareness, consideration and decision:

1. Awareness: In this initial phase, customers become aware of a need that needs to be met or a problem that needs to be solved. Companies now have the opportunity to address and sensitize their potential customers. In this phase a CRM only plays a subordinate role, but an analysis of past interactions and successful purchases can already be used to attract as many interested parties as possible. Targeted research can also be used to identify potential leads and provide the possibility to address them.

2. Consideration: Your potential customer is aware of his problems or needs and is now weighing various alternatives. Now your goal is for the potential customer to decide in favor of your offer. To do this, he must first become a lead and establish an initial connection with you, e.g., by contacting you via social media. The decisive advantage of a CRM solution lies in the automatic storage of contact data. In addition, you save yourself time-consuming and extensive market research based on empirical data. Are your customers more interested in posts on Facebook or are the newsletter campaigns received better? Such questions can be answered after a very short time using user data. This allows you to implement personalized offers that lead your leads to the next phase: The decision.

3. Decision: You used the CRM to filter the qualified leads that are likely to make a purchase. Now offer them optimal support and personal connection by assigning them to one of your salespeople. In addition, a CRM tells you how to approach certain target groups. From the available data, it can be automatically read whether your customer prefers personal advice, for example, or prefers to receive product comparisons by email. Individual advice and customer loyalty leads to more sales and thus to more turnover.

7 reasons for a CRM for you as a retailer

1. Transparent and fast procurement of information: With a CRM you and your team have an overview of all data from customers and prospects. Not only important contact data such as telephone number, email address or social media profiles, but also the entire history of each customer. By linking documents, campaigns, etc., you can build quality relationships through transparent communication with your customers.

2. Connecting sales and marketing: With a modern CRM, all information can be connected across departments or branches. This makes clear which information is currently of interest to which (potential) customers and enables an aimed approach to the target group.

3. Centralized information for the entire team: The main advantage of a CRM is that all data is available centrally. This means that not individual employees carry the knowledge with them. In this way, any colleague can step in if necessary and individual team members cannot be excluded from the internal information flow. Like this, your customers are optimally cared for. Ideally, a CRM can be accessed from any location. 

4. Efficient work: Well thought-out workflows optimize your sales and marketing processes. As a result, time-consuming documentation and organization are reduced and you have more time to focus on your important tasks – your customers.

5. Digitized processes: These are not only transparent, but also simplify many things. Not only will your customer service be improved, but the collected data will also make it possible to evaluate it and use it for your company to make decisions based on facts.

6. Avoidance of errors: Thanks to a central CRM system, all data only must be entered once, which not only reduces the workload but also the error rate.

7. Decisions instead of guessing games: The evaluation of offers, sales figures or feedback from your customers on certain campaigns enables decisions based on facts. Instead of acting almost haphazardly on instinct, you can implement planned strategies.

Customer loyalty with the help of a CRM – how does that work?

The customer buys something and that’s the end of the story? But you actually want him to come back? It is important for you to know that a CRM and the importance of customer relationships do not end with a purchase decision. Because now the work on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty begins. Now you and your team have the chance to turn customers into loyal fans and advocates who will recommend the company and come back and buy again.

With a CRM you can identify re-, cross- and upselling potential and with the help of your collected customer data and excellent customer service you can achieve successful retention marketing. Bind your customers in the long term with a CRM.

Are you curious, but also a bit cautious because of the possible additional workload for your already small team? Don’t worry: A right CRM tool can also be uncomplicated and simplify your daily work. Just have a look at our website or contact us directly at hallo@mpocket.io.

*For reasons of better legibility only the simultaneous use of male and female language forms is not used. All personal names apply to both genders.

Jasmin Janson

Marketing & Communication Manager mPocket

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Why you need a CRM as local retailer

Why you need a CRM as local retailer

CRM

Here's why you need one as local retailer
Reading time: 5 minutes

Find out:

  • What a CRM is
  • How extensive customer data really is
  • Which components of a CRM are available

What does CRM even mean?

CRM, short for customer relationship management is to be understood comprehensively as a strategic approach to customer-oriented corporate management. CRM software is used as a corresponding control instrument with the aim of optimizing, strengthening and expanding customer relationships.

However, a successful CRM goes far beyond individual marketing measures. Rather, it means a CRM strategy first of all, employees who live this strategy and in the digital age it also means an appropriate software as well as ongoing adjustments in your strategy to changing circumstances.

  • CRM as a corporate philosophy: All customer-oriented processes must be coordinated and connected. The requirement is to identify all customer touchpoints in advance.
  • CRM in your sales team: Once every salesperson in your team has accepted and realized that the customer is king, the foundation for a successful CRM has been laid. A central collection of customer data as well as a transparent insight for all employees in combination with employee meetings and training courses are a guarantee for a functioning internal flow of information and consequently for customer advice that exceeds all expectations.
  • CRM for your customers: Acquiring new customers is not only more time-consuming and expensive, the turnover for repeat purchases of existing customers is also higher. If you know the expectations of your customers, you can meet or even exceed them. This is how your customer comes back, finds confirmation that you are the right address again and an emotional connection develops between your customer and you, your business or your brand.

The basic goal of customer relationship management is to maintain customer relationships and keep them over the long term by making interactions as personal and individualized as possible.

Your customer, the unknown being

Let’s be honest: How well do you really know your customers?

Not only is every person and therefore every customer individual and has different preferences, expectations or wishes, but the variety of possible contact points has long overtaken the shop as the only salesroom.

Is local retail no longer relevant? – It is, but nothing is as constant as change. Although it was not triggered, but accelerated by the Corona pandemic, the buying behaviour has changed drastically. Physical stores remain the place where most of the customers buy a product for the very first time. Here you can taste, see, touch, smell and experience the quality. The shop has not lost its value, but its function has changed fundamentally. While it used to be the only point of sale, retailers now have to bridge the gap between the physical and the digital world.

Now you probably don’t know that the customer who is at this moment standing in front of you had a question about product availability via your web chat 3 weeks ago? Or you would like to include the customers who took part in your Instagram competition in your newsletter? And anyway, what is the name of the customer who has been coming regularly for years and bought her complete wardrobe from your shop? The colleague who is currently on vacation would remember the name and would have exactly that wardrobe in mind…

Components of a CRM

  • Operational CRM
    The basis for a functioning CRM is data. Basic data can be obtained at all contact and touch points and can then be used for analysis purposes. Not only relevant data for an individual customer, but also a development of all customers and their behaviour can be derived from a good CRM. Since new data is primarily entered in this step, “the data quality and above all the validity is crucial, since the quality of the output can never be better than the underlying database” says Ola Walter, CRM expert and lecturer.
  • Communicative CRM
    Emails, SMS, or a visit in your store – all channels are synchronized and coordinated to ensure an overview of all conceivable communication channels. So, everyone in your team knows which contact method is preferred by which customer and the basic data is fed further.
  • Analytical CRM
    Every company can pull out the greatest added value from this part of the CRM: New insights are gained through the analysis of operational data with the help of business intelligence functions, such as the creation of customer reviews, identifying cross-selling options or segmenting a target group.
  • Collaborative CRM
    This component of a CRM is particularly helpful in the event of a persistent shortage of skilled workers or cross-site or cross-departmental teams: Overlaps are prevented, coordination between different teams is possible, but also the communication with external parties such as customers or suppliers is simplified, work processes are coordinated and information is bundled centrally and transparently.

Therefore, a CRM system offers the solution for connecting all channels, be it telephone calls, video calls, your own web chat, social media, your online shop and finally – your shop. Customer information is collected and, with the help of AI and automation, enables personalized advice for your customers and increased productivity for your team. With a 360° view of your customers, you not only increase their satisfaction, your sales and long-term customer loyalty, but also support your employees in offering a uniform and unique customer experience, personalized experiences and seamless service across every touchpoint. Satisfied customers in a motivated team become long-term customers through a sense of achievement.

If you want to learn more about a CRM in general, feel free to check out our upcoming blog post, subscribe to our newsletter below, or contact us directly at hallo@mpocket.io. We would be happy to discuss with you personally which solution we have especially for local retailers, restaurant owners and service providers.

We look forward to your feedback – and with your consent, we will include your data in our CRM.

*For reasons of better legibility only the simultaneous use of male and female language forms is not used. All personal names apply to both genders.

Jasmin Janson

Marketing & Communication Manager mPocket

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Team chats only distract employees?

Team chats only distract employees?

Team chats only distract employees?

The challenges of an internal team chat and guidelines to overcome them
Reading time: 3 minutes

Find out:

  • Wat are the challenges that come with a teamchat
  • How you can overcome challenges with the right guidelines

Many of you are certainly skeptical about such a tool for internal, immediate communication. Perhaps employees are sharing only non-work-related content, and this is affecting productivity. If your employees intend to do something like this, they will do it one way or another – even without an internal team chat.

In our opinion, the challenge is completely different: It is the overwork of your employees, and this must be prevented. A team chat should make your everyday work easier and not have the opposite effect, such as:

  • Permanent availability, even after work
  • Expectation of immediacy
  • Additional tool to all the others for external communication

It rings, peeps, flashes or vibrates. Sometimes several times an hour and all that while the salesclerk actually wants to and should concentrate fully on advising his customers.

However, there is a solution for everything that you can discuss together as a team:

5 guidelines for using a team chat

1. Set and communicate boundaries

Everyone in your team should feel like they can message anyone else easily at any time. If someone is not available, this must be communicated on the one hand and accepted and respected on the other. An “Away” or “Unavailable” status is a simple solution to this.

2. Different communication styles must be recognized and acknowledged

No two eggs are alike – what applies to personal exchange and the respective working methods also applies to chat preferences or styles. If everyone in the team recognizes and accepts that others write, answer or react differently, this is to everyone’s advantage.

3. Clarity through openness

If everyone is in the same boat, also when it comes to understanding your internal team chat, this strengthens security within the team. Communicate clearly from the beginning for which purposes the team chat can and should be used. This will ensure that conversations are more intentional and on-topic.

4. Non-work-related content strengthens your team and their productivity

Your team members know each other and have even developed friendships? Amazing! Then it also works better together. The agreement in the team chat to spend lunch together at the Asian restaurant around the corner is therefore not harmful, but beneficial for your team and its cooperation.

5. Use an integrated communication platform

Your team has already enough to do with your live chat, customer inquiries via social media and answering emails? To really make a difference in terms of team productivity you should consider an application that integrates all the platforms you use every day and enables functions that can be exceeds the pure sending and receiving messages so that you really achieve more as a team.

Don’t forget that new ways of doing things are not implemented perfectly overnight. By having open conversations within your team about working methods and communication styles and the right tool, local teams can benefit from the way other companies already practice communication in the workplace, even across multiple locations.

Curious?

We would be happy to inform you about our integrated team chat, which is also data protection compliant in accordance with the GDPR. Feel free to contact us directly at hallo@mpocket.io or visit our website www.mpocket.io. We look forward to hearing from you.

*For reasons of better legibility only the simultaneous use of male and female language forms is not used. All personal names apply to both genders.

Jasmin Janson

Marketing & Communication Manager mPocket

Stay up to date!

5 best free Teamchats for small businesses

5 best free Teamchats for small businesses

Teamchat

The 5 free Teamchat solution for your team you should know as a small business
Reading time: 4 minutes

In any business team with more than one person, communication and collaboration are part of the day-to-day business. Team members need to communicate with each other to satisfy customers or guests and achieve more together. However, direct communication cannot always be guaranteed. Sometimes the colleague is not in the same room, at a different location, in the home office or simply absent. Exactly in this situation you need a team chat in order to be able to exchange ideas at a distance. What does a team chat actually need and which free solutions are already available, especially for smaller companies, to enable and facilitate internal communication for their teams?

1. WhatsApp

With two billion monthly active users worldwide, WhatsApp is also the most widely used messenger service in Germany. Many people use WhatsApp to communicate with family, friends but also with colleagues during and after working hours. WhatsApp makes it possible to chat with individuals, groups and recently also different communities. If you can’t type at the moment, voice memos can also be sent and since a while you can react to individual messages with so-called quick reactions to give others back quick feedback in emoji form. In addition, files and images, as well as contacts can be sent with just one click. However, WhatsApp has been criticized for some time now when it comes to data protection. For this reason, some have already changed to other messenger apps. Especially when you talk internally in the team about customers and their data, WhatsApp is not a secure messenger service from a data protection point of view

2. iMessage (Apple)

All iOS users know this messenger. Again, users can send text messages, photos or videos to other iPhone, iPad, Mac users via Wi-Fi or mobile data networks. iMessages are often compared to SMS, because if an iOS user sends messages in the iMessenger to a person who does not use iMessage, they arrive at the other end as SMS or MMS. With Group iMessage, groups can be named and people can be added and removed to groups.

3. Skype

The Microsoft solution, which we all recognize at the latest with its free ringtone, is also a popular messenger for communicating internally in the company. Skype enables its users to communicate with each other over the smartphone, desktop and tablet app as well as on the web. Voice calls and video calls can be made via Skype. In addition, screens can be shared and files and images can be sent. You can write with individuals or groups and link people directly in messages. Direct reactions in the form of emojis such as WhatsApp and iMessage are also possible here. In addition, surveys can be created directly in Skype to make decisions faster in the team.

4. Telegram

Many know Telegram as a privacy-compliant alternative to WhatsApp which led users turn away from WhatsApp in favor of Telegram. Since 2013, the messenger service based in Dubai has been focusing on fast, reliable and secure messaging. This service also offers its users to chat either with individual people or in a Telegram group with up to 200,000 others and to send any file type in the chat. Over the Telegram channel you can share information as an admin with an unlimited number of subscribers, comparable to an information board. In addition, the messenger service also has a Telegram bot for recurring questions. Telegram can be used as a smartphone app for iOS and Android, as a desktop application and as an installation-free web version and allows direct replies to messages, as well as linking or mentioning people and sending stickers and Giphys.

5. Microsoft Teams

Especially with the Corona crisis and the stricter home office regulations in many companies, Teams became “The best for companies that need simple remote solutions” and is increasingly used in small and large companies. Many companies use teams for daily teamwork on site or virtually and across locations. In teams, you can communicate with individual colleagues or department teams via message or video call. Links and files can be exchanged directly, and meetings can be scheduled directly in Outlook with a meeting link. In addition, other Microsoft apps such as Microsoft SharePoint, Outlook and the Planner app can be connected directly to plan and schedule tasks within the team. Microsoft Teams can be used as a desktop or mobile app and also in the browser itself.

📥 If you want to receive our free list of 10 must-haves for good teamchats leave a comment here or text us a short message on our webchat on the website www.mpocket.io and we will send it to you. 📥

*For reasons of better legibility only the simultaneous use of male and female language forms is not used. All personal names apply to both genders.

Carolin Becker

Marketing mPocket

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