Those days are gone when people would exchange business cards to grow their professional relations. In this digitalized era where everything is upgraded then why not the way of business relations and managing contacts.
As the name itself says Contact Management is a digitalised process of storing records of customer data. It is a means to quick and easy access in a well organised form, editing and tracking of customer data.
In today’s business world you need to do more than just a sales email in order to make a sale. People like when their preferences are valued and remembered. Making a sale based on one’s preference creates a different impression on a customer.
As your business grows, it will be difficult to collect data and determine which information is important for you and your company’s growth. For this only purpose, Contact Management is present as it has potential to diversify your customers.
But in this running world, who has time to input all this data? Quite a boring and time consuming process, right? Fortunately, Contact Management Software has got your back. It automatically collects, analyses and differentiates data based on your previous engagement history.
Basically it is a virtual address book that keeps the records of basic data like names, email address, phone numbers, important dates, etc.
Often people get confused with both these terms and consider them as the same but there is a difference. A contact management system provides the basic features whereas CRM software offers advanced tools for sales, marketing and reporting tasks.
Contact Management system uses a few contact details and organises them for easy access and customer interactions while a CRM uses that data to gather leads and provide you reports that helps in improving relationships with customers.
CRM gives you access to real time updated data, helps in maintaining sales and marketing teams to collaborate, handles investments and returns.
Now the question arises whether you need a CRM or Contact Management! So for this query you need to clarify what you actually want. If your business is at the initial stage, CRM might prove a little expensive. Also before purchasing a software clear some doubts which would clarify your needs regarding your business.
For example the number of loyal customers you have, the number of employees you have to collect and enter the data, importance of specific preferences of customers- is it necessary to have or not, what growth or a target you are expecting in the near future.
Think of these questions and weigh the pros and cons before making your purchase. For example a small number of customers can be easily managed by a Contact Management system and CRM might cost more than it’s worth. Make a wise decision that could profit you only.
After considering your business goals, it’s time to choose the right software. There is so much competition nowadays which makes it difficult to choose the best one suited for your business.
Here are a few simple things you can consider during your research for the best one.
Originally published at https://growthbuk.com on December 15, 2022.