Operational CRM: what is it?
Customer relationship management is a crucial activity for any company. For this, it is essential to better manage the processes of customer relationship management.
Did you know that there are 4 types of CRM? Do you know what they are and what differentiates them?
In this article we deal with operational CRM: what is it and what are its particularities?
What is operational CRM?
Definition
CRM is a very broad concept, which concerns the company and its vision as a whole.
In general, CRM refers to all the strategies and tactics involved in managing customer relationships in order to maintain, acquire and increase their value.
In concrete terms, operational CRM deals with processes aimed at automating, standardizing and improving direct company-customer contacts.
It is mainly applied to marketing, sales and customer service. Here are some activities related to operational CRM:
automation process of after-sales support tasks,
management of promotional and communication campaigns,
automation of sales force activities, etc.
The differences between operational, analytical, collaborative and strategic CRM
We have seen the characteristics of operational CRM. At this point, however, we can ask ourselves what differences there are with the other 3 existing types.
Strategic CRM promotes a business strategy to maintain and acquire highly profitable customers. In order to do so, a completely customer-centric corporate culture must be pursued.
Analytical CRM follows the data generated by operational CRM. Its objective is to analyze and transform this information, in order to have an increasingly precise knowledge of the customers.
Finally, collaborative CRM aims to improve internal communication within the company. All stakeholders must be able to immediately access and share all customer-related information in their possession.
The product-oriented approach is now considered outdated by most experts in business and corporate strategy.
Operational CRM: how to put it into practice
We have seen what the typical activities of operational CRM are. To achieve them, it is obviously essential to adopt the right tools.
CRM software has evolved a lot in recent years. Today, state-of-the-art solutions allow you to make the most of the data collected, thanks to sophisticated business intelligence.
As for the solutions available, there is certainly no lack of choice! This is precisely why choosing the solution that best suits your characteristics can be complex.
Small businesses, for example, may have very different needs from those of more structured companies. A word of advice: look for solutions that are as flexible and scalable as possible.
Let's see what features to look for in order to achieve an operational CRM.
Features to choose the right software
The operational CRM must allow you to manage the main business processes related to the customer (sales, marketing, services, etc.). It follows that the functionalities concerning operational CRM are multiple. Here are some of them:
prospect classification and segmentation tool (browsing data analysis, customer profiling...),
marketing campaigns and promotions management system,
Chat to interact with your customers,
integration with social media (for advertising and customer interactions)
tracking and centralization of customer communications,
automated sending of communications,
tracking business activity and customer satisfaction, and more.
Take advantage of geolocation data from mobile devices! Indeed, the most advanced CRMs allow for the creation of location-based services: these are services offered according to the geographical position of the potential buyer.
The SaaS revolution: innovation at your fingertips
SaaS, which stands for Software as a Service, is a software distribution model based entirely on the cloud. Its gradual implementation has made it possible to supplant traditional on-premise software, which required initial installation, complex manual maintenance, and generally had higher costs.
With SaaS, it is instead possible to access software simply via a Web browser (and with a good Internet connection). This revolution has considerably democratized access to enterprise CRM: by paying a simple monthly subscription, small and medium-sized companies can now be equipped with high-tech software tools.
Software to manage operational CRM
Among the best-known and most widely used SaaS CRMs is Microsoft Dynamics , a solution that takes interactive functions to the highest level in the company-customer relationship. Although it is best known for its CRM functionality, the software actually manages all business processes.
On our business software comparison site, you can find a large number of software products specific to the Italian market.
The importance of operational CRM in the Italian panorama
Building customer loyalty, developing increasingly targeted and personalized marketing campaigns, increasing sales... all these objectives require careful planning and preparation, which is unthinkable without using the right tools.
According to the CRM & Marketing Automation Observatory 2019, companies equipped with a CRM system in Italy are equal to 74%. This figure, constantly increasing year after year, speaks for itself: the CRM is now an indispensable tool to stay competitive and successful.
And you, were you different from the differences between the different types of CRM? Are you familiar with these processes? What are your impressions on the subject? If you wish, you can exchange with us by commenting below.