A friend of mine said "I no longer buy from companies that don’t use a CRM solution." Curious, I asked why? The answer surprised me. "Well, I want to be sure I will get the best service — and if they don’t have a CRM solution, how are they going to do that!", he replied. Over the last couple of years, my friend realized that the companies that provided the best service more often that not utilized a CRM solution.

From buying a car to a hands free bluetooth headset, companies that utilize CRM provide its users with preferences on how they would like to be contacted, marketing materials that actually are of interest to you, complementary products that you may have never known about and the list goes on and on. This and the many other customer facing functionalities of CRM allow an organization to work more efficiently and ultimately results in higher levels of service.

Companies that utilize CRM also allow its customers to communicate by using Self-Service options — you know, like online banking or looking up the programming codes for your TV remote. The ultimate goal is to provide the customer with as many options as possible to solve and/or learn more about the organizations, its products and services. And if you can do it 24/7 with a self-service, option, consumers are more likely to use these services.

Of-course I live CRM day in and day out. So, my friends comments did not surprise me at all. It just reminded me how integral CRM has become for business success. And apparently not only businesses but consumers are catching on how they are going to be treated based on the tools a company utilizes to serve its customers.

So, the next time you are about to make a purchase, ask the organization if they use CRM. If you see a blank face (or there is a pause on the phone for more than 3 seconds), its time to bail and get out of there as fast as possible.

It’s only time that CRM strategy and solutions will be a way of life in every business. I don’t think that is too far away because consumers are going to demand it.

Now, Get back to your CRM....