CRM Manager – what does it bring to the company?
The basic idea of a CRM Manager is not new
Everyone talks about customer relationship management (CRM for short) when they mean shaping customer relationships. Therefore, with the growing importance of customer loyalty for corporate business comes the appointment or recruitment of a CRM manager.
A corner store was already aware of the relevance of customer retention after customer acquisition: Aunt Emma as “CRM manager” managed to respond to individual wishes by knowing the names of her customers and their preferences. Customers thus felt valued and well advised. That’s why they always enjoyed coming to the store to shop. Their satisfaction was shown by recommendations to others, which brought new customers to the corner store. A successful customer relationship still works in much the same way today, regardless of the industry.
The cornerstone principle has gained in scope
The tasks of those responsible for customer relationship management are similar in principle to those in a corner store. But especially in larger companies, the tasks are more extensive and much more complex and multi-layered. That is why companies implement a CRM system that supports the diverse activities with customers with functions for communication and analysis.
What must a CRM manager be able to do?
Or rather: What does the person responsible for CRM need? In our experience, it must be versatile above all.
Tasks
Like Tante Emma, the top manager of customer relations also has the goals of customer retention and acquisition, but uses many measures that were or are not common for a corner store.
- On the basis of the CRM strategy he works out the CRM goals with all departments and employees of the company who are involved in the measures.
- The CRM manager and his team analyze the data on purchasing behavior, customer development or the company’s current market situation. For example, potential for cross-selling can be uncovered.
- In order to raise these “treasures” and increase customer satisfaction, the Customer Relationship Manager installs, coordinates and optimizes all CRM processes in sales, marketing and service and reports the analyses and successes to top management.
- Often it is also the Customer Relationship Manager who helps the company to introduce a suitable software. It digitally supports customer management across the entire customer journey. For this purpose, he researches promising CRM tools and usually also manages the CRM project. The goal is to provide all information about the customer and the experience with the customer in sales, marketing and service.
CRM Manager Skills
- The customer relationship manager needs specialist skills, especially in the areas of marketing and sales. Some understanding of software (CRM system) and numbers (analytics) is also part of the job.
- Just like at Aunt Emma’s, in addition to technical skills, good manners, a well-groomed appearance as well as leadership qualities and communication skills in dealing with employees, but also customers, are relevant for the job of the CRM manager.
- A CRM manager – in contrast to Aunt Emma – also frequently works outside the store or, today, the office, as customer meetings take on an important role. This requires independent work and effective time management on the one hand, and teamwork on the other, when other departments of the company are involved in campaigns. Therefore, one thing must not be missing at all: emotional intelligence.
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The link in customer relationship management
Customer relationship management should not be attributed to a department such as marketing, sales or service. Conflicting goals can be avoided by appointing a full-time CRM manager in the company. He then acts in the role of an impartial authority when it comes to optimizing the CRM processes and CRM solution.
If, on the other hand, the CRM instructions come from one department, difficulties may arise among the departments.
However, the Customer Relationship Manager is not only the link between the specialist departments. Rather, he or she can act as a central point of contact for department managers and interface with external service providers and the CRM software supplier.
CRM software as a tool of the CRM manager
CRM Manager Tool: CRM Software
CRM software helps the Head of CRM optimize customer relationship management by capturing all relevant customer data and operations. Thus, he gains a valid data base for his work. In addition, the CRM software supports and increases efficiency through newly created transparency and the centralized provision of information for all company divisions that are in contact with the customer.
A CRM system is particularly helpful for the function of the CRM manager as a link between departments: With a customer relationship program that addresses the requirements of sales, marketing and service, conflicts between employees are reduced.
To ensure that all employees see the benefits of the CRM system, they must be involved as much as possible in the phases of implementing a CRM system. This gives everyone the opportunity to get involved. The team around the CRM manager records further requirements in the CRM requirements overview (also called specifications ), based on which the software evaluation is successfully implemented. The customer relationship manager is therefore actively supported in his work by his team.