Operational CRM: what is it?
Customer relationship management is a crucial activity for every company. Therefore, it is crucial to manage customer relationship management processes in the best possible way.
Are you aware that there are four 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 special features?
What is Operational CRM?
Definition
CRM is a very broad concept, concerning the company and its vision as a whole.
CRM, at a general level, designates the set of strategies and tactics inherent in the management of customer relationships, with the aim of maintaining, acquiring and increasing their value.
More specifically, operational CRM deals with processes aimed at automating, standardising and improving direct company-customer contacts.
It essentially applies to marketing, sales and customer service. Here are some activities pertaining to operational CRM
- processes for automating 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, one might ask what differences there are with the other 3 existing types.
Strategic CRM promotes a business strategy aimed at retaining and acquiring highly profitable customers. To do this, a fully customer-centred corporate culture must be pursued.
Analytical CRM acts on data generated by operational CRM. Its objective is to analyse and transform this information so as to have an increasingly sophisticated knowledge of customers.
Here is a picture that clearly highlights the differences and links between operational CRM and analytical CRM:
© Marketing with heart
Finally, collaborative CRM aims to improve internal communication within the company. All stakeholders must be able to immediately access and share all the information they possess concerning their customers.
☝ The product-oriented approach is now considered outdated by most business and strategy experts.
Operational CRM: how to put it into practice
We have seen what the typical activities of operational CRM are. To implement 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 make it possible to make the most of the data collected, thanks to sophisticated business intelligence .
As far as the available solutions are concerned, there is no shortage of choice! Precisely for this reason, however, choosing the solution best suited to your characteristics could be complex.
💡Small companies, for example, may have very different needs than more structured companies. A tip: look for solutions that are as flexible and scalable as possible.
Let's see together which features to look for in order to make CRM operational.
Features for choosing the right software
Operational CRM must make it possible to manage the main customer-related business processes (sales, marketing, services, etc.). It follows that the functionalities involved in operational CRM are many. Here are some of them:
- tools for classifying and segmenting prospects (navigation data analysis, customer profiling, etc.),
- system for managing marketing campaigns and promotions,
- Chat for interacting with customers,
- integration with social media (for advertising and customer interactions),
- tracking and centralisation of customer communications,
- automated sending of communications,
- monitoring of sales activities and customer satisfaction, etc.
💡 Make the most of geolocalisation data from mobile devices! The most advanced CRMs allow the creation of location based services: these are services offered based on the geographical location of the potential buyer.
The SaaS revolution: innovation at your fingertips
SaaS, which stands for Software as a Service, is an entirely cloud-based software distribution model. Its gradual emergence has made it possible to supplant traditional on-premise software, which required initial installation, complex manual maintenance, and had generally higher costs.
With SaaS, on the other hand, it is possible to access software simply via a web browser (and with a good Internet connection). This revolution has considerably democratised access to corporate CRM: by paying a simple monthly fee, small and medium-sized enterprises can now equip themselves with high-tech software tools.
Operational CRM software
Among the best known and most widely used SaaS CRMs is Microsoft Dynamics, a solution that takes interactive functionality to the highest level in the enterprise-customer relationship. Although it is best known for its CRM functionality, the software actually allows companies to manage their entire business processes.
On our business software comparator, you can find a large number of specific software for the Italian market.
The importance of operational CRM in the Italian landscape
Retaining customers, developing increasingly targeted and customised marketing campaigns, increasing sales... all these objectives require meticulous planning and preparation, unthinkable without the right tools.
According to the CRM & Marketing Automation Observatory 2019, 74% of companies in Italy have a CRM system. This figure, growing steadily year after year, speaks for itself: CRM is now an indispensable tool for remaining competitive and performing.
And you, were you aware of the differences between the various 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.
Article translated from Italian