How to save time, money and face is the nagging question each company faces on its way toward closing successful deals. However, just as every journey, win rates don’t come without their share of roadblocks. Hands down, it’s easy to get bogged down in all the customers’ details if their data has to be entered manually. What could tremendously help is a CRM that sorts all the mess out. But what can help you to make the most of calling when utilizing CRM systems? Let’s look into it!
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system is a set of software applications that systemize information obtained from various communication channels (verbal communication, telephone marketing, email advertising, Internet communication, direct interaction and more). CRM is aimed at boosting profits by building a loyal clientele.
The cornerstone of every CRM system is extensive data that is neatly structured. So, there is a place for everything and everything is in place. Therefore, CRM is like an impressive library where you can read customers like books. It is intended to offer the following opportunities:
The quest for efficiency has driven telephony to evolve because nowadays systemizing information manually is a lost cause. Therefore, some tools for optimizing telephony are integrated in CRM systems to provide you a holistic view on your customer relationship.
CRM telephony substantially leverages the work of support services and telemarketers improving calling experience. But what kind of functions does CRM telephony provide to take calling to the next level?
If you’re interested in learning about cold and warm calling practices, we have a guide for you :)
Detailed Customer Information and History
No matter if you deal with inbound or outbound calls, a quick access to the customer data allows the agent to prepare for interaction in a matter of seconds. If there is no customer history at hand, the agent ends up in a vicious circle of bombarding a lead with questions and, therefore, squandering time.
What is more, customer data in CRM comes from a myriad of communication channels, not only from calling history. It allows agents to build a more comprehensive and up-to-date customer profile.
Automated dialing is a great time-saver. It allows you to start an outbound call with just one click of a mouse. With auto-dialing, agents can reach out to more leads, therefore the output per employee increases.
But how does a programme detect whether a person has picked up a phone or a call has entered a voicemail box? It is a voice detection feature that decides whether to send a suitable voice message or redirect a call to the agent.
Though as simple as it may seem, auto-dialing varies in its form (and potential stress agents may experience):
Parallel ringing, on the other hand, deals with inbound calls. Nobody wants to miss a call from a lead, isn’t it? (unless you have leadophobia). Therefore, if an incoming call comes, all of the agents are able to respond until the fastest one picks up the phone. Parallel ringing can provide a response to a call that is as quick as lighting.
Even if no agent is available to pick up the phone, some customers would be happy to receive a callback later. Callback opportunity helps companies avoid lead leakage while simultaneously saving customers’ time.
It is a feature that redirects calls to company departments in question. If a lead happens to ‘knock on the wrong door’ or some extra help is required, you can easily route a customer to the right agent.
IVR is a system of pre-recorded voice messages. It may include customized welcome messages, announcements and menu systems. Announcements in IVR deliver information effectively, namely information about a company’s working hours or major changes.
Depending on the complexity of IVR menu, there is Single-level IVR and Multi-level IVR:
Well-designed and straightforward IVR that caters to customer needs can greatly ease agents’ workload. Quite ironically, IVR successfully lures customers away from agents while retaining the same if not better customer experience (if IVR is intelligently integrated).
With the IVR menu system you can kill two birds with one stone. For example, while call transferring is carried out manually by agents, IVR enables customers to reach the department they need by themselves. It saves lots of time. Moreover, When customers contact the suitable department, their issue may have already been identified.
These are the common options for customers integrated into the system:
Call recordings allow agents to reflect on their performance and make sense of misunderstandings to avoid them in future. Moreover, if agents have to call a lead they have already spoken to, they can listen to the previous call once again and refresh their memory.
It is important to emphasize that managers can also access the recordings to evaluate employee performance. What is even more important, call recordings are used when legal issues arise.
CRM can provide call reports that keep managers on the loop. The call reports include data about employee performance. For example, it could include the outcomes of calls (answered, voice-mail, busy, failed or missed calls), Average Call Duration. All data is represented in a user-friendly way. The data gives insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the calling strategy employed. It gives room for informed decisions to be made.
CRM telephony allows companies to offload some of the nerve-racking calling work onto the software. In the right hands, it is a win-win for everyone.
CRM allows to integrate game-changing call features into the system. These features are a treasure trove of opportunities that you can take advantage of. What if it is your calling campaign that can drum up sales of your company? What if a thriving calling campaign is within your grasp and just some improvements are required? Give a CRM Telephony a shot to find it out!