CRM in Call Centers

Implementing a CRM in a Call Center

The use and implementation of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems in call centers are advancing. Regardless of whether it is inbound or outbound, there is an inseparable relationship between call centers and customer management, and CRM plays an important role in properly managing customer information and linking it to revenue.

There are great advantages to implementing CRM, but if it is implemented incorrectly, the advantages can turn into disadvantages. So, in this article, let's take a closer look at the benefits of implementing CRM in a call center, and some points to keep in mind.

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What is CRM?

CRM stands for "Customer Relationship Management" and refers to a system for managing communication history and relationships with customers.

Customer information used in a call center is mainly a customer database that includes the name of the customer's company, department, and person in charge. There is also "purchase (negotiation) data" such as inquiry history, purchase history, and purchase amount. In addition, it may be used for "marketing measures" such as sending out mail magazines or applying coupons by narrowing down the attributes.

CRM has the role of centrally managing such information and functions to build a good relationship with customers.

Difference from SFA

SFA is an abbreviation for "Sales Force Automation" and is often referred to as a sales support system.

Since it can also manage customer information, CRM and SFA have some identical functions. However, the main purpose of SFA is to improve sales productivity and visualize the sales process. In contrast to CRM, which mainly manages customer information, SFA is used for the internal management of sales activities.

For this reason, the purpose of SFA is somewhat different from that of CRM, and especially in call centers, many companies use CRM more than SFA.

Relationship between call centers and CRM

One of the main purposes of using CRM in call centers is to improve the LTV of customers.

LTV stands for "Life Time Value" and means customer lifetime value. It is used as an indicator to understand a company's long-term profit by measuring whether a company can start from the first point of contact with a customer and continuously purchase products and services for the duration of the relationship with that customer.

If you can build a good relationship with your customers, they will become regular customers who will purchase your products and services for a long time. The more regular customers you have, the more stable your company's earnings will be and the more you can expand your scale. 

By using the profits gained from this to develop new customers, a positive spiral will occur; and you will be able to build deeper relationships with more customers.

CRM functions used in call centers

Now, let's look at how CRM is used in call centers. Many call centers are using CRM for the following three purposes.

Customer information management

A call center is a department that directly interacts with customers via the phone or the Internet. By having a variety of information about customers, they will be able to respond in a way that "sticks" with them.

For example, if you are a call center accepting orders for a mail-order company, you hold a variety of information about your customers, such as their address, age, gender, past purchase history, inquiry history, use of other companies' products, campaign participation history, and use of points. The customer information management function of CRM plays an active role in centralizing the management of this information and providing appropriate responses.

Customer search

This is a function to search for the relevant customer from the phone number or e-mail address of the inquiring customer. Currently, most call centers are equipped with CTI, which is linked to CRM.

CTI stands for "Computer Telephony Integration." It is a system that has functions such as receiving and sending calls via PC and automatic recording of voice calls. By linking this CTI with CRM, it is possible to display customer information on the PC screen when incoming and outgoing calls are made.

In a call center, customer information is instantly displayed on the PC screen when a call is received, allowing for a quick response.

Registration of purchase and inquiry history

Purchase and inquiry history can be registered in CRM. Many staff members are working in a call center, and not all of them are assigned to each customer like in sales. In other words, customer service is randomly determined each time, so all call center staff need to have equal access to customer information.

By displaying the customer history in CRM, you will be able to respond quickly.

Advantages of implementing CRM in a call center

 Next, let's take a look at the benefits of implementing a CRM in a call center. There are three major benefits from the perspective of companies that utilize call centers. All of them are important and directly related to sales and profits.

Early training of staff and uniformity of service

Call center staff will have a lot to learn and spend a lot of time in advance training. At times, it may be necessary to spend long hours doing ropes training.

However, since CRM allows centralized management of customer information, past inquiries and responses to them are also stored. By imitating staff with practical experience, you will be able to train them quickly.

In addition, by sharing information through CRM, everyone can provide the same level of response, thus ensuring uniformity in customer service.

Information can be shared among multiple contact points.

Some companies have separate contact points for telephone and e-mail inquiries. In some cases, they also have separate contact points for mail and in-person consultations, resulting in multiple points of contact with customers.

In such cases, it is easy for customers to complain, "I told you over there, but you didn't tell me over here," and centralized management by CRM can prevent such complaints and ultimately lead to higher customer satisfaction.

Able to consider the best next steps for each customer

To build a good relationship with customers, it is not possible to expect the effects of uniform marketing measures. It is important to implement measures that are optimized for each customer, which is called One to One marketing.

CRM is stocked with attributes and past purchase history. One of the advantages of using CRM is that you can make your customers become your fans by sending them recommendations based on the content of their inquiries immediately after they contact your call center.

Points to keep in mind when implementing a CRM

As you can see, there are great advantages to using a CRM in a call center, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

First is the user interface, which tends to be complicated due to the wide variety of functions implemented in CRM. Call centers are an industry where staff turnover is rapid, so each time you hire a new staff member, you have to lecture them on the operation. If the operation is complicated, it will take a lot of time for training and guidance.

Also, if the operation takes a long time, customers will have to wait. It is very important to purchase a CRM that is easy to use.

As mentioned earlier, whether or not it can be linked to CTI is also important. When considering the premise of implementation in a call center, it is no exaggeration to say that the value of a CRM will be reduced by half if it cannot be linked to CTI.

Another important feature is the ability to collaborate between departments; the information held by CRM can be used not only within the call center but also in marketing and sales. 

There are even companies that have linked their call center CRM with other tools such as SFA to develop aggressive sales activities. 

When introducing a CRM, it is important to check its compatibility with other tools and systems.

Conclusion

CRM offers great benefits not only to the call center itself but also to the marketing and sales departments. By implementing a CRM that best matches your call center, your company's strength will double or triple.

Currently, many CRM products have been released with different functions and operability, etc. When choosing a CRM, please consider the contents of this article and try to make the best choice.

Call Center CRM

Improving Call Center Operations

Improving call center operations by combining CTI and CRM

Functions of CTI

CTI (Computer Technology Integration) is a system that integrates telephone and computer functions to provide support for various computer systems while making calls mainly on a PC.

Since CTI systems provide a variety of support functions for calls, they are currently mainly used in call centers.

In many cases, call centers are used to combine CRM and CTI systems. Today, however, CRM and CTI are inseparable, and it can be said that in the future, integrated systems that work more closely together will be essential.

To implement CRM measures that aim for a good relationship with customers, the entire call center will be improved (manuals, scripts, optimization of various systems), and operators will be trained. CTI systems provide particularly strong support capabilities in practice.

In a typical CTI system, a computer recognizes the incoming phone number and instantly displays the relevant information on a computer display. This feature is based on the ability to show the name of the person on the display of a landline phone. 

In a call center, it is important to have a function that enables an instant grasp of customer information.

In CRM, it is important to provide a customer emotional experience. If there is little difference in functionality between the products of two competing companies, the one that can provide more customer-oriented services will be chosen.

In a call center with a CTI system, when a second or subsequent call comes in, the contents of the previous call can be recalled immediately. For example, if the customer had purchased some kind of product last time, adding something like "How's your ~" will make the customer feel that you remembered and saved them the trouble of having to explain. 

The accumulation of even such trivial impressions is important in CRM.

Below are some examples of CRM results achieved through the use of CTI systems.

Advantages of CRM for Call Centers

Digitization from paper-based

For call centers that have been managing customer information on paper, the transition to digitalization can be difficult. In most cases, the amount of data is huge, and it is very costly to transfer it to a computer. In addition, even though digitalization makes data management easier, if there is no improvement in actual call operations, the cost cannot be recovered, which may put pressure on the business.

Therefore, by building a CRM system using a CTI system, it is possible to improve operational efficiency after implementation and recover the cost of implementation as early as possible.

By implementing a CTI system, the time required for ACW (post-call clerical work such as data entry and recording of transactions and procedures) can be significantly reduced. In some cases, this has resulted in a 1.5-fold increase in the number of calls handled per operator.

In addition, having the computer assist in much of the work is expected to reduce the number of minor operator errors.

Software inquiry support

After-sales service after the purchase of a product is important for products such as software. Although there are now many software products with excellent operability, software that is installed on a computer is more complicated to operate than home appliances such as TVs and vacuum cleaners. There are many cases where people do not know how to use the software and contact the call center.

This is where CTI systems come in handy. A CTI system can immediately show on the display the products the customer has purchased and the questions they have asked before, so even a first-time operator can provide smooth explanations and guidance. Of course, CTI is not limited to software-related inquiries but can be used for any type of inquiry handling work to achieve advanced CRM.

Retaining repeat customers and developing loyal customers

CRM, which translates to customer relationship management, is a way of thinking that focuses more on the relationship with customers to improve profitability. However, in the early days of CRM, many of these measures failed. The reason is that they did not have a firm grasp of the customer relationships that needed to be managed. Today, CRM is based on the concept of measures for customers who have already used the company's products. This is because it is more efficient from a cost perspective to retain existing customers and increase their satisfaction.

To retain customers and have them become repeat customers and eventually loyal customers, the work of call centers is very important. In this case, CTI systems are very useful because they allow the operator to check the customer's information when receiving a second or subsequent inquiry, request for a procedure, or complaint, thus enabling a quick and appropriate response. This kind of responsiveness leads to customer appreciation and improves the quality of CRM.

To effectively develop loyal customers, it is necessary to provide more detailed and personalized responses. In some cases, new operators are assigned to handle customers who would have become loyal customers, resulting in lost opportunities. This is where a CTI system comes in handy, as a CRM system with a CTI function can register the customer information of incoming calls in advance so that it can be set up to know whether the caller is an important customer or not at the time the call comes in. This way, when an inquiry comes in from an important customer, an operator who has handled the call before or an experienced operator can take the call. Rather than randomly assigning calls, it is possible to efficiently retain repeat customers and cultivate loyal customers by having the right people handle the calls.

Other examples

Call centers are not the only place to implement CRM measures. For example, for small-scale store operations, a CTI system can improve operational efficiency and raise CRM measures to a higher level.

In the food delivery industry, such as pizza delivery and cab companies, the frequency of use by loyal customers is extremely high, and CTI allows them to quickly complete procedures when contacted by customers, which not only improves operational efficiency but also saves time for customers. 

In addition, since you can learn about the preferences of your customers, you can provide useful advice and increase customer satisfaction.

A CTI system is also useful for taking reservations at hotels and restaurants. If the customer has used the system before, the system can make the best proposal based on past usage. In the case of a hotel, it can be used to develop loyal customers by clarifying the type of newspaper to be distributed in the morning and other things that customers need and appreciate. 

This type of reservation system is also useful for medical institutions, where doctors can use it to quickly understand and communicate with patients by linking it to electronic medical records.

A CTI system also can automatically record and log all calls, which can be used in a variety of ways for different industries. For example, it is possible to re-listen to the call content and use the logging function to build an unattended monitoring system, leading to a reduction in labor costs.

In this way, by implementing a CRM system combined with CTI, it is possible to improve operational efficiency and create an emotional experience for customers.

Read more on CRM tools for call centers

Increase Customer Satisfaction with Solutions

What are three ways to increase customer satisfaction with solutions for call centers?

This article will help you learn more about the solutions you need to increase customer satisfaction in your call center.

Table of contents

• Are more and more companies placing importance on customer satisfaction?
• Solutions to increase customer satisfaction
• Conclusion 

Read more: Advantages of CRM for Call Centers

Are more and more companies placing importance on customer satisfaction?

Call centers, which specialize in answering phone calls to customers' questions and inquiries, can be said to be "an important department that can directly affect a company's image.

However, it is not easy to see whether or not the call center's response is directly related to sales; and each call center has its policy on how to increase customer purchase opportunities.

The policy can be divided into two main categories: "Prioritize productivity and reduce costs" and "Focus on customer satisfaction.

If you prioritize productivity and reduce costs, you will be able to handle more customers, but the quality of each case will be lower, which may lead to the worst impression from the customer and new complaints.

If you focus on customer satisfaction, it is essential to provide better services than the current ones to increase customer satisfaction.

Nowadays, courteous customer service has already become a norm, and if courteous customer service is not provided, the product will have a negative image.

Both are important, and we want to avoid leaning too far to one side or the other.

To provide services that are one step ahead of the rest, it is important to respond to users quickly and efficiently and to pursue customer excitement.

Solutions to enhance customer satisfaction

Based on the above background, here are some very basic solutions that are essential to implement to increase customer satisfaction:

1. Implement a CRM system

CRM is an acronym for Customer Relationship Management and refers to a system for "managing customer information.

By using a CRM system, you can not only manage your customers' information but also centrally manage their past inquiry history, so that you can optimize communication with each customer.

Nowadays, it is common to use CRM systems regardless of whether it is B2B or B2C.

In addition to customer management, CRM systems can also be used for marketing. For example, a CRM system can be used to segment the customer database based on several criteria and send out optimized email newsletters and DMs to the appropriate users.

2. Implement CTI　

CTI is an acronym for Computer Telephony Integration, a system that connects telephone and fax machines with computers.

By implementing CTI, customer information such as customer names and addresses can be stored, and the information can be checked on the computer while answering the phone.

Typical functions include:

• Automatic response system (IVR)
• Call recording function
• Phone control function
• Call recording function

Let's take a look at each of them in detail.

Automatic Voice Response System (IVR)

An IVR system is a system that guides customers through their inquiries by voice recognition and button operation.

It is also possible to transfer the call to the appropriate operator according to the content of the inquiry.

By automating the reception and answering parts of a call, which used to be handled manually, more time can be spent on handling inquiries.

Call recording function

The call recording function, as the name suggests, is a function to record calls.

In a call center, the way you speak and the words you use are especially important, so quality improvement is always required.

The ability to check the content of the call and store data after the call is over allows you to prevent problems and improve your response, leading to further service improvement.

Phone control function

The call control function is a function that evenly distributes calls to operators so that calls from customers are not concentrated on a single operator.

As mentioned earlier, it is important to improve efficiency to handle more customers.

By distributing calls appropriately, you can reduce the number of available operators and shorten the amount of time your customers have to wait.

3. Implementation of FAQ system

If the answer is different every time you inquire, or if the response is cumbersome. If you operate in such a way, users will leave your company.

To prevent this from happening, each operator must provide appropriate responses and services, and to do so, it is necessary to train operators carefully.

However, in reality, operator training takes a lot of time and money, and many companies do not have the time to devote to it.

One way to reduce the training time and still maintain the accuracy of customer service is to implement an FAQ system.

With this system, operators can instantly search for the latest information, record and analyze logs, and share knowledge.

Thus, even without sufficient training, the know-how of experienced operators can be effectively utilized to respond to customers.

On the company side, it will also be more convenient to share customer response information on the PC, which used to be handled by individual operators via email.

4. Implementation of FAQ page

Setting up a FAQ page that collects frequently asked questions and answers from customers is also effective in improving customer satisfaction.

FAQ pages are the "Frequently Asked Questions" that you often see on corporate websites, and they help customers access and solve their questions by themselves.

Many customers are uncomfortable with phone calls, so they tend to prefer FAQ pages that they can easily access from their smartphones or PCs.

This will also reduce the number of inquiries and thus reduce the burden on operators.

Conclusion

In this article, I have introduced solutions to increase customer satisfaction in call centers. However, it is very difficult and costly to run an efficient operation while increasing customer satisfaction.

CRM for call centers

Advantages of CRM for Call Centers

Advantages of CRM for Call Centers

Table of contents

- What is CRM?

- How does it differ from SFA? Purpose of CRM implementation

- What can CRM do?

- Advantages of CRM implementation

- Types of CRM

- Conclusion

What is CRM?

It's a term you may not have heard before, but you hear the word "CRM" a lot, don't you?

It is called "Customer Relationship Management."

It is often abbreviated to CRM system, which means "Customer Relationship Management System"!

It is essential to have a clear understanding of the relationship with each customer to develop a customer-centric business.

By using CRM, you can understand and manage customer needs and optimize communication for each customer.

Tools to make such CRM easy and efficient using IT systems are being developed one after another!

In this article, I will introduce in detail what kind of systems are helpful for your company, focusing on the implementation of CRM in call centers by purpose!

What is the difference between CRM and SFA?

One system that is often confused with CRM is Sales Force Automation (SFA).

However, there are clear differences between the two, which I will explain below:

SFA specializes in the activities of salespeople

SFA can be translated as "Sales Force Automation" and is designed to manage the activities and tasks of salespeople. SFA differs from CRM in that it was originally designed to improve the efficiency of sales activities.

Although it is similar to CRM in some aspects, if you try to use it as a CRM, you may have to enter unnecessary data items, or the user interface may be difficult to use.

It is important to note that SFA is a system whose focus is not on the customer but the company's sales force.

CRM specializes in building relationships with customers and managing customer information.

CRM, on the other hand, is a system designed to improve business performance by building, managing, and strengthening relationships with customers. 

In addition to managing the customer database, it is designed to make it easy to retrieve and act on information to strengthen the relationship with customers, such as marketing strategies and specific promotions.

The purpose of implementing CRM in the first place is to improve the LTV (Lifetime Value) of each customer. It is necessary to strengthen the relationship with customers and make them repeat customers to achieve this goal.

With the spread of smartphones, the number of points of contact between companies and customers is increasing with the means of communication through call centers, in addition to the traditional direct customer service in stores and email communication. 

In addition, many companies are also adopting chat-based communication, which is becoming more diverse and complex.

What can CRM do for you?

The main functions of CRM are:

• Customer management
• Customer analysis and marketing support
• Promotion management

These are the three main functions of CRM. 

Let's look at the functions one by one from the top.

Customer management

CRM can be used for the followings:

• Basic information such as customer's personal information (name, age, address, phone number, email address)
• Customer purchase history (products purchased, purchase date, purchase amount, purchase frequency)
• Contact information where the customer has made inquiries or complaints

It is possible to manage information about a specific customer, such as

Furthermore, it is also possible to classify and manage these customer data into groups by attaching attributes to them. 

By centrally managing the data in one place, it can be used in a variety of situations, such as when you want to approach customers with specific attributes or to search for data by attribute.

Customer analysis and marketing support

The database built by CRM can be used as basic information for analyzing the company's customer attributes and planning the next marketing measures.

By linking CRM with tools that serve as points of contact between the company and its customers, data can be grasped and analyzed in real-time, thereby improving the accuracy of marketing. At the same time, reporting using the information organized and integrated with CRM plays a role in helping executives and managers to make quick and accurate decisions.

Promotion management

CRM also contributes significantly to improving the accuracy of promotions.

In recent years, some companies are implementing a one-to-one strategy by managing the needs and purchase history of each customer.

In addition, since the database can be grouped and customers can be extracted based on various conditions, it is now possible to accurately select targets for promotions from the accumulated data. Therefore, optimized mail newsletter, direct mail, coupons, and special offers can be delivered to optimized customers at optimized timing.

Advantages of implementing CRM

By strengthening contact with customers more closely and sharing the information obtained through that contact within the company, it is possible to maximize the value provided to customers.

In this section, I will divide the benefits of CRM implementation into (1) benefits for general use and (2) benefits for call center use!

Advantages of implementing a CRM system in general

The benefits of implementing a CRM system in the general scope of use include the ability to smoothly retrieve the necessary information when needed by centrally managing a vast amount of customer data.

Timely analysis of accumulated customer data can lead to quick and appropriate business decisions.

The ability to numerically manage the return on investment of promotions, including LTV, can be utilized in drafting the following marketing strategy.

By being able to manage the numerical value of the return on investment of promotions, including LTV, it is possible to use this information to formulate the following marketing strategy.

The great advantage is that you can analyze information based on customer data more reliably and connect it to profits!

In this way, CRM is designed as a tool to help you understand your customers better.

Advantages of putting a CRM system in a call center

Call centers are now facing challenges in various aspects, such as the increasing workload of operators and the high turnover rate associated with it.

A proposal has emerged to introduce a CRM system using IT into call centers to alleviate these problems as much as possible. For example, a "Call center/CRM system" is now being proposed.

For example, did you know that there is an exhibition called "Call Center/CRM Demo & Conference"?

In addition to a variety of support related to call center operations, CRM systems are also making a major entry at this exhibition.

So, what are the benefits of implementing a CRM system that uses IT for each call center?

Call center staff can share a common database that is updated in real-time, making it easier for them to collaborate.

Call center staff can grasp past inquiries and complaints as well as incoming calls, enabling them to respond on time with a high level of customer satisfaction.

By inputting call center records into CRM, other departments such as sales can utilize the information.

To be able to provide the exact information that the customer wants most.

It all boils down to this point.

By checking the analysis information of the customers in the call center, it is possible to grasp the information that the customers would want the most right now!

Types of CRM

There are two types of CRM: cloud-based and installed. Let's take a look at the features of both from the perspective of advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages:

The advantages of cloud-based CRM are that it does not require its server, it can be connected to many devices, and its functions are highly scalable.

On the other hand, the advantages of the installation type are quick implementation, low cost in the long run, and stable performance.

Disadvantages

The disadvantage of cloud-based systems is that they do not have their servers, so running costs are high.

On the other hand, the disadvantages of the installation type are that you have to install your server, it is difficult to customize the software in-house since it is packaged, and the functionality is not scalable. Also, it is difficult or impossible to access the network from outside the company.

Aware of the fact that the SFA they had been using before the introduction of CRM was simply a place for daily sales reports, and the data was not being stored in a form that could be used company-wide, they switched to CRM when they reviewed their system.

With the implementation of CRM, in addition to the personal and purchase information of customers as before, information on sales visit history and sales results can now be shared internally in real-time.

The greatest benefit of implementing CRM is the ability to centralize and visualize information. 

By organizing the information into a format that can be viewed at a glance, we have been able to improve the efficiency of our operations.

By visualizing and sharing information on business negotiations on a cross-sectional basis, we have established a system that allows us to implement accurate marketing on a company-wide basis.

Conclusion

What did you think?

CRM can improve LTV sales by organizing, integrating, and sharing customer information to strengthen customer relationships. Since both cloud-based and installed systems have their advantages and disadvantages, it is important to choose the appropriate product according to your company's purpose of use and situation.

Call center CRM