CRM needs to be used as a central platform for connecting people, processes and data, as well as a means of identifying opportunities to increase efficiency, improve service, optimize social media conversations and generate new leads.
"To keep ahead, organizations need to change the way they collect, analyze and use data to make more informed decisions about how to engage with their customers and demonstrate how they can adapt to this dynamic environment." That's according to a recently released white paper from ConsultCRM, an arm of Advanced Business Solutions that specializes in helping organizations implement and optimize Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
The pressure to change in that way stems from new technologies that enable customers to access much more information about products and services than ever before. Between social media, Web sites, ever-smarter search engines, blogs, whitepapers and 24/7 mobile Internet access, customers have a plethora of data at their fingertips before they ever make their purchasing decisions.
But all those resources can also help sales and marketing professionals better stay on top of customers' wants, needs and preferences -- if they make the most of their CRM tools, ConsultCRM noted.
