Operational CRM

Customer data is necessary for performing most of a business’ day to day tasks. CRM systems that are created to facilitate these daily jobs fall into the category of operational CRM. Operational CRM can be a module of a larger CRM product, or its own CRM system. It stores customer information in a centralized database so it can be accessed by any process that requires it.

Operational Customer Data

Here are some data fields that up operational CRM:

• Name and address
• Phone number
• Email
• Social media links
• Business website
• Age, birthday, education, employer.

An operation CRM module will also contain historical and transactional data. This way, anyone engaging with a customer will have access to relevant support tickets, order history, and payment details.

Thanks to operational CRM, anyone from the help desk to the sales floor will have all of the information they need about any given customer. This is important now more than ever when customers often assume that information is shared across the organization.

The primary purpose of operational CRM is to assist any employee in completing any customer involved process. It is useful at the point of sale, or as a customer support tool. However, it particularly helps your sales staff, as the more they know about the customer the better they will be at providing them with the information they need to move them through the sales funnel.

Here is an example where operational CRM can improve the customer experience for one customer.

A customer subscribes to an email list. They fill out an online form with their first and last name, email address, and a bit more information. That data is used to build a CRM record. That information is used to send them marketing emails. Later, if the customer engages with customer service or makes a purchase, that information can be added to their CRM file. Eventually, you will have a robust set of data about the customer to use for sales, marketing, and support purposes.

Now, at every touchpoint employees can access information about that customer, their preferences, and their experiences with the company. In addition to this as they are able to gather additional information about the customer that information can also be added to the CRM database.

Finally, go back to the original purpose of the customer signing up. They subscribed to your email. imagine the kinds of targeted emails you could send to your customers with that kind of customer data available at your fingertips this is what operational CRM can do for you.

Operational CRM can also:

• Allow your billing department to verify a purchase.
• Inform your customer support department that they are dealing with a VIP customer.
• Let the marketing department know when a prospective customer has an upcoming birthday.
• Allow for targeted marketing offers to be sent to the customer via SMS or through an app.

The more information business areas have about each customer, the better they are able to create satisfying customer experiences.