How Does CRM Data Drive Personalisation?

These days, nobody wants to feel like just another number when interacting with a business. People crave personal experiences and it’s not just a nice-to-have for businesses, it’s expected. Whether customers are shopping online or opening a brand’s e-mail, they expect companies to know who they are.

By that, customers want to feel that brands understand them and what they want. This connection is more likely to drive sales and keep customers coming back as loyal buyers. So, it’s something that businesses need to prioritise.

This is where Customer Relationship Management (CRM) comes in. If you can picture personalisation as the engine of a good customer experience, then CRM data is the fuel to drive it.

 

What Is CRM Data?

 

CRM platforms are designed to help companies nurture individual relationships with customers, throughout every step of their buying journey. The data that comes from these platforms are invaluable and will share information about new leads and existing customers.

It will include data such as the basic contact information of each customer, their interactions with the business, purchase history and their preferences.

Essentially, every touchpoint between a customer and a business can generate some kind of data. This data all lives within the CRM system to give a business a better picture of who their customers are and what they really want.

 

Why Is Personalisation So Important Today?

 

Gone are the days where a brand’s message starting with “dear valued customer” will have any real impact or drive meaningful action. In fact, Adobe reported that 66% of consumers would refrain from making a purchase if the company’s content isn’t personalised.

Customers want and expect to be seen and have brands take a genuine interest in their preferences. Skipping the personalisation aspect could actually be pushing customers away from your brand and right towards your competitors instead.

 

How CRM Data Can Drive Personalisation

 

The companies who refuse to serve their customers on a silver platter right to their competition are doing one thing differently. They are leveraging the power of CRM data.

But how can CRM data power personalisation for businesses? Let’s get into it.

 

Segment Audiences Accordingly

 

CRM is able to break your audience up into groups based on certain preferences or characteristics that they may share. So instead of sending one generic message to everyone, each segmented group will receive a tailored message to guide them to take the next step desired by your business.

Some of these segments can include new subscribers, repeat buyers who hold massive value or customers who haven’t interacted with you for a set time period. The value of this? You can talk to customers based on where they are at in their buying journeys which will lead to better engagement.

 

 

Receive Relevant Content

 

When customers receive an e-mail with a personalised recommendation from a brand about one of their products, it’s not a coincidence. It’s just the smart use of CRM data.

CRM platforms are able to track what people are browsing, clicking on and buying. From this data, personalised recommendations can then be sent based on what that individual has been looking at such as similar items or when products have been restocked. It’s all about sending the right message to the right person at the right time.

 

Create Better Workflows

 

With CRM, you can build automated workflows triggered by specific customer behaviour. This could be a welcome message when they sign up to newsletters, a birthday discount because their date of birth would be listed in their basic information or a follow-up e-mail for abandoned carts.

It may seem like this is just a way of automating tasks but really, it’s creating personalised messages and a way to stay top-of-mind without being too invasive.

 

Offer Tailored Customer Support

 

There is nothing more frustrating than experiencing an issue and explaining it to multiple people before you get help. A well-integrated CRM can give an overview of a customer’s entire history from what they’ve bought to any past issues and how they were resolved.

This gives support agents the ability to offer a solution quicker if it’s a recurring problem and customer service begins to feel more like a genuine relationship.

 

How To Get Started With CRM Personalisation

 

The first step is to finding the CRM platform that ticks all of your boxes. This will look different for every business and is dependent on individual goals, budget and company size.

You will then be able to segment your audience based on their behaviours and preferences while building workflows that incorporate task triggers and valuable follow-ups.

The last step is to optimise your personalisation and this will always be ongoing. Monitor your open rates and sales while listening to customer feedback. Here, remember to add a human touch. CRM data is powerful but it’s all about using it to build meaningful relationships with your customers.