{"id":8512,"date":"2022-08-29T14:59:45","date_gmt":"2022-08-29T14:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cba-web-dev-01.cba-gbl.com\/?p=8512"},"modified":"2023-02-27T21:24:35","modified_gmt":"2023-02-27T21:24:35","slug":"how-to-choose-the-best-customer-management-tools-for-mail-order-and-e-commerce-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cba-web-dev-01.cba-gbl.com\/how-to-choose-the-best-customer-management-tools-for-mail-order-and-e-commerce-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Choose the Best Customer Management Tools for Mail-Order and E-commerce Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
Are you efficiently managing customers in your mail order and e-commerce business? Tool-based customer management is essential to meet the diversifying needs of today’s customers and to ensure the long-term sustainability of your business.<\/p>
What tools should you use to take your customer management to the next level? If your current customer management tool is not meeting your needs, what can you do? These questions and more will be answered in this article.<\/p>
We\u2019ll show you nine helpful criteria to go by when choosing a customer management tool, so that you can choose a solution that will really make a difference to you process. At the end of the article, we\u2019ll also include an explanation of the key points to consider so you can avoid the common mistakes when choosing a solution for your company.<\/p>
Communication Business Avenue<\/a>,<\/a>\u00a0has been helping some of the world\u2019s largest companies to integrate call centre systems and digital communication tools for the past 16 years.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Why should you upgrade your management of customer information, including “personal data” and “enquiry details”? Because the current trend for the mail-order and e-commerce market is that it\u2019s no longer expected to expand rapidly. Unfortunately, companies are competing with each other for the limited market population.<\/p> In order to be successful in such a situation, LTV (or \u2018Life Time Value\u2019) needs to be maximised.<\/p> In other words, customers who use your services once must be encouraged to continue using them, in order to bring in additional profits. This requires improving customer management and increasing customer convenience and satisfaction.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Young people today are not so inclined to contact call centres using voice channels. They prefer to solve their own problems by looking at websites and FAQs by themselves.<\/p> This means that for mail order and e-commerce businesses, there are fewer opportunities for continuous communication with customers.<\/p> How can you record and manage personal information and enquiries in the face of decreasing touch points between the business owner and the customer?<\/p> Customer management tools can be used to explore customer traffic lines, understand preferences and identify needs. The tools allow you to centralise customer information and share it with all departments in your company. As a result, you can provide the right service to your customers and maximise LTV.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t There are three tools used for customer management in mail order and EC<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t CRM stands for \u2018Customer Relationship Management\u2019 and is a tool designed especially for managing the relationship between business owners and their customer. It can be used to manage important customer information, such as customer names, addresses and purchase histories.<\/p> *CRM may also include SFA tools that can manage customer correspondence history and MA tools that can find customers who are willing to buy.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t ERP systems, which stands for \u2018Enterprise Resource Planning\u2019, are systems that can be used to manage business information on the business owner’s side. These systems are often used to manage such areas as sales, inventory and accounting.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t An enquiry management system is a tool for managing and sharing customer enquiries on a single screen.<\/p> The system allows you to share which customer made which enquiry, when the enquiry was made, which channel the enquiry was made on, and with what result. It can also be used to identify which person handled the enquiry, when and how it was handled, and the result of the enquiry.<\/p> Modern enquiry management systems can be used in conjunction with CRM and ERP systems and can also be linked to call centre systems.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Most mail order and e-commerce businesses will already be using some kind of CRM, ERP system or enquiry management system. However, they may not be utilising all three systems in conjunction with each other.<\/p> If each system does not manage and share information effectively, it will be difficult to provide customers with a high quality service. In other words, the key to improving customer management lies in linking the three systems – CRM, ERP and enquiry management systems.<\/p> There are a number of enquiry management systems that can link tools together to provide customer support. How though do you choose the right tool for your company from the many options available?<\/p> Consider the following nine checkpoints:<\/p> Each of these checkpoints is explained below.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t There are both free and paid tools available for enquiry management systems. Naturally, free tools have simple functions and a limited number of users. Paid tools often have several plans, depending on the functions and number of people who can use them.<\/p> It\u2019s important to take into account the functions you want to use and the number of people who will actually be using the tool, when deciding whether you want a free tool or a paid tool.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t There are two types of enquiry management systems: solutions that can be used in the cloud and on-premises versions that can be operated within your own in-house facilities.<\/p> Features of cloud-based enquiry management systems:<\/p> Features of on-premise enquiry management systems.<\/p> Deciding whether to go for a cloud or on-premisis system should depend largely upon the business owner\u2019s facilities, resources and available personnel.<\/p> Some business owners may be reluctant to make use of a cloud solution, doubting the level of security a cloud solution could provide. However, the reality is that nowadays, cloud systems have very advanced security measures and are often much safer to operate than on-premises alternatives, which require manual updates and risk being exposed to the most recent security threats.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents<\/h6>
What Is Customer Management in Mail Order and EC?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
The Need to Level up Customer Management<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Communication Between Customers and Businesses Declines<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Tools Used for Customer Management in Mail Order and EC<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
CRM<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
ERP systems<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Enquiry Management Systems<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
9 Essentials When Choosing an Enquiry Management System for Customer Management<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
1. Free or paid tool?<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
2. Cloud or On-premise?<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t