Putting the customer first is a concept for business success that has been around as long as there have been businesses and customers. The saying that “the customer comes first” is true whether a company sells retail goods or provides business services such as accounting to other companies. But keeping the interests of customers and potential customers always at the forefront during every transaction at every stage of the customer-business relationship can be a challenge even for the most well-intentioned company.
To the salesmen and marketing managers of the past, the only business tools available to record data about interactions with clients were pencil and paper and their own fallible human memories. Communication between different parts of an organization was often relatively limited, too.
In the 1990s, new ways of thinking, combined with computer technology, ushered in the era of customer relationship management (CRM). While it can be brushed off as a ‘90s business-buzzword acronym, CRM at its heart is a valuable business strategy that keeps customers’ past history, present concerns and future wishes at the focus of every part of a business’s operations. Well-executed CRM presents a unified image of a business to its customers, making it clear that nominally separate functions such as marketing, sales, operations, customer service and technical support are not fragmented but are all working toward the same ultimate goal, that of customer satisfaction.
CRM has come of age with the new millennium, thanks to the increasing sophistication of specialized CRM software. While it’s still incorrect to equate CRM with software alone, deploying an optimal CRM strategy today will involve implementing a CRM computer application. Fortunately, CRM software solutions have evolved that can serve the needs of small businesses at an affordable price.
CRM systems provide one integrated platform to record and manage all customer-centered activities, such as:
- Lead generation
- Contact of prospective clients and followup
- Appointment scheduling
- Quote generation
- Sales
- Client communication including phone calls, e-mails, faxes and documents
- Ongoing jobs, projects or assignments
- Service requests
- Customer satisfaction monitoring
When you join the family at Padgett Business Services, you won’t have to worry about choosing between the growing number of CRM solutions available, or figuring out which one will best support your new small business accounting, tax or payroll company. Padgett provides all franchisees with a name-brand, recognized leader in CRM solutions. With this CRM software and our other proven tools such as our proprietary accounting system, Padgett Connect and the Padgett Reality Check, you’ll have the foundation to realize your vision of success. Call Padgett Business Services today at 1-866-729-8725 to take the first step toward owning your own small business accounting service.