CX Tech: The Unexpected Power of a CRM

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In today's episode, hosts Devin and David discuss customer experience tech, specifically diving into customer relationship management.

Since David is our resident CRM expert, he fills the role of guest as Devin runs the interview! Devin first wants to explore David's history with CRM, which includes experience building a CRM platform. From his early CRM experiences, including such things as rudimentary efforts using Excel and Access, and onward, David has seen all the flavors of what's out there. He first became heavily involved in work on CRMs when he participated in building a CRM for a college sports program. This process, he explains, prompted him to think about the full customer life cycle; for a prospective college athlete, this life cycle actually extends from pre-college athletics through the rest of life as a student and alum. The question was, how could David and his team build a system for this market to help different aspects of the business keep up with the customers (athletes)? There were tricky nuances to navigate, especially if the CRM platform was to function smoothly—like an extension of human touch.

At their best, CRM platforms work with humans to augment their efforts; thus, they must be designed around the layers of relevant use cases and different aspects of a business. Since some companies' touchpoints with customers never leave the digital realm, these companies' CRM platforms are the employees' only means of customer interaction. In these instances, it is especially crucial for the platform to represent customers well and thoroughly. David explains how business leaders can help employees who feel burdened by the task of keeping up with customer information input, highlighting the need for proper information to meet customer needs and expectations in the moment. As the conversation wraps up, he and Devin talk about empowering employees to deliver a great customer experience by using CRM for prioritizing, business optimization, and personalization. CRM is not only good for customers, David goes on to share, but is also a tool by which leaders can empower their employers!

Links:

Learn more about the Experience Leader podcast.

Learn more about hosts Devin Smith and David Antoline.

Learn more about episode sponsor Active Digital.

If you have any questions on this episode, send them to [email protected]

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