What does CRM mean?

CRM is an abbreviation for Customer Relationship Management and is about actively working with customer relationships – often with the help of a CRM system.

A CRM system is an IT support and tool that gives you full control over your customer relationships, helps you with customer exploration, sales and marketing strategies, and creates flexible solutions for customer support and analysis.

The purpose of CRM and a CRM system is to get satisfied customers who stay and who talk a lot about your company. In short: CRM is a simple and profitable philosophy – which is combined with very smart technology.

Centralize your customer data with CRM

Collect customer information

To be able to work in a structured way with customer relationships requires order and order. It is therefore the first and most important goal of CRM for many companies. A CRM system gathers all the customer information you need in one place and makes it easy to find the right information.

Automate processes

With the right tools, you can automate and streamline several customer-oriented processes. Instead of wasting their time preparing mailing lists or scheduling reminders in the calendar, employees can put their gunpowder on building personal relationships with customers.

Insights and reporting

Get statistics, forecasts and reports in the CRM system at a glance. Get an overview of your sales statistics, lead management or customer satisfaction using graphical dashboards. Quick insights and an overview of important key figures and KPIs make it possible to act quickly when needed.

Poster: Succeed with your CRM project

Anchor link to crm-systems

Choose the right CRM for your company

Are you in the look for a CRM that is right for your company? With two different systems we have something for most.

Light sales CRM

Lime Go

For you that wants to:

  • Save time targeting new customers
  • Pick and choose from a database with 1.7 million companies directly in the system
  • Create visually appealing emails
  • Make decisions based on data
  • Integrate with other IT tools
  • Get started quickly
Flexible CRM

Lime CRM

For you that wants to:

  • Let sales, marketing and support work in the same system
  • Gather customer information, deals and campaigns in one place
  • Nurture long-term customer relationships
  • Scale and customise the system to your processes and complex flows
  • Follow up KPIs with statistics and reports
  • Add extra features and integrate with other IT tools

The importance of a CRM strategy

You stand out as a supplier

What happens when customers feel that the products or services are equivalent regardless of supplier? They choose the company that is “best”. When prices and products are equal, decisions are based on emotions. A CRM system ensures that your company is easy to deal with and keeps what you promise.

Improved customer service and marketing

Customers who feel poorly cared for are happy to talk about it to others – and the same goes for customers who have been pleasantly surprised. Customer Relationship Management is precisely about improving customer management and creating more positive experiences. CRM thus usually leads to a really good, cheap and effective marketing through fantastic reviews from your satisfied customers.

Your company owns the customer information

Do you know which customers your seller has had contact with or what has been agreed? Can you be sure that customers will not follow the salesman to the new job? With a CRM tool, it is your company that owns the customer information instead of individual employees and everyone has an overview of what has been said and done – when, where and by whom.

More profitable customer journey and increased sales

It is both easier and cheaper to retain existing customers than to constantly acquire new ones. And no matter how great products or services your company offers, you will ultimately not sell an ounce if customer relationships are not good. Customers are more than just a chance to sell, and if you make sure to take every opportunity to nurture customers with the support of a CRM program, there is also a greater chance that you will get a more long-term, loyal and profitable customer.

Analyze the needs and act faster

It’s no secret that companies benefit from keeping track of their customers. Still, it is a common pitfall where too many companies lack valuable insights that drive the business forward. With a CRM tool, you gather all important customer information in one place. With the help of information in the CRM tool, you can then work data-driven to identify new customer needs and manage existing and potential customers in the right way.

Sales, marketing and support in one place

For customer-facing roles, the CRM system can be the hub for customer interactions and give all employees access to the information needed to give each customer the care that they deserve. In addition to a 360-degree view of the customer, a CRM can also streamline processes in each department. Here are some examples:

Sales

  • Lead & pipeline management
  • Quotation management
  • Upselling
  • Reporting

Marketing

  • Email marketing & segmentation
  • Marketing automation
  • Events & campaigns
  • Surveys & NPS

Support

  • Ticket management
  • Field service & work order
  • Checklists
  • Self-service & FAQ

FAQ: Frequently asked questions and answers about CRM

What is Customer Relationship Management (CRM)?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM), means working actively and structured to improve customer relationships and create long-term relationships. This can mean setting up internal structures for how a company communicates with its customers and to simplify the work, it is common to take support from some form of IT tool such as a CRM system.

What is a CRM system?

A CRM system can also be called a CRM tool or CRM program and is an IT support that gives you full control over your customer relationships – this by gathering all customer communication in one place. A CRM system is also advantageously connected to other important IT systems such as business systems (ERP) to provide an overall picture of each customer.

What is a CRM system used for?

The uses for a CRM system are almost endless, but the most common is support for activities related to sales, marketing and customer service. In sales, the CRM system can, for example, simplify prospecting for new customers, follow up sales discussions and create an overview of the sales pipeline. In marketing, a CRM system is often used to manage incoming leads from the website and to carry out and analyze campaigns and news releases. Customer service and support functions often use the CRM system to handle incoming cases and questions from customers.

How do I choose the right CRM system?

Choosing a CRM system is not always easy. Therefore, it is good that you and your colleagues evaluate different options and ask yourself; Why are we making this investment? What is our goal with the CRM system? Who should work in the tool? What features are important to our users? What does our budget look like? By knowing where you are and where you want to go, you reduce the risk of side tracks and increase the probability of finding the right supplier faster.

Can the CRM system be adapted to my needs?

Obvious. In order for you to get the most out of a CRM system, it is important that it is adapted to your particular company and processes. A CRM system must always be designed according to those who will use the tool. In addition, you do not have to pay for unnecessary components that you neither need nor will use.

Can a CRM system be integrated with other software?

All IT systems should do what they are best at and then integrate with each other to share information that the various software can benefit from. By integrating your CRM system with other IT tools, you get access to all information in one place, instead of looking for it in different systems. Be sure to choose a CRM system that can be integrated with tools that are important to you. Here are some examples of common CRM integrations: ERP and business systems , Business Intelligence (BI)Digital signaturesGmail, Outlook and Email marketing tools . 

Are CRM systems also suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)?

Investing in a CRM system can feel like a big investment and has a reputation that it is only profitable for large companies. Having a tool that nurtures customer relationships and creates new business opportunities is extremely important for companies during the growth phase and is an at least as profitable investment even for smaller companies.

What does a CRM system cost?

Today, there are thousands of CRM providers on the market and price is obviously an important factor when investing in a new CRM tool. Some are completely free, while others require an investment. But do not forget to include other important factors, such as what return you can expect from different options and whether the CRM system can grow with your business.

Can I test a CRM system for free before I buy?

Many people want to test a CRM system before they decide to invest, and of course you should do the same. Therefore, we offer the opportunity for you to squeeze and feel our CRM tools before you decide. Lime Go  is our slightly simpler sales and exploration tool for smaller companies. Lime CRM is our complete CRM system that is adapted to your needs. Read more about our products and test for free to get a sense of what it is like to work in the tools.

Your local European CRM provider

In 1990, Lime Technologies was founded in a small basement room in the Swedish university town of Lund. Ever since day one, our goal has been to deliver user-friendly CRM tools that simplify everyday life. We work to offer the best and most user-friendly tools for all companies to become customer magnets that both retain existing ones and attract new customers. With offices in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands and Germany, we offer local CRM support across Europe.

Today, it is more important than ever to maintain good customer relationships. Therefore, it is worthwhile to have all the information gathered in one place and get an overall picture of the customer in a single tool. Curious about how Lime can help you? Contact us and we will take a call. When the opportunity arises, we are happy to come and visit your business, no matter where in Europe you are.