According to Statista,* the global customer relationship management (CRM) software market is forecasted to grow to 57 billion U.S. dollars in 2025. One of the key drivers** of the market in the United States is the increasing demand for personalized customer experiences. 
While Customer Relationship Management is a broad term often used interchangeably to reference software systems, marketing tools or a series of campaigns, the fundamental purpose of CRM is for companies to enhance and improve their interactions with customers to ultimately drive growth. As the demand for personalized customer experiences grows, so does the importance of having a healthy CRM strategy and process to ensure cost savings, compliance and conversion.
Brands interested in improving campaign performance need to establish a healthy CRM base. Here are 3 key steps to enabling personalized campaigns that deliver ROI:
A comprehensive understanding of the CRM technology a brand is using is fundamental to improving communication with its customers. Especially important is an audit to analyze the current usage of the technology’s full functionality. This can be part of a wider evaluation of a brand’s existing MarTech stack. A holistic view will establish where data silos are emerging and how to best move to an integrated data strategy to deliver personalized, joined-up customer experiences. Reviewing data privacy systems is also key to meeting compliance regulations. Critically, an audit or health check will identify where potential efficiencies in cost and resource can be made, including avoiding overpaying and are maximizing the ROI from your software.
Your CRM software is only as strong as the program driving it. Establishing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for a CRM workflow strengthens the communications' effectiveness and drives engagement with customers. These SOPs include key triggers along the customer journey like; 'Welcome' - targeting new subscribers, 'Sunsetting' - removing disengaged subscribers, and 'Abandon Basket' - encouraging prospects to complete their purchase. An additional strategy is to match spending to meet engagers on the platform where they already exist. This can speed up growth in that specific channel and maximizes ROI. Integrating A/B testing into your CRM program ensures ongoing learning about the audiences to continually optimize and improve consumer experiences.
The glue that holds a CRM program together is the team behind the technology. Building knowledge in each specific area is crucial. On-going training and certification should be completed immediately after onboarding a new team member or new technology. Allowing a team the space to plan, test, and create a holistic program is also highly important to ensuring the return on investment of each part of a MarTech stack. Supplementing or bringing on an external agency to support an internal team is also beneficial. Having dedicated time and space to think strategically, can also ensure the strongest delivery from a CRM or technology team.
Do you want to learn more about how to improve the performance of your CRM? Complete our CRM Maturity Assessment to receive results directly from our experts on your current capabilities and strategic recommendations for action.
*Statista- Customer relationship management (CRM) software market revenues worldwide from 2015 to 2026
**Statista- Customer Relationship Management Software - United States