Often, while talking with customers one of them will write, “I am not even sure I really need a CRM app for my business”. Inevitably, after a bit more conversation they will agree that of course they do!
Service with a smile
Let me introduce you to Bob and Andy. Both of them had a small business of selling suites directly to consumers at their home, place of business, or even in a coffee shop. They would show up with a catalogue, get people’s measurements, requirements, design, look and feel, price, etc and proceed to show them a bunch of potential suits which met their criteria.
Bob was very old school. He kept meticulous records in his notebook. Andy was a little more cavalier about customers and their records. I sent you the wrong receipt? Sorry, here’s another one. You got the wrong suite? I’ll pick it up and send you the correct one. And so on..
Did I mention their businesses were both flourishing in the early 1990’s? What separated them from other competitors was their ability to always provide service with a smile. No matter what else was going on in the world at the time, when you bought a suit from Bob or Andy you simply felt great!
Modernization and Digitization
With the advent of the Internet Bob & Andy both attempted to modernize their operation. Andy was a bit older and wasn’t going to be caught up with all this “technology”. Neither of them wanted the hassle of dealing with an online store presence but they could both still provide the personalized service their customers has grown accustomed to.
But Andy neglected to take into consideration the expectations of his customers. Perhaps in the early 90’s, lost orders, mixed up receipts, and late arrivals were considered ok, but once people had grown accustomed to hassle free Internet shopping they weren’t going back to a guy taking their measurements and jotting them down on a notepad, only to lose them and call them again to ask to take their order.
I need a CRM
Bob was also an old school kind of guy. He too wasn’t going to start with an e-commerce platform or website. But he realized he had to keep pace with these online stores and the only way to do so was with a slightly more sophisticated CRM than his meticulous notepad. He didn’t want or need that many bells and whistles but he wanted something which would at least record customers measurements and orders. So he went out and found himself a fairly simple online CRM which suited (pun definitely intended) his needs!
By the year 2000, Andy’s business had gone under. Customers fled to online stores and the appeal of someone coming you home had lost its luster. But Bob was still selling strong. With a simple CRM he managed to keep his business churning like a well oiled machine.
Your CRM is your lifeline
Any small business owner will tell you that their CRM is literally their lifeline to keeping their business afloat. CRM’s don’t have to be fancy and certainly don’t have to be expensive. Long lost is the name of the CRM which Bob used to transform his business, but it’s spirit lives on with Calls.AI!
