How a business treats its customers determines whether it achieves success. Firms that have established proper customer management procedures achieve success while those that give little attention to their relationships with customers suffer slow growth. In an effort to inspire loyalty among their customers, companies develop such programs as loyalty card schemes through which customers are appreciated for their continued support (Connick, 2017). Such programs are effective in driving business growth and establishing warm relations with customers.
The company that I work for has established marketing and sales businesses processes that it hopes will fuel its growth. These processes have largely been ineffective. The main reason for this is that the company has failed to integrate these processes. Basically, integrating these processes involves ensuring that they function as a single entity (Wesbecher, 2015). Instead of having the sales and marketing divisions operating like two distinct bodies, they should be integrated to create a unified effort. My employer has a marketing department that operates independently of the sales team. This has created divisions and hurt sales.
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Effective sales and marketing goes beyond integrating these two processes. It is vital for companies to adopt customer relationship management (CRM). This involves committing effort to building strong and lasting relationships with clients (Buttle & Maklan, 2015). Various products are available to facilitate CRM. My employer uses Microsoft Dynamics. This is a CRM software that enables companies to develop and improve their relationships with customers. This program has allowed my employer to gather and analyze customer information. The program has also facilitated effective customer service and also enabled the company to identify sales opportunities. My employer has integrated the software with the sales and marketing functions. Both the sales and marketing departments use the software for their respective functions. Overall, this program has boosted my employer’s sales and marketing effort.
My employer has been able to achieve success thanks to the use of Microsoft Dynamics. I believe that the company can attain even greater success. For this to happen, the company must implement a number of measures. I feel that the firm should integrate the sales and marketing functions. Integration ensures that the two functions run seamlessly and in collaboration. The other proposal that the company needs to implement involves encouraging the sales and marketing teams to be more aggressive. I feel that this will allow the company to reach more customers and retain its existing clients. In conclusion, effective customer relationship holds the key to sustainable growth. All firms that wish to register growth must invest in their relationships with customers.
References
Buttle, F. & Maklan, S. (2015). Customer Relationship Management: Concepts and Technologies. London: Routledge.
Connick, W. (2017). What is Customer Relationship Management or CRM? Retrieved 3 rd August 2017 from https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-crm-2917373
Wesbecher, J. (2015). Why ‘Smarketing’ or Integrated Sales-and-Marketing Strategy, is the Future for Small Business. Retrieved 3 rd August 2017 from
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248519
