As we all know, keeping in close contact and ensuring the quality of the customer experience is always a profitable path for any company, no matter the industry. Using CRM correctly is crucial for business, and it even makes the difference between those who are thriving and those who are just struggling to survive.

The recent – and tragic – restrictions have dramatically plunged the world economy into an unprecedented crisis, which has forced many companies to alter their infrastructure, at the risk of permanently closing their doors. In fact, one in five companies plans to wait another year before starting to make any real recovery. In this scenario, small and medium traders were disproportionately affected, as, without the possibility of direct interaction, they needed to adapt to remain in the memory of customers and, among them, those who invested in advanced solutions to improve customer loyalty, engagement and retention are doing much better.

The truth is that even before recent events – and the inherent operational challenges –, more seamless and personalized levels of interactions were required. There were limitless CRM options for enterprise-sized companies, but nothing to meet the needs and budgets of smaller ones. Now, as the world shifts to more virtual connections, the time is right for small/medium sized business owners to invest in these solutions that not only drive revenue but also deliver a competitive advantage of immeasurable value.

The reasons for this are obvious, however, one of the main attractions of CRM tools is their incredible ability to simplify customer data management by centralizing all in one place. The main platforms in the market optimize all interactions in a single dashboard, making them accessible to other departments and providing a 360​​degree view of buyers. This reduces time wasted searching for information, allowing service teams to quickly access the data they need to support them while generating value, engagement and sales. With streamlined processes for small service tasks, CRM can dramatically increase productivity while generating more high-quality leads.

In summary, far from being just another addendum, CRM is, these days, a cornerstone for any company looking to achieve maximum profitability and a successful deployment can save employees valuable hours, in turn saving money by allowing efforts to be directed towards more productive tasks. As sales and productivity increase, companies can experience higher customer retention rates while reducing attrition and defection rates to, finally, thrive again.