What is CRM and How it Benefits your Business?

What is CRM or Customer Relationship Management?

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) allows your business to enhance your service and sales operations by sharing vital information throughout your company.

CRM is a beneficial system that focuses on enhancing relationships with current customers, attracting potential customers, and retaining existing customers. This software also enables you to collect, organise, and manage the information of the customers.

As per our experience, CRM can assist in retaining customers by 27% and helps in decreasing the marketing and sales cost by 23%. This indicates how much your business can benefit from CRM.

CRM data analysis
Image source: Trackvia

Below are the benefits of Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

1. Better Customer Relations

One of the major advantages of utilising CRM in your business is that you obtain better customer relations. Through CRM, all the dealings including selling, marketing, and servicing your products to your customers can be done in a systematic and organised manner. You will be able to understand their problems and issues in a better way and provide appropriate solutions. This will help in enhancing the loyalty of your customers and decreasing the agitation of customers. You will also be able to attain regular feedback from your customers on your services and products.  

2. Enhancing Customer Revenues

Through utilising an effective CRM strategy, your business will experience a boost in its revenue. By collecting data with the help of CRM, you will be able to create marketing campaigns effectively. The CRM software will help you in reaching out to new and different set of customers. This will help in attracting customers and enhancing your customer revenue. According to a survey, CRM can increase revenue by 41% per sales person.

3. Maximising Cross Selling and Up Selling

Another benefit of a CRM system is that it enables up-selling, allowing you to provide customers premium products which come under similar categories as that of their purchase. It also allows cross selling through which you can offer complementary products or services to your customers as per their previous purchases. This can be achieved by engaging customers and determining their purchase patterns, their needs and wants. All the details are then stored in the central database which can be accessed by all authorised employees. When the right opportunity arises, your sales employees or executives can promote the service or product, thus maximising cross selling and up selling.

Related: 
6 of the Best Strategies to Ace Customer Engagement

4. Improved Internal Communication

CRM also results in enhanced communication within the organisation. Sharing of customers’ details between different departments will enable the employees and departments to work together as a team and move towards a single goal. As a result, this will increase the profitability of your company and improved service to your customers.

5. Optimised Marketing

Another benefit of CRM is that it will help you in determining the behaviour and needs of your customers, hence enabling you to come up with the right time to market your services and products. It will also provide you with details and ideas regarding most profitable customer base, and through that information, you will be able to target such groups. This will help you in optimising your marketing resources most effectively.

These are the top reasons why CRM is rapidly becoming essential to businesses of all sizes. As there is a continuous increase in the expectations of customers, businesses must start adopting new strategies and services like CRM to enhance customer support, increase sales and success of the business.

Content Marketing Ideas for Your Business Website

Content marketing stands as the most efficient forms of marketing today. However, at times, the best websites get stale, with repetitive content. What can be done to remedy it? Here, we are going to talk about a few content marketing ideas that will help keep the content on your website fresh, generating more traffic.

Below are 5 Content Marketing Ideas for your Business Website

1. Focus on One Narrow Topic

The key to creating content is coming up with ideas consistent and relevant to your product and services. Content marketing ideas must find a niche and fill information needs. Become the go-to-place for information on a specific niche. There are websites that have e-books video training uploaded in an attempt to fill the information need. It helps tap into prospects they would not have reached otherwise. While doing this, do not forget to stay relevant.

turn your content into a video infographic

2. Ideas Consistent with Your Expertise

All the information on your website should be relevant to your topic; leaving conflicting information will make potential customers avoid your website, because instead of being an expert site, you have now become a non-reliable place because of your inconsistencies. Be prepared to spend your time, money and effort in creating and maintaining an information portal that is the talk of the town.

Related article:
7 Software that can drive more Website Traffic to your Business

3. More is Best

Keep adding content on your website to generate traffic. It is easy to lose perspective once your portal becomes an expert site; however, do not fall prey to the mistake of not updating and adding new content regularly. Add fresh content on your website at least once a week so that the number of visitors and SEO ratings do not drop. In your attempt to increase the content, do not, I repeat, do not, fall into the trap of plagiarism. Other than the ethical implications, it seriously hurts your position on the search engine rankings.

4. Don’t Keep it Scattered

If your website gets little to no traffic, it could be because no one is searching for you, or your website is inconsistent with less than 50 pages of information. You can always do something about it; get experts on board and start over. Research your keywords as they help bring you traffic. Over time, with the right content marketing ideas and efforts, your website will become an information portal garnering more traffic.

5. No Unauthorised Entries

Blog takes on a character, usually a company that addresses the audience in a friendly way. The readers must see consistency, and they should be able to see the face of the blog for you to able to build a loyal following. Add a personal touch, share stories time and again so that readers get a feel of who you are as a person; it helps in keeping the content fresh. Do not deviate from the topic though, and keep it professional.

creating content ideas infographic

With the help of the aforementioned ideas, you can market your website efficiently guaranteeing a maximum return on investment and increasing the number of sales and potential clients.

Senior Full Stack Developer

Work on helping shape how customer conversations can be managed better using AI and UX. Be part of a young startup that is making an impact in the world. We use AI/ML and UX to revolutionize the way businesses talk with their customers. We want Full Stack Developers who want to be part of a product that will be the next transformative multi-channel AI conversation technology platform.

Why us?

Join an experienced team who have successfully executed in the startup environments before. We’re on a global mission with our team already in the US and Australia. Backed by seasoned enterprise and startup specialists there are loads of opportunities to grow, pioneer and lead in new business areas, innovate and experiment with new technology without any boundaries. We’re a fun, lively team where you can create your own challenges and opportunities.

Expectations

“I want someone that gets things done; that takes the reins and goes. That means someone with years of experience or a junior star waiting for a chance to shine and eager to learn. I value drive, curiosity and creativity, and at the end of the day, someone that puts in the hours because they love their work and love to improve. It will pay off here at Woveon.” — Chadwick Wingrave CTO.

Job Responsibilities

  • Be our web application structure and framework subject matter expert
  • Work closely with, and report to, our CTO on microservice design and implementation in a cloud infrastructure.
  • Build integrations with existing RESTful frameworks, implement AI/ML algorithms developed in-house and tune and optimize performance.
  • Work closely with UI/UX engineers, AI/ML experts, security experts and DevOps.
  • Write elegant, easily maintainable, readable and reusable code – please.
  • Provide guidance and timelines to future efforts
  • Implement automated tests on platforms and unit tests to enhance the application

Ideally you will have

  • Years of experience on large projects with good mentors.
  • Degree/Diploma in Computer Science, Engineering or related subject matter
  • Experience in a startup and growth-stage environments
  • Excellent written and verbal communication
  • Skillful at back-end programming languages (esp. Python, NodeJS, Javascript)
  • Implementations of web service technologies with HTTP, JSON, REST
  • Experience with networks, security and encryption
  • Experience with databases: Postgres, Mongo, SQL, NoSQL
  • Experience with a JavaScript framework such as React or Vue
  • Experience with Cloud/microservices; Kubernetes, AWS
  • Knowledge of test driven development/unit testing is preferred
  • Self-starter with the ability to multitask, own complex projects, and handle time effectively under tight deadlines

Perks

  • Stock Options
  • Remote work friendly
  • Flexible hours

About Woveon

Conversation is an increasingly dominant medium of customer interaction that isn’t well-leveraged by companies for the purpose of building connections, and, by extension, increasing loyalty. This is more than just a sentiment, but a painfully expensive aspect for businesses as well. Our founders have strong Engineering, Product Management and Sales backgrounds. We have previously executed and been part of successful startups ranging from healthcare, SaaS to marketing consultancy. We’re willing to share the experiences and knowledge with new team members. Our team is super motivated, driven and passionate about Woveon.

https://www.woveon.com/
https://inkedin.com/company/woveon
https://angel.co/woveon/jobs/

Experienced React Frontend Developer

Work on helping shape how customer conversations can be managed better using AI and UX. Be part of a young startup that is making an impact in the world. We use AI/ML and UX to revolutionize the way businesses talk with their customers. We want Full Stack Developers who want to be part of a product that will be the next transformative multi-channel AI conversation technology platform.

Why us?

Join an experienced team who have successfully executed in the startup environments before. We’re on a global mission with our team already in the US and Australia. Backed by seasoned enterprise and startup specialists there are loads of opportunities to grow, pioneer and lead in new business areas, innovate and experiment with new technology without any boundaries. We’re a fun, lively team where you can create your own challenges and opportunities.

Expectations: “I want someone that gets things done; that takes the reigns and goes. That means someone with years of experience or a junior star waiting for a chance to shine and eager to learn. I value drive, curiosity and creativity, and at the end of the day, someone that puts in the hours because they love their work and love to improve. It will pay off here at Woveon.” —Chadwick Wingrave CTO.

Job Responsibilities

  • Be our web application structure and framework subject matter expert
  • Work closely with, and report to, our CTO on microservice design and implementation in a cloud infrastructure.
  • Build integrations with existing RESTful frameworks, implement AI/ML algorithms developed in-house and tune and optimize performance.
  • Work closely with UI/UX engineers, AI/ML experts, security experts and DevOps.
  • Write elegant, easily maintainable, readable and reusable code – please.
  • Provide guidance and timelines to future efforts
  • Implement automated tests on platforms and unit tests to enhance the application

Ideally you will have

  • Years of experience on large projects with good mentors.
  • Degree/Diploma in Computer Science, Engineering or related subject matter
  • Experience in a startup and growth-stage environments
  • Excellent written and verbal communication
  • Skilful at back-end programming languages (esp. Python, NodeJS, Javascript)
  • Implementations of web service technologies with HTTP, JSON, REST
  • Experience with networks, security and encryption
  • Experience with databases: Postgres, Mongo, SQL, NoSQL
  • Experience with a JavaScript framework such as React or Vue
  • Experience with Cloud/microservices; Kubernetes, AWS
  • Knowledge of test driven development/unit testing is preferred
  • Self-starter with the ability to multitask, own complex projects, and handle time effectively under tight deadlines

Perks

  • Stock Options
  • Remote work friendly
  • Flexible hours

About Woveon

Conversation is an increasingly dominant medium of customer interaction that isn’t well-leveraged by companies for the purpose of building connections, and, by extension, increasing loyalty. This is more than just a sentiment, but a painfully expensive aspect for businesses as well. Our founders have strong Engineering, Product Management and Sales backgrounds. We have previously executed and been part of successful startups ranging from healthcare, SaaS to marketing consultancy. We’re willing to share the experiences and knowledge with new team members. Our team is super motivated, driven and passionate about Woveon.

https://www.woveon.com/
https://linkedin.com/company/woveon
https://angel.co/woveon/jobs 

How Can Social Media Benefit Your Startup Business

There are still sceptics out there who do not understand the advantages of social media for their business, sticking stubbornly to traditional marketing methods. However, businesses over the world have started recognising the importance of social media for their success and growth.

Benefits of social media for your business that will turn even the most hardened of cynics into believers

1. Learn about your Audience

The key to success for any business in the industry is understanding their target audience. Social media helps you do just that. With the help of tools like Facebook Insights in Hootsuite, it is possible to determine the age and gender of the social media audience, in addition to a number of other insights. Business can cater campaigns and product offers to their target audience using this knowledge, ultimately leading to a higher return on investment.

learn about your target audience friends using smartphones

2. Instant Feedback

Social media allows the customers to provide feedback – positive or negative – giving the business valuable insight on how customers perceive the business and its offerings. For instance, many companies launch new products on social media to gauge how well it is received by their audience. One can also glean insights on how customers’ needs are evolving with regards to their offerings, allowing them to cater to their products and services better to customers’ tastes, preferences, and needs. New product ideas can also stem from this insight.

Related:
7 Online Marketing Strategies to Maximize Website Visits

3. Increase in Web Traffic and Search Ranking

One of the most important benefits of using social media for a business is the increase in web traffic. It helps direct people to the business’s website. Moreover, the higher the number of shares of a business’ posts on social media, the greater its search ranking and online exposure. Use keywords in your post title and subheadings for good results in search media optimisation.

4. Increasing Brand Awareness

Companies have managed to increase brand awareness with the help of social media with minimal or no budget. Traditional methods of advertising were associated with higher cost of brand awareness strategies. Marketing departments across countries are hiring community mangers now in an attempt to increase brand awareness and reach through social media. These community managers foster relationships with the online audience scattered in different locations.

5. Viral Content

Social media has made sharing content easier and faster. Companies now use social media for content curation or sharing content about their business in particular. All they do is share their brand on their social network accounts. However, companies should keep in mind that if they want customers to share your content with their followers, they need to ensure that their social media content is aligned to the brand and captures the attention of the audience.

6. Get Ahead of Your Competitor

Social media help businesses gain valuable information about their competitors, improving your market intelligence. This information will allow companies to stay ahead of their competitors by making strategic business decisions. For instance, through Hootsuite, businesses can create search streams to monitor their competitors. Based on the results they can offer a new product which their competitors are missing, thus improving their business.

There you go- some of the many benefits of using social media for business disclosed.

5 Reasons Your Business Needs a Website for a Stronger Digital Presence

The internet has paved the way for a new economy through its sheer size and explosive growth. It has led to existing business paradigms evolving in their entirety. In today’s competitive world, it is essential for any business to have an online identity. There are numerous businesses, including small business and medium sized companies, which have witnessed success by opting for e-commerce.

Here are the top 5 reasons why you should have a website for your Business

1. Brand Perception

Whether you offer your services or products online or not, it is essential to establish your brand image online. Nowadays, when people hear about a company and are interested in it, the first thing they usually do is search for it online; if it doesn’t have an online presence, it won’t be considered seriously. A corporate website can enhance your company’s image among your customers.

Market research indicates that around 67% of successful businesses have a website. Furthermore, about one-fourth of retail sales in 2012 were web influenced and the number has drastically increased since then.

2. Enhanced Customer Support

Customer retention is obviously something every business strives for. Good customer support is essential to retain your customers and increase customer satisfaction. The internet has made it easier for all businesses to connect with their customers and provide better customer support. The more effective the customer service, the higher your sales and profitability will be.

enhanced customer support - female support phone operator

3. Reduced Costs

You can take any aspect or area of your business online, for example, procurement, shipping, billing, supply chain, etc. Reforming these processes through online systems will enable you to cut costs significantly. For example, you can decrease the cost of operation, repair, and maintenance by 5% if you adopt e-business solutions.

4. Doing Business 24/7

You can make sales even when you are sleeping! This is possibly the biggest advantage of have a website as your shop is open 24/7 all year round. Your customers can buy your services and products whenever they want to. This provides convenience to your customers, especially in the chaotic lifestyle we have adopted today. They can make a purchase decision quickly if it is providing convenience for them.

5. Keeping Your Customers Informed

Your website works as an online catalogue or brochure too. It is super easy and quick to update all the latest information regarding your services and products on your website as compared to print material. It is an effective way of informing your customers about the latest happenings in your company, launch of a new product/service/outlet, special promotions and discounts, upcoming events, and any other information you want to provide your customers. Unlike print ads, your website will always stay current and updated.

Aside from these five reasons, there are numerous other advantages of having a website for your business. It is much easier and cheaper to conduct business and even market your business online. It might require a bit of an effort at the start, but it is undoubtedly going to make a huge impact and enhance the success of your business. So, if you don’t already have a website, make one immediately and take your business to a whole new level.

4 Major Causes of Data Loss Faced By Businesses

All businesses are familiar with the issues of data loss. Fortunately, majority of such incidents are inconsequential, resulting in merely a few minutes of data loss or deletion of unimportant files. However, there are times in which the loss is quite critical in nature and has a substantial cost. As businesses rely heavily on data and information as the economic drivers to grow, business owners and leaders are prone to greater risks if they don’t have a backup system in place.

top causes for data loss infographics

Here are the 4 Major Causes of Data Loss Faced by Businesses today

1. Hard Drive Damage or Failure

One of the most fragile parts of computer systems is the hard drive. They are prone to break down double the times as compared to any other part of the computer. There are some ways of recovering data from a damaged hard drive but they are expensive. However, there is still no guarantee that all of your data will be recovered by the professional.

2. Accidental Deletion

This is another major reason of data loss. There are many instances in which employees, leaders and even business owners accidentally delete a file. If there isn’t any backup, then the loss can be significant. It is important to save, store and backup all the work you do regularly as this can save efforts, time, and resources.

3. Damaging Malware and Viruses

There are countless damaging malware and viruses that constantly threat the safety of the computer systems. There are several different kinds of risks involved with these viruses and malware including damaging the operational software, data loss, misuse of internet connection, data theft and so much more. Some severe viruses can not just lead to data loss but can cause huge damage to your system. There have been many such attacks in which businesses have lost important data and/or client information has been stolen, financial losses have been faced. A strong backup system can assist your business in not only protecting all the data but will also be able to restore it in case the data has been damaged or lost.

4. Data Theft

This can lead to major loss for the business. Your data can be stolen with the use of viruses and malware software or an employee who has access to data can steal important information. Not only this, your laptop, tablet or smart phone can get stolen or lost in an airport, crowded place, shops, or conference centre. You can lose a lot of valuable data due to such theft. However, if you have a backup you will be able to restore your valuable data.

A strong backup system and strategy can prevent you from suffering major loses in case you lose data due to these reasons. As, most of the time, the data is stored offsite, your data will still be secured in case of any burglary or natural disaster or any other cause of data loss.