Developing a strong customer relationship management (CRM) system can boost the way you interact with customers. It also helps draw customers back on repeat visits. We recommend considering CRM to encourage customer loyalty.
Since franchises are independently owned, each branch may utilize a different CRM system. Choosing the right CRM for your franchise can dramatically increase revenue and improve the bottom line. Here are a few steps to choosing the right CRM system for your location.
DETERMINE YOUR GOALS
With choosing a CRM system, many franchise owners make the mistake of simply selecting the one that is newest or the one with the easiest to use software. All of that is important, but ultimately, you need to determine what your goals are regarding the right CRM system. Do you want it to track leads (what they purchase, when they stop in, how much they spend), track your customer base, increase profitability, generate more customers or boost productivity? There are other goals you might have for your CRM system, but you need to identify the key goal and then build outward from there. If the entire purpose of your CRM is to know what customers order and how to provide them with discounts to increase shopping on off days, you’ll want to target one CRM system over another.
EASILY ADOPTED
While some CRM systems are naturally easier to use than others, you want a system that isn’t terribly complex to learn and can be easily adopted. Perhaps a customer scans a loyalty rewards card or you type in part of their phone number. There are different ways to adopt this system, but ideally you want a system your associates can learn quickly. An implementation period is natural as everyone learns a new system. However, if it is especially complex you may want to avoid it simply because it slows down taking orders and making sales, which can cause you to lose customers.
CUSTOMIZE THE CRM
Look for a CRM system that can be customized. Maybe each customer receives a discount on his or her birthday, or perhaps you want one location to offer different deals than another store you own. Local and individualized marketing based on your parameters can draw traffic. Remember, you will customize the CRM system based on the goals you determined in the first step.
EASY TO UNDERSTAND REPORTING
Data is power in any business. This is market research you can use to increase sales — for instance, you can identify weak times during your day while discovering ways to draw your customers back in. You need the CRM system to give you all the reporting tools necessary while also remaining easy to understand. Some CRM systems provide excellent information, but are extremely difficult to read. When searching for the right CRM system to streamline productivity, make sure to look over every aspect of how it works and what it can do, including how it reports.
By following these tips, any franchise owner can streamline their productivity. If you are interested in starting a Samurai Sam’s® franchise or simply have questions regarding investing into a franchise, check out the franchising application here, or follow the link for additional contact information.
©2017 Kahala Franchising, L.L.C. All rights reserved. The information provided herein is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise; nor is it directed to the residents of any particular jurisdiction within the U.S. or elsewhere. The following states currently regulate the offer and sale of franchises: CA, HI, IL, IN, MD, MI, MN, NY, ND, RI, SD, VA, WA, and WI. If you are a resident of one of these states, or of a jurisdiction that has similar requirements, we will not offer you a franchise until we have completed the applicable registration or obtained the exemption from registration, and completed the applicable disclosure requirements. Regardless of what state you reside in, an offering can only be made by a franchise disclosure document.
