1Stream Archives

April 12, 2022

The numbers speak for themselves. Prioritising customer experience and delivering a good end-to-end customer journey can and will positively impact your business and make it a key differentiator from your competitors. It is no surprise that customer experience (CX) is becoming a priority for businesses that realise that retaining and growing their customer base goes beyond good customer service. With a more competitive marketplace and more brands to choose from, customers are demanding an excellent experience at every touchpoint as they engage with your brand or organisation, and they will quickly move on if their needs aren’t met or they feel that they aren’t valued. In fact, recent research by American Express found that 86% of customers were willing to pay more for a better experience. As Forbes highlights: “Customer experience is today’s business benchmark.” Which means now, more than ever, it is essential that businesses put customers first. Why CX is important for your business 1. Increase customer loyalty When you wow your customers with an excellent customer journey, regardless of who they are engaging with in your organisation, you turn them into loyal customers who will not be tempted to take their business elsewhere. Retaining existing customers is at least five times more cost-effective than winning new ones — which is why it is imperative that you provide and prioritise customer satisfaction. Loyal customers also become your best brand ambassadors, recommending your services to their colleagues and associates. 2. Boost sales conversions Just one bad experience can see customers taking their business elsewhere. When customers feel that you place them at the centre of your business, they feel an emotional connection to your brand and show their loyalty through ongoing support and by being open to new products and services your team offers them. According to Market Metrics, the success rate of selling to an existing customer is 60%-70%, while the success rate of selling to a new customer sits at around 5%-20% The most effective way to prioritise your customer is to set out a CX strategy for your business, then underpin it by implementing an effective Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform that allows you to manage and deliver an excellent customer experience – from your customers’ first contact with your brand right through to their conversion into loyal customers and beyond. 1Stream’s innovative omnichannel CRM platform is specifically designed to do just that and has helped transform organisations across various sectors in Southern Africa that are committed to building and maintaining meaningful connections with their customers. 1Stream’s CRM platform gathers all the information about your customers in one place, meaning every team member can easily access all past and ongoing engagements across all channels, including phone calls, messages, emails or chats. This means issues can be immediately addressed in an informed manner without customers having to repeat themselves. It also adds a personal touch to engagements, showing your customers that their business matters to you. […]

March 16, 2022

When you give your sales team the right tools to effectively and efficiently manage clients and build a relationship with them, you positively impact your bottom line. 1Stream’s smart CRM [2] is specifically designed to do just that and has helped transform organisations across various sectors in Southern Africa, which understand the value of building meaningful connections with their customers. Here’s how our smart CRM solution can help empower your sales team: 1. Everything they need in one place Sales teams are under continual pressure to do more, faster. An effective CRM platform means all information related to clients and sales is securely stored on one platform that can be easily accessed, anywhere at any time. 1Stream’s innovative CRM platform removes the guesswork for your sales team by utilising world-class technology to manage customer experiences and drive sales from one centralised, omnichannel platform, allowing your team to stay on top of the details. It also acts as a safeguard for contact lists, sales activities and opportunities, cutting out the risk of data being lost or no longer being accessible if a member of the sales team leaves your organisation. 2. Know your customers – and know what they want Over recent years, people have come to expect personalised service and engagement with brands. When you add a personal touch, you show your customers that they matter to you and that keeping them satisfied is a core value of your business. Because our CRM platform gives your team a complete overview of every engagement with your customer – whether that is via a phone call, message, email or chat – the team can immediately understand, resolve, meet – and even anticipate – a customer’s needs. It also enables your sales team to communicate with clients on their preferred platform. These meaningful connections are the cornerstone of customer loyalty – and it is highly likely that these loyal customers will recommend your company to colleagues, associates and friends, helping to grow your customer base. Numerous studies show that retaining customers is far more cost-effective than acquiring new ones – the _Harvard Business Review_ puts these figures at anything between five and 25 times cheaper. These customers are also more likely to try your company’s new products and services – all translating into more sales and an improved bottom line. 3. Get support from the whole organisation The CRM doesn’t just empower your sales team, it ensures that every staff member, from customer service to the receptionist, can access customer information immediately to deliver next-level engagement. Any time that a client-facing staff member engages with customers translates into opportunities for sales. Having a centralised CRM means that all team members – not just your dedicated sales staff – can immediately know more about the customers they are interacting with and can maximise every opportunity to cross or upsell and market new services. Equally important, the CRM empowers your entire team to wow customers by delivering an informed, personalised service without customers having to repeat their requirements or concerns. The CRM enables organisations to take an integrated collaborative approach where knowledge and resources are shared rather than being split into silos. […]

1Stream: Manage Your Customer Experience and Set Your Business Apart

1Stream | Five ways CRM can help your sales team close more deals