There is a lot to be said for small business customer relationship management in helping to build the brand and trust in the minds of the customers. In the busy world today when there is little time to spare fighting with sales clerks about what you had ordered and what you received, the reputation of a store can go a long way in building sales and profits. If you can provide a platform for your customers where they can buy what they want and get it easily at a good price, there is no way that they will even think about shopping elsewhere.
Increase in Online Shopping:
The last decade has seen a surge in online shopping which has powered the growth of businesses. It is now possible to buy everything from a pin to a house online. However not everyone setting up online shops is pulling in the money. Only a few names have the kind of trust it takes to build a successful online business. In fact if you talk of the largest online market place you instinctively come up with eBay. The value that they add to an unknown seller is phenomenal.
Setting up an Online Store is an Easy Extension of the Physical Store:
However you don't need eBay to help you sell locally when you already have a physical store that people buy from. The trust level is already high. All you need is some small business CRM software and a good navigational website and you can set up a 24/7 store online. The online store can act as a good extension counter available to your customers all over the city. They know your brand and are comfortable shopping from you online.
Security of Customer Data
Of course you will have to take care of the data that you collect on the website. So getting a professional to set up security for the website may be a good idea. You do not want to get your online customer data base hacked into for credit card details. And if that happens, you can forget about your clients buying from you online. So just like you make sure that you lock up the physical store and set the alarms at night, you need to provide a good security system for you online store.
Provide Quality Service and After Sales Service:
Web contact management is the key to providing a good online shopping experience to your customers. Some of them will be apprehensive about the kind of service that they can expect from you online. You will have to build up your reputation in their field the old fashioned way. Word of mouth publicity is the best that you can get. If the quality of your service or product is good, you will have a loyal customer base already in place. Now you just need to point out the convenience of shopping online from your virtual store to them. Plus continue to provide the best after sales service ever.
A good EAM and web based CRM can prove to be the key in increasing sales and managing data. A web based contact management software can greatly increase lead conversions.