Many companies invest significant financial resources in marketing and promotion of their services and products. Estimates say that around 560 billion dollars has been spent on advertising this year alone. That’s not surprising given that the competition is getting tougher every day, and customers are becoming more and more informed and demanding.
In order to find out what our customers really want, what problems they are facing, and what we can do to overcome them, we need some tools to track customer information. The initial email, social media communication, and regular feedback on the all-around customer experience can be extremely beneficial in improving the service and overall customer relationship management (CRM).
CRM – what really matters?
There are quite a few specialized Clients Relations Management software packages on today’s market. Small businesses, artisans and startups are eligible for some free versions of these management programs, but it’s important to remember that even the most expensive software will not help you out if you don’t extract data about the actual client relations situation. After all, if you own a small-scale company, Excel can be just as good. The most important thing is to adapt to each client and individually address the challenges they face.
Individual approach to each client is crucial in the translation industry. We work with clients from different industries who struggle with unsatisfactory translations and poorly chosen terminology for their field on a daily basis. Additional research and looking for relevant information take much more time than just rewriting words in the target language, but it is necessary. Your client will appreciate the extra work and likely become your brand ambassador. Besides, when the same group of translators works for a specific client, you can be sure that the use of terminology will be consistent, and that they will deliver a high-quality translation. For example, if you ask our translators anything about HP printers and inks, they would know it! They have mastered HP’s terminology, which makes our job easier and our client happier.
Only when each employee understands how much the quality of his/her work affects client relations and, consequently, financial stability of the company, you can (successfully) implement your CRM strategy.
Long-term partnerships as a foundation of a thriving business
In our experience, long-term partnerships should be a priority in the growth and development strategy of a company. These will ensure growth of your revenues without having to increase the number of your clients. Of course, that implies that you keep the steady investments in quality customer relationship management. We believe that a happy client is your best salesperson, and customer experience is the best sales copy. If you do your job right, it is certain that you will attract new customers. Be prepared to work hard, make mistakes and learn every step of the way because to get to the point where your clients are your brand ambassadors, you must put in the time and effort. The benefits of CRM compared to traditional marketing techniques are numerous. With an increase in sales without looking for new customers, you will strengthen your market position, reduce costs and, most importantly, gain long-term partnerships for a thriving and sustainable business.
Companies often use the phrase “client/customer-oriented” because, well, some things in marketing never change. The main difference is WHY. Will you be client-oriented solely to sell or will you take your time, focus on their needs and provide them with a solution, without insisting on sales (which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t present your business in the best way possible)?
The time for empty marketing phrases has passed. The majority of the information about your business is within easy reach – online forums as a form of “word-of-mouth” marketing, (Google) reviews, your web site, social media pages, etc. Make sure you provide your clients with everything they need easily, quickly and in a friendly manner.
In order to be able to focus on creating and successfully implementing your CRM strategy, let us take care of translation, proofreading, copywriting and localization. It will be in the spirit of the language, promise!
