Page 3 - Why You Need a Multichannel CRM

Why you need a Multichannel CRM

Communication: The essence of business.

There is no business without communication, and these days the ball is always in the customer’s

court. Businesses like Amazon and Zappos have spearheaded the move to a
customer-centric business model. A survey by Deloitte found that customer-centric businesses
[1]
were 60% more profitable than traditionally-focused ones.

The rise of social media has empowered customers and given them the means to address

companies directly, whenever and however they want. This means that businesses need to be
ready to engage customers at all times, and across all platforms.

A cautionary tale.

Let’s look at a hypothetical scenario in which the lack of a multichannel communication system in
your CRM can hurt your business:

Kevin ran a small software company that built custom applications for his clients. After weeks of
negotiations, he convinced a team of investors to drop by his office to meet him in two days.

Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Kevin wanted to make sure everything was in order for the
visit. He looked around the office and noticed a distinct lack of comfortable chairs.

Not the one to waste any time, Kevin channeled the power of Google search to find some office

chairs. He saw an ad for office chairs by a “Zylker Interiors”, and clicked on it. He was directed to
a page that gave him no information about the furniture available at the store.

With just a form staring back at him, he gave his email ID and contact number in the hopes that he

would be contacted by the store. But as luck would have it, the only communication from the store

was an email he got the next day, telling him that they hoped he found what he was looking for.
Calling the attached phone number yielded no result, as no one picked up the phone.

He visited the company’s website where he noticed a chat box. He let them know about his
requirements. But once again, there was no response. With all his other options exhausted, he
tweeted to the company without any hope for a reply.

A few minutes after the tweet was posted, he finally got a call from Zylker Interiors. Breathing a
sigh of relief, he answered the call only to be bombarded by a sales rep about Victorian bedroom
furnishings and kitchen decor. After a few minutes of exasperated conversation, Kevin was finally
able to make the sales person understand that he was only looking for some office chairs.

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