Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Overview
Do you receive emails personalised with your name from a company whose service you use? Have you ever received a “Happy Birthday” message from your bank or another company whose service you use? How are these done by companies with millions of customers? Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms make this possible. CRMs are applications used by businesses to manage customer data and interactions for record keeping, turn prospects into customers, and facilitate more sales with existing customers.
CRM helps with contact management, sales management, and customer support. CRM tools help manage relationships across the entire customer lifecycle, spanning marketing, interest, sales, to customer support. In addition, CRMs help to provide personalised digital experiences for customers and prospects.
Businesses use CRM to ensure seamless interactions with customers. With CRM, units and staff of a company can access all the customer information for a full view. In addition, businesses handle daily customer interactions using the data provided by a CRM. It also supports digital marketers in reaching out to prospects through tailored digital marketing campaigns and journeys with the right message and at the best possible time for a sale.
Career and Industry Opportunities
CRM skills are relevant in all businesses where there is interaction with many customers and clients. There are a variety of CRMs to suit businesses based on their size, business type and industry. Sales and marketing teams are typically the primary users of CRMs. However, they generate data and reports used by professionals and other business executives of a company.
Industry Education Programmes to Get Started
You can get the skills required from the learning resources of the following technology companies:
Hubspot
Microsoft Dynamics 365
Salesforce
Competitions and Project Opportunities
Salesforce Sweepstakes competition: this is a competition to complete 3 to 5 sweepstakes tasks and win. Learn more.
HubSpot Academy Quarterly Video Contest: This competition happens quarterly. HubSpot Academy will have a new prompt for students to answer for a chance to be featured in HubSpot Academy. Learn more.
HubSpot’s CRM + CMS Website Contest: This contest is to identify exemplary websites built on CMS Hub that demonstrate the advanced features and personalised user experiences made possible by the HubSpot CRM platform. Learn more.
Internship, Job and Business Opportunities
Available across all industries. Business opportunities exist in implementing, training and providing support to Small, Medium and Enterprises (SMEs) on CRMs.