While the main stated use of most customer relationship management and CRM solutions is to build better profiles customers and clients to keep track of a changing customer base, there are also other ways that these types of software can benefit a business of any size in nearly any kind of industry. While browsing various business or customer intelligence solutions, business leaders can also think about how a good CRM interface could also function as a replacement for an outdated legacy intranet.
Building an old-fashioned company intranet from scratch took a lot of work. Whether it’s coding interfaces or installing out-of-the-box products on a local network, this kind of construction requires skilled hands, not to mention a range of different hardware and software assets. But the final result has been worthwhile for many businesses that want to provide a “virtual meeting place” and a central resource for employees. As technology advanced, firms added in messaging and other interactive features that help workers across many departments and staffing levels to keep in touch efficiently and collaborate on business processes.
The features in CRM tools can easily be tweaked and adjusted to present a functional intranet environment. Combining full contact profiles with easy messaging tools, IT managers can set up a place where workers can get business done, communicating with both their clients and their colleagues on important projects. In addition, many of the best new CRM interfaces get delivered right over the web in cloud-based SaaS solutions that don’t require the kinds of on-site finagling that used to drive tech staff up a wall. No licensing, no fuss solutions are very popular in today’s buyer-centric CRM and call center software environment.
Another possible strategy for these new-tech “intranet” or internal communications tools is to match them to external social media profiles for a business or enterprise. To take just one example (and perhaps the most prominent,) businesses often advertise over Facebook or use this dominant social media platform for customer outreach. To make this even easier, Facebook has set up the “Facebook open graph” tool to allow developers to integrate a business web site with the Facebook environment.
In setting up great CRM solutions, managers can think about how these interfaces will blend in with what’s on a social media site, in order to provide a consistent experience for those who are using the software. With consistent messaging, styles and information resources, vendor CRM products can be the “internal component” of a greater online architecture that helps a business that is maintaining its brand profile.
For more on using CRM and virtual call center software effectively, ask vendors about all of the choices available to customize these rather new options for your business needs.
Justin Stoltzfus is a freelance writer covering technology and business solutions at Techopedia, Business Finance Store and Ringio, focusing on emerging trends in IT services.
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