Major CRM Types: Identifying Key Categories of Customer Relationship Management Systems

06 December 2023 - Customer Relationship Management

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Major CRM Types: Identifying Key Categories of Customer Relationship Management Systems

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have become an integral part of businesses today, providing a centralized platform to manage interactions with customers and potential customers. They help businesses streamline their processes, improve customer service, and increase sales. However, not all CRM systems are created equal. There are several types of CRM systems, each designed to handle specific business needs. In this article, we will explore the major types of CRM systems and identify key categories¹ ² ³ ⁴ ⁵ ⁶ ⁷ ⁸.

Operational CRM

Operational CRM systems streamline and simplify a company’s primary business processes. They span marketing, sales, and customer service, helping companies generate leads and convert those leads into contacts. They also provide the customer service infrastructure necessary to delight and retain customers² ⁶.

Analytical CRM

Analytical CRM systems focus on connected data, analysis, and reporting to help businesses better understand their customers. When your CRM can connect customers’ behavioral and intent data, company data, and known customer data points, you have access to accurate, complete, and connected customer 360 profiles² ⁶.

Collaborative CRM

Collaborative CRM systems centralize customer data where marketing, sales, and service professionals can see it. With visibility into all your customer communications, purchase history, service requests, notes, and other details, service reps will be better prepared to solve their customers’ problems¹ ² ⁶.

Strategic CRM

Strategic CRM systems are designed to help businesses plan new products, goods, services, or new business directions⁷.

Now that we have identified the key categories of CRM systems, let’s take a look at some relevant SaaS products that offer these functionalities.

Relevant SaaS Products

Salesforce Sales Cloud⁹: Salesforce Sales Cloud delivers sales and customer service capabilities for both B2B and B2C domains. It helps businesses work more efficiently, easily surface key metrics, and share business data via integration.
Zendesk Sell¹⁰: Zendesk Sell is a sales CRM software tool that enhances productivity, processes, and pipeline visibility for sales teams.
Pipedrive¹¹: Pipedrive is a sales CRM software that manages your sales, marketing, and support in one platform.
Microsoft Dynamics 365¹²: Dynamics 365 is a portfolio of intelligent business applications that delivers superior operational efficiency and breakthrough customer experiences enabling businesses to become more agile and reduce complexity without increasing costs.
Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience¹³: Oracle Advertising helps you connect with customers in a whole new way. It unifies with multiple business tools and ensures a seamless information flow.
NetSuite CRM¹⁴: NetSuite’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is the only cloud solution that delivers a real-time, 360-degree view of your customers.
Zoho CRM¹⁵: Zoho CRM is an online Sales CRM software that manages your sales, marketing, and support in one CRM platform.

Conclusion

Choosing the right CRM system for your business depends on your specific needs and objectives. By understanding the different types of CRM systems and their key categories, you can make an informed decision that will help your business streamline processes, improve customer service, and increase sales. Whether you need an operational, analytical, collaborative, or strategic CRM, there is a SaaS product out there that can meet your needs.