#client relations manager

CRM systems are supposed to improve productivity and help businesses keep track of key information about customers. Yet, there is no guarantee that a CRM system will gel perfectly with the company that uses it. So we have at PegasusCRM put together a few traits that good CRM systems exhibit. After 15 years of development, we have tweaked PegasusCRM time and time again to ensure that it works alongside the companies of our clients to improve business flow and facilitate increased productivity.

 Below is a list of items that will aid you in determining whether your CRM system is working for you.

1. Your CRM system should be adaptable. It should include customizable features to allow for changes that can occur with customers or within your company or organization. It should include features necessary for the size of your business—whether small, medium, or large—and should be adaptable enough to grow as your business grows.

2.  A good CRM system will improve the sales process. While you most likely won’t close every sale, your CRM system should allow you to store pertinent information about customers to make speaking with them easier. Data stored might include random facts about an individual or points about an individual’s financial record and sales history. Knowing an individual’s sales history will aid in customizing your sales approach. Also, when random facts are used with discretion, a customer will appreciate the extra effort put into cultivating the professional relationship. For example, say a company sends a box of chocolates to a customer during the holiday season from his or her favorite brand because the information was stored in the CRM. What customer wouldn’t respond positively to such a thoughtful gesture? Such a gesture might create a repeat customer and encourage referrals from this one individual alone.

3. CRM systems should be accessible to all necessary parties. If team members or third-parties need access to the system, your company should have a CRM system that is easily accessible.

4.  A strong CRM system focuses on the customer. Your CRM system should make it clear that the customer is king or queen. It should allow for data to be stored to provide an exceptional customer experience. Don’t let customer service be the reason a customer leaves. Let it be the reason your customer stays, and why you continue to get more business. A CRM should facilitate this process by allowing a company to focus more easily on its customers’ needs.

Van was born and raised in Vietnam and has been in the US since 2009. She is currently a senior at Georgia Tech, go Yellow Jackets, studying computer science.

Van likes to watch movies and read in her spare time. Technology is her favorite reading subject, can you imagine that? She is also a great cook and loves sharing her skills with family and friends. She says cooking and serving her family is her way of saying “thank you”.

How exciting. Your company has grown from one customer to many. In fact, you remember when you got your first client and have the check posted on your office wall. Better yet, maybe you do something clever like take photos from the small bungalow where the business first started a la Hewlett Packard.

Your business has seen its ups and downs, but there’s nothing more gratifying than seeing it succeed after so many years.

 Does this sound like you?

Well, even if you don’t have memorabilia from the company’s humble beginnings, it is enough that your company has grown enough to accommodate a growing list of clients with whom you have developed personalized, unique relationships.

While you can remember the specific buying quirks of some customers, as your company grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to recall specifics about everyone. So how can you continue to provide great service at a large scale without shirking on quality?

 The answer is CRM, which stands for Customer Relationship Management.

A CRM system helps a company to consolidate important customer information and store it in one place. It allows a business to maintain and cultivate customer relationships.

A small business might rely solely on Post It notes, Google Docs or an Excel spreadsheet to store important customer information. But as a business grows, it becomes increasingly important to have a way to store large amounts of information in one place while making it accessible to other employees and team members who may work with these customers.

 CRM systems can benefit a company in many ways.

First, a CRM system creates one source for customer information. One note could be on Excel, while another might be on a Post-It note attached to a random document on your desk. The CRM system allows a business owner to place both pieces of information in one location. Not only does it save time (searching for Post-It notes can be time consuming), but it also provides simple access to streamlined information for other team members.

Second, a CRM system helps a company to personalize each customer interaction. You might glean from a note in the CRM system that a repeat customer has a certain buying pattern. So instead of spending time trying to sell items the customer is most likely uninterested in, you can specifically hone in on products a customer already has a history of purchasing.

Third, a CRM system can scale growth. By consolidating information in one place, it frees up time to focus on other aspects of your company. You know important specifics about your clients and can reach it easily in real time. What other aspect of your business could you tend to now that you have the time?

 PegasusCRM is designed to enhance your business productivity. Our CRM systems offer a number of services that will help your small business run like a Fortune 500 company. Our services include but are not limited to universal residual reporting, automated merchant agreements, email integration, and document management.

RetailNOW 2015

Earlier this week members of the Pegasus CRM team attended RSPA’s RetailNOW 2015 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. It was our first time attending this annual tradeshow for the point of sale and retail technology industry.

The Buzz

The most often heard buzzword on the tradeshow floor was definitely EMV. The rapidly approaching liability shift deadline means that many merchants need to update to a smart card POS system. Big players such as HP and Samsung were there showing slick new EMV ready systems. Other retail tech companies like APG Cash Drawer displayed their latest products. This was their 17th time attending this event! Overall there were more than 150 exhibitors at the show including processing companies such as CoCard and industry publications like Business Solutions Magazine.

The People

The Pegasus CRM team agrees that the people are what makes this show great. RetailNOW is definitely “Where The Industry Meets” and was clearly the best way for us to get more acquainted with the POS and retail technology community. We had a wonderful experience and really enjoyed meeting with people face-to-face and starting new relationships.

The Future

The eventual convergence of POS and payment processors is why we decided to attend this year, and we sure are happy we did. From talking with the various people we met, it became clear that our Merchant Services CRM is uniquely positioned to assist with the upcoming paradigm shift. Our many years of experience and commitment to continually improve our service means we are ready what the future brings. In fact, our CRM already has the capability to manage merchant accounts and the POS systems they use.

Success!

What Is EMV?

EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard, and Visa, the three companies that created the standard. To put it simply, EMV is a security measure that utilizes a chip in credit or debit cards to process transactions. You may already have a "smart card" since this technology has been around for decades.

What's the Big Deal?

Starting in October there will be a liability shift away from the card issuer. If an ATM or merchant’s point of sale (POS) terminal does not support EMV, then the ATM owner or merchant will be liable for any fraudulent transactions. This puts merchants at risk for losing money, especially when the cost of one fraudulent charge can easily be greater than the cost of a new terminal.

How Will That Help You Sell?

Now is the best time to encourage merchants to upgrade their POS system. EMV cards require an EMV chip card terminal or "smart card" terminal. EMV cards require consumers to “dip” their card, the process of reading the card and verifying the transaction takes slightly longer than the normal swipe and the card must remain in the terminal for a brief time. The trade-off for the longer processing is a much more secure transaction. EMV cards will still have the magnetic strip, but processing the card by swiping leaves the merchant open to fraud liability. Depending on the type of business your merchant has, they could be liable for thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges in a day or even in a single transaction. Now is also a great time to upgrade because they'll beat the rush. If merchants wait too long to switch, they might see higher prices for terminals or face waiting for weeks to receive their equipment.

How Will You Keep Track Of the Transition?

Using PegasusCRM to keep track of your merchants and the equipment they use is simple. Our Equipment Management tool allows you to quickly see what terminal each merchant is using and can even help you facilitate an upgrade. Additionally, our Merchant Portal makes it easy to send them the required paperwork, and our Digital Signature tool makes it incredibly quick and easy to close the deal.

Learn More!

Marketing and Sales Campaign Specialist for CRM Software

PegasusCRM is a leader in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software for the financial services sector, turning everyday interactions with businesses into exceptional experiences. With its software, and portfolio of services, Pegasus CRM enables hundreds of merchant services firms to enhance their interaction between retail, hospitality, and technology business to make everyday interactions easier and more enjoyable. Pegasus CRM is headquartered in Decatur, GA.

PegasusCRM is looking to enhance our Software Sales Team by hiring a strong Sales and Marketing professional that will spearhead our targeted direct and digital marketing campaigns.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Build Campaigns and lead-nurturing programs using our marketing automation tools.

• Deploy online marketing lead-generation efforts, including search engine marketing and email marketing programs (list pulls, email blast, etc.).

• Track market performance and ROI.

Basic Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in a Business or Communications discipline: Prefer Marketing Major

• Experience with Marketing automation tools

• Experience with direct marketing, database marketing, social media and email campaigns

• Prior experience in managing multiple projects

• Knowledge of email marketing best practices and A/B testing

• Familiarity with lead-nurturing flow diagrams

• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Photoshop, HTML and eCommerce

• Possess a mastery of the creative process

• Experience with database queries and MS Excel

• Superior Attention to detail, highly organized yet able to see the big picture

• Fast Learner that proactively tackles challenges

• Strong work ethic, sense of urgency and desire to succeed

• Team Player

• Fun with a great sense of humor

• Other duties as assigned

To be successful in this role, you will need to:

• Possess an understanding of the marketing process in today’s world with an eye to the future

• Have an ability to work in a cross functional national team

• Possess Project Management skills

• Handle and use data analysis

Applicants for employment in the U.S. must possess work authorization which does not require sponsorship by the employer for a visa.

Merchant services businesses, whether they be multiple independent sales offices (ISOs) or independent sales agents (ISAs), can always benefit from feedback about their performance by the very people they aim to please – their merchants as well as their own staff. The success of a merchant services business is truly dependent on both the satisfaction of those they serve as well as those who provide their service, and every effort should be put into continually increasing that satisfaction through the use of a merchant services CRM tool.

Not long ago, merchant services businesses could keep a finger on the pulse of their merchants’ needs by interacting with them in-person on a consistent basis. With the high internet penetration rate and the increasing virtualization of interactions with merchants we have today, those in-person opportunities are quickly fading away. Therefore, it is important that every interaction be made as simple, succinct, and efficient as possible.

This makes it critical for today's independent sales offices and independent sales agents to implement merchant services CRM tools for sales management and sales-force automation.

Merchant services CRM solutions help with:

Sales Analysis/Business Intelligence

One of the best ways of forecasting future growth is to look to the past. With a merchant services CRM tool in place, merchant services businesses will have all of their merchants’ data and interactions converged in one place. This data can be mined on-demand to extract business intelligence reports and graphical displays that can then be used in strategic planning, resource allocation, and opportunity management.

Merchants’ Accounts and Contact Management

With all the information of merchants stored in a merchant services CRM tool, merchant services businesses will have easy access to the information needed to reach them at the click of a mouse. This will be especially helpful when rolling out new products or services, advertising, and conducting surveys and email campaigns.

Team Performance Analysis

Merchant services businesses can receive a detailed picture of how well their sales teams (or even individual employees) are performing from their merchant services CRM. That information can then be used to identify and improve weak performance, to encourage those that are doing well, and to re-allocate assets and workforces as needed.

Improved and Customized Customer Service

With the data found in a merchant services CRM, merchant services businesses can cater to merchants in a manner that has been personalized to their unique preferences. They will, for example, have information on how a particular merchant prefers to be contacted (email, newsletter, social media, etc.), at what times, and on which of their electronic devices (cell phone, laptop, etc.). This will promote a mutually favorable relationship between merchants and the merchant services business. A smooth and consistent communication flow will be beneficial for all parties.

Demographic Analysis

Any independent sales agent (ISA) or independent sales office (ISO) can increase their effectiveness by analyzing the demographics of its merchants through the use of a merchant services CRM tool. A merchant services firm can focus their marketing campaigns on merchants that fit pre-determined profiles of ideal customers, extracted through the use of a merchant services CRM, and expect higher sales rates as a result.

Takeaway

By utilizing the effective tools of a merchant services CRM, merchant services businesses can please their merchants by offering them better service, a decreased operational overhead, and higher satisfaction through an easy and engaging user experience.

Learn More

Merchant Services CRM software is essential when it comes to running a successful Independent Sales Organization. In a fast-paced industry, new ways to streamline current business processes and increase staff productivity must be developed constantly. The first step in doing this is to find a CRM software, such as PegasusCRM, that best fits your needs. The most challenging part of the process, of course, is introducing the new model to your personnel and getting them to work with the new technology.

This is where an effective change management plan comes into the picture. It makes the process of transition from the old system to the new one seamless, and uses a structured approach when it comes to asking the personnel involved not only to adopt the new customer relationship management software but to actively participate during the transition process.

Why You Need to Have a Change Management Plan

Here are some of the reasons why an effective change management plan yields higher acceptance rates rather than implementing a new CRM without training:

• It encourages people who are unfamiliar with the CRM to adapt. If your employees are saying, “Things are fine the way they are now, why change it?” a change management plan may help you to convert the naysayers and the doubters into advocates of the new system.

• It creates a fast, smooth transition. The implementation of the new CRM system can be done without affecting the normal routines of your team, and without disturbing their work processes. As a result, the adjustment period is greatly reduced.

• It anticipates challenges ahead of time and responds to these challenges effectively. Having an effective change management plan means having the foresight to know that you will be faced with objections from the people who will be using it, and knowing beforehand how to handle these objections.

• It improves the success rate of the CRM. A great change management plan should be able to persuade your personnel that the new Merchant Services CRM will be able to make their performance even stronger.

• It involves the end users. The quickest way to alienate your team is not to involve them in the process from the very beginning. In order for a change management plan to work, you have to make sure your employees are informed of what you are doing. Don’t just spring the new system on them. After all, these are the very people involved in the day-to-day operations of your business. By getting their feedback, you will make them feel that they are involved in the decision-making process.

The Takeaway

At the end of the day, both you and your team have the same goal, and that is to generate income and increase the profits of your business. Implementing a great change management plan will assure your people that the new CRMs is also working towards that same goal. If you would like to learn more about the features and benefits PegasusCRM offers, watch this quick video. To speak to a team member about how you can utilize our Merchant Services CRM call us toll-free at 1-855-332-1608 or send us an email.

References:

http://www.change-management-coach.com/benefits-of-change-management.html