Digital customer management

1. Start: Transformation of analog content and processes into a digital form and ways of working. 

2. Networking: Networking of processes, departments and employees and bundling of company data in a unified source. 

3. Royal discipline: Leverage data using new technologies (data analytics, AI, etc.) and develop new data-driven business models & smart products.

Where would you place the digitization of customer management here?

That's right, at the beginning - under step 1 - and depending on how far you've progressed in digitizing your company, also already under step 2. You can find out why you should digitize your customer management and how it ultimately helps you get to step 2 or 3 in digitizing your company here. 

Digital customer management is "...all activities and measures in which digital media and tools are used." (Jacob, 2018) By realigning these measures in the context of digitalization, you ensure long-term customer satisfaction and loyalty.  

Digital customer management is just as important in the financial sector as it is in the automotive or manufacturing industries. Because no matter what industry you're in, one principle never changes: the customer is king. And that will always be the case. 

Digitization at the customer is one of the most important tasks of companies. The "age of the customer" in which we find ourselves today clearly states - the customer makes a significant contribution to the success of a company. So, why not start right here?  

Maintaining customer data and customer bases seems like a tedious and time-consuming task. But it doesn't have to be that way. There are systems that can take care of this and many other tasks for you. This is where customer relationship management systems, or CRM systems for short, come in. 

A CRM system is software for the central management of customer data. It is not just about individual lists and notes, but holistically about all data and documents that can arise around customers or projects. The CRM system enables the exchange of information, data and files by bundling all important data of a company at a central hub and making it easily accessible for employees. 

Measures such as key account management, a wide range of services and the maintenance of customer relationships are automated and digitized by a CRM system. 

The advantages for you as a company are numerous:

• A uniform database 

• Transparency & connectivity across all departments and customer data 

• Better analysis and evaluation options 

The benefits for your customers are:

• Adapted products, services, advertising measures 

• Personalized & individualized speeches 

• Optimal shopping and service experience 

So digitizing your customer management goes hand in hand with introducing a CRM system. Both have only advantages for you and your customers. You save costs, ensure transparency between departments and at the same time make your customers happy, who are addressed individually and with a focus on their needs - a win-win situation for all parties. 

Now let's go back to the three steps of enterprise digitization mentioned at the beginning. If you are currently at step 1, converting your customer data into a digital form will help you to make the same customer data available to all employees from all departments in step 2, enable better communication and thus ensure flawless service. 

If you've already reached step 2 and your customer management is handled digitally, it's all about making more out of the data you have at your disposal. Use your CRM system to monitor customer behavior and take full advantage of the potential and automation options. By neatly converting customer data into digital form (step 1) and networking your processes, employees and departments (step 2), you have already created the optimal basis. Now it's time to use new technologies to your advantage (step 3), scale your company and thus increase your sales. 

In our guide you will find even more detailed information on the Enterprise digitization , CRM system and the right CRM strategy .