Today was the launch of this new website. It was a gentle launch...

I first wanted to get a little feedback from trusted friends and family members before sharing the news with a little more noise.

Write so your mother understands

In spite of my efforts to use clear, simple language throughout the site, the first thing my mum asked me on the phone this evening was:

What's CRM?

It reminded me that whenever we communicate, our goal should be to write clearly enough that our mother understands. Yes, I use the Hemingway app to check that I haven't used too many adverbs or long sentences. I check that my 'readability' score is grade 7 or 8. I take care not to use too many abbreviations or acronyms. And I was tickled by Eats, shoots and leaves by Lynn Truss. But should I really assume that everyone knows what CRM means?

Use CRM as your long-term memory

Luckily my mother had visited the Doctor a few days earlier. So I explained that when she visited her GP, he was probably aware of her ailments (with any luck!) and that he know she was due certain tests because of her age. And all that information would be stored in some kind of computer system that regarded her as a customer. So hopefully, the appointment she had was more fruitful, simply because they were informed of her history.

So my lovely mum now knows that CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. And given her positive memory test results at the Doctor's, I'm sure she'll remember that for a long while too. 

See the whole picture

We're inundated daily by communications via email, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Keeping on top of email is an effort in itself. It's impossible for us to remember every interaction we've had with a prospect or customer. And we can't know all the interactions our colleagues have had with the same individual. And that's exactly why we need CRM.

According to Aristotle:

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

If we're privy to conversations and activities that our team members have shared with customers, we're far more informed. We don't waste their time asking them to repeat information already provided. We can provide greater value to our customers, because we understand them better. 

CRM reveals the story of how you can help

If we understand our customers' history, we learn how we can help them better in future. We build a clearer picture of their needs and we relate to them better. All relationships require trust. CRM doesn't just help us manage relationships, it helps us develop them.