Three out of four consumers say that they have spent more money with a company which provides a positive customer experience!
So it should come as no surprise that Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have now become an integral part of day-to-day operations of the world’s biggest corporations. It is evident that this system is the foundation of their business and yet some corporates end up overlooking its importance or do not put in enough efforts to optimize its working.
Departments that make use of this excellent resource for business management include Sales, Marketing, Customer Service & Tech Support. Without proper CRM, all of these departments are bound to falter and end up creating a bad user experience.
In today’s world, customer/user do not just buy a product or a service; they invest in an experience. In other words, if a customer/user is dissatisfied with the experience that they hoped for, they are bound to pack their business and run to the nearest competitor who makes them feel more valued and guarantees a better experience.
You may also read: 5 Tips to Improve Your CRM’s Design
Just like the digital age changed the course of the entertainment business (read Netflix) & books (read e-books), the social realm has changed the CRM landscape as well. Although it has not become something completely different, it has advanced quite a bit. Companies who wish to turn a blind eye towards these evolutionary changes of CRM applications are surely in for a rude awakening.
Several issues need to be addressed to ensure a smooth and seamless transition. One of the most important one being the User Experience challenges that a CRM user can face. Green payroll augments control, aligning HR software USA with CRM for peak organizational performance.
Distressing the users by putting them through a diabolic CRM UX is nothing short of a sin that can eventually, slowly but steadily lead to the sad demise of your business.
Save yourself and your business from committing these disastrous sins. If you have already committed any or all of these sins, read on and get them solved.
Insufficient User Research (Pride)
Sometimes, even the most well-thought-out designs are assumptions until they are tested by real users.
Did you know that just by choosing a specific blue over some other hues in their User Experience design, Bing went on to add a whopping $80 million in their annual revenue?
How do you think Bing decided to use a specific blue? – Of course, User Research.
This example is the biggest testimony to the fact that user research can have a massive impact on your business.
The growing customer expectations and increased pressure from competitors have made it imperative for organizations to invest in user research early and continue throughout the development cycle.
Often, user research is done with a good intention but the methodology is flawed.
We at Koru receive several inquiries by companies in panic asking for help to figure out what is lacking in their user experience and why their CRM is failing. Our observation is that several times the common mistakes while carrying out user research for CRM include
1. Asking the wrong people / not real users for feedback
They are not representative of your target audience. Your target audience should comprise of people who will actually use the CRM tools.
2. Asking the wrong questions
Sometimes, inexperienced facilitators may ask the wrong questions which lead to a biased study and erroneous conclusions. Usability testing produces much more relevant results when conducted by someone who understands behavioral research.
3. Applying the wrong research method
User Research methods include surveys, focus groups, A/B testing, usability testing, and so on. The method of your choice should depend on the questions you have and the stage of development. A survey is often appropriate for collecting opinion-based data, but not for interaction. Applying the wrong method can yield misleading conclusions.
How to solve it:
- Conduct research using correct, unbiased methods
- Conduct research on real users
- Study industry trends
