Centralised management of customer data: why customers have to repeat everything

A customer rings about a quote and expects you to know what it’s about. Do they first have to explain all over again which colour they chose, what was agreed and when someone was due to visit? It can quickly start to feel as though they’re not a customer, but just an unknown number. Centralised customer data management prevents precisely that problem.

It’s not just about having a phone number and address in one place. You need a customer history that brings together conversations, appointments, quotations, documents and internal notes. That way, a colleague can take over the conversation without the customer having to start from scratch.

Why should a customer have to repeat their story over and over again?

In many specialist firms, information is scattered. A quotation is in a folder on the computer. The appointment is in the owner’s diary. Photos of the situation are on the engineer’s mobile. And an important appointment with the customer is in a ‘WhatsApp’ conversation or in the head of the colleague who’s out on the road today.

This is usually not organised that way on purpose. You start small and use whatever’s handy. A personal inbox, a diary and a folder of quotations work fine – until several people are in contact with the same customer.

Then this situation arises:

• The client calls with a question about their quotation.
• The colleague who drew up the quotation is out on a site visit.
• The person who answers the phone cannot find the latest email or note.
• The client explains the situation again.
• A request for a call-back follows, even though the question could perhaps have been answered straight away.

For you, this means time spent searching and extra phone calls. For the customer, it feels as though nobody is taking responsibility. Particularly with a larger project, such as a conservatory, window frames or an installation, this is not a good start to the working relationship.

What goes wrong when customer information is scattered across different systems?

Separate systems don’t just cause inconvenience over the phone. They also increase the likelihood that someone will be working with out-of-date or incomplete information. The office staff might see the quote, but not the photos the fitter took whilst taking measurements. The fitter is aware of the appointment, but not of the additional request that was later sent by email.

A practical example. A customer calls about a quote for new window frames. He wants to know whether the ventilation grille is already included in the price. The sales representative who drew up the quote is with another customer. At the office, only the PDF is in a folder. The note about the vent is in the sales representative’s email inbox, and the photos of the existing window frame are on his mobile phone.

The member of staff on the phone is therefore unable to give a definitive answer. He asks the customer to ring back later or promises to look into it. In the meantime, the customer has to explain all over again which windows were involved and why that grille was important. Even though all the information is there, it’s just not in a place where the team can access it.

These are the consequences of fragmented information:

• You find yourself searching for information during a call instead of providing immediate assistance.
• Colleagues find it difficult to take over work from one another.
• The customer receives different answers or has to wait for one specific person.
• Important details about requirements, measurements or specific details get lost.
• When an employee is off sick, on holiday or leaves the company, work is left undone.

How does a centralised customer history help with handover?

A centralised customer history brings together everything that happens with a contact. Not as an archive where you first have to search at length, but as a starting point for the next point of contact.

In a good customer information overview, for example, you can see contact details, appointments, quotations, invoices, work orders, notes and the current sales opportunity. You can also see what has been discussed via email, chat or a linked WhatsApp Business number. This allows the person answering the phone to check the details first and then respond.

In Klantly, this is the customer card. From there, you can carry on working: schedule an appointment, open a quotation, add a note or send a message. See how you can maintain an overview of each customer in one place, alongside your customers and CRM.

This changes the conversation. Instead of: “Could you explain everything again?”, you can say: “I can see your quote and the appointment for the site survey. You’re calling about the ventilation grille, is that correct?” The customer realises that their situation is already understood.

Why is a communication log important for a customer?

A customer history is only complete if you can also see exactly what has been sent and received. That is the role of a customer communication log. It lists, in chronological order, which emails, chat messages and WhatsAppmessages relate to a particular contact, including attachments and delivery status.

This helps with simple queries, such as: “Did you actually send the quote?” But it’s also useful when handing over a case. A colleague can review what the customer has already asked and what response they received. This prevents you from accidentally sending the same information again or asking for details that are already known.

A log does not prevent substantive discussions. Even with a complete file, a customer may still be dissatisfied, or there may be a technical question that only the employee handling the case can answer. However, it does prevent unnecessary confusion about what has been agreed, sent or promised.

When do you need a CRM for a specialist business?

Many business owners think of a CRM for a specialist business as something for large sales teams. In practice, it becomes useful as soon as more than one person is in contact with a client. Or as soon as you find yourself having to search through your email inbox, diary and phone before you can call someone back.

A CRM doesn’t have to make your work more complicated. On the contrary, it should fit in with the work you’re already doing: speaking to customers, making appointments, sending quotes, carrying out work and invoicing. If those steps are linked to the same customer file, you only need to enter the details once and can build on that.

It also makes it easier to transfer quotations. A quotation isn’t stored separately in a folder, but is linked to the customer and the ongoing project. You can see whether the customer has opened it, what the status is and what follow-up is required. In the article on following up on quotations without separate lists, you can read how to prevent outstanding quotations from being left unaddressed.

The aim isn’t for everyone to record everything just for the sake of it. The aim is for the next colleague to have enough context to carry on. That way, knowledge isn’t tied to just one person, and the customer doesn’t have to start from scratch every time.

Would you like to experience how a single central client profile can bring peace of mind to your day-to-day client interactions? Get started for free and discover, with no obligation, what Klantly can do for your business.