On this occasion, we will show 📈 how to make a customer database that optimizes sales for telemarketing companies 💶. Learn the keys to have an updated database, read on!
Having an updated customer database is key for any business, but especially if you are in telesales.
But how to make a proper customer database, what basic information should it contain, what does the law say about collecting data from third parties, how and when are we allowed to use this information? We explain it all below.
CUSTOMER DATABASE, WHAT IS IT?
Before explaining in depth how to make a customer database, you should know well what it is and what aspects it can cover.
A customer database is the record where the relevant data about a company’s customers or potential leads are included.
It is a powerful tool for marketing and telesales, since thanks to it you can know the profile of potential customers and implement marketing strategies or loyalty appropriate to each of them and depending on the sales funnel in which it is.
These customer databases contemplate from basic data of customers or potential leads, such as: their name, where they live or age, to a tracking of their behavior during the purchase or segmentation according to their profile.
Thanks to the databases, companies have valuable information to implement their telesales campaigns.
CUSTOMER DATABASE, HOW CAN IT HELP ME IN MY BUSINESS?
If we are considering how to create a database to optimize telesales, when collecting data it will help us a lot to know to what extent a customer database can help optimize the sales of our business.
This relevant information about the public that could be interested in the product we sell, will allow us to better tune our sales campaigns and increase the profitability of the company.
Customer databases are very useful to base marketing campaigns aimed at a specific audience, define more successful strategies and gather contacts of both customers and suppliers and, for example, send them personalized messages.
A finely tuned database gives us the possibility to:
– win back former or undecided customers,
– offer personalized promotions that cater to each type of buyer and even create products specially designed for them,
– increase your sales through techniques such as email marketing, telemarketing and remarketing,
– keep our customers and potential leads informed about your news, special discounts and much more.
CUSTOMER DATABASE, WHAT TYPES OF DATA ARE THERE?
When we consider how to make a customer database, we must keep in mind that the possibilities as to what data to collect from our customers, are endless. It is important to consider what information is especially logical and useful for our company.
The following information will be a good guide when it comes to knowing how to get a good customer database:
–Basic contact information: name of the potential customer or lead, email address, phone number, etc.
– Purchase data: of the product or service purchased, time of purchase, payment method, etc.
– Demographic data: date of birth, place of residence, hobbies, etc.
– Feedback: results of surveys, queries, complaints, ratings, etc.
CUSTOMER DATABASE, WHAT TO USE IT FOR IN TELEMARKETING?
If you are considering how to make a customer database to organize information but do not know to what extent we can take advantage of this resource, be sure to read this section.
A customer database can be used for many different purposes, but all of them will be aimed at optimizing the operation, profitability and / or sales of the company..
We develop below some business fields where you can get a lot out of a customer database:
Purchase analysis
According to the profile and behavior of the customers, it is possible to know which are the most required products and to decide which products to put on sale.
Thanks to this, companies can anticipate in advance the stock needs of the most demanded products.
Sales forecasting
An updated customer database also helps to estimate the probability of business sales according to the season.
Businesses are able to know in advance which items will sell more or which less, what the estimated total sales will be, or what to do to optimize sales.
Planning marketing strategies
A database of customers, suppliers and products is also essential to know the profile of users and their buying behaviors.
This is essential to implement effective marketing strategies that attract new customers and build loyalty among existing ones.
CUSTOMER DATABASE, IMPORTANT ASPECTS FOR CREATING AND MANAGING IT
In this section of the article “How to create a customer database for telemarketing” we will indicate what you cannot overlook when creating a customer database.
When creating a customer database it is necessary to take into account a series of aspects and requirements such as the following:
Customer segmentation
One of the most important points when it comes to knowing how to make a successful customer database is the proper customer segmentation. It is necessary to create several sections in which to differentiate the different types of customers we have or potential leads.
For example, we can differentiate between:
– According to the type of customer: recurrent and occasional.
– According to the type of products they usually buy.
– According to their age and gender…
The ideal is to be clear about what our main buyer persona is, and based on this, segment between different profiles.
Depending on the profile of each customer, they will be offered one or other products, or they will be impacted in different ways.
Update records
The records must be constantly updated to add new customers to the database or remove those who have withdrawn their consent to contact.
The goal is to have a growing customer database, but at the same time, better filtered to derive more sales opportunities.
Validate through Robinson List
As we already indicated in the previous section, the database must be reviewed periodically to check that there are no wrong records, with obsolete or false information.
When you are learning how to create a customer database properly, you should know that one of the most important rules is the periodic validation of the customer database with the Robinson List.
Validating our database with the official Robinson List will allow us not to run the risk of fines for non-compliance with the Data Protection Act.
Data coming from sources such as newsletters or contests on social networks are exempt from this validation, since it is the user himself who has indicated his data. The problem comes when we subtract data from other sources: database purchase, public sources… etc.
>> It should also be noted that there are much simpler ways to have a customer database automatically updated and contrasted with the Robinson List. This is achieved thanks to a Telemarketing Software such as GESDITEL, which contains all these basic services.
Complying with this section is also essential in order to have accurate and reliable information.
You can read more about this subject in our article “Robinson Spain List, How to do telemarketing and comply with the law“.
HOW TO CREATE A CUSTOMER DATABASE?
Just because we have customers in the company does not mean that we have a customer database or that our sales are sufficiently tuned with them.
To create a database, we must collect information in an organized way from each customer and store it in a single system.
How to create a customer database, what data do I need, how do I collect it, is it legal? It all depends on the business we are in, but what we can assure you is that in one way or another, the success of this sales optimization system is 100% guaranteed.
We answer below all the essential questions that may cross our minds when researching how to create a customer database for our company:
Tips that you should not overlook
The creation of a database and collection of customer information must be well planned, because if we do not do it right, we run the risk of receiving penalties or losing the customer’s trust.
The key to good customer data management lies primarily in collecting information ethically, storing it securely and managing it efficiently.
To implement the above, the following tips should be followed:
Prioritize the security of stored customer information
The security of the collected data should always be the most important thing, since a data breach can result in a costly fine or penalty for our company.
Therefore, it is necessary to have a concrete plan on how to collect data securely without running any such risk. The following measures are a good basis for achieving this:
– Invest in a telemarketing system such as GESDITEL’s that includes automatic data review and validation with official robinson list.
– Use a back-up system.
– Regularly educate employees on new developments in customer data protection.
Collect data ethically
This requires that the people about whom information is stored are aware of it and consent to it.
Any company that collects customer data without their knowledge and consent, in addition to acting immorally, risks losing their trust.
Here are some ways to collect customer data ethically:
– Transparency: it is necessary to communicate to our customers our plan to collect certain data in an open and transparent manner.
– Consent: we must provide the customer with the option to consent to the collection of this data, for example, through a subscription dialog box.
– Acceptance of terms and conditions: we have to formulate and publish a privacy policy on our website.
Collect information with a purpose
If you don’t have a good system for collecting information for your customer database, too much information can cloud your vision and be overwhelming instead of useful.
Therefore, we must strategically consider what data offers real added value for our company and focus during the data collection process.
Our guide to whether we are collecting the data correctly for our purpose will be the following questions:
– How is the individual data being analyzed?
– How does the data align with our overall corporate objectives?
– How does the data collected help improve the customer experience?
Use customer database software
When learning about how to make a customer database, you should know that having a powerful tool, such as GESDITEL’s telemarketing software, is essential for the collection, management and security of customer data.
Companies that act correctly according to data protection regulations store customer data in a secure database, using tools of this type.
When choosing the right tool, we must ensure that it complies with the requirements of the GDPR. The main advantages of this type of system are:
– Having all data stored on a single platform.
– Easily track customer interactions.
– Obtain a consistent picture of your customer.
– Being able to make decisions thanks to the statistical reports derived from these interactions.
Backing up
When learning how to make a customer database, we must keep in mind that it is necessary to have a well-developed data protection and a reliable backup.
This will be the only way to restore our data and protect the information stored by the company in case of failure.
When determining which backup plan is right for our company, we must ask ourselves the following questions:
– What budget do we have for data protection?
– Where will we store the backups?
– What type of backup is best for our company?
Updating and validating the database of potential customers
Customer information is constantly changing. Therefore, it is important to schedule a data cleansing on a regular basis by reviewing customer information and deleting or updating it if necessary. We should consider the following:
– Perform data audits often to know the current status of our customer data.
– Ensure that the data format is consistent.
– Avoid uncoordination between areas by organizing our customers’ data in an interdepartmental manner.
Engage the team through training
A powerful telemarketing tool and a proper strategy for collecting, managing and backing up data are useless if our team is not able to take advantage of it all.
Therefore, investing in training our employees is necessary to make sure they master handling customer data correctly.
Essential information that a customer database must contain
In this section of the article “How to make a customer database for telemarketing”, we will indicate that necessary information that a telesales database must contain.
The usual is that a customer database should at least contain general information such as full name, phone and email.
But you have to think a little further. If, for example, we want to develop marketing actions on special days such as birthdays, we must also indicate their date of birth, to send a correspondence, we must have their address, etc.
We can start by creating a registration form based on what we need to know about our customers by analyzing what additional data is relevant to our company:
Transactional information
This refers to all data regarding customer behavior: purchases, order dates, abandoned shopping carts, returns, etc.
Behavioral data
These refer for example to whether they have subscribed to the newsletter, email open rate, eBook downloads, event registration, etc. and serve to define the customer’s relationship with the company.
Socio-demographic data
This data will indicate their preferences, level of studies, lifestyle, purchase context, etc.
General data
This refers to offline data, such as: phone number, postal address, etc.
CUSTOMER DATABASE, HOW TO COLLECT INFORMATION?
To have a successful customer database, you must know how to get the information. There are different methods to get customer data (or potential leads) to set up the best and most organized customer network. Here are some options:
– Landing Pages: where to include registration forms for the user to indicate their data.
– Email marketing: you can collect information through web chat or acquire email marketing lists to address.
– Newsletter or subscription: if we have a newsletter on our website in which we offer something that our audience demands, we can take advantage of it by including a “Subscribe to the newsletter” section on the website so that interested customers can provide us with their data.
– Social networks: we can develop activities such as sweepstakes or include promotions of a product that will make users provide us with their data.
– Buy customer database: there are companies dedicated to the online sale of customer databases. This may seem a very simple option to get contacts, but it is also very risky, since we must ensure that they comply with the Data Protection Act.
– GESDITEL telemarketing software: includes, among other features, the uploading of databases of individual or company customers filtered by category, portal code or whatever we need.
The GESDITEL telemarketing program is the easiest way to get an updated and secure database in one click with automatic validation of the Robinson List as required by law to avoid penalties.
In addition to all of the above, there are other techniques to subtract data from public websites. When we collect data by methods such as this it is very important to validate them with the Robinson List to avoid running the risk of sanction.
PROGRAMS TO CREATE DATABASE
In this last section of the article “How to make a customer database for telemarketing” we will see some examples of programs that can help us to create a database:
Microsoft Excel
Excel spreadsheets are one of the fastest and easiest ways to create a customer database. It makes it possible to divide records into rows and set various values for columns.
A simple and intuitive program for which no programming or computer knowledge is required.
The problem is that an excel database cannot hold a large volume of data (unmanageable) or be edited by many users (can lead to disorganization and errors).
Microsoft Access
It is another system developed by Microsoft to create customer databases using tables. It is very simple, but its functionalities do not go much further than storing data.
CRM (Customer Relationships Management)
These are more complex softwares that allow you to manage everything related to the company’s customers.
GESDITEL’s telemarketing software is a CRM focused on telephone sales with which you will not have to learn how to make a customer database.
GESDITEL’s platform, in addition to providing the database and robinson list verification, has many other features such as making automatic calls according to different dialing options and returning sales statistics reports for campaign optimization.
Business management software
For their part, business management software (ERP) also have options for billing, logistics, human resources, marketing and among others.
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So far everything you need to know about how to create a database. Get to work with your customer profile database and start optimizing your company’s sales.
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