subject: Customer Database: Helping You To Build A Good Rapport With Your Customers [print this page] In todays business scenario, customers are the kings. Since there are a number of options available before him, he decides when to buy and from whom to buy. The same products or services may be offered by multiple service providers or manufacturers. And as competition increases the focus is on increasing market share not by venturing into alien territories but by concentrating on the already saturated market. This means you have to retain your present customers while trying to make inroads into your competitors customer base. And in this frantic effort businesses are becoming more and more customer oriented and the managements are pushing for customer friendly strategies. And one of the tools that can greatly help you in customer relationship management is customer database. Such a database can be used to maintain every possible record about your customers so it becomes easier for you to satisfy your customers as well as better time your sale to targeted customers.
Maintaining customers records on a database makes it possible to know what your customers want. You can use this knowledge to service him and sell your products at the same time. You can anticipate what he wants and accordingly time your sale and target him with the right product. So what all information can you maintain in your user database? Such a database can be used to store your customers name, address, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, birthdays and anniversaries, designations, office addresses etc. You can also record how often he has bought a particular product or products. Database programs may help you to analyze the buying habits of customers and their preferences. On special occasions such as your customers birthdays or anniversaries apart from pleasing them by giving warm wishes, you can also sell their favorite products at discounted prices. Such gestures will make them feel more valued and also give an opportunity to time your sale.
You can use a database to deduced facts such as what constitute your best selling and least selling products. Similarly you can also find out who are your most profitable and least profitable customers.
