CRM
Customer relationship management (or CRM) refers to the systems that businesses use to track and manage their contacts with customers and potential customers.
Businesses use sophisticated software to gather and organise data about their customers. As a customer relationship manager, you would interpret and exploit this information in order to maximise sales.
Work activities
You would use CRM software to analyse how customers are behaving and what they want. You would be in charge of maintaining the database of customer information and keeping it up to date.
You would look at what happens between the point a customer contacts your organisation and the time their order is delivered. You would look for ways in which their experience could be improved.
Loyal customers are very valuable to a business and dissatisfied customers can do a lot of damage by telling their friends about bad experiences. You would try to maintain contact with customers through emails, mailshots and social media and keep them feeling positive about your organisation.
As a manager, your job would be to supervise other people’s contacts with customers. You could train salespeople and improve the way they make sales calls. You could also manage and train customer service representatives, sometimes communicating directly yourself with unhappy customers.
To succeed at this job, you would need exceptional communication skills, especially when dealing with customers who felt they had been let down.
Entry requirements
Employers would expect you to have a degree in Business or Marketing. You would also need experience in customer relations and in using CRM software systems.

Salary
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