Organically Integrating CRM Features Into Your Software
Ask any successful software company or app designer and they’ll tell you that the most critical part of the process is often not grabbing customers in the first place, but keeping them coming back after. Every developer is looking for that perfect system to maintain a steady revenue source, but not everyone puts their tools to the best use. Here are just a few examples of the best ways to weave CRM (Customer Relationship Management) naturally into your software.
Promos and Codes
Special offers and options are the ground-level essentials that all long-term apps need to succeed. They can take the form of freebies like Amazon’s free delivery or the bonus codes given out by entertainment sites such as online casino sites. These codes are then tailored to specific users. A PokerStars bonus code, for example, is often targeted towards poker players within specific regions, such as the United Kingdom. These codes result in bonuses like free spins and Go tickets, which are a great way for PokerStars to implement CRM into their software and incentivise users to return.
This kind of tailoring, whether you’re looking at poker or piano tutorials, is critical in working offers into your software. Ideally, you should have the ability to trigger specific codes and bonuses for specific groups of players. While opening something up to your entire user base at once can have some success, you’ll see greater returns if you can more accurately pick and choose the recipients.
Loyalty Programs
Going hand in hand with special offers is the concept of some kind of loyalty program. Sometimes branded as a rewards or VIP system, the idea of giving customers something back for continuing to spend with you is an ancient one and common to see amongst supermarkets and high-street brands. When long-term revenue is the goal, it’s also the first stop for apps.
Shopify picks out examples like Blume and LIVELY as great loyalty schemes, with the two key elements being offering something valuable and doing it organically. Rewards should be either good enough in value or exclusive enough to make them worthwhile, and they should be earned organically with what the customer would normally do anyway.
Notification Systems
Whether it’s on a website or in an app, one of the biggest gripes from users is being bombarded with too many notifications, either from promos or just daily status updates. With smartphone users alone having a dozen active apps, it means they’re getting hit with constant notifications – not even including the ones in-app they may receive from you. Magazines like Wired even have dedicated apps to avoid notification overload because of it.
The key is to pick and choose carefully what kind of information strictly warrants a notification and what can be best left to an in-app mailbox. More important, however, is having a clear and simple system for users to customise what notifications they get. Allowing the user to pick and choose can go a long way to lifting off some of the frustration.
At the end of the day, the core advice with all of the above is to keep the user experience in mind above everything. After all, if your CRM efforts end up putting customers off, they’re doing the exact opposite of what’s intended!
