Customer relationship management analysts work in companies or in consultancies, using CRM software to analyze customer data and make recommendations on sales, marketing and customer service initiatives. Customer relationship management is a strategically important activity, helping companies build and maintain the customer loyalty that underpins long-term revenue and profitability.
CRM analysts manage and analyze the data that companies collect about customers. The data includes sales records, purchasing history, types of purchase, service history, product inquiries, complaints, exposure and response to marketing campaigns and channel preferences. They analyze data to spot trends or assess the response to different campaigns and use their analytical skills to find correlations between different types of data.
Data analysis provides a valuable insight into customers’ behavior and preferences at different stages of their relationship with the company. Analysts can monitor responses to an email marketing campaign, for example, to identify the messages or offers that trigger a response from a customer. They also use data to analyze customers’ behavior on websites to identify their preferences and tailor online offers to individual customers. By correlating customer purchase history with exposure to marketing campaigns or frequency of sales calls, analysts can provide insight into the effectiveness of sales and marketing campaigns.
CRM analysts create reports for colleagues in sales, marketing and customer service, helping them to make more effective decisions. They make recommendations on relationship strategies for different categories of customer or for individual customers. Analysts might recommend different types of direct marketing campaigns for specific market sectors, for example, based on their analysis of previous campaign results. They might recommend upselling or cross-selling programs for individual customers based on their purchasing history.