The 3 Types of CRM Platforms

Martin Perez -

CRM Platforms can do a lot.

So much in fact, that it’s safe to say that not every CRM platform is the same.

CRMs can actually be classified into 3 main categories.

Today, we will define each category and how each can help out your business.

What is a CRM?

First, a quick review of the basics of CRMs.

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. But generally, when talking about CRMs, people are referring to CRM Software Platforms.

In basic terms, CRMs help you collect, organize, search for and utilize your customers’ data. From contact information to website visits and their purchase history.

The end goal of any CRM is to help you make better customer-focused decisions by unlocking the value of your customer data, therefore increasing your customer revenue.

Want to learn more about CRMs? Read our in-depth guide about what CRMs are and how they can help your business.

The 3 Types of CRMs

CRM platforms come in many shapes and sizes.

They can be generally be divided into 3 categories.

Operational CRM

Operational CRMs specialize in the automation of customer-focused operations such as Sales, Support and Marketing.

Operational CRMs excel at:

  • Automating the collection of customer information
  • Creating new support communication channels
  • Automating digital marketing campaigns
  • Automating the collection and assignment of support requests
  • And many more

In short, operational CRMs seek to improve your company’s customer-focused operations in order to save time and increase your team’s efficiency.

Analytical CRM

Analytical CRMs specialize in the processing and analysis of customer data in order to provide valuable business insights.

Analytical CRMs excel at:

  • Analyzing existing customer data
  • Uncovering valuable customer insights
  • Propose sales, support and marketing initiatives based on data
  • And many more

For example, an Analytical CRM can identify that your newsletter subscribers buy more products from your business on Tuesdays. Therefore, you might want to send marketing emails on Tuesdays rather than any other day.

Collaborative CRM

Collaborative CRMs specialize in the centralization and sharing of customer data. This way, multiple departments that use customer data can have access to the most update available data.

Picture this scenario, one of your customers calls your support line because they are running into a product issue. During the call, they let the support rep know that they have changed their email address. The support rep goes ahead and updates the contact’s email address accordingly.

Later that day, a sales rep identifies that customer as a potential upsell. As a result, they pull up their file to get their contact information. With a collaborative CRM, the sales rep will be able to see the new email that the support rep updated earlier that day.

With Collaborative CRMs, customer data can be shared between multiple users in different departments. Increasing the efficiency of said teams and reducing data errors and duplication.

Closing Thoughts

As you might have realized at this point, CRMs can help your business in several different ways.

On top of that, you might also notice that some CRMs fit the description for all 3 types, or 2. The truth is that modern CRMs have been built to fit multiple business purposes.

As a result, one single CRM can be Operational, Analytical and Collaborative all at the same time. To learn more about CRMs, read our guide on 7 advantages of using a CRM.