Why should you outsource CRM management?

Email marketing isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, according to OptInMonster, 92% of online adults use email. And, get this: 99% of these users check their emails every day, while 61% actually prefer to be contacted via email by brands.

This presents a tremendous opportunity for your organisation in terms of engagement and revenue, which is why investing in CRM continues to be a no-brainer. The question for many businesses is how best to develop and execute their email marketing strategy. Specifically, is it better to outsource to an agency, deliver it in-house, or a combination of both?

The truth is that there is no single answer here – every business is different, with varying structures and requirements. But we’ve set about articulating the case for outsourcing below, which we hope you will find both useful and compelling.

The benefits of outsourcing CRM

There are undoubtedly some advantages to keeping CRM in-house. For example, established employees are likely to have a better understanding of your business functions, and are thus able to hit the ground running. There may also be existing processes in place which aren’t compatible with outsourcing to third-party providers. And, depending on the reputation of the agencies you make contact with, there could be legitimate concerns around data protection or confidentiality.

Having said that, there are significant benefits which can be unlocked by collaborating with an agency like ChameleonCRM, with a whole realm of innovative solutions availed to you. Here are eight reasons to give outsourcing some serious consideration…

Strategy: Developing a successful CRM strategy involves many moving parts, and most marketing teams are unlikely to specialise in all these areas. It’s a good starting point to have clear objectives in mind, but the challenge lies in achieving these objectives. That’s where calling on industry expertise becomes invaluable, as agencies can provide ideas, insights and guidance which shape your strategy, and help you reach (and exceed!) your goals.

Scale: If you’re looking to really move the dial, agency support can make a big difference when it comes to personalisation and automation. This increased level of sophistication provides the basis for boosting engagement rates, driving sales and building loyalty – all of which will help generate results, and scale your CRM activity.

Resource: Every hour your in-house marketing team spends on developing your CRM estate is an hour they’re not spending on other priorities. Especially when it comes to first-stage implementation, building out (and testing!) your campaigns can take months. Bringing in expert help will cut this right down, ensuring a focused delivery period based on agreed timelines. That means your staff get the greatest gift of all: time back to focus on other deliverables.

Tech and innovation: Whether it’s ingenious new tools, changes in data protection rules or unearthing efficiencies in data management, the world of email marketing is a constantly-evolving one. Most internal teams simply don’t have the capacity to stay on top of the latest trends and innovations. But agencies like ChamelonCRM do. In fact, we live and breathe this stuff! That means you get access to the latest cutting-edge technologies and industry-leading capabilities to ensure your campaigns are a cut above the rest.

Competitors: Speaking of ‘the rest’, agencies provide crucial insights into how you compare against your competitors across a range of metrics. Benchmarking these figures indicates how you are shaping up in your marketplace, while also creating a hotbed for fresh ideas and optimisations so you can stay ahead of the chasing pack.

Analysis: All ESPs provide a basic level of reporting. But it's unlikely that they'll be able to go into much depth, and paint the picture behind the numbers. With a range of market-leading software and tools, agencies like ours will deliver detailed insights and analysis across a range of metrics and KPIs – which is the cornerstone of any successful CRM strategy.

Data management: Managing your email marketing database is no minor task. For starters, you need to contend with ever-changing data privacy laws. But outsourcing data management yields greater benefits than merely staying within the rules. By conducting audits, agencies ensure your database remains in good health by removing inactive contacts, while using advanced segmentation to help you target the most-engaged customers. All told, this means data integrity is preserved, costs are reduced, deliverability improves, and conversion goes up.

Cost-effective: This is the crux of it, isn’t it? Ultimately every decision a business makes comes down to ROI, and, in the case of CRM, more often than not the use of an agency provides better bang for your buck. You’re getting exclusive access to a talent pool of experts, with no concerns around recruitment, retention, training or any other costs associated with building up your own team. The agency handles everything from strategy, to implementation, to analysis – boosting capacity among your existing staff. And, best of all, you have the flexibility to make use of these services for as long (or as short) as you like!