The Art of Listening to Manage Customer Relations

“Good listening is the key to developing fresh insights and ideas that fuel success.”

The quote is from author Bernard Ferrari’s book, Power Listening: Mastering the Most Critical Business Skill of All. In context, he is describing successful business leaders. Likewise, isn’t that the objective of CRM technology?

LMS utilizes CRM and data science in a customized methodology, but communication, relationships, and trust form the foundation of its success.

The Art of Listening

LMS partners with medical technology innovator Hologic, Inc., a Fortune 500 enterprise focused on women’s health. Hologic develops groundbreaking products with global outreach. When the partnership began in 2015, potential clients had difficulty locating facilities with its patented Genius® 3D Mammographyexam.

Women need higher-quality screenings to detect cancer early for more effective treatment. Correspondingly, 3D mammography increases breast cancer detection rates by as much as 40 percent.

The LMS technology team created a cloud-based CRM to target Hologic end-users based on their email profiles, actions, and history of interactions. Customers include doctors, medical facilities, patients, and their families.

Earlier this year, Hologic, Inc. swept the 2021 IMV ServiceTrakAwards for Mammography. It won Best Service, Best Customer Satisfaction, and Best System Performance, the latter two for the seventh consecutive year.

Get Closer to Your Customers

Steve Jobs said, “Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves.”

It doesn’t happen overnight, but a more profound knowledge of customer activity yields insight into what they need. CRM with email tracking answers what emails customers open, pages clicked, recent purchase dates, and products. 

The CRM scheduling software, in simple terms, sends emails at varying intervals, depending on the customer profile. It checks for new subscribers and removes those who opt out. Users may opt-in for newsletters or email updates. Data collection goes even deeper, resulting in a better understanding of each user.

“Instead of using technology to automate processes, think about using technology to enhance human interaction,” said Tony Zambito, founder of the Buyer Persona.

The Most Interactive of All Processes

Successful businesses apply the same ideals to partnerships. From the C-suite down, team members utilize the art of listening to understand the customer’s needs. A trusted partner listens before presenting solutions.

Leveraging algorithmic decision-making with real-time customer data is indispensable. Beyond email broadcasts, the information is valuable for omnichannel marketing plans. The benefits of usable data extend to advertising, direct marketing, web content, and brick-and-mortar sales.

“The art of conversation lies in listening,” is a quote attributed to Malcolm Forbes. 

Business leader Jack Welch said, “Real communication is an attitude, an environment. It is the most interactive of all processes. It requires countless hours of eyeball to eyeball, back and forth. It involves more listening than talking.”