The 5 most important tasks of a CRM specialist

Managing customer relationships can be challenging and tricky especially considering that you’re dealing with a lot of different personalities as well as needs. However, customer relationship management should be one of the most important priorities for a business, regardless of its size, because to put it simply: the happier the customer, the better the business. 

Although a lot of businesses choose to use a software to help with their customer relationship management needs, aptly named CRM or customer relationship management, helps organize and keep track of customer data, leads, sales campaigns, and contacts. To optimize the use of CRMs, some businesses need a dedicated CRM specialist.

What is the role of a CRM specialist? 

Considering the context of the word “specialist” in the job title, CRM specialists are the experts in the usage of the software as well as the various tips and tricks that can be employed to grow a business’ customer list, improve relationships and multiply sales. They can also grant access to the leaders of various teams within the company so they can share their input.

CRM specialists not only maximize the use of the CRM software to the business’ advantage. They also use the data to help the business improve in all aspects, including customer care. They also liaise between teams and the CRM software so the data is better understood, thus improving the employee input, making the output more beneficial to the business.

What Do Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Specialists Do? 

Ideally, the CRM specialist is hired as soon as a CRM software is acquired for the business. This helps ensure that the software is used and utilized properly to help the business flourish. Since CRM specialists are trained professionals and learned experts in the use of the software, they are better equipped at harnessing its uses to open doors for the business to allow it to succeed.

What are the tasks of a CRM specialist? CRM specialists usually do some of the following:

• Act as a point-of-resource to all the other departments in the company relating to the CRM software
• Maximize the features and benefits of the CRM
• Generate and interpret the data from the software
• Work with various teams to improve customer care, sales and marketing based on the CRM numbers and data
• Grant user access
• Maintain the integrity of the information stored in the CRM
• Review the current processes within the company and propose updates to them to align them with the CRM data
• Ensure the CRM’s accuracy and reliability

These are just some of the top responsibilities for a CRM specialist. Their job description might be longer, covering more scopes of the business. Below are the 5 most important tasks of a CRM specialist:

1. Guardian of the integrity 

The integrity of the data, that is. CRM specialists should have a regular schedule for updating, purging, and maintaining the accuracy, reliability, and completeness of the data stored in the CRM. One error or inconsistency can be costly for the company so having someone who can be relied upon to perform this duty from time to time is not only cost effective but also efficient and helpful. 

The CRM specialist is usually the person responsible for feeding information into the CRM software to minimize errors and avoid muddling the data. Regular checks should be conducted by the CRM specialist to ensure that the data is always updated, ready for use by all the other teams in the company.

2. Data mining, interpretation and reporting

Being the expert in the software, the CRM specialist is also responsible for generating data from the software, interpreting the data, and reporting on them to the responsible teams such as the Sales, Marketing, and Customer Care teams.

The data can then be used in the creation of sales strategies, marketing plans, and customer care initiatives. The information from the CRM that the specialist collects will also be used to test if these plans are effective or if they need to be improved further. These reports can also be used to justify a need for any new initiatives or schemes that the teams can come up with.

3. Tomato, automato 

The tomato is used primarily as an example for breaking apart time and tasks to complete everything that needs to be completed within a workday. A tomato can also be used in the concept of automating workflows to further improve the productivity, efficiency, and quality of output of a given team. 

The roles and responsibilities of a CRM specialist include creating workflows and automating these workflows to help in the daily functions of the team. Again, using the data from the CRM, the specialist should be able to help come up with strategies for improving the various performances of the teams as well as automating workflows, forms, strategies, and plans. The CRM information can also be used to update and improve these workflows down the line.

4. Foresight, insight and hindsight 

Using the CRM to forecast is also important in helping the company chart its journey to prosperity and success. The role of the CRM is to use the data collected from the software to help in this. They should also be able to use historical data to show the company which practices should be avoided. 

A CRM specialist should also be able to project trends so the sales and marketing teams can plan and strategize for the future. The CRM software information collected can also be used to help see which areas in sales, marketing, and customer care the company should allot more time and energy to so things can be further improved.

5. Lead to unite

After all the data is updated and collected, workflows automated, trends and forecasts plotted, another one of the roles and responsibilities of the CRM specialist is to bring all the teams together for general, strategy planning summits or meetings. These meetings will be the chance for the sales, marketing, and customer care teams to roll out their plans for the business. 

The CRM specialist should take the lead in arranging the meeting, putting together the agenda and taking note of the outcomes so they can be implemented properly. Once the meeting is done, the CRM specialist will then collect all the meeting notes and particulars to be duly noted in the CRM software. This is so they can check the implementation and how effective the plans are. 

If you’re looking into hiring a CRM Specialist…

From everything discussed in this article, it’s very apparent that the job of a CRM specialist can be intense and highly impactful. The roles and responsibilities of a CRM specialist cover a lot of ground and the specialist will need to work with a lot of different people – leaders – within the company. If you’ve purchased your own CRM and considered hiring a CRM specialist, it’s worth taking note of the following qualities to look for in a candidate:

• People person – A CRM specialist will need to communicate with a number of different people so you should be looking for someone who enjoys talking to people, someone who is not necessarily boisterous or chatty but someone who can hold their own in conversations that matter.


• Assertive – The duties of a CRM specialist include reporting to leaders, managers, and seniors in the company. Someone who can stand their ground and defend the integrity of the data they’re presenting is essential.


• Detail-oriented – The purpose of collecting information from a CRM software is only defeated when you have a specialist who is not able to check and maintain the information’s accuracy. They need to be able to spot even the most minute inconsistency or error and correct it right away.


• Database manager – Being a CRM specialist can be equivalent to being a database manager so you need to look for someone who likes creating and maintaining databases and compartmentalizing them for use by particular teams and departments.


• Clever and calculating – Not in a Hollywood villain type of way but in their approach to data, information, and the CRM software as a whole. Your chosen CRM specialist needs to be able to look at a report or a system and come up with plans and suggestions on how to improve them.


• Knowledgeable – Now, this is very tricky. Someone can spew their alleged knowledge about something and totally clam up when faced with it. You need a CRM specialist who really is a specialist. They need to be comfortable with the software and, not only familiar with it but knowledgeable and confident in navigating it.


• Experienced – Being that a CRM software covers mainly sales, marketing, and customer care, you need someone who has experience in these areas of business. The responsibility of being a CRM specialist includes being able to influence change in plans for improvement in the areas of sales, marketing, and customer care so they should have enough experience in these areas as well.

Suffice it to say that you need someone focused and dedicated to using all that the CRM software has to offer to drive the company to win. Thankfully, there is a wealth of talented professionals out there. You only need to know what to look for. With the information available in this article, you should be able to do so and to resounding success!

CRM Specialist: Job Descriptions

A customer relationship management specialist deals with the improvements of the marketing for the company. He is responsible for the software and data destined to improve customer care. A wise CRM knows how to:

• Make a brand name well-known;

• Boost up customer service;

• Affect sales.

A CRM specialist should be maximum efficient. He should have organizational skills, know how to sustain solid communication, and be polite with the collaborators. A professional like this should also know how to deal with problems, including dealing with customers. If you’re afraid of communication with people, you’ll have no chances to develop your CRM skills.

To be hired as a CRM specialist you need:

• Knowledge, resources, and tools to attract more people;

• Middle or junior-level skills;

• Understanding of how durable your project is;

• Planning, depending on the urgency of the work;

• Probable hiring of another employee if you are short of time. 

Basic CRM Job Descriptions

A CRM should:

1. Design and implement CRM systems;

2. Manage and update customers’ data;

3. Analyze customers’ data for in-depth insights;

4. Create and execute targeted marketing campaigns;

5. Identify and address any customer satisfaction issues;

6. Interact with sales and customer service teams for seamless customer experience;

7. Provide consulting for the other CRM users within the company.

Tasks of CRM Specialists

TOP 15 Sample Interview Questions for a CRM-specialist

Make sure you’re ready to answer the following questions if you’re planning to be hired as a CRM:

1. How do you understand a CRM system?

2. What are the benefits and drawbacks of using a CRM system?

3. Why is CRM management interesting to you? 

4. What is your understanding of a buyer?

5. What skills are crucial for a CRM Specialist?

6. Do you know the difference between CRM specialists?

7. Do you think being a CRM is challenging and why?

8. What do you know about the basic CRM software?

9. What are the chief features of CRM software?

10. How will you use our marketing and sales specialists to boost up the sales through CRM?

11. What is your previous customer service experience?

12. Have you ever implemented a new CRM application and how did you deal with the troubles?

13. Will you be able to deal with technical issues in a CRM system?

14. Do you manage to stay up-to-date as a CRM, and how do you do it?

15. How do you interact with your co-workers if you need to share the information you gather on the clients and discuss it for further improvement of the company’s functionality?

The questions mentioned above will help your employer understand whether you’re ready to become a part of the team or not. Make sure you know how to answer them.

FAQ