The CRM Glossary – All the CRM Terminology You Need to Know!

If you’re new to CRM, business software or Dynamics 365, some of the terms you may hear can be confusing. Here at Pragmatiq Solutions we have created this CRM Glossary to help you navigate through the jargon and terms most used. Read the full list of definitions below…  

Account

Accounts are companies with which an organisation has a business relationship. Accounts may contain different data, such as customer information, company name, addresses, phone numbers, etc. Each Account can also be associated with other records in a CRM system, such as Opportunities or Contacts.

Activities

This is a history of phone calls, emails, letters, meetings and other tasks in connection with a record.

Analytics

This is data that gives your business enhanced insights to help you make faster and more informed decisions. Analytics can include Trends, Behavioural data, Marketing engagement, Sales analytics, Win-loss, Financial spend, Pipeline, etc.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence and is increasingly being integrated within industries, to deliver more predictive and personalised customer information.

Bespoke CRM

A Bespoke CRM means that the solution is custom-built and tailored to suit your specific business needs, where off-the-shelf solutions aren’t fit for purpose.

Business Intelligence (BI)

Business intelligence (BI) combines business analytics, data mining, data visualisation, data tools and best practices to help organisations to make more data-driven decisions.

Find out more about Microsoft’s Business Intelligence Tool, Power BI, here.

Campaign

A campaign is a series of marketing efforts, such as:

• Email marketing
• Social media marketing
• Print/Online ads
• Direct mail
• Events
• Product launches

The aim of these is to increase awareness around your brand, product and/or services.

Campaign Management

Campaign management refers to the planning, implementing and gathering of results of marketing activities related to a specific goal.

Cases

Cases are records of customer issues that have been raised either by the customer, or their sales representative, that need to be addressed.

Cloud-Based CRM

A cloud-based CRM requires no hardware, can be deployed remotely and can be accessed via the internet from a web browser or mobile app (dependent or CRM).

Are you a Dynamics 365 user? Find out why you should migrate from D365 On-Premises to the Cloud here.

Connector

Software that connects two platforms.

Contact

A contact usually represents a person such as a customer, supplier or colleague. This record stores their name, phone number, email, address, business role and other relevant information.

Custom Business Solution

Sometimes a business may require a database/system that doesn’t involve the typical functionality which is often associated with a CRM. A Custom Business Solution is designed specifically to meet your unique business needs and requirements.

Customer Journey

The customer journey covers a customer’s entire lifecycle from their initial engagement with your brand, throughout the evaluation and purchasing process, up until and including their conversion to become a customer.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is designed to manage and maintain customer relationships, track engagements and sales, and deliver actionable data. It all comes down to improving customer relationships and improving profitability.

Are you currently using spreadsheets but want to move to a CRM system? – Click here to find out more.

Customisation

Adding features or functionalities which are not available in an application or software  by default.

Dashboard

This refers to the landing page or home screen of the CRM software, which typically displays key information, business performance metrics and other important figures in a visual format.

Deployment

The way CRM is installed in your organisation. It could be Cloud-Based or On-Premise.

Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is a term that is widely used when referring to the transition from legacy systems and more manual processes, to modern technology and digital processes for an organisation.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Business process management software that allows an enterprise to use a system of integrated applications, to manage the business and automate many back-office functions.

Export

This means to convert data into a certain file format for use in another software program.

Field

This is where users enter information. Standard fields include first name, last name, phone number, email address, company and job title. Some solutions will enable users to add custom fields that are unique to their business.

Go-Live

Go-Live activities involve configuring the live system, migrating the solution and data migration. This is the essential point that your system goes live.

Import

This means loading data into the CRM software. The most common use is to import contacts from your email address books and spreadsheets.

Lead

This is a potential customer in the first stage of the sales pipeline.

Marketing Automation

To put it simply, marketing automation software streamlines,  automates and schedules tasks within an organisation, from lead-nurturing to campaign planning. As a result, businesses save time, have more sales-ready leads and increase revenue.

Natural Language Processing

Natural language processing is an area of artificial intelligence (AI) processes and refers to computers’ ability to dissect, understand, analyse and interpret meaning from human language (spoken or written).

Off-the-Shelf

Off-the-shelf software is essentially a product that is already built for the mass market and is ready to use immediately.

On-Premises

This is the “traditional” way to deploy software, where a business purchases software licenses and the database is stored on your server. This keeps all business data in-house, providing you with full control of how and where any information is stored,  as well as being solely responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the hardware.

Opportunity

An opportunity comes when a lead has been qualified within the sales pipeline.

Pipeline

This overview shows where prospects are in the sales process. The sales pipeline is generally broken up into stages depending on your business’ sales process.

Sandbox

This is a testing environment that allows you to preview new updates and features without interfering with your current CRM system, prior to deployment.

Scalability

The ability to increase the number of users and grow your solution without losing performance.

Social Integration

This means the CRM software connects to social networks such as; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

This is a model for cloud-based CRM software that is sold as a subscription service, not as traditional software that needs to be installed on your local servers and devices.

Third-Party Integration

This is the ability to connect other business solutions to the CRM software to expand its features and streamline your business processes. Some examples of software your CRM might integrate with, are; QuickBooks, Microsoft Office, Google Sheets, Mailchimp, Xero, Eventbrite, Shopify, etc.

Trigger

An action that initiates subsequent actions. For example, filling out the contact form of a company can trigger a series of marketing emails.

Unified Interface (UI)

Unified Interface uses responsive web design principles to bring a consistent, responsive experience and improved capabilities across all devices. This provides optimal viewing for any screen size device or orientation. Whether you are using a browser, tablet, or phone, you will be able to consume similar experiences.

User Interface

This is the CRM software’s overall design for the end-user, such as its layout and navigation system. 

User Permissions

A defined set of user rights or permissions that determines the records that a particular user can view and edit.

Workflow

A workflow is a series of steps necessary to complete a business work process. These workflows are triggered when a specific event occurs and are created to eliminate manual processes.

360-Degree Customer View

This is a comprehensive view of the customer that includes all contact points, communication, marketing campaigns, opportunities, purchase history and all other aspects of the customer relationship.

Get in Touch

If we can help you with your CRM or Dynamics 365 requirements, please get in touch. Fill out the contact form below and a member of our team will be in touch shortly, or if you’d prefer, email us at info@pragmatiq.co.uk or call us on 01908 038110.