Does 2018 GDPR legislation herald the rebirth of CRM?

Best practice CRM advice has always focused on maintaining accurate and up-to-date customer data, and communication that is considered both engaging and personal.  Best practice has never suggested that data can be acquired from dubious sources or that customers should be bombarded with unsolicited messages. In fact, open rates and high levels of suppressions indicate that this approach is doomed to failure.

The best return on investment examples for consumer marketing always focus on a known and targeted audience where the message is relevant and welcomed. This is best achieved where the CRM system retains the previous purchasing history of the customer and provides a facility for the customer to manage their own profile and preferences.

GDPR reinforces best practice and places a legal obligation on the data controller to process personal data in a fair and transparent manner. Data should be collected for specific, explicit and legitimate purposes. Consent to maintain a customer’s data puts the individual in control and provides them with real choice. Consent requires a positive opt-in and cannot be gained by default.

At Green 4 we have always put your customer at the heart of your business. We understand the value of retaining an existing customer, we advocate the collection of historical purchase transactions to more deeply understand the relationship that we already have. We love personal referrals with a positive opt-in. We recommend permission based marketing techniques and the provision of a Preference Portal that allows your customer to describe exactly how and on which subjects they wish to be communicated on.

Most importantly we are advocates of a joined-up, customer centric approach. A single platform that transacts, maintains and communicates with customers based on consent and the personal profile built from previous engagements. The use of single sign-on mechanisms to ensure that whichever online system is being used by the consumer; downloadable web content, ticket and merchandise sales etc……we can be 100% sure that this is the same person, that data is not duplicated and that you can build a clear picture of the relationship you enjoy with your customers.

Businesses will need to take GDPR seriously, the legislation will have teeth and companies will face injunctions for breaches of privacy and ultimately fines and compensation claims if its practices are not improved, but in reality, is this not just enforcing the practices a good CRM strategy would deliver anyway?