CHSE Odisha Vocational CRM key terms

A business approach that manages all interactions with present and potential customers, usually supported by software, to build lasting relationships and improve service, sales and retention.

The stages a customer passes through with a business, typically awareness, acquisition, onboarding, growth, retention and win-back, each needing different relationship efforts.

Any point where a customer interacts with the organisation, such as a call, email, website visit, store visit or social media message, shaping the overall service experience.

The complete sequence of touchpoints and decisions a customer experiences from first awareness of a product through purchase, use and repeat buying.

A clear statement of the benefits a product or service delivers and why it is better than alternatives, used to attract and keep the right customers.

A communication skill where the listener concentrates fully, notes key facts, and confirms understanding by summarising or paraphrasing what the customer said.

The ability to recognise and acknowledge a customer's feelings and situation without necessarily agreeing with them, helping to calm and build trust.

A question asked to gather missing detail or uncover the real need, such as open questions starting with what, when or how.

A documented commitment defining expected service standards, such as response time, resolution time or availability, against which performance is measured.

The process of attracting and converting new customers through marketing, prospecting, referrals and sales activities, usually measured by cost and conversion rate.

A person or organisation that has shown interest in a product and may become a customer, tracked in the CRM until qualified or disqualified.

The step of judging whether a lead has genuine need, budget, authority and timing to buy, so sales effort goes to promising prospects first.

The total sales and marketing spend needed to win one new customer, calculated by dividing acquisition costs by the number of new customers gained.

The activities and relationship quality that keep existing customers buying, often measured by the share of customers who stay over a period.

The percentage of customers who stop buying or cancel during a given period, a key warning sign of dissatisfaction or weak relationship management.

A customer's consistent preference for and repeat purchase from a business, driven by satisfaction, trust and perceived value rather than price alone.

A structured scheme offering rewards, points or tiered benefits to encourage repeat purchases and strengthen the customer relationship over time.

Software that stores customer records and interaction history in one place so teams can track contacts, deals, service requests and follow-ups consistently.

An organised collection of customer records, including contact details, purchase history and interactions, used to support service and marketing decisions.

The individual profile in a CRM holding a customer's details, communication history, preferences and open issues, kept accurate and up to date.

The degree to which stored customer data is accurate, complete, consistent and current, which determines whether reports and decisions can be trusted.

The routine work of correcting errors, removing duplicates and filling gaps in customer records so the database stays reliable and usable.

Two or more CRM entries describing the same person or organisation, which cause conflicting history and wasted outreach unless merged.

A visual view of open sales opportunities arranged by stage, from first contact to closed deal, used to forecast and manage sales effort.

Encouraging an existing customer to buy a higher-value or upgraded version of what they already have, based on their needs and usage.

Offering a related or complementary product to an existing customer, such as an accessory or add-on service that fits their current purchase.

A structured conversation or review that identifies what a customer requires, their constraints and priorities, so recommendations and offers are relevant.

A planned set of marketing or service communications aimed at a defined audience with a specific goal, tracked for response and results.

A group of customers or prospects sharing characteristics such as location, purchase behaviour or needs, selected for tailored offers and messages.

Any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual, such as name, phone number, address, email or purchase history.

Freely given, informed permission from a person to collect and use their data for stated purposes, which can be withdrawn and must be recorded.

The rules and practices that keep personal information secure, used lawfully and shared only with proper authorisation, protecting customers from misuse.

An incident where personal data is lost, accessed, altered or disclosed without authorisation, requiring prompt reporting and corrective action.

The duty to keep customer information private and share it only with people who need it for a legitimate work purpose.

An expression of dissatisfaction about a product, service or handling of an issue, which should be logged and resolved through a defined process.

The actions taken after a service failure to fix the problem, apologise sincerely and restore the customer's confidence in the business.

Passing an unresolved or serious issue to a more senior or specialist person within an agreed time, while keeping the customer informed.

A method of tracing a recurring problem back to its underlying cause rather than its symptoms, so the fix prevents repeat complaints.

A measurable value chosen to show how well a process or team is achieving an important goal, such as resolution time or retention.

A measure of how satisfied customers are with a specific interaction or product, usually collected through a short post-service rating question.

A loyalty metric based on how likely customers are to recommend the business, calculated from promoter and detractor percentages.

The estimated total profit a customer generates over the whole relationship, used to judge how much can be spent on acquisition and retention.

The average time between a customer's request arriving and the first meaningful reply, a common service KPI tied to SLAs.

The share of people contacted in a campaign who respond, such as replying, clicking or enquiring, used to judge message and audience fit.

Workplace behaviour such as punctuality, respectful language, proper dress and following up on commitments, which builds credibility with customers and colleagues.

The practice of spotting an opportunity, organising resources and taking calculated risk to start or grow a venture that serves customer needs.

A business operating on a limited scale with few staff and modest capital, often relying on personal customer relationships and simple CRM practices.

Serving customers consistently across phone, email, chat, social media and in person, so the conversation continues smoothly whichever channel is used.