10 CRM Case Studies From the World’s Biggest Brands 2024

CRM Case studies

It is no news that customers are constantly demanding deeper and more meaningful relationships with their chosen brands. That’s why organizations are currently leveraging CRM software to serve their customers better.

Today, we’ve put together useful CRM case studies from some of the world’s biggest brands. This article highlights CRM case studies uses and vital lessons you can replicate in your business.

Before we proceed, let’s look at the meaning of customer relationship management (CRM)

There are two main definitions of a CRM:

  • It refers to a business’s principles and strategies to engage better and retain its customers.
  • It refers to a software system that helps businesses to manage client relationships, leads, contacts and campaigns. Also, it allows companies to automate their processes and increases productivity.

Examples of CRM Software for lead generation, contact management, and automation are:

Table of Contents

The Best Overall

Pipedrive

A sales-focused CRM that leverages AI to automate sales, lead & demand generation. 

Best Budget Choice

Freshsales

Freshsales automates your sales process, and helps drives sustainable business growth.

Best for Workflows

Zendesk

Customize your workflows to track all aspects of the sales cycle, from lead gen to post-sale support.

Best CRM Case Studies

If you’ve ever looked at brands like Apple, McDonald’s, Amazon or even Zara and are wondering how they’re run such conglomerates and still efficient in customer service. Keep reading then; you’re about to find out.

Scott Cook said, Instead of focusing on the competition, focus on the customer. Most of these brands have no superpower. They’ve only learned to focus on only one thing – the customer.

When you’re obsessed with delighting your customers, you will devise creative ways of satisfying them. Let’s go right in.

1. Coca-Cola CRM

The Coca-Cola Company is one of the world’s oldest and most influential brands. With a presence in over 200 countries, Coca-cola started as a carbonated soft drink business. But today, they are a conglomerate with over 200 product lines servicing billions of customers globally.

Logically speaking, for them to exist across several decades and remain relevant and competitive says a lot about their customer service. That said, let’s examine their customer relationship management (CRM).

Coca-Cola CRM Case Study:

Coca-cola’s mission is “to refresh the world in mind, body, and spirit, to inspire moments of optimism and happiness through our brands and actions, and to create value and make a difference.”

Inspiring optimism and happiness are at the core of Coca-Cola’s CRM strategy. This is evident in their marketing campaigns, billboards, brochures, commercials, store locations, and products.

We have billions of transactions a day on Salesforce. And everything is connected collaborative, and mobile.

– Ulrik Nehammer, Coca-Cola Germany, CEO.

Coca-Cola uses several enterprise CRM platforms to manage its clients’ relationships and stores globally. They use Salesforce and SAP primarily for contact management. System Applications and Products (SAP) is a strategic enterprise management platform. It’s quite robust and feature-rich.

While they use SAP globally, they use Salesforce on some of their country divisions to manage their business flow, connectivity, and contact management.

Read our complete Coca-Cola case study here.

2. Zara CRM

When you hear the word “Zara”, what comes to mind is clothing, luxury, and lifestyle. Established in 1975, Zara is a Spanish multi-national retail clothing chain.

They specialize in clothing accessories, beauty, shoes, and other lifestyle products. Zara’s phenomenal success in fashion and beauty is a testament to its solid CRM strategy. They effortlessly delight their customers in a way that leaves them returning for more.

Zara CRM Case Study:

Zara’s mission is to “give customers what they want, and get it to them faster than anyone else.” Deducting from their mission statement, you can see a wordplay that puts royalty and kingship on their customers.

Zara’s CRM case study aims at elevating their customer’s needs above the company objectives. Zara leverages transparency, incentives and perks, support, personalization, swift check-out, and social media to achieve this.

The success of your business is based in principle on the idea of offering the latest fashions at low prices, in turn creating a formula for cutting costs: an integrated company in which it is manufactured, distributed and sold.

– Amancio Ortega – Founder, Zara Fashion Chain

Zara CRM starts with their website, which has a simple UI and is highly personalized to suit the user’s needs. Then, they’re massively present on social media and contribute to social issues affecting their clientele.

Lastly, Zara’s CRM is not complete without transparency and incentives. They’re transparent in all their dealings and usually deploy incentive programs to delight customers.

3. Unilever CRM

Unilever is a British multi-billion dollar conglomerate that deals primarily in consumer goods and consumables. They are arguably the largest producers of soap globally.

Brands like Unilever that have stood the test of time in quality, customer service, transparency, and consistency are worth emulating. With over 400 brands in about 190 countries, Unilever’s CRM strategy is paying off.

Unilever CRM Case Study:

Unilever’s mission statement is “to add vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life.”

Unilever’s CRM strategy focuses on elevating people’s well-being and helping them enjoy life to its fullest. This singular aim is the driving force behind their great customer experience initiatives, marketing campaigns, products, and positioning.

It’s about digitizing all the aspects of Unilever’s business to leverage the world of data and increase our digital capability in everything we do.

– Alan Jope, CEO at Unilever.

Another main Unilever’s CRM strategy is centred around Value-Based Procurement. They are keen on supporting their suppliers with upfront value. And they achieve this by empowering their suppliers and distributors with the tools to better relate with them.

They use Salesforce to support their business community and build solid relationships with their partners.

4. BMW CRM

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, known as BMW, is Germany’s leading automobile brand. They’re a luxury car brand and the fourteenth largest producer of motor vehicles. BMW cars are known for their standard, uniqueness, and luxury. Let’s examine BMW’s CRM strategy.

BMW CRM Case Study:

BMW’s mission is to “become the world’s leading provider of premium products and services for individual mobility.” You’ll agree that BMW has become the world’s leading provider of premium automobile products. But the big question is, how did they get there?

BMW CRM case study is not too distant from the others. Firstly, the focus is on treating customers fairly, which is clearly stated in their Supplier Programme. Their suppliers and end-users are at the core of their CRM strategy, which has kept them going.

I promise our customers will never have to compromise between driving pleasure and sustainable mobility.

– Oliver Zipse, CEO BMW AG.

Secondly, BMW CRM is focused on producing premium cars to attract new customers and retain the existing ones. And fortunately, it works for them. I’ve seen a couple of folks switch car brands to BMW because their cars are more reliable and have the highest quality

5. Tesco CRM

Tesco PLC is one of the world’s leading grocery and general merchandise retailers. With operations in over 11 countries, Tesco is a hyper-growth company swiftly expanding across territories.

Although it started as a grocery store, it is now morphed into several industries such as banking, technology accessories, and a few others. Not just that, they’ve been named among the top customer-friendly organizations.

Tesco CRM Case Study:

Tesco’s mission statement is “What we make matters better, together. This statement encapsulates Tesco’s aim to serve customers across cultures and backgrounds.

Tesco is among the first multi-national brand to adopt CRM software. In 2009, Tesco announced that they were adopting the RightNow CRM (now acquired by Oracle).

The key to Tesco’s success is the customer-focused culture that has permeated the company.

– Jeremy Garlick, Partner, Insight Traction.

Tesco’s CRM was primarily used in their call centres to support their electronics division. Aside from that, they used it to amplify their omnichannel communication strategy by managing customer data and interactions across phone, chat and email.

Adopting a CRM helped Tesco be present at all times for their customer when needed across channels. Most importantly, they were able to win the hearts of their customers.

6. Uber CRM

With a presence in 72 countries, Uber redefines how we move and eat. Uber is an American mobility provider allowing people to move conveniently from one location to another. One of the things that makes Uber special is that they’re a mobility startup with no cars. That means they’re servicing two main customer bases: drivers and passengers.

As of the time of writing, Uber has a 72% market share for ride-sharing in the United States, with about 122 million monthly active users

Uber CRM Case Study:

Uber’s mission is “Transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere for everyone.” In other words, they aim to make transportation accessible at any time.

The big question is, what CRM does Uber use? Uber uses LiveRamp as their CRM anonymizer. Essentially, they LiveRamp CRM to segment users into specific life-cycle stages. It allows them to craft personalized and targeted campaigns that resonate with the customers.

There is a high cost to a bad reputation… it really matters what people think of us, especially in a global business like ours, where actions in one part of the world can have serious consequences in another.”  

– Dan Khosroshahi.

Furthermore, Uber uses CRM to gain deeper insights into how customers use their apps, the frequency, and overall interaction, and even sample their IDs. With these insights, Uber can better serve and delight its customers. More on Uber’s case study here.

7. McDonald’s CRM

As the name implies, McDonald’s is a fast-food conglomerate. They’re currently the leading food service organization operating over 30,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. McDonald’s expansion strategy is bent on franchises and joint ventures. They also have some sister brands in the fast-fast industry doing incredibly well.

Mcdonald’s CRM Case Study:

McDonald’s mission statement is to be our customers’ favourite place and way to eat and drink. Their mission statements depict McDonald’s passion for differentiation, uniqueness, and class.

McDonald’s CRM case study is hinged on their passion for differentiation, which is evident in the architectural designs of their restaurants, food recipe and taste, service delivery, and mode of operation.

Our sustained performance gives us confidence that our strategy is working, as more customers are experiencing a better McDonald’s daily.

– Steve Easterbrook, CEO, McDonald’s.

McDonald’s uses PowerCenter CRM, which is powered by Astute Solutions. This CRM helps McDonald’s efficiently manage their huge volume of customer contacts, analyze data, and manage their store location.

The benefits of CRM software to a business are enormous, and McDonald’s is not left out. They’re equally using it to enhance their marketing efforts and close more deals.

8. British Airways CRM

British Airways is a UK-based carrier and one of the biggest airline groups in the world. They’ve built a reputable brand over the years, which has also given birth to several sister brands.

BA Group is the founding member of the Oneworld alliance. They have over 45,000 employees in 100 countries and assist about 40 million passengers annually. So how are they able to still maintain awesome customer service?

British Airways CRM Case Study:

British Airways’ mission statement is “To ensure our customers fly confidently that together, we are acting responsibly to take care of the world we live in“. British Airways’ CRM case study is centred around “making their passengers feel confident.”

As we prepare for a safe return to travel, we remain focused on offering our customers the most convenient and affordable testing options to support and facilitate a seamless travel experience.

– Sean Doyle, CEO, British Airways

British Airways uses TCRM BA as its enterprise management solution. The company adopted it in 2002, and since then, they’ve been using it to do the following:

  • Campaign management
  • Management of loyalty programs
  • Leisure database
  • External requirements
  • Cost savings

Best of all, they use this platform to efficiently manage and schedule all their marketing campaigns internally and externally. They also use for customer service across channels.

9. Amazon CRM

Amazon is an American conglomerate focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. They’re among the top 5 most valuable companies worldwide and one of America’s biggest employers.

Amazon, which started as an online book store, is currently dominating up to 7 industries. Not just that, they’re a customer-centric company famously known for their outstanding customer service.

Amazon CRM Case Study:

Amazon’s mission statement is “to offer our customers the lowest possible prices, the best available selection, and the utmost convenience.” Amazon’s focus on the customer is truly remarkable.

Primarily, Amazon’s CRM case study follows these four guiding principles:

  • Customer obsession rather than competitor focus
  • Passion for invention
  • Commitment to operational excellence
  • Long-term thinking

We see our customers as guests at a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.

– Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon

In fact, they aim to become Earth’s most customer-centric company, Earth’s best employer, and Earth’s safest place to work. That drive to become the best led them to create innovative products like I-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Amazon Echo, and Fire TV, to mention a few.

So, what CRM does Amazon use? Amazon developed its CRM in-house, which they use to manage its customer data across divisions, countries, languages, and products.

10. Apple CRM

Famously known for their slogan, think differently. Apple is a technology company specializing in consumer electronics, software and online services. Apple is the world’s most valuable company and the first to hit a trillion in market capitalization.

Apple CRM Case Study:

Apple’s mission is “to bring the best user experience to its customers through innovative hardware, software, and services.” Like Amazon, Apple is a customer-centric company that is truly obsessed with its customers.

Apple is also obsessed with its product quality. Their products are highly standardized and unique. And it’s the reason why they enjoy a high level of brand loyalty. Apple’s customers are one of the most loyal sets of customers globally.

Apple CRM case study is centred around four cardinal points: Apple customer-centric outlets, understanding customer needs, Apple ID, & irresistible branding that works. I explained them in detail here.

Also, like Amazon, Apple uses an in-house CRM to manage its customer data, marketing campaigns, and customer relationships. Apple loves owning their processes, so most of its operations are usually in-house.

Wrapping Up!

These case studies show us the efficacy and formidability of a CRM software. When out to efficient use, it can be a very powerful tool. And it doesn’t matter the size of your business, whether big or small. All you need to do is to pick a CRM that aligns with your business goals and run with it.

Looking for a CRM to start with? Here are our recommendations: ZendeskPipedriveHubspotZoho and Freshsales. Click on any one of them to claim your free trial.

Frequently Asked Questions

Customer relationship management use cases are real-life examples and applications of CRM software and strategies. Like the 10 use cases from big brands listed in this article.

There are tons of use cases for CRM systems, but here are three profound ones: CRM systems can serve as a contact management system, a pipeline system for attracting and converting them paying customers, and a workflow automation station.

Essentially, the main components of CRM are contact and database management, workflow automation, omnichannel marketing capability, and integration options.

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