[2023] Client database: Free Guide, Template, Technique & Base!

You are probably wondering, what is a customer file?

First of all, congratulations. If you are here, it means that you have understood that a customer file is important. It is the basis of your business.

In this article, we will explain to you :

• what is a customer file, its interest and its relation with the RGPD
• how to create a customer file
• which tools to use
• and how to build it

👉 All for free

All about the customer file

Customer file definition

A customer file will be of great necessity for your business. It is a list of data associated with all your customers. You will find various information about your customers.

What is the purpose of a customer file?

The most important question: what is the purpose of a customer file?

With a customer file, you save time! You have all your customers in one place, which makes it easier to search for information and update data.

Your customer file can then be exported and integrated into a CRM (customer relationship management). A CRM allows you to centralize all interactions between a company and its customers.

Thanks to the CRM and your customer file, you can optimize your commercial operations! You will be able to :

• easily find the history of relationships (is it a prospect? A customer? A recurring customer?…) of purchases, commercial appointments or telephone conversations.
  
• analyze your customers, notice consumption phenomena and draw conclusions
  
• define commercial actions such as emails, commercial reminders or loyalty cards

Customer file and rgpd ?

Your customer file contains data including personal data (contact details, purchasing preferences etc.). These data must therefore comply with various regulations concerning personal data such as the General Regulation on Personal Data (RGPD).

To know if your customer file is compliant with the RGPD, you must :

• inform your customers and prospects of the conditions under which you process their data and of their rights
  
• onlycollect and process information that is necessary for the business relationship
  
• provide security measures adapted to the risks
  
• limit the duration of data retention
  
• register your file in the register of processing activities kept by your company

How to create a good customer file?

Free download of a customer file template

As you can see, a customer file is made up of the data you have selected. But what information should be included? It all depends on your target!

If you target B2C, the data you will collect will be

• the name
• first name
• age
• gender
• phone number
• purchasing behavior and habits
• the category CSP
• the profession
• ..

In the context of a target B2Byou will collect:

• legal and administrative data
• the sector of activity
• the size of the company
• your prospect’s position within the company
• the telephone number of your prospect
• ..

These are the data you cannot miss. Then, depending on your activity and your objectives, it is obvious that other data will be added. It’s up to you to determine which information is most relevant to your needs!

As seen before, you can also get more data from your CRM. You can thus obtain :

• action data: this corresponds to the actions you have taken with a customer over a given period. We find the dates of e-mails sent, the dates of telephone conversations, meetings, etc

• reaction/behavioral data: corresponds to the actions your customers have taken. We will find the number of products purchased, the dates of purchase, the turnover, etc.

To help you get started with your first customer file, we have created a sample file! All you have to do is download it

CRM tools

I’ve already mentioned it several times in the article, but a CRM is essential to optimize your customer file.
Creating your customer file is a good thing, but operating it by hand is far too long and tedious. Combining it with a CRM allows you to take your work much further!
Youwill be able to implement effective sales & marketing strategies for your customers on a regular basis.
Think of the customer file as a recipe book and the CRM as a cook. With a good recipe, you can make a good cake, it’s the same for your customers.
With a good customer file, you will make a good prospecting!

There are many CRM tools on the market. Here are the ones we recommend:

• Pipedrive

This CRM offers an easy to use interface and allows you to add many types of actions (call, email, appointment etc) and very quickly!

It offers a very efficient account management tool. You can see all the sales steps from start to finish very quickly.

It’s a great tool for companies looking to structure their sales process.

• HubSpot

HubSpot is the tool that is very suitable for startups. It offers a free version that is very powerful. Its interface is easy to useand set up.

You also have two paid offerings with more complex features, but the free version is more than enough.

• Salesforce

Salesforce is the leader in the CRM market! It offers many features that make the tool very powerful. This CRM is recommended for companies with experts.

Build a customer file for free?

Derrick: How to get new customers for free?

To help you fill your customer file, we propose a very effective solution.

Derrick allows you to import free leads from Linkedin Sales Navigator, easily and quickly!

Step 1: Start by downloading Derrick for free (it is an extension).

To download Derrick, go to https://www.derrick-app.com/ and click on the “dowload now” button. As it is an extension, you will be redirected to another platform to download.

Step 2: launch derrick on Google sheet

Next, open a Google Sheet page. Go to Extensions then click on Derrick – Linkedin Importe for Google Sheet then on Open sidebar. You will see the features panel on your right

Step 3: Copy the url of your Linkedin Sales Navigator search into Derrick

Open Linkedin Sales Navigator. Do your search. Then, copy your search url and copy it into the box provided in Derrick.

Step 4: Get your leads and a complete customer file ready to be exploited!

That’s it! You can benefit from your leads and your file!

Repeat this process as many times as necessary for the most optimized customer file possible 😉