CRM and marketing glossary

A

Abandoned cart

An abandoned cart is an online purchase started but not completed. Stores often send an email or SMS reminder inviting the customer to finish their order.

All-in-one CRM

An all-in-one CRM brings into one tool the CRM and features usually bought separately: email marketing, SMS, automation, sales pages, booking or payments. Every feature shares the same contacts. VODOO CRM is an all-in-one CRM. In VODOO CRM

API

An API (application programming interface) lets two pieces of software exchange data automatically, for example to create a contact in the CRM from another tool.

B

B2B and B2C

B2B (business to business) means selling to companies; B2C (business to consumer), selling to individuals. B2B often has longer sales cycles and several decision-makers.

C

Call to action (CTA)

A call to action, or CTA, is the button or link that asks the visitor to act: "Book a call", "Start the trial", "Download the guide". It should be clear and visible.

Churn

Churn is the share of customers who stop buying or cancel their subscription over a given period. Reducing it often comes down to better follow-up after the sale.

Click rate

The click rate is the share of delivered emails in which at least one link was clicked. It measures real interest better than the open rate. In VODOO CRM

Contact record

The contact record holds everything you know about a person: details, company, tags, source, consents and conversation history. In VODOO CRM, it shows the email and SMS history, tags and tasks. In VODOO CRM

Conversion rate

The conversion rate is the share of visitors or contacts who take the intended action: sign-up, booking request, purchase. It is the number of conversions divided by the number of visitors or contacts.

CRM

A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is software that centralizes information about your contacts and customers: details, conversations, open deals and history. It helps you forget nothing, track sales and personalize the relationship. In VODOO CRM

CRM vs ERP

A CRM manages customer relationships: leads, sales, marketing and follow-up. An ERP manages the company’s internal operations: accounting, stock, purchasing, production. Many businesses use both, connected together.

CSV import

CSV import means loading a list of contacts from a spreadsheet file in CSV format, matching each column to a CRM field. It is the most common way to switch CRMs. In VODOO CRM

Customer acquisition cost (CAC)

Customer acquisition cost, or CAC, is the average cost of winning a new customer: advertising, tools and sales time, divided by the number of new customers over the period.

Customer lifetime value (LTV)

Customer lifetime value, or LTV, is the total revenue a customer brings over their whole relationship with the business. Compared with acquisition cost, it shows how much you can spend to win a customer.

Customer review

A customer review is a rating and comment left by a customer on a public platform such as Google or Trustpilot. Reviews influence future customers’ choices. VODOO CRM sends review requests, manually or automatically. In VODOO CRM

D

Deliverability

Deliverability is the ability of your emails to reach the inbox rather than spam. It depends on domain authentication, list quality, content and complaint rate.

E

Email marketing

Email marketing is sending emails to a list of contacts to inform, retain or sell: newsletters, promotions, announcements. It requires recipients’ consent where the law demands it. In VODOO CRM

F

Follow-up

A follow-up is a message sent to a contact who has not responded yet: a prospect, a customer with a pending quote or an unpaid invoice. Follow-ups can be manual or automated.

Follow-up sequence

A follow-up sequence is a series of messages scheduled in advance and sent at set intervals after an event, for example three emails over ten days after a quote request. In VODOO CRM

Funnel

A funnel (or sales funnel) is a series of pages that guides a visitor toward an action: capture page, sales page, checkout, thank-you page. In VODOO CRM, each funnel form creates or updates the contact and can start a workflow. In VODOO CRM

G

GDPR

The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) governs the use of personal data in the European Union: legal basis, informing people, rights of access and erasure, data security. In VODOO CRM

L

Landing page

A landing page is a page built for a single goal, such as signing up or booking, often tied to a campaign. It limits distractions to improve the conversion rate. In VODOO CRM

Lead

A lead is a person or company that has shown interest in your offer, for example by filling in a form or asking for a quote, but has not bought yet. Also called a prospect.

Lead magnet

A lead magnet is free content offered in exchange for an email address: a guide, template, checklist or mini-course. It is often the first step of a funnel. In VODOO CRM

Lead nurturing

Lead nurturing means keeping in touch with a lead who is not ready to buy yet, by regularly sending useful content, often automatically, until they are. In VODOO CRM

Lead scoring

Lead scoring gives each lead a score based on profile and behavior (pages viewed, emails opened, demo request) to decide which ones to contact first.

LMS

An LMS (learning management system) is a platform that hosts online courses and tracks learners’ progress. On the Pro and Agency plans, VODOO CRM includes a course module with modules and lessons. In VODOO CRM

M

MRR

MRR (monthly recurring revenue) is the monthly recurring revenue of a subscription business: the sum of active subscriptions expressed per month.

N

Newsletter

A newsletter is an email sent at regular intervals to people who signed up for it, with news, tips or offers. It keeps the relationship going over time.

No-show

A no-show is an appointment the client misses without notice. Reminders sent the day before or a few hours ahead help reduce them. In VODOO CRM

O

Online booking

Online booking lets your clients pick a time slot themselves on a booking page, based on your availability. In VODOO CRM, each booking is linked to the contact and can trigger email or SMS reminders. In VODOO CRM

Open rate

The open rate is the share of delivered emails that were opened. It is an approximate measure, since some mail apps open or block images automatically. In VODOO CRM

Opportunity

An opportunity (or deal) is a potential sale with a contact or company, with an estimated value and a stage in the pipeline. It ends up won or lost at the end of the sales cycle. In VODOO CRM

Opt-in

Opt-in is a person’s explicit agreement to receive your messages, for example a box they ticked themselves. Double opt-in adds a confirmation by email.

P

Prospecting

Prospecting covers the actions taken to find new customers: reaching out to targeted companies, following up inbound requests, attending events or publishing content that attracts leads.

S

SaaS

SaaS (software as a service) is software used online, by subscription, without installation. The vendor handles hosting, updates and security.

Sales cycle

The sales cycle is the time and sequence of steps between first contact with a prospect and signature. It is short for a simple purchase and can last several months in B2B.

Sales pipeline

The sales pipeline shows the stages a sale goes through, from first contact to signature, often as columns (kanban). It shows where each opportunity stands and what is left to do. VODOO CRM includes a visual pipeline on every plan. In VODOO CRM

Segmentation

Segmentation means splitting your contacts into groups based on shared criteria (source, interest, customer status, consent) to send them relevant messages. In VODOO CRM

SMS marketing

SMS marketing is sending text messages to contacts for reminders, confirmations or offers. Texts are read quickly, which makes them useful for urgent messages. In VODOO CRM, SMS goes through your own Twilio account. In VODOO CRM

SPF, DKIM and DMARC

SPF, DKIM and DMARC are three DNS records that prove an email really comes from your domain. SPF lists the allowed servers, DKIM signs the messages and DMARC says what to do with emails that fail the checks.

Sub-account

A sub-account is a separate space created for a client within an agency’s account, with its own contacts and settings. The agency manages all its sub-accounts from one portal. In VODOO CRM

T

Tag

A tag is a label added to a contact, such as "customer", "webinar" or "quote sent". Tags are used to filter, target campaigns and trigger automations. In VODOO CRM, adding a tag can start a workflow. In VODOO CRM

Trigger

A trigger is the event that starts an automation: contact created, form submitted, appointment booked, payment received, tag added or pipeline stage change. In VODOO CRM

U

Unified inbox

A unified inbox brings together in one place the messages received on several channels, such as email and SMS, linked to each contact. It saves switching between tools to reply.

Unsubscribe

Unsubscribing lets a contact stop receiving your marketing messages. Every marketing email must include an unsubscribe link, and the request must be honored. VODOO CRM handles unsubscribes automatically. In VODOO CRM

Upsell and cross-sell

Upselling offers a customer a fuller version of what they are buying; cross-selling offers a complementary product. Both raise the average order value and customer lifetime value.

W

Webhook

A webhook is a message sent automatically from one piece of software to another when an event happens, such as an order placed. On the Pro and Agency plans, VODOO CRM receives and sends webhooks in its workflows. In VODOO CRM

White label

White-label software is offered under another company’s name, logo and colors, for example an agency providing it to its clients. With the Agency plan, VODOO CRM can be used under your own brand. In VODOO CRM

Workflow

A workflow is an automation: a trigger starts a series of steps that run without intervention, such as sending an email, waiting two days, sending an SMS or creating a task. In VODOO CRM, workflows are built in a visual editor, from the Basic plan. In VODOO CRM