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Integrated CRM for Investor Relations: Improving Communications through Real-Time Insights
If you’re managing investor relations (IR), you already know specialised tools are crucial for building strong shareholder relationships. You may have found that customer relationship management (CRM) systems are essential for managing investor interactions.
However, even CRMs designed for investor relations (IR CRMs) can have information gaps about which investors vote, how they vote, and their shares of ownership. This can hinder accurate targeting, engagement, and reporting, which is especially troublesome during proxy season or activist campaigns.
Fortunately, add-on solutions can bridge this information gap, supporting real-time connectivity with end-investors and better data in IR CRMs. This article explores how Proxymity Shareholder Insights and Vote Insights in particular can improve shareholder engagement and communication.
Why a standalone CRM for investor relations often isn’t enough
IR CRMs can help manage complex investor relationships more effectively, but even the most sophisticated IR CRM systems face limitations that can impact your team’s effectiveness. Here we consider three key challenges to IR CRMs—areas where Proxymity solutions can help.
Challenge 1: Accurate targeting without real-time data
Traditional IR CRMs often rely on static shareholder data that becomes outdated quickly. Without real-time visibility into current shareholdings, voting patterns, and investor movements, your targeting efforts may miss the mark.
The lack of current ownership data means your IR CRM might show outdated information about voteable shares. This is problematic during proxy season, when accurate outreach is essential for successful engagement strategies; and post season, when clear investor targeting tactics need to be planned.
Challenge 2: Limited meeting insights
Standalone IR CRMs typically can’t provide deep insights into how investors actually vote or their sentiment on specific issues during a meeting. Without understanding voting behaviour and investor preferences, your engagement strategies may lack the precision needed to address investor concerns or build support effectively.
This gap is particularly troublesome during activist campaigns, when understanding investor sentiment and voting intentions can make the difference between success and failure. Your IR CRM might track communication touchpoints, but it may not uncover crucial intelligence about investor decision-making that drives real AGM success.
Challenge 3: Incomplete reporting and analytics
Many purpose-built IR CRMs struggle to provide comprehensive reporting during critical periods. Without access to real-time voting data and shareholder movements, your reports may present an incomplete picture of your shareholder base and engagement success.
This lack of reporting can impact your ability to demonstrate ROI on IR activities. It also can leave your team working with incomplete information when making strategic decisions about resource allocation and engagement.
Enhancing your IR CRM with real-time shareholder insights
Proxymity Shareholder Insights integrates with your existing IR CRM through robust APIs to close these critical gaps. Our real-time connectivity across the custody chain provides you with accurate, up-to-date information your team needs to make confident IR decisions.
With over 2,600 issuers globally already connected to Proxymity, our platform delivers the reliability and scale to support your IR operations. The benefits of integrating Proxymity with your IR CRM include:
• Real-time shareholder data refreshes that provide accurate, current information
• Up-to-date voteable shares data during critical meeting periods
• Detailed voting information that helps IR teams understand investor sentiment
For example, Proxymity Shareholder Insights “allows you to authenticate who investors are in real time, so you know you’re having the right discussions with the right investors,” as Dean Little, CEO and Co-Founder of Proxymity, described at a recent Australian Investor Relations Association (AIRA) event.
Proxymity Vote Insights transforms how you understand voting patterns as well. “Vote Insights allows issuers or their agents to see behind the vote they’ve received at the omnibus level to the underlying investor,” said Little. “So, if you see a lot of votes coming through and you want to interrogate that, you can do it real-time.”
Looking forward: The future of IR CRMs
As investor relations continue to evolve, IR CRMs will leverage AI and machine learning to provide predictive insights and automate routine tasks. Data-driven decision-making will become even more central to IR strategy, with real-time information playing a crucial role in successful shareholder engagement.
Discover how Proxymity can enhance your IR CRM strategy: Contact an IR relations expert for more on IR CRM integrations.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs): IR CRM for investor relations
How can IR teams leverage CRM systems effectively?
IR-specific CRMs support relationship management through detailed contact profiles, audience segmentation, and personalised outreach. They help IR teams coordinate meetings and events while maintaining interaction history across both buy-side and sell-side contacts.
What’s the difference between typical CRM and IR CRM systems?
IR CRMs are purpose-built for investor relations with features like holdings data integration, regulatory compliance tools, and financial data connectivity. Typical CRMs focus on general sales processes without specialised IR functionality.
Which IR CRM platforms are most popular?
Proxymity doesn’t endorse any particular IR CRM solution. However, some leading options include:
• Irwin
Some of these solutions feature tools and functionality beyond CRM as well.
How should teams evaluate IR CRM options?
Focus on integration capabilities with existing systems, scalability for growing data needs, and analytical depth beyond basic reporting. Consider how well the platform supports real-time data requirements and regulatory compliance.
Can existing IR CRMs be enhanced rather than replaced?
Yes, many IR teams successfully integrate supportive solutions with their current CRM systems. Add-on tools like those offered by Proxymity can provide real-time shareholder data and voting insights while preserving existing CRM workflows.