Building high-impact CRM strategies with Clara Toombs

Clara Toombs, founder of a CRM consultancy and fractional head of CRM for high-growth brands, shares her journey from in-house roles at Expedia, Monsoon, and MoneySuperMarket to leading CRM strategies across the startup ecosystem. Clara explores the balance between personalisation and automation, the rise of AI and what it takes to build meaningful, data-driven customer relationships.

In this Expert Insights series, Practice Manager Murrie Christie sits down with senior leaders in the CRM space to unpack #AllThingsCRM, from the latest industry trends and hiring insights to career advice and the future of customer relationship management. Expect bold conversations, practical advice, and a look behind the scenes of what’s shaping CRM today.

In this discussion, Clara highlights effective CRM strategies that can transform customer engagement.

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Career & background: from in-house CRM to agency leader

Tell us about your journey into CRM and how you got into the industry.

I started in a junior general marketing assistant role and then at Which? I specialised in CRM and email marketing. I’d always wanted to go into marketing; however, specialising in CRM early on helped set the foundations for my career. I then went on to work for brands such as Expedia Group at Hotels.com, Moonpig Group at Photobox, Monsoon Accessorise and MoneySuperMarket. I now run my own email marketing agency, supporting startups and scale-ups in the e-commerce DTC space.

What have been some pivotal moments in your career that shaped your approach to CRM?

There are a few pivotal moments. Speaking at a Salesforce conference to 3,000 people while at MoneySuperMarket, it was an incredible yet daunting experience. When I left Which? for a CRM Manager role at Monsoon Accessorise, it was exciting to be in fashion and all that comes with it. Landing a role after a tough interview process at Hotels.com (Expedia Group). Now, it’s running my own email marketing agency, Marketing Agency, and doing some fractional consulting work and getting to create CRM strategies for emerging brands.

What does your typical day look like in your role?

#dayinthelife😄 Running my own email marketing and CRM agency means that no two days ever look the same – but every day is rooted in one thing: helping businesses grow through enhanced customer communication. With years of experience working in CRM and now across dozens of startups and fast-growing scale-ups, I’ve learnt that there’s never a slow moment. When I come into a business, it’s often at a critical growth point, so I have to hit the ground running, quickly understand the customer journey, and identify where CRM can unlock the biggest impact.

What I really enjoy is the mix of big-picture strategy and hands-on detail. One hour, I’m mapping out a multi-channel journey; the next, I’m digging into email service provider (ESP) data to see what’s working and what needs adjusting.

On a typical day I’m on client strategy calls, where we uncover hidden gaps and quick wins. I spend time onboarding new brands, making sure we’re aligned on what success looks like. I’m constantly reviewing customer journeys, refining where needed. I work closely with my team as they roll out CRM strategies, and I stay close to the data so we can pivot and optimise quickly.

And of course, I carve out time to keep learning. CRM is evolving rapidly, especially with AI making its way into content generation, predictive targeting and customer insights. Staying ahead of the curve means better strategies for our clients. At the end of the day, what drives me is this: helping ambitious brands truly connect with their customers, at the right time, with the right message, in a way that builds loyalty and drives growth.

CRM strategy

How do you define an effective CRM strategy in today’s customer-centric world? Where everyone is trying to engage better with their customers.

CRM strategy is where I thrive. Lifecycle mapping, segmentation to automations and retention flows – this is the stuff I live and breathe. Working with founders, CMOs, and growth teams to build CRM ecosystems that don’t just “send emails” but drive real results.

Startups move fast – and so do we. I’m often brought in to overhaul CRM setups, build from scratch, or scale what’s already working. That means knowing exactly where to start, what levers to pull, and how to make CRM a revenue-generating machine, not just a “nice to have”.

An effective CRM strategy is one that really understands the path of the customer, how they were acquired, what actions they have taken and how they are engaging with the brand. Data is integral to the effectiveness of a CRM strategy.

How do you balance personalisation and automation to create meaningful customer relationships?

Firstly, it’s looking at what data we have to personalise the experience, and do we actually have the right data that will make a meaningful impact on the customer experience. Personalisation using automation is completely possible; it’s about using the right data in the right way to ensure the experience is personalised and seamless. This is important as businesses scale.

Industry trends

How have you seen CRM evolve over the past 5–10 years?

I think it has gotten more sophisticated, and yet the understanding of what CRM is and what is possible is still a grey area for so many businesses. Heads of CRM, CRM managers and their teams need to continue to educate other teams on the value that CRM can bring to a business. In terms of tech, we have seen rapid acceleration of technology, so it’s about keeping up to date with new solutions out there. There is so much choice, and so it’s working out what tools we need to help us achieve our goals. Usually, your ESP choice plays a big role in that.

What are the biggest changes in customer behaviour you’ve observed, and how have you adapted?

Click rates for certain clients are suffering due to a number of factors, both inside and outside of CRM’s control. What is in the CRM team’s control is how we deliver content, making sure it’s fresh, engaging and inspiring, alongside delivering value across the lifecycle. What we are doing to adapt is to deliver innovative content through email to improve engagement levels, e.g., more video and movement within emails and more interesting use of data to personalise the customer experience.

Technology & innovation

What new technologies or platforms are exciting you in the CRM space right now?

AI is improving the customer experience, not just by making CRM tasks more efficient, but by delivering more value at scale.

Most ESPs, if not all, are now offering some variation of AI at a basic level, using AI to generate subject lines. It’s exciting to see AI evolve to find new segments that aren’t necessarily easy to find and recommend a next best action for them (not all AI is advancing at the same rate within ESPs).

What’s your view on the rise of Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) and their role in CRM?

We have seen a huge rise in the need for CDP managers across different businesses! I think they are still emerging; however, it’s such a great way for businesses to get an overall bigger picture view of what’s happening with their data across so many platforms that I think looking at channels in isolation will soon be a thing of the past.

CDPs offer huge value, but many businesses still need more education on their potential. Some see them as non-essential for now or prefer to build in-house solutions. I’m all for businesses investing in CDP – those who adopt early are ahead of the curve and will be insight-rich.

Leadership & future outlook

What do you love about the industry and the people you work with?

I love how we help build relationships with customers and ultimately connect through the customer experience. I’ve been very lucky and fortunate to work with some amazing talent over the years. I recall Expedia being a place full of incredibly wonderful analysts; I have made some fantastic connections, and now with my agency, I am working with some wonderful clients, both on the agency side and the fractional Head of CRM side of things.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to enter the world of CRM?

You brave soul – 🙂 wise choice! Consider what aspects of CRM you would like to learn more about. The great thing about CRM is the breadth and range of skills it offers, from creativity and copywriting, through to strategy, and data analytics. Hone in on the area you enjoy the most and get really good at it. Equally, understand how CRM fits into the bigger picture of marketing.

What do you look for when interviewing or reviewing CVs?

Depending on the role and the level of experience, I am looking for what value they have driven within their business, what innovation they have led, and what they are proud of. How do they embrace data, and what decisions have they taken that have led to delivering impact? CRM folk have a rare mix of being analytical, creative, techie and strategic. Other attributes I look for are willingness to learn and being open to experimentation within a CRM setting. how are they pushing the boundaries beyond “hello <firstname>”.

Where do you see the CRM landscape headed over the next 3-5 years?

We are in very exciting times. AI is already reshaping not just what we do, but how we do it. Roles like Head of CRM and CRM Manager will look radically different in five years. Those who are actively investing time to understand LLMs today will be the ones who thrive tomorrow.

We’re moving far beyond simple subject line personalisation; we’re entering an era where AI collaborates with strategists to make decisions. Imagine instantly shifting team priorities based on real-time AI insights. That’s not a distant dream; it’s becoming a practical possibility and something I am exploring in my agency.

I foresee a rise in AI-first agencies designed to support small and medium-sized businesses, especially those without the budget for full-time specialists, but who still need strategic guidance and actionable insights.

Humans will still play a crucial role in partnering with LLMs, but the scale and efficiency of output will increase dramatically, even with leaner teams. While AI will take on more responsibility, human oversight will remain essential, at least for the next five years.