CRM is a powerful tool for startups to efficiently manage their sales cycles, allowing them to store and manage customer information in one central location. This means that sales teams and entrepreneurs can easily see not just who their customers are, but when, how and what products they should contact them about. According to 2014 research by Startup Britain and Sage, in the UK alone there is a record number of startups being launched. With many options on the market, how do these startups identify a great CRM system from their team.
Here are the five key benefits a great CRM system should provide your company.
- CRM helps you talk to customers with confidence. The details of a customer record can contain everything from call logs and notes, deal conversations, and quotes, to shared files that are relevant to the customer’s needs, and more. You can also keep information about customer service tickets and custom data fields, such as shipments or product licenses. So now anyone with access to these records can speak to customers with full knowledge of who they are and the history of interactions they have had with your company.
- CRM isn’t just for sales. A complete CRM solution keeps track of the entire customer lifecycle, from tracking the performance of your marketing campaigns to monitoring the productivity of your customer service agents. It helps you build a community of engaged customers and partners.
- You can access CRM anywhere. Entrepreneurs and startups are always connected, and incredibly mobile. When considering a new CRM, you should make sure the technology fits in with the way your company works and helps your team better manage their existing workflow.
- CRM saves time. As the old adage goes: “There aren’t enough hours in the day.” This is especially true for entrepreneurs, for whom time truly is at a premium. The more efficiently entrepreneurs use their time, the better the results. Businesses grow faster by keeping a steady flow of new prospects, increasing time spent selling, and arming their sales reps with all the information they need to close deals. A CRM should do each of these things.
- The best CRMs integrate with all the other apps you already use. Your CRM system can integrate seamlessly with whatever email provider or distribution system you’re currently using — whether that’s Gmail, Outlook, MailJet or Silverpop. It should also work with Google’s suite of cloud apps, like Drive, Contacts, and Calendar. Plus, the best CRM systems also integrate with popular cloud storage providers like Box and Dropbox, as well as popular note-taking apps like Evernote.
During our own research we spoke to David Curtis, Sales Manager for DMC Software who added, “CRM has had to adapt to this, offering anywhere, any device access with social media connectivity, delivering personalised customer experiences across all digital channels, using marketing automation whilst offering the business intelligence required to make informed strategic decisions. All of this and more is invariably delivered via the cloud.”
Even if your customer base is small, your business can benefit from having a CRM. No one can keep a record of every interaction. CRM is a powerful business tool that streamlines processes, gives valuable business insights, and virtually connects employees at your company so they can collaborate as a team, in real time. That’s something every business could use.
