Usually a sales company owner enquires which CRM tool that they should be implementing to attain the best possible results. Experts are of the opinion that organizations should not over think about the capability of a CRM as they are meant to help keep a close track of the interactions both with the present and prospective clients for the complete enterprise.
There are numerous CRM tools available in the market these days. Every service provider has been updating their tool with the latest features and extending their offering. The features matrix for the service providers has undergone a tremendous change in the past few years. After reviewing all of the available tools in the market, that one should be used –
- Whole organization must use it
Any sophisticated tool won’t be much of use, if it is not used by everyone in an organization or wastes time in incorporating data and precious time is not available in increasing the client facing initiatives.
- Is it possible to avoid CRM failure
Let us first take a look at the CRM nightmares often faced by us and how to deter it. When a company is implementing a CRM, every department gives their opinion over its functioning and what sort of client data should the system should be capable to track. The marketing team displays interest towards tracking of lead sources, structure of an organization, information about the peers, etc whereas the accounting and legal teams desire other things.
So, finally it is the sales personnel who will be pushing the revenue growth but data entry all day long is not the answer to the question. Three of the top demands are data entry, collection of information and compliance.
- How to make your CRM a success
Every company must be able to identify the key information which will help a deal become legitimate. Hence, it is essential to maintain such information which is relevant to a deal as crowding a CRM with unnecessary information won’t be of much help.
It is important to select such a platform that is capable to perform the below mentioned six features efficiently-
- Maintenance of Institutional Knowledge is important
A good CRM should have a complete repository of details about the available opportunities and clients both. This has emerged as one of the aspects of CRM which needs proper attention. If you are using a spreadsheet and shared it on network drive, it won’t be of much help. It is always better to make an investment in a platform that offers security.
- Close coordination across different departments
A CRM functions beyond the sales and sales team. It is important to talk to your clients to find out about their problems and not just sell product or service. It is absolutely necessary to ensure that the complete organization is using it for monitoring the client interactions. The sales personnel are required to review the system before getting in touch with the clients.
- Relevance of email integration
These days most of the communications are carried out through the email. If your CRM tools do not allow you to opt for integration with your email system, then it is time to update your CRM urgently. After you enter the customer or potential client’s name, then the CRM should be capable to link that email with records.
- Mobile platform
If your company’s sales team is not able to access the CRM from tablets and smartphone, then it is time to go for a CRM that offers mobility at go. You should be able to access your CRM tool while n the go.
- Follow up and automation
One of the most important features of a CRM is that it should be able to carry out efficient follow ups. Only a feature like follow up makes the integration of email platforms more effective.
Maintaining focus on the essential elements is important like what are the most relevant issues, what are the problems faced by the clients and how urgently are you able to solve the problems.
After all, the success rate of a CRM can only be judged with its success rate among the clients.
There are numerous CRM tools available in the market these days. Every service provider has been updating their tool with the latest features and extending their offering. The features matrix for the service providers has undergone a tremendous change in the past few years. After reviewing all of the available tools in the market, that one should be used –
- Whole organization must use it
Any sophisticated tool won’t be much of use, if it is not used by everyone in an organization or wastes time in incorporating data and precious time is not available in increasing the client facing initiatives.
- Is it possible to avoid CRM failure
Let us first take a look at the CRM nightmares often faced by us and how to deter it. When a company is implementing a CRM, every department gives their opinion over its functioning and what sort of client data should the system should be capable to track. The marketing team displays interest towards tracking of lead sources, structure of an organization, information about the peers, etc whereas the accounting and legal teams desire other things.
So, finally it is the sales personnel who will be pushing the revenue growth but data entry all day long is not the answer to the question. Three of the top demands are data entry, collection of information and compliance.
- How to make your CRM a success
Every company must be able to identify the key information which will help a deal become legitimate. Hence, it is essential to maintain such information which is relevant to a deal as crowding a CRM with unnecessary information won’t be of much help.
It is important to select such a platform that is capable to perform the below mentioned six features efficiently-
- Maintenance of Institutional Knowledge is important
A good CRM should have a complete repository of details about the available opportunities and clients both. This has emerged as one of the aspects of CRM which needs proper attention. If you are using a spreadsheet and shared it on network drive, it won’t be of much help. It is always better to make an investment in a platform that offers security.
- Close coordination across different departments
A CRM functions beyond the sales and sales team. It is important to talk to your clients to find out about their problems and not just sell product or service. It is absolutely necessary to ensure that the complete organization is using it for monitoring the client interactions. The sales personnel are required to review the system before getting in touch with the clients.
- Relevance of email integration
These days most of the communications are carried out through the email. If your CRM tools do not allow you to opt for integration with your email system, then it is time to update your CRM urgently. After you enter the customer or potential client’s name, then the CRM should be capable to link that email with records.
- Mobile platform
If your company’s sales team is not able to access the CRM from tablets and smartphone, then it is time to go for a CRM that offers mobility at go. You should be able to access your CRM tool while n the go.
- Follow up and automation
One of the most important features of a CRM is that it should be able to carry out efficient follow ups. Only a feature like follow up makes the integration of email platforms more effective.
Maintaining focus on the essential elements is important like what are the most relevant issues, what are the problems faced by the clients and how urgently are you able to solve the problems.
After all, the success rate of a CRM can only be judged with its success rate among the clients.