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What are the benefits?

We’ve talked about what a CRM system is. But why should you spend your time and money on one?

First, let’s look at the benefits to your business.

Using a CRM can help you:

Benefits in more detail

Know your customers better

With a CRM, you’ll have all your customer details at your fingertips. So you can stay in touch with your clients in a way that works for them. They’ll get info and offers that are based on their earlier activity.

And as you get to know your clients better, you’ll find more effective chances to upsell or cross-sell.

Improve your customer retention

Building long-term loyalty is important to any business. Each time you make contact with a customer, it's a chance to help them decide to come back to you.

CRM tools help keep you tuned in to what your current customers want. They have analytics features to help you give the right service and support for each of your clients. Plus, with all the data in one place, you can respond quickly to feedback, questions and trends.

Segment your users

Customer segmentation is a powerful marketing tool. It groups your users based on demographic and other data.

If you apply filters based on what you know about your customers, you can speak more directly to their needs and interests. So your email campaigns focus on what's relevant to them. When they receive this info, they’re more likely to respond. This could mean they follow a link to your website, or make a purchase.

Building on this response, you can also use these filters to help you adapt your sales pitch and timing. So it could improve your chance of conversion or winning that deal.

Communicate better – and faster

CRM tools can speed up communication. Say one of your users has a question. You can see their details and order history straight away. You'll get an instant awareness of their needs. This helps you to respond quickly and with the right support. Plus, enquiry-logging and programmed follow-up emails let them know that you’re on it.

Be consistent with your clients

Over time, a client might contact your business in several different ways. They could follow an ad link from a social channel, order online from your website or complete a survey from an email you sent them. They may phone or speak in person to people in your sales, service or support teams.

CRMs can capture every interaction, so your team can see the whole picture. This helps you to give your customers a seamless experience, no matter who they speak with and how they contact you.

Spot trends early

CRM software can often help you see something coming before it becomes clear to your competitors. If you’re able to predict trends or changing behaviour, you can spot your customers’ demand for new products and services. You could plan ahead to adapt what you offer.

The key features of CRM tools

Every CRM platform is different. So think about what you want from this kind of tool, before you decide which one to go for. We’ll talk more about this in the next chapter. For now, let’s look at the key functions that most of them have.

Customer focus

Contact management

You can store user data such as names, email addresses and social media accounts in a searchable database. You'll also be able to see all their details in one place.

Quote and order management

Create and send quotes, invoices and receipts. The CRM keeps all contact between you and your clients in the same place. This helps you avoid losing orders or contact with different colleagues, so you can give better customer service.

Case management

Issue tracking helps you to sort and manage user issues. So you can deal with questions promptly and avoid complaint escalation.

Sales focus

Conversion management

CRMs can simplify how you convert leads into sales. You’ll get to know the users in your pipeline better. And this leads to a more tailored approach. So you can sort leads based on business potential.

Sales automation

Manually emailing, scheduling or digging through files for info - all these take up valuable time. A CRM can do these necessary but repetitive manual tasks to improve productivity.

Sales forecasting

Data analytics let you build a more detailed picture. You can create forecasts for future sales and revenue, based on your data and trends. This makes it easier to be more precise in your forecasting. So you can set realistic targets.

Efficiency focus

Task management

Keeping track of tasks helps you and your team work more efficiently. Plan and sort tasks, assign them to team members, and create reminders that sync with your calendar.

Analytics tools

No more sifting through mountains of data! Analytics tools sift the data and give the details you need. You can set the filters to get summaries and reports with the right level of detail for you. This helps you gain a good understanding of your data. Plus it makes troubleshooting more effective.

Custom features

Every business works differently, so it's important to tailor your CRM tool so it works for you. Add or remove features to build a tool that fits your organisation.

Integration with other tools

You don't want CRM to be yet another platform to juggle! The good news is that most CRM tools integrate with existing software. Using these tools, you can connect existing apps like your calendar, social media, live chat or eCommerce platform.

Finding the best fit

With CRM software, you won't find a one-size-fits-all option. Luckily you’ll find plenty of choice. Every business has different needs. And there's a CRM tool out there to fit each one of them.

Think about where you want your focus to be. Is it on sales, service or social media? You might want an all-in-one platform. Do you have more niche requirements? If so, maybe look for software that you can tweak to meet these.

To help you match your needs with a CRM, first look at the types of CRM tools available. There are three main types of CRM: operational, analytical and collaborative.

Top tips for selecting your CRM system

Planning for a smooth launch

The launch of a new CRM needs some planning. And you can start to plan once you’ve picked your tool.

There’s lots to do before the launch. You’ll want to look at your data and prepare to move it to the new system. Your team will be starting to learn how to use the tool. They'll also be testing it out.

Here are some key points to think about when you’re putting together your roll-out plan.

Prepare your people

Train your team

A successful roll-out relies on buy-in from all your team members. So it’s important to spread awareness of the new CRM at an early stage. This gives them time to get to know it.

Set aside a large chunk of time to train your team, before the ‘go live’ date. This way, you’re giving them the chance to test the software and learn how to use it, before they rely on it. If you don’t do this, you could have unhappy teams and costly mistakes.

Factor in a period of adjustment after the launch, too. It’s good to have a system in place so people can report snags and give feedback, for a smooth transition.

Share with your stakeholders

Key stakeholders will need to know why the roll-out is happening and what it means to them. It’s important to let them know the positive impact your new CRM will have on them.

Show that this tool will make their jobs easier and operations more efficient. Point out how it will help to drive sales and boost the business’s reputation.

Map your data

Plan for data migration

Migrating your data can be complex and time-consuming, so you’ll need a clear plan. Most CRMs have apps to help with this, but do check. Before the actual migration, you’ll need to spring clean your system and remove old data that could clog up your new CRM.

Make sure you also have a plan in place for the migration day itself. Think about scheduling your team, data backups, and how you'll let people know about system downtime.

Analyse your info

As you get ready for a new CRM, you have the chance to audit your data. Now’s the time to look at what data your team use, and how they use it. This will highlight any redundant info. It can also help guide your focus when you test the new system.

Maps and flows

At this stage, your focus is on what data needs to move, where it’s going, and how it will get there.

Here’s a couple of ways to do this:

Test the process

Before you launch the CRM system, you'll need to test it. You should also test the data migration before you make this move.

Talk to your tech team

Fully brief your IT team so they’re ready to carry out testing. Allow plenty of time for this before ‘going live’. This gives you time to follow up any issues with your CRM vendor and make any changes that you need.

Testers should cover:

• System testing
• Functional testing
• Stress testing
• Performance testing
• Usability testing
• Acceptance testing
• Integration testing

Data migration tests

Moving your data to the new CRM can be scary. To reduce the risks, test a small set of data first.

Follow these steps to test the process:

Do make sure that everything you sent across has moved to the right place. Once it’s there, check you can see and use it in the way you want.

Top tips for a smooth launch