In this installment of Software Surgery, we’re going to look at how businesses can utilise intelligent CRM systems.
And so first, we’re going to tell you what one is – this is the surgery after all.
Most people will have heard of the term CRM, or customer relationship management, which is a type of technology used to manage interactions with customers and potential customers by building relationships and streamlining processes.
However, few people will understand what that truly means in the digital sense, and the full potential such systems can unleash.
Google the term CRM and it will bring back the usual suspects: Salesforce, Monday, HubSpot. However, these are predominantly designed for just one aspect of a business, such as the management and conversion of leads and turning them into customers.
However, a CRM can and should be much more than just a tool for managing prospects; it should help to manage the whole customer journey.
After all, the customer will ultimately be making a purchase, so why not get the CRM to work a little harder and manage this relationship? It could be harnessed to manage the products or services the customer has ordered and the ones they didn’t to maximise the efficiency of the business operations.
In fact, there are so many benefits that can be realised by using a software system CRM to automate and manage processes that it can be hard to know where to start – so here are our top tips.
Tip 1 – spreadsheets
In the early days of a business, there’s nothing wrong with adopting a spreadsheet to manage the customer relations process.
However, as the business grows, managing a spreadsheet will become an extra admin burden you can do without. The greater the amount of admin work, the more chance of not updating the spreadsheet, which could result in missed opportunity. So this should only ever be a temporary solution.
Tip 2 – research
Before picking one of the usual suspects, such as HubSpot, Salesforce, Monday.com etc. see if there are any specific platforms which fit what you do.
There are hundreds of industry-specific CRMs that not only manage the onboarding journey but also tackle the operational side too. Spend a little time finding the ones that have the features your business needs and identify three to shortlist.
Tip 3 – evaluate
Most solutions offer a free trial or a demo, so don’t be afraid to try out your own processes against the identified shortlist.
Tip 4 – integration
Make sure you understand what else the CRM can integrate with. Longer term, you might want to integrate with a mail sender for mailshots/newsletters or with your website, or your accounts package, or your suppliers, so make sure you’re clear on all your potential needs before committing to a package.
Tip 5 – go bespoke
Generic CRMs are great at what they do but will still require a lot of work to make them function how you want them to. As the business grows, it is likely to outgrow the capabilities, and so this is where a bespoke solution can mirror the operational needs of the business.
Industry-specific solutions are also great, but they can’t work in the exact way every single business does. Again, this is where a bespoke CRM can be built to work exactly as the business needs it to.
Tip 6 – commitment
Garbage in, garbage out, as the saying goes – and that’s just as true of data.
Regardless of which CRM solution you choose, it’s up to you make sure you are committed to inputting all the necessary data.
It might seem like extra work at first, but the benefits of having everything in one system will soon start to pay dividends.
If you’d like to talk to us about creating an intuitive, efficient CRM system to help your business grow, get in touch with the team via our contact form – we’re here to help!