You have a multitude of customers, contacts, information, it is stored all over the place, different people have different sets of business cards, outlook contacts, backs of cigarette packets etc… and the relationships, the details of the people who do business with you, is all inside the heads of your employee’s.
You don’t know which way is up! You don’t know who is doing what, what the last activity was with your customers, the whole picture is unclear and if your staff leave you, they take all the knowledge with them, to your competitors most likely!
So what’s the answer? Have you thought about a CRM system? Not sure why you should? Take a look at some of the key benefits.
Improved Customer Service
Retaining customers starts with ensuring consistent customer satisfaction, no matter what industry you are in. CRM systems can help you manage that. If your customers aren’t satisfied, a CRM system helps you manage complaints and issues by providing you with somewhere to log all the information. Every member of your team can be up to speed with the current state of business with that customer in minutes.
Helps you identify your leads
Supporting marketing efforts such as email marketing, telesales, online marketing by tracking responses from potential clients. With this data in hand, it identifies leads that could turn into future business.
Better forecasting
A CRM system can help you keep track of your opportunities, combined with a built in sales process, you will be able to get hold of accurate numbers of opportunities in the pipeline, showing you gaps and areas to focus on.
You can also use it to keep track of production, tracking what you make, for who and when, which ultimately enables you to forecast and prepare future hires, equipment upgrades and the like. If you have a system that does this already, it might be possible to link them.
Keeping tabs on your customers’ buying patterns might help you to keep ahead of the curve and proactively win new business from existing customers.
Understanding your customer
Relationships with your customer can make or break a possible opportunity. How many times have we heard the phrase ‘It’s not what you know it’s who you know’ – the reason for this is that relationships with people make things possible. Being a positive influence on your customer through the interactions you have and in fact, everyone in the business has, is the key to putting your best foot forward, supporting your brand, marketing initiatives and winning new and existing business.
The more you know about your customers, the more likely you can provide them with a positive experience.
Instant access to information
No more post-it notes & filing cabinets, your sales team is on the move and your CRM system should be too. Most CRM systems allow you to store vast amounts of customer data that is retreivable in an instant. Cloud based storage means that you can access it from remote locations as well as in the office.
Any employee with access to the CRM system can gain access to the same customer data, presenting a consistent approach to customer service. The breadth of data that is trackable within a CRM system is huge, from emails, calendar entries, phone calls, meeting reports and more.
Automation of everyday tasks
A sale is made up of hundreds of smaller tasks that must be completed in a certain order. Forms need filling out, gated processes may be in place, NDA’s and contracts could be needed and much more. The best CRM systems are designed to work alongside your sales process which means that you can automate certain tasks and easily track where you are up to with an opportunity. The benefit of this is that your sales team can focus on just selling.
Still not sure where to start? The Design Grove has great experience in the installation and management of CRM systems and can help you through the various challenges it brings. You don’t need to do it alone. Get in touch!
