It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the customer relationship management (CRM) options on the market. You can spend anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands. Before you go too far down the rabbit hole, let’s identify which of the three major categories of CRM is the best for your business. Once you have a clear understanding of the options and how the software needs to work for you, it will be much easier to narrow your choices.

Operational

Operational CRMs are designed to streamline your business processes. They automate sales, marketing and service functions. This type of CRM is a good fit for you if your objectives are to generate leads, convert those leads to customers and follow them through their lifecycle as your consumer.

Analytical

Analytical CRMs exist to reveal areas where businesses can realize efficiencies and better serve their consumers. They pull data from a variety of systems and sources to reveal patterns and trends that can be invaluable for strategic planning. This is the CRM choice for you if your organization invests in developing long-term strategies and/or has experienced a plateau in growth.

Collaborative/Strategic

Collaborative or Strategic CRMs allow consumer data to be shared across business units. A system like this will ensure your sales, marketing and service teams are all privy to the same information to improve customer service. This CRM might make sense for you if your consumer-facing teams are siloed and struggle with sharing data.

A Few Final Words on CRM …

Selecting the right CRM probably seems like an overwhelming decision. Just as any new tool you bring into your business, it’s important to implement thoughtfully and intentionally. Your new CRM should fit into and play a prominent role in the businesses future goals and strategies. It must also be widely adopted. CRMs used only by support or administrative staff will never deliver results.

Learn More

Want to learn loads more about CRM? Check out Capterra’s review of best CRM software.

Want more tips and insights from Cuppa SEO?

The post Selecting the Best CRM Tool for Your Business appeared first on Cuppa SEO.

Yes.

Sorry I don’t have a more witty response than that … If you have a business with customers, you really really do. If you are a nonprofit, your donors are your customers and the answer is the same. Excel spreadsheets or handwritten client files just won’t cut it anymore. Today’s consumer expects customized messaging and real-time data.

Let’s Start with the Basics

A CRM is a Customer Relationship Management system. Businesses use this software to manage their B2B and B2C relationships. They provide both current and historical data on clients/prospects in one location and help you more effectively communicate with those contacts. Many even allow you to automate previously manual processes.

A Couple More Things You Should Know

By centralizing your data in one location, you now have the ability to generate more qualified leads. For example, let’s say your organization collects leads through a variety of channels (social media, “open house” events and surveys). Through your use of a CRM, you might discover that once a lead has engaged with you via all three channels, your rate of conversion increases exponentially. Great news, right? Now you have better data for your sales funnel and you can ensure more attention is paid to these qualified leads before moving on to the rest of your prospect list.  

Now let’s talk automation. My favorite example of this is the quoting process. Think about your current method for quote requests. Perhaps you hear from a prospect verbally or via email. You ask them a series of questions, plug their responses into your formula, create a “custom” pricing proposal and send it off to the prospect. Perhaps you hear back from them immediately; perhaps you follow up in a week.

Now the fun part. Let’s imagine this process with the right CRM for your business! Your investment in an optimized website pays off and a prospect arrives on your homepage. Engaging content prompts the lead to get a quote. Because your website is already integrated with your CRM, the lead is able to click on your call to action to request a quote and answer a series of questions. In addition to capturing the prospect’s data and activity, the CRM is programmed to generate the appropriate quote based on their responses and deliver that proposal to the email provided. If that lead shows no new activity for a predetermined amount of time, you can arrange for a follow-up email to be sent automatically.

You’re in Good Company

According to CRM Magazine, 91% of companies with ten or more employees have a CRM. LinkedIn says 64.2% of those rate their CRM tool as “impactful” or “very impactful.” With countless options on the market, each offering varying levels of customization and automation, odds are very good you will find one that is a fit.  

Want more tips and insights from Cuppa SEO?

The post Do I Really Need One of those CRM Things? appeared first on Cuppa SEO.