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Introduction
Putting the customer first should be one of the main goals of any business that wants to grow and thrive in today’s competitive market. It is important for companies to implement tools that help them attract and retain customers as they integrate key aspects of their business to boost sales, manage contacts, and offer excellent customer service. The right CRM system software offer users flexibility as business grows.
“The key to a successful sales force is choosing the CRM solution that best fits your company. A successful CRM product should be built on its ability to embrace and empower your existing sales process and culture to make adoption of the solution quick and painless,” according to Geary Broadnax, chairman and chief executive officer of Dovarri. “The CRM solution a company chooses should, above all else, increase sales and work flow without causing unnecessary disruption.” Businesses need to be able to quickly adapt internally to changing conditions in the marketplace. CRM solutions such as Pivotal CRM can allow companies to mold sales software to fit the way they do business.
Standard Features of CRM Systems
Choosing the right CRM features can allow companies to have more control over automating their business processes. Generally, CRM is used by sales, marketing, and service departments to connect data with people and streamline processes across the board, improving internal communications and record-keeping.
Software solutions such as Siebel CRM can improve call-center efficiency, increase sales, and drive better-informed decision making across sales, service, and marketing teams. A basic CRM system will likely include the following standard features:
- Contact management
- Customer service and support
- Sales force automation
When choosing CRM features, it’s important for a company to keep its overall business objectives in mind. The CRM package a company uses should be compatible with the people and processes that support those objectives. Properly implemented CRM software helps increase revenue, margins, productivity, workflow effectiveness, and customer loyalty.
Must-Have Features of a CRM System
Companies that put their customers first by listening to them and responding to their needs are more likely to retain loyal customers and see improved financial results than companies that “treat their customers like exploitable commodities,” according to Right Now Technologies. The quality of customer interactions is important to long-term success. Research has shown that 95% of dissatistifed customers will continue to do business with a company if their complaint is satisfactorily resolved right away. The following must-have CRM features can help improve the quality of customer interactions, retain customers, and boost profitability:
1. Data Tracking and Integration
Contact management is at the foundation of CRM. Being able to track data on individual customers and access that information at different levels in a company is crucial to building customer loyalty. CRM software should be able to integrate important data from various parts of a business so that information about customers, sales leads, vendors, inventory, etc. are accessible companywide. A contact management solution such as ACT! by Sage facilitates by:
- centralizing customer information
- organizing contacts into groups
- tracking all customer communications.
2. Customer Support and Services
Automating customer interactions can help companies address customer requests and resolve customer complaints quickly and efficiently. A reliable call center or online help desk can provide customers with the assistance they need, while allowing a company to collect and process data about those interactions. CRM software should systemize the customer service processes to ensure consistently high service levels, quick response times, full accountability, and prompt problem resolution.
3. Sales Management
The right sales software can assist with organizing and following up on sales leads. A CRM package can help salespeople on the road communicate and process orders in real time. Entellium’s Sales Force Automation solution allows companies to set thresholds that enable sales leads to be distributed equally or in ratios. Managers can then spend more time analyzing campaign effectiveness and improving performance rather than overseeing sales lead distribution and follow up. Streamlining the sales management process can shorten the time it takes to close a sale and result in more satisfied customers.
4. Marketing Automation
Multi-channel marketing messages can improve the scope and effectives of a company’s marketing campaign. CRM software that allows a business to break down all customer interactions, generate responses automatically, and collect data for building marketing campaigns to maximize the return on investment.
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