Essential CRM Features for Business
A successful Customer Relationship Management system should give your business the tools it needs to seamlessly and easily find new business opportunities and leads and turn those into customers. With all the options available, it can be a struggle to figure out what features are needed in the right CRM system.
Below are the top 5 features our customers say are completely necessary for successful use of a CRM system:
Mobility
A successful CRM needs to be available and compatible on mobile devices. Your sales force works best with client contact. But in order to make that contact, they’ll need all the information made available to them, from client details to past history to upcoming dates and events. The right CRM lets your sales force access, update, and create information on the go.
Mobile accessibility is key. Mobile accessibility that gives your team the option of accessing information from the server or their device is a step above other CRM systems. Here are two examples of mobile accessiblity via Act! and Zoho CRM.
Cloud-based Storage
For years companies have utilized on-site servers to host their CRM system. While this is still the desire of many organizations, there is growing momentum toward cloud-based systems. A cloud-based for CRM for small to medium-sized businesses removes the need to host a data server and it also allows the sales team to remotely access all the information they need in real time.
A cloud-based CRM outsources the hardware maintenance costs of a CRM, and doesn’t add IT management fees to the bottom line. The CRM provider is responsible for its development and management – and will pass on feature updates improvements seamlessly to your sales team.
A cloud-based CRM also enables the service team to access their contact and lead information when they need it, where they need it. Rather than be linked to a physical space, anyone can access and update a cloud-based CRM anywhere, any time.
Creating Targeted Email Campaigns
Email campaigns are the lifeblood of customer nurturing and sales generation. A good integrated emarketing program in your CRM software system will allow your business to not only create directed and targeted email campaigns, but also track responses and organize the data. All email interactions are stored on the CRM database, so any necessary informational updates can be made all at once for every prospect and customer.
Customized emarketing campaigns in a CRM give you the ability to gather information about click-throughs, opens, and note what email addresses aren’t working.
Your integrated emarketing system will tell you who is looking at what, and why they are or are not clicking through on your email campaigns. It’s important to have a CRM that lets you create the right kind of report for your specific sales measurement needs.
Integrating Customer Data
It’s no secret that the more data you have in one place, the better informed you are about your business’ health. That said; think about the islands of data in a typical company. ERP systems, Sage 50, QuickBooks, Access databases and Outlook contacts to name a few. Specific applications are great in their niche, but they won’t let you do an ROI (Return on Investment) calculation based on lead generation marketing to actual sales.
A good CRM will help you integrate your islands of date so that you can effectively mine your information. You’ll be able to create reports that show how your email campaigns are working. You can also see customer purchasing decisions. Better access to feedback means better tracking of that feedback. You’ll want to focus on the important information your clients’ behaviors give you.
Lead Generation and Follow Up
A good CRM will have a simple to use, but very powerful, system to track lead generation and allow for timely follow up. This can be done through direct email contact, through direct sales team contact, or via social media. A well designed CRM system should enable you to track a lead from the first touch, through interest generation, to opportunity identification to sale.
At AspenTech CRM we meet our client's challenges with CRM implementation head-on. We work with you to create and implement a plan to select and implement a CRM designed to meet your specific requirements, enabling you to get a 360° view of your customers - and your business. Call 866-880-4228 to start a conversation with one of our CRM experts.
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