The Savings of Doing Business
You’ve heard the term “the cost of doing business.” It’s a phrase often applied to technologies such as your CRM. Executives and entrepreneurs sometimes struggle with the idea of making what seems like a large investment in technological infrastructure. But instead of thinking about it from a cost perspective, take a look at how improved technology can save you time, money and resources.
1) The most obvious savings is in data management.
Long gone are the days of the rolodex, green bar accounting tablets and file drawers filled with fading copies of carbon paper. Faxes are a rarity unless you work in the medical field. Now lists of thousands or millions can be segregated, sorted, ranked – all with a few keystrokes. But most companies are still physically handling data that could be incorporated into their CRM or other system. What are you still managing manually in your office and how can it be automated?
2) Speed = savings.
New tools such as mobile apps, artificial intelligence and cloud services are saving hundreds of thousands of labor hours across companies large and small. For example, conversational sales assistants such as Zoho’s Zia give salespeople on the go immediate mobile access to contacts, and then analyze up-to-the-minute sales activity so sales managers can take action. Are you taking full advantage of all the CRM tools available to you?
3) Agility for all.
Even solopreneurs and small businesses can now access high-powered CRM capabilities. With a wide variety of cloud systems available, you no longer need a mainframe and an in-house IT team. User interface design offers simple access to sophisticated tools, including drag-and-drop visuals, voice commands, and in-system step-by-step training. Does your CRM get a thumbs up from your team for accessibility – or is it so difficult to use that you have trouble getting employees to adopt and use it properly?
4) Higher customer satisfaction means more sales with lower customer service costs.
An efficient CRM moves consistent customer information from prospect to sale to delivery of product or service. Feedback is contained within the customer record and can be used to trigger customer service or sales follow up. Follow your prospect’s lead to build a tight relationship that lasts, increasing customer lifetime value. Do you have customer service challenges that aren’t being fully addressed by your current system?
Are you ready to take a fresh look at your CRM?
Looking for a system that has all the tools your company needs (and none of the tools it doesn’t), is easy-to-adopt for your team, and will improve your customer and employee satisfaction? I’m excited to talk to you about how to put a CRM in place that will meet your unique needs. Join me for a free AspenTech CRM Discovery Session – just grab a spot on my calendar here. I look forward to talking with you soon.
