6 big benefits of CRM software.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software has come on leaps and bounds since the digital Rolodex days and is quickly becoming a crucial part of an organization's success. 

CRM essentially allows users to store and organize customer contact information and gain key insights into all of their interactions. 
 
There are lots of benefits of CRM - from improving customer relations to keeping your team organized - an effective CRM system can be very useful for a company.  

Cloud-based, on-premises, mobile solutions: there are lots of CRM options and things to consider when choosing the right system for you and your business.

What is CRM?

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, and as you might think, its purpose is to help manage your customer relations.

The technology is used to manage interactions with customers and even prospective customers and is crucial in helping to build strong relationships. 

As well as helping organizations focus on building stronger customer relationships, it can also help to streamline the process to ultimately improve customer service, increase sales, and ultimately increase profitability.

Why use CRM software?

CRM systems are becoming increasingly more popular, and in 2020, overall CRM usage increased from 56% to a staggering 76%.

 
As more and more companies and organizations are relying on CRM systems to help manage and improve their relationships with their customers, it’s proving to be a worthwhile investment.  

With all of this in mind, it's worth asking yourself… 

Why have a CRM system?

Well, there are many advantages of CRM for businesses of all sizes, but we have highlighted just a few reasons why a CRM solution may be the perfect choice for your business:

• It allows you to keep customer contact details up to date
• You can track every customer interaction
• You can manage customer accounts
• It will allow you to improve customer relationships

Now we have touched on some of the top reasons why you should consider this solution, we can now dig a little deeper..

Below you can see there are 6 serious business benefits of having (and using!) CRM software:

What are the benefits of using CRM software?

1. Keep your company organized

One of the biggest advantages of CRM tools and software is the simple advantage of keeping your team and wider company organized.

You’ll no longer need to rely on endless spreadsheets, tatty notepads, or scribblings on the back of any spare scrap of paper; everything will be stored neatly online for the entire business to sing harmoniously from the same hymn sheet.

The majority of salespeople today are guilty of waiting until a Friday afternoon to complete their admin and update the CRM.

The best CRM software today comes with a mobile app that means you’re always connected to the pulse of your business.

By having a mobile CRM, sales reps can easily log any meeting notes or view the last meeting notes seconds before meeting a customer or prospect, so they’re always walking in prepared. 

Easy peasy!

2. You never lose your customer details

Your staff can move onto new pastures at any time, and in the past, this typically meant they took their little black books, Rolodexes, and all their customer knowledge with them.

A CRM system is your safety net, ensuring that all your valuable customer information remains exactly that: yours.

Have your salespeople log their interactions, conversations, and action points on a secure, accessible system that will keep your data on lockdown.

One of the further security benefits of CRM is that no matter whether you part company with an employee on good or not-so-good terms, deactivating a user’s account takes no more than a few clicks in most cases.

3. It makes communication easier

Whether communicating internally or with your customers, a CRM system effortlessly empowers you and your colleagues to work smarter.

If you’re in marketing, sales, customer success, or in the warehouse – a fully accessible set of CRM tools will allow all of your team players to understand a little more about your customers.

How can a CRM improve internal and external communication? 
 
CRM Marketing allows you to send targeted communications that resonate with your audience and send much more personalized messages.  
 
- Your sales team can make smarter decisions  
Sales reps can make smarter, better-informed calls to discuss a new product range, and your customer success team will always have a 360-degree view of what’s been said and promised to every customer.  
 
- Understand your customers more  
By using a CRM to help your marketing and send more personalized messages, you’ll really be able to get under the skin of your customers and your audience base. Get to know their pain points and the things they’re looking for, and build rapport with a few well-remembered facts.  
 
- Keep track of what’s going on  
An effective CRM will allow your team to keep track of exactly what’s going on with your customers, from which salesperson closed the deal to who’s assigned as their account manager, and even which marketing campaigns they might have received.

4. Your team can manage their own time

One of the big benefits of a CRM solution is the ability for your team to self-manage.

They no longer need to be instructed on which accounts need follow-ups, which need to be called or which are having a few teething pains – most good CRMs allow the user to filter on the last call date or flag certain accounts as priority accounts.

On the other hand, using CRM tools will allow you to rank your top customers and ensure they are always a priority for your account managers.

With fully customizable contact profiles, a CRM system will allow you to build out a full profile for each and every one of your customers.

This leads us nicely to the next point: the benefit of smarter, more targeted marketing.

5. More effective marketing

Everyone knows that mass marketing tactics are no longer acceptable. Niche marketing is today the only way you can really get your message to resonate with customers and prospects alike and get them to act on your campaigns.

If your customers are in the automotive aftermarket industry, you don’t want to be sending them your latest whitepaper or news from the building industry.

That’s where CRM marketing is different. Storing the information that matters to your business about each contact is a game-changer for any marketer worth their salt.

From their industry to any associated trade associations, primary competitors, and even key business challenges – having a well-rounded view of your contacts and what really matters to them is imperative in order for your marketing to stand out amongst the masses.

6. Track the customer journey

One of the most important benefits of CRM is that it allows you to monitor the precise movements of your customers – from their first interaction with you through to becoming a customer.

Maybe you need an extra brochure or case study from marketing for the early prospecting stages?

Or perhaps customer success could use a handy FAQ guide to share with their customers to optimize their efforts?

Having access to this kind of information is worth its weight in gold.

Not only can you understand what is working well in your sales and post-sales process, but you will be able to continue to improve on your processes and optimize your efforts as a team.

A central CRM system means that every step of each customer’s journey is documented, allowing you to create a full profile of each and every customer.

What they like, what they don’t like, what they’d change – feedback is king, so don’t be afraid to ask for it!

Isn’t it time your business experienced the benefits of CRM?

sales-i offers an integrated CRM tool that can deliver all of these benefits and more through gaining a deeper understanding of your customers and the ways they interact with your business.

Looking for the best CRM software? Look no further than sales-i.