Teceze Blog
CRM is a process, not a product! How can we make CRM a successful tool?
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a software that allows businesses to manage business relationships and information associated with them. It provides a platform which manages interactions with customers, storing information about them, automate process connected with the customer’s journey through the marketing and sales funnel. A Customer Relationship Management system helps to improve business relationships with customers by improving customer service, increase sales, enhance productivity, and increase profitability. It helps in managing interactions with existing customers and potential customers.
How CRM Can Help Your Business?
CRM helps in consolidating data from multiple systems and people.
In the initial days of business, tracking customers by email, address books and spreadsheets make sense. But when a business starts growing then we can see some challenges such as:
- It is hard to sync data between Spreadsheets used by different teammates
- All of the valuable information lies in employee’s mailbox
- Inconsistent communication between employees and customers
This is where CRM plays a major role. This is the reason CRM is the fastest growing software in the market today. As per Grandview Research survey – CRM was a $14 billion industry in 2010 and is expected to reach $80 billion industry by 2025(nearly 600% increase).
Companies are investing money to buy the latest CRM application and spending time in their implementation. But an estimated 25% to 60% of CRM projects fail to meet expectations, according to studies conducted over the past decade. We need to understand the big gap in expectations and results.
To understand the gap in expectations and results we need to understand that CRM application is not a pushing button where everything happens automatically. It takes careful attention and proper planning to make it right. So, the successful implementation of this powerful tool is the key for business.
Steps to make CRM a successful tool –
- Proper Training
Training of CRM users is an integral part of making it a success. If the user resists in learning functionalities of CRM, then more chances of failure.
- Clear Vision
While deciding the Customer Relationship Management project, specific goals and targets should be there. The workflow in the application should be as per Vision. And flexibility is key while making a process.
- Supporting Tool
This application is not just a technology but a solution to enhance customer relationships. Technology alone cannot improve customer relationships. CRM’s technology is successful and value for money with the combination of smooth workflows, used by well-trained staff and managed thoughtfully.
- Customer-Centric Approach
CRM tool is a powerful tool for boosting the efficiency of a business, helps in improving a process, provides insight into the sales cycle. CRM’s core functionality is – to enhance customer relationships by keeping the information in one location.
- Proper Planning
Designing a CRM system is not a simple task. It’s a multi-step process starting with defining an outline into a workflow, management of data, unifying data for discovery and analysis, identifying data sources of interest (whether from inside or outside the organization).
- Growth Plan
The company’s growth and expansion plans should be kept in mind while preparing the CRM process.
- Step-wise Implementation
CRM project is divided into manageable pieces such as checking the workflow, user testing, employee training. To make the implementation process smooth and successful, it is essential to manage steps with feasible timelines.
- Technical Support
According to usability, the software may require some changes or tweaks as a business grows. Teceze can help you at every step of the implementation & production process.
- Right Software
Choosing the correct product is important. Such as buying the cheapest software solution but realising later that even small customization can lead to more expensive. In another case buying an expensive solution with multiple features which may be of no use.
- Smooth Process
CRM software is designed for the benefit of an organization with the scope of customization, multiple modules, and add-ons. But some companies try to use all the available options at once rather than using that are useful for them. It makes the process long or complex for the user to understand. The smooth process can help in adaption by the user.
- Timely Check
CRM should have a measurable objective that can be easily tracked, analyzed, and evaluated. This helps in making changes as and when required.
- End-User Involvement
If the CRM system is not properly designed and implemented, users will either avoid using it or use it in such a way that makes the process less efficient.
- Stakeholders
All stakeholders should be involved, whether it is sales or marketing director or CTO or COO or mid-level IT manager. They should have the time and ability to plan. Otherwise, that CRM project will crash.
- Data in CRM
Data entry should be proper, otherwise it can make employees sceptical about the information in the CRM. For instance, if the system has wrong names or phone numbers then a salesperson would be reluctant to use the CRM database. To avoid such problems, we need to provide adequate user training and documentation to make CRM effective.
CRM is never perfect because business is always changing. Teceze can customise the solution that fits your needs. Teceze will not stop after implementing the project but even after finishing the project, checking regularly with you, helping with ideas and support to make it a successful tool. It is not a destination, it’s a journey.
Looking for a process to engage employees with CRM? Teceze is there to take you through the journey of implementing CRM.
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