5 Ways to Know You Need a CRM


May 3, 2022

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No matter how proficient you are at keeping notes, setting reminders, or checking your calendar, almost everyone has at least one memory of not doing any of that. It can even go so far as forgetting to call a potential customer, missing a meeting, or not remembering past conversations with someone.

Your customer is the most important stakeholder in your business, which makes managing your relationship with them the most critical thing you can do. And the old ways of doing this just aren’t effective. You need a customer relationship management (CRM) tool.

Signs You Need CRM Software

CRMs are a type of software that companies use to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle. By doing so, you can improve business relationships with customers, assist in customer retention, and drive sales growth.

The benefits of using a CRM system include:
  1. Consolidating customer data and touchpoints 
  2. Controlling the customer experience and making adjustments based on their behavior
  3. Tracking and analyzing customer interactions, such as whether they downloaded your PDF, opened an email or not, and more
  4. Better understanding prospects and building actual, solid relationships with them that establish brand loyalty     

In short, CRM tools help you automate your marketing and sales processes, allowing you to focus on the more important things, i.e., providing actual value to your customer. Still, wondering if you need a CRM? Here are five ways to know if you do:

1. Things keep falling through the cracks

Without a centralized place for all of your customer data to collect, it’s easy for information and interactions to get lost in the shuffle. Losing information can spell disaster for your customer relationships.

But with a CRM system to tidy up your customer interactions and help you understand your prospects and customers, you can continue to build relationships without fear of missing crucial details.

2. You have trouble remembering details

Throughout the week, you probably meet a lot of potential customers. Remembering your conversations with them can be difficult, especially as your business grows and more leads start coming in. This is another time a CRM tool comes in handy.

CRMs have a “Notes” feature that allows even busy business owners to jot down useful notes about meetings with people. These notes and nuggets of information can later be used in personalized, automated emails with the “merged field.”

This feature will save you from the awkward calls where you’re trying to recall previous conversations with a potential client, helping you maintain relevance and rapport.

3. You don’t find it easy to contact subsets of your client base

There are times when you need to contact a group of your clients. If you are using a mailing list software, most are designed to send out to everyone on a list. That may be more than those you need to reach.

If you're using an email program like Outlook, you have to select contacts individually, which is very time-consuming. With a CRM tool, you can “tag” contacts so you can easily search and send to whatever group you want.

4. You can’t get sales and customer service on the same page

Communication challenges often happen when your teams use the wrong tool to communicate. While fast and convenient, email is bad for tracking and managing progress over time. A CRM system is the best place for both sales and customer service information. It will help you get to a place where you can see a total picture of an account.

5. You can’t tell how your sales team is doing

What gets measured gets done. If you don't measure, it doesn't get done. When you don’t have a tool for managing your sales force and your sales force to manage themselves, you could lose many sales. With the right CRM, your sales team can be more productive, and you will have the insight to know how to help them.

Improve Customer Relationships with Automation 

In today’s marketing world, customers expect a customized experience. This is challenging when you don't have a system to organize and compile customer information, preferences, and actions to create successful automated marketing campaigns. With a CRM, you can streamline your marketing activities and turn clutter into customization. Not sure where to start? Turn to the experts!

Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with Sales & Marketing Technologies to scale your business with powerful automation tools.
 
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in November 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness. 

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