That’s the short version, here’s the long one.
When it comes to customer information, that last thing you want is the data scattered in different places. You've got a post-it note here, an Excel spreadsheet there and multiple outlets filled with disconnected customer information. The problem is the information is separated. As a result, you can't make strategic decisions.
In order to maximize sales effectiveness, you need to capture data at every stage of your customer life cycle. How can you get a complete picture of your customer relationships when you have different employees tracking customer interactions in varying ways? This is how you know you need a CRM system to simplify your data by allowing customer-facing employees to store and access information from one central repository.
You no longer have to piece together spreadsheets, notes and emails just to determine a particular customer's history. Plus, you can quickly access important sales and management reports.
There just isn't a more efficient way for keeping your data organised. How do you remind yourself to send an invoice or renewal? A CRM system can do that for you automatically. In addition, your CRM system can show you which customers need more attention.
Your sales reps need to stay up-to-date while on the go. They may get valuable information while out on the field, but if they have to take notes elsewhere, they can only share it when they're back at their work spaces. With a CRM system, you can enter information in real time - from anywhere. This means there is a decreased risk of losing any information.
This is especially true with mobile CRM advantages, such as the ability for your sales reps to access the system from any device. Moreover, it really isn't that difficult to pick out the right CRM for your company with these guidelines.
How long does it take you to manually determine how many leads you have processed in the last week, month or year? Which of your sales reps is the most productive? What is the length of your sales cycle? All of this data needs to be understood, but it is just too overwhelming to do it manually.
One must-have CRM feature is the ability to produce advanced reports. Remember, data is power.
You don't want to hire new people, only to have them quit because they are frustrated with manual and inefficient processes. They want to get more leads, but they can't even accurately track the ones they already have. Perhaps you have one rep storing information in their phone and another writes it down. With this type of inconsistency, there is no visibility for managers or anyone else. When your company is growing, you need more streamlined processes and clear policies.
Plus, if your salespeople leave, they can easily take their contacts and information with them. A CRM system stores all the data on one platform so that you have visibility over your leads and sales cycle. Then, you have access rights so that if anyone leaves, you still have the data for someone else to use.
Learn how the free CRM in Bitrix24 provides a platform to organize and track interaction with potential or existing clients, partners, agents and other contacts here.