No matter what industry you’re in or the size of your business, customer relationships are the key to ongoing success. And unless your sales team is superhuman, you’re going to need a little help managing customer lists, staying in touch with contacts, finding new prospects, and managing all of that customer data. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are a crucial investment that can help you manage prospects, leads, messaging cadence, and much more. CRM systems store massive amounts of information, improve your ability to close deals, boost lead volume and keep you organized, connected, and on track. Don’t think a CRM is right for you? If you’re experiencing any of the below, it might be time to think again:
Poor lead flow management: Having a tidal wave of new business is a good problem to have, but it doesn’t do you any good if you cannot capture customer data and take meaningful action. A CRM system will help you organize and sort your prospect and customer lists and prioritize leads so you can respond to contacts in an effective and efficient way.
Customer data gaps: It’s time to move beyond archaic customer data management methods. Sticky notes, spreadsheets, emails and legal pads full of notes are definitely not the way to resourcefully manage information. Not only are these methods ineffective, they are absolutely not useful for teams sharing information. Your team needs to be able to view data at any time, and you need to be equipped to take action in a snap. It’s time to find a different way to manage all of that information.
Sales team activity tracking: Whether your team is scattered across the country or in one geographic location, it’s important to be able to quickly and easily obtain an overview of team activity at any given time. CRM systems allow you to see who’s worked on what, who’s contacting whom and what priorities, to do’s and goals have been set or reached.
Poor customer service: CRM systems help you do more than manage customer data, they help you have meaningful interactions with people. Getting customers is tough. Keeping them happy can be hard. Staying in touch with them shouldn’t be complicated. CRM systems help you manage case flow and keep careful, detailed records of all interactions, so they can be referenced by others members of your staff assisting the same person. You can even create tags that route customers to customer service representatives that have extensive knowledge in the exact issue they are having trouble with – ensuring complete and thorough issue resolution.
Poor long-term accounts management: New leads are important, to be sure, but you never want your long-standing customers to feel neglected and under-appreciated. CRM systems can remind you of client milestones, urge you to connect if communication has been slow over recent months, and personalize communications to customers for a variety of other purposes as well. All of this means that your long-term customers see you as caring and committed to their growth and success.
Inefficient reporting processes: Instead of relying on your team to manually enter customer data into an old-fashioned reporting system, let a CRM do the hard work for you. When all of your data is managed in one place, it’s easy to pull timely reports and important data. You can even scrub your lists, removing duplicate contacts, outdated information and other bad data that could keep your list from being its most effective.
Uncertainty about growth management: Are you terrified to think of how you would manage a rush of new business? Are you lacking processes and procedures to track leads, manage current customers, chart interactions and correctly time follow ups? It’s time to look beyond your intuition, your pen and paper and your good memory. A CRM system can help you do all of this and more.
Are you ready to serve more customers, land more deals, locate more prospects, correctly manage your team, efficiently supervise employee activities and enjoy a positive impact on your bottom line? A Customer Relationship Management system is a must-have in any company. Many companies don’t do a great job of managing customer data, team activities and overall communications.
Nervous about taking on a new CRM system on your own? Working with a team of marketing consultants to not only help you select the right CRM system for your business, but to also help you use the system to its fullest. When you add a marketing consulting team to the power of a CRM data management system, you’re sure to experience success. Consultants know the best ways to harness the power of CRM systems and can help you craft outstanding messages that prompt desired customer actions. Are you reading to take your customer relationships to the next level? Contact Wild Coffee Marketing today to learn more. Think outside the box with Wild Coffee. We love helping companies grow better.
