Almost all organizations implement a CRM system to streamline their business processes and explore some new business opportunities. They also use it to improve customer service quality and look for new customers.
However, only a few succeed in this endeavor. The reason behind it is that since most don’t adopt the best practices of CRM, it leads to low ROI or return on investment. Besides, CRM systems are just technology and success depends on how you use your system effectively.
If you want to use free CRM systems to your advantage, make sure to keep the following in mind:
Customize Your CRM System In Accordance With Your Business Needs
Having a CRM system is your first step to establishing closer connections with your customers and prospects. However, any out-of-the-box solution won’t be able to connect with the departments of organizations.
For you to use your CRM system to your advantage, you must start customizing it in accordance to your unique business needs.
You can start by customizing the CRM system’s theme to give it a vibrant and elegant look. Choosing a theme that aligns with your business provides your CRM system a rejuvenated look.
Moreover, all departments, whether it is marketing or customer support, require third-party apps or plugins that would empower them to carry out business activities in a smooth manner. For instance, you might want to integrate your CRM system with your marketing automation tool.
Another thing you can do to customize your strong CRM platform is through deleting or adding workflows, dashboards, and modules in the software as per your business needs. If you’re not satisfied with the default module for reporting, you may get custom reports made to monitor the performance of your organization and employees.
Update The Customer Information Regularly
Your CRM system will only be effective if all your data are updated. If the company name, preferred contact method, and address of your customer has changed, you must update the customer information as soon as possible. This way, your marketing and sales teams are equipped with the best information and would know the ways to respond accordingly.
Learn From Your CRM System Analytics
CRM systems may analyze customer behavior and trends. Once you notice an increase in the demand for a product or service during holidays, you have to be more aggressive to push them out in the coming years.
If particular email campaigns were more effective than others, know the elements responsible for the success and replicate them in your next campaign or when sending newsletters.
Customer data must be used to shape your marketing tactics and sales. Salespeople that know the location, preferences, and name of their customers can provide more targeted sales pitches and have a better opportunity to close a deal.
If you are not learning from the analytics or data provided by your CRM system, you will also limit the growth of your business.
Integrate Your CRM System With Other Business Apps Or Systems
Incorporating your personal CRM system to other business programs can make it more effective and powerful. For example, integration with any accounting software combines financial and customer data, which allows you to get rid of redundant manual data entries. It can also give you more insightful reports.
If your CRM system is also used with a VoIP system, your staff can get relevant customer data from different databases shown on one screen when they are about to make some calls.
Automate Every Basic Task
Some businesses with CRM systems don’t consider automation because they do not have time to do it. While you would expect them to sell, their actual sales may compromise some of their daily tasks.
If you have a CRM system, there is a reason why you should automate your basic tasks. It is because gaining traction with your customers isn’t a one-time thing. Instead of a destination, it’s a journey that requires lots of input on your side and other tasks involved can be overwhelming.
Task automation is the most useful CRM feature that you might not have explored yet. Rather than putting sales agents responsible for scheduling calls, you may just set your CRM system to do the job for them. You may also introduce some automated emails for returning and new customers, use hundreds for automation tricks and redirect them to your own knowledge database.
In other cases, the vendor of your CRM system would let you write effective scripts in automating tasks that aren’t in the system already. There several sales automation functions you may choose from and what you only need to do is to determine which fits for your business.
Get Upselling Opportunities From Using Purchasing History
It is much easier to sell existing customers than to have new ones. With a CRM system, you may increase your sales performance by analyzing the purchasing history of your clients and designing events or promotions for them.
For instance, if they bought a razor from your store, you may program your CRM system to recommend some related products, which may include aftershave or shaving cream. This will not only widen your profit margin but it can also make the lives of your customers much easier while being able to promote some of your products at the same time.
Use Your CRM System For Team Collaboration
A good CRM system will let every department within your company communicate effectively. This will provide a team collaboration platform, which may open sales opportunities and inspire ideas.
Communications between your team and customers will be stored in your CRM automatically, which provides you visibility of the journey of the customers. You will be able to access calendar appointments, emails, marketing campaigns, and phone calls.
All in all, your CRM system can make team collaboration easy and make your teams within your business function better to achieve your business goals in no time.
Bottom Line
Most businesses struggle in terms of getting their desired return on investment from their CRM systems. It is because some of them jump on the bandwagon and buy a CRM but fail in adopting some CRM best practices.
You must remember that having a CRM system will not make your business grow overnight. However, if you have those above-mentioned tips, you can guarantee that you will be able to unlock the true potential of your CRM system.
