In our last post, we began discussing various technologies that you could use for your small business - like our free inventory software and other time-saving tools. Today, we’re going to focus specifically on CRM solutions. Making the decision to invest in a CRM solution for your small business is easy, deciding which solution to choose is not. There are a variety of different options available for any price range. To the uninitiated, the choices can seem overwhelming. Today, we’re going to provide some tips on how to choose a CRM solution to get you started. There are three main components to CRM software: Contact Management, Sales & Marketing, and Employee Support. In the future, we plan to integrate our free inventory software for small business with an industry-leading CRM. That's how respect we give this tech!
CONTACT MANAGEMENT
All CRM solutions allow you to create individual client accounts and keep track of your interactions with each customer. The better solutions on the market allow you to identify clients by type (customer, investor, competitor, etc) and to mark some information as private so that you can share some details with all users while still protecting any sensitive data that you may collect. Some solutions also allow you connect with other departments within your business so that you can pull in other employees to assist customers as needed.
When evaluating solutions pay careful attention to the pricing structure. Some solutions charge a flat fee, while others charge per user per month. Since the price goes up as you add users, you’ll need to do the math to see which is a better value for you. Watch out for caps on the number of user accounts you can add as well. You want to choose a solution that can grow with your business. You have to consider a solution that's scalable and will grow with your business just like with our free inventory software.
SALES & MARKETING
Not all solutions offer sales and marketing features, but if you can afford one that does your business will benefit. Having the ability to generate sales quotes, follow up on leads and track your sales can be very helpful with growing your customer base and increasing revenue. The best solutions also have forecasting capabilities for marketing campaigns.
EMPLOYEE SUPPORT FUNCTIONS
What if you could track your employee’s performance while you track your customers? You can. A good CRM solution will allow you to capture information on which employees assisted your customers. Not only will this help you stay up to speed on what’s going on, it will be employee reviews a snap. You can also gain valuable insight into your processes and what is going right (or wrong) within your company. The best solutions will actually allow you to create an intranet of sorts that will allow employees to collaborate.
OTHER IMPORTANT FACTORS
Once you’ve narrowed down your choices to the ones that have all the features you’d like, there are a few more criteria to consider. You’ll want a solution that is quick to learn and easy to use. The more user friendly the interface, the more successful you and your employees will be at getting the most out the software. You should also choose a solution that provides adequate customer support for those times that you just can’t figure out to make things work on your own. Not all solutions provide live support. If you’re not comfortable relying on e-mail support and waiting 24 hours for a response, look for solutions that offer direct contact.
Choosing a CRM solution is a big decision. Choosing the wrong one, could become your worst nightmare. Some robust CRM solutions include Salesforce, NetSuite, On Contact, Zoho, Batchbook, Contactme, and Nimble. By following the tips above you should be able to determine which solution is right for you.
If you're looking at CRMs, chances are you need an inventory system. We encourage you to check out our free inventory software. Signup now and enjoy free forever.
