CRM system, what it is – a complete guide

Content

1. What is CRM in simple words
2. Why does a company need a CRM system and what are the main advantages of implementation
3. For whom is a CRM automation system suitable, and for whom it is not needed?
4. Integration of the CRM system – what it is and how it will benefit the business
5. How to understand whether a customer interaction CRM system is necessary for your company?
6. What additional features does CRM management provide?
7. In which areas are CRM systems most often used?
8. CRM system: how to make the right choice?
9. Summary

In the life of every company, there comes a period when existing methods of interaction with customers become old and no longer give the desired result. Business growth and scaling require new, more efficient tools for work. And this is where CRM comes to the rescue – a customer relationship management system that helps to properly build all processes in the company for increased sales and increased profits.

In this article, we will tell you in detail what a CRM system is, what are the main advantages of its implementation, which companies need it, and how to choose the right platform based on your goals.

What is CRM in simple words?

Despite the fact that the implementation of any IT product in the company is a rather complicated process, let’s try to explain what CRM is in simple words. Often, at the beginning of any company, all customer data is collected in Excel tables, and the more information you accumulate, the more difficult it is to find something at the right time. Now imagine that you open your table, click on the client’s name – and immediately see the entire history of working with him. For example, when was the first contact with the client, which of the managers worked with him, whether a commercial proposal was sent, what purchases were made and when. If you need to send a message or letter to the client, create a document or transfer this contact to another manager – all this is done in one click in CRM. As a result, all issues are resolved much faster, you save time and get a fairly loyal client.

And this is just a small example of how CRM helps to optimize work in the company and make it more convenient. What other possibilities does the CRM system have:

• automation of business processes;
• setting tasks and monitoring their execution;
• formation of document flow;
• creation of online reports;
• sales planning and control;
• integration with messengers, telephony, social networks, e-mail, delivery services, etc.

Why does a company need a CRM system and what are the main advantages of implementation

In short, what a CRM automation system provides to a company is that it helps to increase profits faster and easier. The very name CRM (Customer Relationship Management) translates as “customer relationship management”, and the main goal of implementation is to create a system that can attract as many new leads as possible and turn them into regular customers.

Key advantages of the CRM system:

• database management
• creating a sales surge
• reporting on key performance indicators
• optimization of communication within the company
• the ability to create individual system settings when exiting
• from the specifics of the company’s work.

The basis of any CRM is a database, and it is not only about customers, but also about employees, suppliers, contractors, and partners. Having the opportunity not only to systematize this information, but also to carefully analyze it, you will be able to build an interaction strategy in the best way. This principle is the basis of CRM marketing. Using the existing data about your customers, you can easily create a portrait of them, segment them and set up relevant advertising campaigns for each segment. Is it worth mentioning that you can organize all marketing activities in the CRM system itself? Collect data from social networks, landing pages and lead forms, send personalized SMS, e-mails or messages to messengers, track which of the channels was the most effective and analyze statistics.

In addition, the CRM system is also an assistant in the organization of processes within the company. Improved communication between employees and departments, setting tasks with clear deadlines and monitoring their implementation as a result contribute to the fact that the entire team works as a single coordinated mechanism.

Integration of the CRM system — what it is and how it will benefit the business

In addition to connecting to the company’s website, CRM systems can also integrate with other services and applications. Some platforms have built-in integrations that you can use immediately after implementing the system. In others, these integrations need to be added additionally, and here you can’t do without the help of a programmer. But in any case, once you integrate the necessary services and sites with your CRM, you will form a single ecosystem in which all data from different sources will be taken into account.

The most popular integrations include:

• online store or marketplace
• social media
• IP telephony
• warehouse and accounting programs
• mass mailing services
• analytics and reporting services.

Let’s consider in more detail the benefits of such integrations.

Strengthening customer loyalty

The CRM customer interaction system is built in such a way to guide leads through the sales funnel with the least amount of losses. And this means that at each stage we organize convenient communication with the client, close his objections and provide a product or service that meets his needs. For example, during an incoming call, CRM opens the client’s card to us, and we immediately address him by name, we already know what request he called last time, we send him a reminder about an upcoming meeting or an SMS with the TTN number from the transport company. All these minor moments form a loyal attitude of customers and encourage them to return to us again.

An increase in the average check

Thanks to the segmentation discussed above, we clearly understand the behavioral factors and preferences of each customer group. This means that we will be able to set up advertising campaigns for them with special offers for those goods and services they were interested in before, carry out up-selling and form proposals for their requests.

Increasing employee productivity

One of the purposes for which the CRM system is implemented in the company is to simplify the work of employees. Some of the routine processes are automated and completely removed from managers, so they free up time for more global and important tasks. A convenient calendar will help organize the employee’s working hours, and the manager will always be aware of where his subordinate is now and what project he is working on.

Increasing conversion of applications to deals

Thanks to a clearly built system, you will always see at which stage of the sales breakthrough the client is and what actions need to be taken to close the deal. There will be no situations when the client placed an order on the website, and the manager forgot to call back, or when a product is displayed on the website, which in fact does not exist.

Increase in sales

Regardless of the size of the company and the field of business, the implementation and proper configuration of CRM will definitely lead to the growth of the company. This, in particular, is facilitated by:

• improved search, sorting and qualification of leads;
• systematic and timely tracking of sales opportunities;
• setting priorities and building the following actions;
• a rapid increase in the indicators of achieving the goal.

As you can see, a company’s CRM system is able to streamline all processes, build a sales pipeline, automate key tasks and analyze all customer data in one centralized location, potentially increasing sales and productivity.

How to understand whether a customer interaction CRM system is necessary for your company?

The following factors may indicate that you should consider implementing a CRM:

1. There are so many incoming calls that managers simply get lost in them.
2. The number of leads is increasing, but most of them are weeded out in the first stages of the sales surge.
3. The sales department expands, managers change, and the entire history of working with a client becomes unavailable to other employees.
4. The company has many small routine processes that take up employees’ time, not allowing them a huge amount of time, preventing employees from concentrating on the most important tasks.
5. Every day you have to look at many reports from different areas, but none of them show the big picture and you don’t have clear and understandable analytics.

If at least one of the factors listed above is present in your company, for you the CRM system is no longer a whim, but a vital necessity.

What additional features does CRM management provide?

In addition to the advantages we talked about above, each CRM also has a number of additional functions that can simplify many processes in the company and make them more efficient. These include:

• Integration with IP telephony, thanks to which all calls will be automatically distributed between managers, entered into the system and stored in the client’s card.
• Customer segmentation based on specified criteria. You can sort contacts by location, gender, age, buyer stage, and more.
• Sending e-mails and SMS messages to a list of contacts.
• Creation of accounting documents according to established templates.
• Tracking of movement and balances of funds.
• Task planning with subsequent tracking of execution stages, time spent and work efficiency of each employee.
• Integration of all communication channels and combining them within the framework of one system (social networks, messengers, e-mail).
• Creating a single ecosystem for all employees where they can send each other notes or alerts, tag each other in projects and communicate in internal chats.

In which areas are CRM systems used most often?

Regardless of the direction of business and the specifics of internal processes, there are a number of common problems that companies in various fields may face and which a well-thought-out management system can solve. Today, CRM systems are used in almost all industries:

• Wholesale and retail trade (and primarily online stores)
• Services (beauty salons, car washes, education and others)
• Production (from hand-made craftsmen to large industrial enterprises)
• Insurance services
• Construction, sale and lease of real estate
• IT (including startups)
• HoReCa (restaurant and hotel business)

CRM system: how to make the right choice?

In the process of implementing a CRM system, the selection stage is, in our opinion, key. What criteria should be taken into account when choosing:

1. If there is a profile solution for your business, it is better to choose it. Even if it is more expensive to buy such a system, it will save a lot of money in the future on subsequent adjustments.
2. If there is no ready-made solution, pay attention to the capabilities of the system. It is better for small companies to opt for simple systems without complex settings that will be easy to use. If you have a large company with many business processes, it is important to choose a platform with a wide range of capabilities.
3. Pay attention to the presence of ready-made integrations in the systems (Internet banking, telephony, delivery services, social networks, messengers, and others). It is almost impossible to work without them, so it is better if they are present in the chosen CRM.
4. Analyze not only current business processes, but also your vision of the company’s development in the future. If you plan to scale, increase the number of employees, develop new directions and areas of business, the chosen CRM should satisfy not only today’s company demands, but also those that may arise in the future.

We provide complex implementation of CRM systems and select the optimal platform, analyzing business processes and taking into account the peculiarities of each company. The solutions we implement:

Zoho – a powerful platform that can be customized for any business task.

Creatio – one of the best solutions for managing sales in companies of any size with virtually no limitations.

Odoo – a system with flexible capabilities for optimizing most company processes on a single platform.

Pipedrive – a simple and clear system for sales that does not require serious efforts to implement.

NetHunt – a Ukrainian CRM with a convenient interface that can be easily customized to meet the needs of your business.

HubSpot – an ideal solution for companies in the B2B segment that want to systematize their sales and marketing processes.

Let’s summarize

As you can see, the CRM system has a positive effect on business operations in almost any area. This is the foundation without which it is difficult to imagine the development of the company, its scaling and reaching a new level. At the same time, everyone will benefit from the implementation of CRM – managers who can perform their work faster and more efficiently; chiefs who are easier to make management decisions based on current data; customers who receive the best service and satisfaction of their needs.

The main thing to remember is that there is no such thing as a good or bad CRM system – it all depends on how well the chosen solution suits your company. Conduct a detailed audit of your business processes, study existing platforms and their features, and if necessary, contact professionals who specialize in the selection and implementation of CRM. And although it is sometimes difficult to change the usual management system, with the right choice and competent setup, the effect of CRM implementation more than compensates for the monetary and time investments.