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As a leader, your mission is to deliver business results. And at the core of this mission are your customers and employees.
That's why you work hard to set your team up for success by staffing the right people, setting a positive culture, and motivating your team. But what tools are you providing your team to deliver these business results?
If you do not have a customer relationship management system (CRM) — or your current CRM system is outdated — you could handicap your team instead of empowering them.
A CRM system allows you to effectively manage your customer and prospect relationships. It helps your employees deliver business results by minimizing the time they spend on low-value tasks, thereby freeing up time to build customer relationships and deliver solutions.
So whether your current CRM is paper-based, on-premise, or cloud-based, there may be an opportunity to update your technology or processes to increase productivity and revenue. In a new e-book, Frost & Sullivan identified four categories that companies fall into when it comes to CRM, as well as the steps that leaders in each category can take to modernize their current systems.
We encourage you to check out the full report, but we've also provided descriptions of each category below (from least to most sophisticated) so you can figure out where your company falls and what opportunities might be on your horizon. Here they are:
Your organization currently uses a non-digitized CRM system. This requires a lot of upkeep by your employees. But an update to your CRM to automate and optimize information across the company could minimize manual work for your employees.
But first, you must commit to change. This can be the hardest part for many but investing in a modern CRM today will greatly pay off tomorrow. Involve key internal stakeholders from the very start and don't be afraid to leverage your CRM vendor to help make the case.
Your organization uses digitized methods, primarily spreadsheets, or a similarly basic system. An update could deliver a more customized sales process, a better way to qualify and nurture leads, and the ability to track all customer interactions in real time.
To do so, you must first assess your organization's current processes, methods, and systems. Understanding your current landscape will help you identify the options and features you need most in an all-encompassing platform.
Your organization deployed a CRM system years ago but hasn’t upgraded it since. You could be missing out on important technology that allows your salespeople to access information anywhere and anytime.
To take full advantage of today's CRM technology, you must first understand what's available today and what capabilities your current system is lacking. Mobile capabilities, for example, allow your employees to access customer data from virtually anywhere. Social capabilities, on the other hand, allow your marketing department to understand every touch point your customers have with your company.
Your organization actively uses an omnichannel CRM; however, you're still lacking the latest and greatest technology. With an updated CRM, you could close leads faster and improve forecasting accuracy via advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning.
To take your CRM to the next level, you must first determine whether your system uses AI and machine learning. With the help of these modern technologies, your organization can work smarter, not harder. AI can help your salespeople understand which leads to prioritize as well as how to forecast more accurately.
Curious about the additional steps your organization should take to update your CRM? Read Frost & Sullivan’s “Modern-day Sales Team, Yesterday’s CRM?” to better understand where your organization falls and what three steps you can take to move towards a more modern and powerful CRM platform today.
