CRM Best Practices
A CRM, or a Customer Relationship Management platform, is a tool primarily used by sales organizations as a central place to store, manage, nurture, and cultivate customer relationships via a series of sales automation, tracking, and even intuitive AI capabilities.
For an organization to make the most out of its CRM, it must also have the proper practices to make the most of what the platform offers. Designed, implemented, and executed properly, it can be the most valuable (and revenue generating) platform a company owns.
Here are a few best practice tips for CRM use:
Speed Up Tasks: The technology should work FOR you, not the other way around! Analyze your organizational requirements to determine the repetitive tasks, then use CRM automation features for efficiency and effectiveness. Some platforms will offer features to automate mundane everyday tasks. These will allow users to add actions, schedule tasks, and monitor workflows.
Simplify Workflows: Simplicity is key. Visit every process to figure out if anything can be simplified or reduced to a few steps. Talk to other teams like marketing and sales to identify what other functions can be added to or created to a list of repetitive tasks. Like we stated earlier, revisit what tasks can be accomplished through an automated process.
Be Proactive: Staying ahead of the competition will always serve an organization well. Make use of intelligent CRM analytics offered in order to identify new opportunities and address customer needs that might arise. This will help avoid potential concerns or help organizations prepare, should any problems come up. Agile CRMs will offer insightful analytics to uncover new market opportunities.
Put Data to Use: Are you using your CRM analytics to offer better customer experiences? If not, this is your sign to do so! Use the analytics provided by CRM software by putting the right strategies and resources into place. This will help generate data that leads to better marketing strategies.
Quickly Adapt to Changes: We've heard the saying, "Change is the only constant in the world." 2020 was the embodiment of that life lesson. That's why it's essential to be dynamic when approaching changes. Adopt a flexible approach and adopt an open mind to what customers will need as the environment creates new pain points.
Use AI to Enhance: AI might be one of the biggest trends in the world of CRM; therefore, it should be top of mind with CRM best practices moving forward. Using AI-based predictive analytics will undoubtedly lend itself to preparing companies for growth. AI can also help an organization prepare for contingencies and brand damage. CRM analytics tools such as social listening and predictive analysis will assist in this facet.
Establish & Implement KPIs: The only way to make measurable improvements is to define important KPIs. Defined KPIs will help guide any organization toward quantitative results and qualitative metrics that measure performance. This will allow for practical progress to be made as well.
Know Your CRM Features: It's important to know what you're signing up for when adopting a new CRM. CRM solutions like Agile CRM feature a hefty amount of customer experience features to offer seamless digital experiences. Make the most of features such as live chat for timely support, integrating customer data throughout all departments, and a 360 view to create the best customer experiences.
Collaborate: Ultimately, collaborating with all stakeholders needing access to the CRM will ensure that a thorough CRM strategy is in place. When everyone can work together and speak to what they need to provide the best services, it's easier to gauge what isn't required. Combine the efforts of sales, marketing, and customer services teams for the best possible outcome.
Picking a CRM is difficult enough; maintaining it and creating smooth best practices is another story entirely. Let's chat through what these best practices can do for your organization!
