While the vast majority of companies claim that customer focus and customer management are important to them, they still fail to take steps to improve them.
However, we at 5mart.studio not only say cool slogans but act accordingly. The first step being choosing the most suitable CRM system for us and switching to it.
What is CRM? What do you use it for? What is it good for? I will present these now, through our example.
CRM is an acronym for Customer Relationship Manager. Not surprisingly, it is used to effectively manage the relationship with your customers. Now let’s see the features it has:
You can collect leads in the CRM system, and potential future customers will be entered here in the phase of interest. In 5mart.studio, this is the ‘Lead Management’ board, on this interface we collect leads, contact information, and the current status. In this interface, you should collect the contacts that can be used to make successful deals later!
- You can collect leads in the CRM system. Potential future customers will be entered here in case they seem interested. In our 5mart.studio, this is the ‘Lead Management’ board, on this interface we collect leads, contact information, and the current status. In this interface, you should collect the contacts that can be used to make successful deals later!
- In the CRM system, there are all your customers, clients in one database. If a lead on the ‘Lead Management’ board is interested, it is automatically transferred to the ‘Contacts’ board, where all customers’ names, companies, and contact details are listed. You must collect all your existing customers on this board as well!
- In the CRM system, you can also track sales processes. From the ‘Lead Management’ board, real inquiries are also transferred to the ‘Deals Pipeline’ board. This is one of the most important boards. Here you can keep track of many things: what deals are being made, what stage the process is at, what the priority of the deal is, when was the last interaction, and when to contact the customer next time. When the time for the next interaction comes, a notification is sent automatically. In addition, it is worthwhile to note here the value of the deal and what the chances are that the deal will be successful. When the process reaches the point of quote making, it is moved to the ‘Price Offer’ group using automation and the colleagues who need to compile the quote are notified. Once we have sent the quote to the customer, the deal will be moved to the ‘Waiting for reply’ group. Finally, it is also transferred to the ‘Won’ group using automation if the customer accepts our offer. (If the client does not accept it, it will be moved to ‘Lost’) This board can also be used to track the expected and aggregate revenue of the company.
- The CRM system also helps in project management. Projects that have finally been won and have ‘Won’ status on the ‘Deals Pipeline’ board will be transferred through automation to the ‘Planning’ group on the ‘Overall PM’ board, where implementation planning can begin. Once the timeline has been created and the project is given the status of ‘Working on it, it is transferred to the ‘Production’ group, where the project type is then assigned. Depending on whether the project is a development or design task, the project is moved to the ‘Design tasks’ or ‘Dev tasks’ board, where each project is presented in much more detail. Lots of small tasks, subitems are created within the project with statuses and timelines. These boards also have an overview view, which is useful because here the CRM system generates a summary of the capacity of the team members and the entire team. This can also be useful for resource planning.
- Store your important documents in the CRM system! For each project, you have the option to upload documents related to the project, so you can always double-check what kind of quote you made, what calculation was made, and so on.
- You can also create a table in CRM for billing, which helps you meet deadlines on time and sends a timely notification to whoever owns it within the company.
- CRM also offers marketing automation in the form of a newsletter or automatic email. The system helps with sending an email to the customer, exactly when it is needed.
- There is also a calendar and reminder function in CRM.
- Many other applications can be integrated into a CRM system. (Gmail and its other features, Slack, etc.)
All in all, we can only recommend the introduction of a CRM system to every company, as it facilitates the sales process and helps with marketing and project management. The return on sales figures can also be seen in the short term.
There are many CRM systems on the market, and closer inspection is key in this regard, as everyone has different needs. Every CRM system has a different focus: there are some where the emphasis is put on marketing, some feature sales above all, while some provide better tools for project management. There are CRM systems that are ideal for smaller companies, while some serve large or multi-companies better.
Do thorough research, choose the right CRM system for you, switch to it, and increase your company’s sales. Get started today!
