What is a CRM in simple terms?

Creating the right tools for your business

A CRM, or customer relationship management system, is a software solution that helps businesses manage their interactions with customers and potential customers. It can be used to track all of your customer and business data in one place, including contact information, financial data, and communication history. CRMs can also be used to automate tasks, such as sending out messages and notification, tracking leads or managing access controls to your systems.

Your CRM is your digital cockpit to keep everything under control and allows you to navigate your business with the support of multiple co-pilots.

Benefits of using a CRM

There are many benefits to using a CRM, including:

• Improved customer relationships: By having all of your customer data in one place, you can easily track your interactions with each customer and build stronger relationships.
• Increased sales: CRMs can help you identify and track sales leads, which can lead to increased sales.
• Improved customer service: CRMs can help you resolve customer issues more quickly and efficiently.
• Increased productivity: CRMs can automate tasks, such as sending out email campaigns or tracking leads, which can save you time and money.

What are the different types of CRMs?

There are three main types of CRMs:

• Operational CRMs: These CRMs are designed to help businesses automate tasks and workflows.
• Analytical CRMs: These CRMs are designed to help businesses track and analyse customer data.
• Collaborative CRMs: These CRMs are designed to help businesses collaborate with each other on customer-related tasks.

Most businesses that we work with require a mixture of these elements which is a benefit of custom developed systems..

Creating the right CRM for your business

When scoping a CRM, it is important to consider the size of your business, your budget, and your specific needs. Some things to keep in mind include:

Keep in mind the essential features you need: Make sure the CRM you are developing has the features you need, such as contact management, lead tracking, data imports and exports, and automated communications/notification.

Data is going to be an important part of your development and adding data from spreadsheets or another CRM system will speed up this process.

Set up your workflows for common tasks, this will allow you to automate and manage these processes creating more valuable time for you and your team. During the scoping process it is important to involve people who have daily interactions with these processes as they are the experts in this part of your business.

Why should you take the next steps with your CRM planning?

A CRM can be a valuable tool for any business. By using a CRM, you can improve your customer relationships, increase sales, error proof data management and improve customer service. If you are not using a CRM yet, we encourage you to consider doing so.

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