There are a plethora of software-as-a-service solutions available today. From project management to customer relationship management, businesses are using these tools to become more efficient. There’s just one problem. Many of these solutions aren’t solutions at all—instead they’re creating new challenges for businesses.
CRM is one of the most necessary and utilized SaaS solutions available today. Still, a 2013 Forrester study found that poor CRM strategies caused significant problems for 40% of respondents, and 42% cited user issues.
While CRM is a powerful tool to help close more leads and encourage repeat business, it will fail without an effective strategy in place. If your business is struggling to reap the benefits of your current system, here are a few tips to painlessly switch to a new CRM and implement a stronger strategy.
Start With a Holistic Approach
Before you can dig into the details and find the perfect new CRM for your company, you need to understand what you’re trying to accomplish.
Questions to consider:
- What experience do you want your customer to have with your brand?
- What are the current roadblocks holding you back from providing that experience?
- How can you overcome those roadblocks? What will CRM success look like?
- What are the metrics you need to track using your CRM?
With these answers, you’ll have a better understanding of what you’re looking for and how you will use your new CRM solution.
Craft Your CRM Strategy
With the foundation in place, you’re ready to start defining your CRM strategy. As you pull your strategy together, consider the following:
- How will each person use the CRM across the organization to achieve success?
- What will the customer’s journey look like throughout the buying cycle and while engaging with different areas of your company?
- What are the action items that must happen to make this experience a success?
- How will you train your staff on how to use the CRM effectively?
- As you implement the CRM, how will you collect feedback?
- Who is responsible for maintaining the CRM?
- How will you know when you’ve reached a level of success?
There are a variety of levels at play here. From the start of your customer’s journey to the post-purchase follow up and re-purchase nurturing, your company has a variety of touchpoints with your buyers.
Outlining each of these touchpoints defines how each department will engage with your buyer for the maximum success. It ensures no one drops the ball during any stage so your customer has a seamless experience throughout their entire time working with your business.
Next Steps
Ultimately, your CRM strategy is built around your customers and how you will respond to their needs.
- Define your customer’s needs.
- Map out your buyer’s journey.
- Strategize how you’ll use your CRM to compliment that journey.
- Define your processes.
- Outline the requirements you need from your CRM.
- Train your employees on how to use the new CRM to drive their success.
The more you define the big picture, the clearer your strategy becomes. Then, it’s a matter of putting the right service in the right hands of your employees to empower them to make a bigger impact on your buyers. After all, they’re at the heart of everything you do.
At Insightly, we have a CRM for all kinds of businesses and all kinds of users. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.
