CRM Blog Posts – Page 41

February 24, 2016

Want to close more deals? Clean up Your Sales Pipeline

Ask any small business owner or salesperson about a missed sale, and they’re likely to remember a time or two when one piece of information could’ve won the business. What’s worse, they likely had that key detail, but it was buried in their customer relationship management (CRM) system and not easily accessible. A poorly organized or difficult to use CRM makes it almost impossible for your team to access the data they need when they need it.

For example, Woof and Brew, a company that develops and sells herbal teas for dogs, struggled with CRM tools created for larger companies. The complexity of the tool led to disorganized information, and the lack of integrations with other solutions it used made the tool a poor fit. When every piece of sales technology is entirely disparate or requires a lengthy onboarding process, the result is an inefficient and disorganized sales pipeline. You and your team don’t want to spend time searching for information. Prospect and customer data needs to be organized and easily discoverable.

Small businesses don’t typically have the manpower available to keep their sales pipelines tightly organized at all times. Centercode, which offers SaaS-based best test management solutions, conducts a significant amount of its sales and customer correspondence over email. Inevitably, some account details were entered into its CRM incorrectly or not at all. This led to missed opportunities that no small business can afford. Integrations between CRMs and other tools, like Gmail, Google Docs and Office 365, have emerged as a powerful solution for aggregating and organizing information. The more personalized experiences a small business can offer its prospects and customers, the more it will stand out against competitors.

The sales pipeline is the lifeblood of any company. It needs to be full and constantly replenished with new opportunities as deals come and go. It’s not enough just to identify new prospects, you need to keep advancing existing relationships. In order to achieve this, your sales pipeline and all of the data within it must be accurate and clean. This will help your team to provide prospects and customers with the best service and information needed to expand sales.

A comprehensive, fully integrated CRM can transform your small business’ sales. Our e-book, Make Your Sales Soar: Insightly for small business sales, will show you how.

At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a huge variety of verticals. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.

February 23, 2016

Tech Terms 101

Turn It Up Tuesday: Tips from Insightly to Take Your Business to 11

Welcome to Turn It Up Tuesday, where we bring you 3 weekly tips—a tip on running your business, a tip on using Insightly CRM, and a tip on improving your life. Enjoy this week’s tips!

	Technology Terms 101
	The business world is awash with technology terms and acronyms. For those of us who work in high tech, it’s practically a requirement that we stay up to date on the latest jargon. But what about the rest of the small business world? You want the technology tools you need to get the job done without having to look up new terms left and right. Here’s a short list of contemporary tech terms (per Webopedia) to keep on hand: Customer Relationship Management Software CRM software helps businesses meet overall customer relationship management goals. CRM software provides a business with actionable customer insights. Virtual Merchant A merchant that uses a website as a platform for selling goods and services. Virtual merchants engage in e-commerce, accepting electronic payments from customers online. Cloud Hosting Hosting services that are provided to customers via multiple connected servers that comprise a cloud, as opposed to being provided by a single server or virtual server. Email Marketing A type of direct digital marketing that uses electronic mail (also called email or e-mail) as the marketing communication delivery method. Managed Service provider A Managed Service Provider (MSP), also called a Management Service Provider, is a company that manages information technology services for other companies via the Web. An MSP client may use internal operations or an ASP to run its business functions.
	Linking Files to Insightly Records
	If you’re using Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, or OneDrive, you can keep your files where they are and link them to your Insightly records. You can also upload files directly to Insightly. Insightly supports both drag-and-drop file uploads and multi-file uploads. Which you can use will depend on your browser. (As of this writing, Internet Explorer does not support the drag-and-drop option.) For example, to use the drag-and-drop file option do the following: Open the record and click the Files subtab. You will be asked if you wish to upload the files. Your browser will upload the files to Insightly.
	A Healthy (Helpful) Herd Mentality
	Have you ever heard of the term “horse sense?” The loose dictionary definition describes it as making good judgements based on common sense. What if you could carry your natural horse sense to a new (and quite literal) level to become a more effective leader? It turns out you can with the help of actual horses. Programs such as those offered by The Academy for Coaching With Horses offer unique leadership programs that help people become more self-aware about their leadership style by becoming mindful of their body language and the effect that it has horses. Described in the program as “wise mentors,” horses are prey animals and their natural flight instinct helps that accurately mirror their human partners by responding to emotions and intentions that are conveyed through a human’s body language. Check out Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial of the best CRM around. Send Us Your Tips. Would you like to share your tips with Insightly customers? Send them to us! If we use one in our weekly feature we’ll send you a $10 Amazon Gift Card! Contact us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or send us an email. About the author: Marta Bright is Insightly’s Content Manager. She’s been writing about the “business of technology” in the Silicon Valley for more than a decade.

February 18, 2016

Visual Reporting With Insightly and Microsoft Power BI

With the recent release of Insightly’s Advanced Reporting, you gain a better understanding of your CRM data. This powerful tool provides a platform for you to create, share, and schedule custom reports. With this new generation of reporting, you can select and filter your Insightly data in powerful ways to get the answers you need, when you need them.

We are excited to share the news that Advanced Reporting is now even more robust with the recent release of its connectivity with Microsoft Power BI, a suite of business analytics tools to analyze data and share insights.

By using Insightly and Power BI together, you can monitor your business and get answers fast through visually-detailed dashboards that are available across multiple platforms, including mobile devices. Getting connected is a fast process. You can use your Insightly API key to authorize your account. Once the connection has been made, Power BI will automatically create a dashboard, report, and dataset with data from Insightly.

February 18, 2016

Insightly Comes Out a Winner at Xerocon London

It was an exciting week for the Insightly team in London while attending Xerocon 2016. The conference surpassed our expectations with more than 1,400 customers, partners, and technology enthusiasts all gathering under one roof. Our days were jam-packed between the informative sessions, hands-on expert workshops, keynote speeches, and awards ceremony. We also lead our own session in which we introduced Insightly and talked about how it’s helping accounting professionals around the globe.

The highlight of the event was when Insightly took home the award for emerging add-on partner of the year. The winner had to demonstrate excellent customer care, design quality, functionality, and technical innovation–all contributing to both commercial success and customer satisfaction. Since launching as a Xero add-on six months ago, there’s been a significant uptick in adoption across the U.K. and abroad. We have also been working closely with Xero’s Developer Evangelists to make sure we’re delivering a best-in-class Xero integration.

We’re excited to be recognized for the hard work that the entire team has put into making the Xero integration the best it can be. But more importantly, we’re proud that our customers, from accounting professionals to SMBs and SMEs, are finding value and improving the way they manage their businesses.

February 17, 2016

How Do Millennials Shop?

Born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, Millennials today span ages from roughly 15 to 35. Now in their prime consuming years, they hold a massive sway at retail, commanding some $600 billion in annual retail purchases.

Millennials are often seen as a difficult generation for retailers to reach, suspicious of big business, unwilling to commit to large purchases, and generally flighty as far as customers go. But is that reputation warranted? Here are five aspects of how Millennials shop – particularly as it relates to online purchasing – that can inform how you reach out to these critical customers.

Showrooming is Rampant

The rise of mobile devices can be felt no more strongly than in the hands of Millennials, who have adopted smart phones to a degree unmatched by any other demographic. Over 85 percent of this generation owns a smart phone (compared to 71 percent of the total U.S. population), and they are almost invariably seen as essential parts of their daily lives. As shopping goes, Millennials rely heavily on these devices to research products, find the best deal, download coupons, and (especially) read reviews.

It’s important to think of showrooming not as a threat but as an opportunity: While some offline shoppers turn to online when a better deal is found, increasingly we’re seeing that the reverse is true as well. Millennials are more likely to find a great product online, then make a final purchase in a local store. For online retailers, the key is to grab shoppers no matter which side of that fence they’re on – through offering more and more detailed product information than competitors, smart and curated reviews, and competitive pricing.

Brands Need a Strong Social Media Presence

You’ve heard this one before, but when it comes to Millennials, figuring out your social media strategy is critically important. Don’t worry too much about being cute and clever on Twitter. When it comes to Millennials and brands on social, it’s all about getting access to bargains or coupons. Accenture notes that to be successful, “a brand or product must become a routine part of [Millennial] conversations concerning product information, updates and special offers.” That means talking up popular products and ensuring deals are worthwhile. Pay special attention not to step on toes or, for example, hijack the wrong hashtag. Social media backlash can quickly kill a business with this demographic.

Impulse Buys Are Common

Millennials are famous for “living in the moment,” and that can be seen in the way they shop. More than other demographics, Millennials are more likely to make last-minute purchasing decisions – and are 52 percent more likely to purchase items they don’t really need. Marketers can use this information to their advantage whether or not they are selling products with genuine utility by simply playing up the more luxurious or fanciful aspects of the product rather than (or alongside) any tangible benefits. This doesn’t mean you should position, say, a home security system as useless – but if said system is fashionable and fits in with modern décor, well, all the better.

Millennials Are More Brand Loyal Than You Think

It’s easy to think of Millennials as erratic and unserious, but consider the devotion to brands like Apple, Vans, and American Eagle and it’s easy to see that brand loyalty doesn’t just exist among Millennials, it’s thriving. Frequent shopper deals and loyalty programs are especially hot with Millennials. 77 percent of Millennials are part of a loyalty program, and 78 percent say they are more likely to shop at a store that offers a reward program over one that doesn’t. That intersection of both loyalty and cost consciousness can be a huge boon to retailers who offer a compelling deal to repeat customers.

Brick and Mortar Isn’t Dead with Millennials

Do Millennials eschew the mall in favor of staring at their phones? Not at all. They’re still staring at those screens, mind you – they’re just doing it in public. Like all demographics, Millennials also want to try out products in person before they buy, and they’re not afraid of getting out of the house any more than any other generation. What they do want, however, is a shopping experience that seamlessly melds both online and offline elements. Consider, for example, the digital coupon. Millennials are generally happy to engage with mobile coupons, but ask them to print it out on paper and bring it to the store instead of just flashing a phone screen and they’ll probably walk right out the door.

About the Author: Christopher Null is an award-winning business and technology journalist. His work frequently appears on Wired, PC World, and TechBeacon. Follow him on Twitter @christophernull.

February 16, 2016

Keep Them Coming Back for More

Turn It Up Tuesday: Tips from Insightly to Take Your Business to 11

Welcome to Turn It Up Tuesday, where we bring you 3 weekly tips—a tip on running your business, a tip on using Insightly CRM, and a tip on improving your life. Enjoy this week’s tips!

	Fresh Ideas for Delighting Your Customers
	Customers are the life blood of every business and there’s always something new to be learned about what keeps us happy and purchasing. Join us on Wednesday, February 17^th, at 11:00 am, PST, for a TwitterChat with customer service expert and bestselling author, Shep Hyken. Since founding Shepard Presentations in 1983, Shep has worked with hundreds of clients ranging from Fortune 100 size organizations to companies with less than 50 employees. With over 60,000 Twitter followers, Shep has captured the attention of many business owners. Mark your calendar and tune into #LoveYourCRM.
	Deleting Individual Records
	There are several ways to delete data in Insightly. You can delete individual records or groups of records. Deletions are permanent, so deleted records cannot be recovered! Open the record you would like to delete. Click the Actions menu. Select the Delete option. 4. Read the warnings on the next page and click the Delete button to confirm.
	Drink Up for Better Brainpower
	According to the Frontiers in Human Neuroscience Journal, when you drink only water for 30 days, your brain reacts faster. In fact, ingesting 8 to 10 cups of water per day can improve your cognitive performance by as much as 30%. Check out Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial of the best CRM around. Send Us Your Tips. Would you like to share your tips with Insightly customers? Send them to us! If we use one in our weekly feature we’ll send you a $10 Amazon Gift Card! Contact us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or send us an email. About the author: Marta Bright is Insightly’s Content Manager. She’s been writing about the “business of technology” in the Silicon Valley for more than a decade.

February 11, 2016

I’m a Teacher, What the Heck is CRM?

In education, as teachers we are faced with a veritable alphabet soup of acronyms. From STEM to STEAM, to the SATs, MAP testing, ESL, IEPs, GPAs, and the PTO, the last thing you probably want to hear about is CRM.

Here’s the crazy thing, though—using CRM software (unlike many of those other acronyms) can actually make your life easier and make you a more effective teacher.

CRM stands for customer (client or constituent) relationship management…and before you say, “but I don’t have customers, I’m a teacher,” think of the word customer a little differently. Customers can be defined as “those who give you money for goods or services,” OR customers can be defined as “a person you communicate with.” Think of students, parents, school board, funders, alumni and community members, and even your fellow faculty members as your customers.

Small businesses see the value in CRM. Large businesses have been using them for years and years. Higher education teachers and administration may already be using a CRM, and your district office, or private school business office, may be using CRM software in one form or another. Accessibility, ease of use and low cost makes it easy to get started, and now is the time to bring CRM into your classroom.

How CRM Works

CRM is simply software to help you manage your relationships. You probably use a calendar program already, and a grade book and report card software. You might have software to communicate with parents, and another type of software you use for your class blog. You might use social media for your class, and communicate with a school portal.

CRM can help you manage your calendar and tasks, track communication, schedule and streamline your lesson planning and keep track of important information about each student or family under your tutelage. The best thing is—you can do it all in one place!

You can customize workflows, to help with your lesson preparation and planning. You can prioritize your tasks (no more running to the office for copies at the last minute, or realizing you have scheduled not one, but two parent meetings during your 20 minute lunch break).

Insightly is integrated with MailChimp, which you may already be using to send out newsletters and parent memos. You can streamline parent communication and contact information, and save yourself from searching through student’s files when you need to reach parents quickly.

Insightly is also integrated with Gmail, Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote and many of the other software tools you use already. Think of it as a one-stop shop to manage all of your communication with parents and students, as well as a way to organize, manage and prioritize your work.

CRM and Fundraising

One place CRM shines for all non-profits is fundraising. If you’re in education, you are probably constantly focused on the bottom line. How many of us have had to pay for student items out of pocket, or worked on a PTO fundraiser or event to bring in money for the school? What about grant writing?

With budget cuts in district offices, teachers are often tasked with writing their own grant requests and reaching out to community funders and businesses for donations. CRM can easily help you manage those deadlines, nurture your relationships, and keep track of past donations. It is vital for stewardship and continued donor outreach.

Selling ads for student calendars or programs, or helping your Booster club build up and keep track of their funding base is another area where CRM can help your PTO, staff and volunteers really keep track. Speaking of volunteers—imagine being able to quickly access the contact information for your volunteers, see when they last helped and what their areas of expertise are, and send them a quick message! It’s possible, and even simple if you have the right CRM software.

Alumni

Another area where CRM can play a critical role is when it comes to tracking and contacting alumni. In this day and age, even elementary schools are trying to keep a handle on the wonderful things their students go on to do after graduation. As a teacher, it can be rewarding to hear of their success, yes, but it can also be an amazing resource for your classroom. Imagine having a database of potential guest speakers, experts who have a tie a love of your school, and with whom you share a connection.

Alumni make great supporters, advocates, future parents and volunteers. Don’t let them leave your classroom and disappear. Instead, keep in touch to share updates and information. Connect with your alumni through social media and invite them to read your class blog. CRM software makes it easy to update past and present students you teach and inspire.

Teaching is a tough (and sometimes thankless) job. Make your job a little easier with the right tools to succeed.

Jennifer Huber is the Development and Community Relations Director for Milwaukee’s Hillel Academy. She also works as a writer, contributor and consultant for several companies, including Broydrick & Associates lobbying and public relations firm. She holds a BA in Community Leadership and Non-Profit Management from Alverno College. Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn.

A CRM system is nothing more than a database. And nowadays, that database is more than likely in the cloud. So instead of everyone having their own individual list of contacts in their email At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a huge variety of verticals. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.

About the Author: Jennifer Huber is the Development and Community Relations Director for Milwaukee’s Hillel Academy. She also works as a writer, contributor and consultant for several companies, including Broydrick & Associates lobbying and public relations firm. She holds a BA in Community Leadership and Non-Profit Management from Alverno College. Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn.

February 10, 2016

The Biggest Valentine’s Day Mistake You’ll Ever Make

My company celebrates Valentine’s Day once a month. Every month.

We do. And it’s simple. Once a month I send a box of Godiva chocolates to a current client with a note that thanks them for being a client. And then I pick out another client and schedule a reminder to send them a box of clients the following month. And so on and so on. It costs me $25 a month. And I always get some love back. Who doesn’t love Godiva chocolates??

People in long term relationships know this. We don’t wait until Valentine’s Day to tell our significant other that we love them. We say it and live it throughout the year. And the same goes for your customers. Don’t wait until Valentine’s Day to show your love. If you do then you’re making an enormous mistake. Instead, show them your love throughout the year. And use your CRM system to do this.

How do you show your love?

You use your CRM system to schedule pro-active tasks. When a product gets shipped make sure to have a task scheduled to follow-up and make sure your customer is happy. When a service problem is reported, make sure you have a task to confirm that the issue was resolved. Create alerts to remind you if a problem has been open too long. Respond to requests quickly. When a client wants you to “check back in a few months” on a question, don’t forget to do that. And when you sell something to a client schedule a follow-up to suggest other items that you sell or services you provide that could enhance their original purchase. People feel loved when they get attention.

You use your CRM system to connect your community. It doesn’t have to be Valentine’s Day to show some love to your partners. Russ, a roofing client of mine, always sends his work crews to jobs with a checklist of things to look at that have nothing to do with roofing – they walk around a customer’s property looking for any potential plumbing, electrical, landscaping or masonry problems. And then they refer the work their partners after getting the customers’ permission. Russ doesn’t ask for a referral fee. He just asks for some love back. To Russ, love is…ahem…leads. These relationships are all tracked in his CRM system where he has a database of experts for any problem and who’s been referred to who. His customers love him for looking out for them. And a few of his partners have offered to kiss him on the mouth for the leads they’ve received. Thankfully, Russ always declines. I think we can all agree that there’s a limit to love.

You use your CRM system to build data about your community. Every year I get a birthday card from a sushi restaurant I go to. A sushi restaurant! I also get birthday cards from my insurance agent, my financial planner and my Aunt Jen who’s in her 90’s and still puts a $5 dollar inside the envelope. With the exception of my aunt, these businesses track my activity in their CRM systems. Sadly, I get no birthday cards from any of my three kids – just tuition bills. But I still love them anyway. Well…most of the time. Birthdays and anniversary dates are simple to track in your CRM system. And each month you can send out cards to a list you print (or export to a mailing service).

OK, OK, do a little Valentine’s Day Marketing. Hopefully your database is in good shape – emails that are working and opt-in, reliable lists, correctly spelled names and addresses. So sure, go ahead, throw your dignity aside and do some shameless Valentine’s Day marketing. Send out a mass email to your customer list expressing your love and offering a discount or two. Create a nice postcard with a picture of you dressed as an angel wearing nothing but a diaper and a harp and send it through a mailing house to a list you’ve exported from your CRM system. Run a special contest on Facebook or Twitter and bring these engagements into your CRM system for future tracking. Do a Valentines’ Day promotional ad or online advertising and as each person is directed to your website have a web form setup for them to fill in which can be automatically captured in your CRM system for follow-up and marketing. Oh, and that angel picture? Forget that idea…it’s probably not a good one.

Yeah, Valentine’s Day is lovely. But if you want to really step it up a notch, just use your CRM system to show your love throughout the year.

A CRM system is nothing more than a database. And nowadays, that database is more than likely in the cloud. So instead of everyone having their own individual list of contacts in their email.

About the Author: Gene Marks is a small business owner, technology expert, author and columnist. He writes regularly for leading US media outlets such as The New York Times, Forbes, Inc. Magazine and Entrepreneur. He has authored five books on business management and appears regularly on Fox News, Fox Business, MSNBC and CNBC. Gene runs a ten-person CRM and technology consulting firm outside of Philadelphia. Learn more at genemarks.com

February 9, 2016

Time Savers

Turn It Up Tuesday: Tips from Insightly to Take Your Business to 11

Welcome to Turn It Up Tuesday, where we bring you 3 weekly tips—a tip on running your business, a tip on using Insightly CRM, and a tip on improving your life. Enjoy this week’s tips!

	Park It Here
	A global survey conducted by IBM in 2011 found that motorists in the U.S. waste 20 minutes of precious time in pursuit of a parking space. Not so great news for business travelers on the road. Fortunately there are some apps for that: BestParking: Available in 105 cities and 115 airports throughout North America, it will find you the best spot, no matter where you are. It even sorts spots by price, so you can instantly visualize where the most affordable (and most expensive) spots are. ParkMe: This app offers the largest and most accurate parking database in the world. With over 84,000 locations in over 64 countries, it can compare the most available spots and save every time you park. The app can even tell you where to find parking up to two weeks into the future. Parker: This app can help you find available parking spots, prices, and hours for 24,000 garages and lots. You can also filter parking spots by space, payment type, and more. Built-in GPS navigation can even guide you to the nearest open spot, so you will never have to drive around confused in a new city again. SpotHero : The app has its own dedicated unsold spots from parking facilities in the area. You can quickly reserve one of those spots from your phone and enjoy a discounted rate in the process. It is available in most large cities and is introducing new locations everyday.
	Save Time By Creating Activity Sets
	If you find that you are eating up time by entering the same tasks or events week after week to qualify leads or meet with new clients, you can build activity sets to generate those tasks or events in fewer steps. Activity sets can be applied directly to leads, contacts, organizations, opportunities and projects, and they can also be associated with stages in an opportunity or project pipeline. We’ll use the process of hiring a new staff member to illustrate how to set up and use an activity set: 1 – Task: Review resumes (due after 2 days) 2 – Task: Create short list of favored applicants (due after 3 days) 3 – Event: Phone interviews of short list (due after 4 days) 4 – Event: In-person interviews with potentials (due after 6 days) 5 – Task: Send out offer letter to successful applicant (due after 7 days) 6 – Task: Confirm acceptance and schedule orientation (due after 14 days) You must be an Insightly administrator to access the system settings. Click Profile icon > System Settings > Activity Sets. Type a name for the set in the Activity Set Name field and click the box or boxes for leads, contacts, organizations, opportunities, or projects. For our example, we’ve entered Staff hire, and ticked the For Projects box, since we use projects to manage staff member recruitment. To begin adding activities to the set, click the Edit Activities link. Click the Choose Activity Type list and select Task or Event. Complete the form for the new activity. Insightly allows you to specify a relative due date by entering the number of days after the activity set start date or the number of days before an activity set end date for each task to fall due. (The start and end dates are selected by the user when the activity set is applied.) Insightly also allows you to skip days like Saturday or Sunday so activities don’t fall on weekends.
	Bittersweet Goodness
	If consuming chocolate is a regular part of your lifestyle routine, there’s good news on the horizon… if you’re willing to make some adjustments and switch to dark chocolate. Research findings show that chocolate in its most pure form can help mitigate the effects of ailments such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and certain cognitive functions. Check out Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial of the best CRM around. Send Us Your Tips. Would you like to share your tips with Insightly customers? Send them to us! If we use one in our weekly feature we’ll send you a $10 Amazon Gift Card! Contact us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or send us an email. About the author: Marta Bright is Insightly’s Content Manager. She’s been writing about the “business of technology” in the Silicon Valley for more than a decade.

February 4, 2016

From Widgets to Digits: How CRM Can Streamline Your Supply Chain and Boost Sales

Manufacturing is a complex business. Coordinating your teams so all parts of your supply chain and the business continue to run like a well-oiled machine can be pretty tricky. A customer relationship management (CRM) solution can make a real difference on the operations side of things. By simplifying the information and communications process, you can focus more efforts on sales.

Integrate With Existing Systems

Your supply management includes three core flows: the product, the information, and the finances.

The product flows from the supplier to the consumer, and includes returns and customer service.
The information flow handles the ordering process, providing details on when the order ships, and then tracking the shipment all the way through delivery.
The finances flow handles the credit terms, payment schedule, and ownership arrangements.

The ideal online CRM will easily integrate with your existing systems to handle all the flows of your supply chain management. Integrated systems are not only simpler to implement as part of the operations process, but also a more cost effective approach. An integrated CRM builds seamlessly into the workflow.

Connect With Customers Throughout the Journey

Using a CRM makes it easier to engage prospects and customers about new opportunities. It gives you a central location to put all the customer requirements, and allows you to alert all team members involved, so everyone remains on the same page throughout the journey. 74% of Insightly’s industrial manufacturing customers who used the product at least two to three times per week reported improved internal collaboration and communication.

Customer service is a critical part of the customer journey: before, during, and after the sale. With CRM, when a customer talks to employee 1, 2, and 3, your employees can each leave notes in the system, to make any further communication more personalized. Since 73% of consumers prefer to do business with companies that use personal information to personalize their experience, this type of intuitive service is key. CRM keeps everything more organized, and your customer doesn’t have to waste time repeating the issues.

Data shows the customer service experience is paramount to building loyalty and increasing revenue. A 2012 study from American Express shows 66% of customers are willing to spend more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service, and 75% of customers say they have spent more with a company because of excellent customer service. By 2020, the customer experience is projected to overtake price as the key brand differentiator.

As time goes on, you’ll have a vast library of customer data you can use to fine-tune your product and service offerings to better suit the needs of your customers.

Make Supply Chain Management Easier

There are distributors and suppliers to coordinate with, and tons of data to keep track of along the way. As products move from the supplier to the manufacturer, the wholesaler, the retailer, and finally to the consumer, there’s plenty of room for error. Your CRM will make managing the information, materials, finances, and communication between departments much simpler with a central location for all data.

Your CRM makes it easy to keep track of the current availability of materials and pricing. You’ll be able to manage customer assets, inventory, subscriptions, and software licenses. You’ll even be able to keep track of customer maintenance needs.

Manufacturers are in a highly competitive industry, and need to make use of every available sales channel to offer clients highly personalized service to get the edge. CRM data helps ensure all clients get the level of personalized approach that fosters loyalty, trust, and reliability – which helps boost your sales.

Turn It Up Tuesday: Tips from Insightly to Take Your Business to 11

Technology Terms 101

Linking Files to Insightly Records

A Healthy (Helpful) Herd Mentality

Showrooming is Rampant

Brands Need a Strong Social Media Presence

Impulse Buys Are Common

Millennials Are More Brand Loyal Than You Think

Brick and Mortar Isn’t Dead with Millennials

Turn It Up Tuesday: Tips from Insightly to Take Your Business to 11

Fresh Ideas for Delighting Your Customers

Deleting Individual Records

Drink Up for Better Brainpower

How CRM Works

CRM and Fundraising

Alumni

Turn It Up Tuesday: Tips from Insightly to Take Your Business to 11

Park It Here

Save Time By Creating Activity Sets

Bittersweet Goodness

Integrate With Existing Systems

Connect With Customers Throughout the Journey

Make Supply Chain Management Easier