Once this is in place you can track the history of all your interactions you have with those customers: phone calls made, emails sent, meetings held, presentations delivered, enquiries received. Because tracking is everything.
With a CRM system in place, every question, every service request, every preference and every past contact detail about every customer is at your fingertips. And that means that every contact you have with your customers is always personal, relevant and up to date.
And as well as tracking contact histories, you can also add notes, schedule follow-ups and organise the next steps that you or your colleagues need to take. That means you need never miss an opportunity to close particular deals or grow customer accounts.
But modern CRM platforms such as Salesforce go much further, integrating with marketing automationand customer service systems to provide a complete, cloud-based ecosystem for customer data.
If you're sold on the idea of a CRM system, you've still got a decision to make. Do you choose a desktop system that runs on a single computer, a client/server system with a central database stored on a server and software installed on each user's PC or laptop to access it – or is an online CRM system based in the cloud a more sensible choice?
A simple desktop system is only of use if it's just you using the system and you're not interested in anything more than an electronic version of a Rolodex for simple customer contact management – so let's compare client/server CRM systems and online CRM systems based in the cloud.
Depends on an installed base of client PCs; mobile use can be limited to laptops with necessary level of security and dependent on availability of a secure VPN.
With the introduction of new technologies, the way in which we work, manage contacts and connect with customers continues to become more advanced. This means that we have to look beyond the traditional functionality of CRM. Cloud based CRM systems excel in this new reality as they are much more agile than their desktop and server counterparts and can be updated as new technology becomes the standard. The rise of the smartphone and social media are just two such examples.
Your customer information needs to be as up to date and as convenient to access as possible. That's why some CRM systems now offer mobile CRM capabilities. This lets salespeople access key information wherever they are, and update that information straight after a meeting while they are still in the field, so colleagues can follow up with the very latest information before the competition.
With mobile CRM you can run your whole business from your phone – closing deals, servicing customers and even delivering 1:1 marketing campaigns without being tied to a desk.
Social media is having a huge impact on many businesses and the way they interact with their customers: they have to respond as never before to Tweets, Facebook postings, LinkedIn discussions and more.
Sound familiar? If so then you'll need a platform that helps you to make the most of social media as a source of new leads, intelligence on prospects and information for customer service agents.
It's pretty clear that cloud-based CRM is the right choice for organisations of any size. And when it comes to choosing a specific solution, Salesforce is the obvious choice. Here are just some of the reasons why:
Salesforce is as easy to use as the websites you use every day. You can log in from anywhere, view and update customer data, and work with your colleagues—anytime you want. Get started right away and see a big impact on your business in no time.
Really, it’s that easy. If you can click a mouse, you can change workflows, add fields, and create sales processes. The result? Higher productivity and automation like you’ve never had before.
With Salesforce, you can take care of business, anywhere, anytime, on any device. You can track and crush your growth targets with real-time dashboards. You can keep a single shared customer profile, company-wide, and know you’re looking at the same up-to-date contact as service and marketing.
And when it comes to mobility, Salesforce is second to none. The Salesforce app is available for smartphones and tablets, and you can access over 2,000 apps from the Salesforce AppXchange – or write your own – to add the exact functionality you need for your business.
“The time from idea to execution – this can make the difference between surviving and losing out, this is critical for innovation and in uncertain times. Salesforce helps crunch this time – it’s our trusted partner.”
Even if your customer base is small, no one can keep every interaction — ones that have happened, or need to happen — memorised and organised.
Best CRM For Real EstateAt Salesforce, we believe small businesses can use technology as a force multiplier to punch way above their weight. Our cloud-based CRM solution levels the playing field for your small business.
Because Salesforce is in the cloud, it can grow and scale with your business. You can easily add features from tons of apps in our marketplaces without adding costly infrastructure, and Salesforce upgrades are instantly implemented as soon as they’re available without disruption. With all your information on customers, prospects, and leads stored on a single online platform, everyone in your business has access to the latest information — no more version control headaches or out-of-date spreadsheets. Need to ensure your salespeople have access to the information they need when out at customer meetings? No problem. Our CRM system is fully mobile, so your data is available on any connected device, at any time.
On average, Salesforce helps our customers boost their sales by 37%. But the benefits of Salesforce CRM for small business don’t end when you make a sale. Customer service benefits, too. Our solutions help to build stronger relationships with your current customers, win new ones, and accelerate business growth. And intelligent marketing automation helps you focus resources on the tasks that really add value, while a common platform for all your data helps to build strong relationships across all your channels, including social, Web, email, and customer call centers.
The definition of CRM is customer relationship management. In a nutshell, CRM lets you store and manage prospect and customer information, like contact info, accounts, leads, and sales opportunities, in one central location. You’ll discover that it’s not just a fancy contact list. Ultimately, a CRM solution is a game-changing piece of technology for every industry under the sun — from retail and manufacturing, to real estate, construction, and many more.
Looking for customer service software that will Increase customer satisfaction and improve customer loyalty? Salesforce Service Cloud is the #1 customer service app to empower agents on the path to customer success with smarter, faster service tools.
With Salesforce Service Cloud you can deliver amazing customer service on every channel, when your customer needs it. Not only can you increase service agent efficiency by creating call centre scripts but you can increase first call resolution through building knowledge centres and much more!
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system helps manage customer data. It supports sales management, delivers actionable insights, integrates with social media and facilitates team communication. Cloud-based CRM systems offer complete mobility and access to an ecosystem of bespoke apps.
A CRM system helps businesses keep customer contact details up to date, track every customer interaction, and manage customer accounts. It is designed to help businesses improve customer relationships and also Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). This is vital because of the vast amount of such data businesses generate daily.
The issue of customer data raises a challenge which CRM systems exist to address. Every time someone picks up the phone and talks to a customer, goes out to meet a new sales prospect, or follows up a promising lead, they learn something new and potentially valuable. Traditionally, all this data went into analogue or unconnected media such as notebooks or laptops, or even just stayed in people’s heads.
These methods make it all too easy for details to get lost or forgotten, or for a meeting or phone conversation not to be followed up on as promised. Choosing which leads or prospects to focus on can be a matter of guesswork rather than a rigorous exercise based on fact. Worse still, if an individual holding access to key customer information were to leave, then all their knowledge could walk out of the door with them.
A customer relationship management system aims to address challenges like these. It takes customer data and turns it into useful, actionable insight that can transform a business. It helps everyone in a business to easily update records and to get access to the latest information. If the system is cloud-based, they can do this wherever they are, on any connected device.
A CRM system essentially provides a central place where businesses can store customer and prospect data, track customer interactions, and share this information with colleagues. It allows businesses to manage relationships with customers, helping the business to grow.
With a CRM system in place, every question, every service request, every preference and every past contact detail about every customer is instantly available, which means that every new interaction with them should always be personalised, relevant and up to date.
As well as tracking every phone call, email sent, meeting held and presentation delivered, CRM systems can also be used to add notes, schedule follow-ups and organise the next steps that need to be taken. This ensures that opportunities to close deals or grow customer accounts won’t be missed.
Forecasting reports enable salespeople to get better visibility over their pipelines, qualify leads more accurately, and see how close they are to hitting their targets. Sales managers can use reports to motivate and manage their people.
Real-time instant messaging functionality makes it easier for coworkers to ask and answer each other’s queries, for instance in support of a live sales opp or service interaction. Managers can check in on staff in the field, and employees can ask for instant feedback or support as needed.