Who are active users of CRM Software?
The real question is who can use CRM software?
The answer to that question is very simple. “Any business with customers would use CRM!” (Worketc, 2016)
The above includes businesses that are trying to;
↑ Increase efficiency of sales
↑ Improve marketing practices
↑ Generating quotes and invoices efficiently
↑ Improve customer care by showing that customers are high priority
↑ Increase overall efficiency of the business by improving internal processes
In a nutshell, any organisation with sales, marketing and accounting departments would use CRM software.
What problems does effective CRM Software try to solve?
What problems can CRM Software solve for you and your business? Why should you invest in CRM software?
CRM
software can help you address numerous problems that you might be
experiencing in your business. Some of the most important problems
are;
↓ “Customer feedback isn’t being recorded or used.” (Davey, 2015).
↓ Your marketing messages aren’t as effective as they can be.
↓ Client information is not being managed properly between stakeholders.
↓ Lack of centralised customer knowledge
↓ “Lack of customer issue / resolution tracking system.” (Successwithcrm, 2016)
Source: CRMnext.com, 2016
What are the challenges faced in finding solutions to problems?
The challenges faced in finding CRM solutions can be divided among four major entities at your organsation
- Business
“CRM strategy has contributed to 18% of CRM failure.” (Band, 2012) Poorly designed business requirements, wrong methodologies and failure to match business requirements are the main reasons behind this phenomenon. Business is not constant. It is likely to change. The ever-changing key stakeholders and their business objectives have to be considered while deploying a CRM system. Undoubtedly, it is hard to find CRM solutions.
Cost is another consideration. CRM customers have to strike a balance between functions and cost. Don’t let CRM become a burden on your business!
- Employees
For the deployment of any new system, training has to be provided. If an organisation’s staff has a negative attitude towards the system, the company is bound to face difficulties in deploying it. Moreover, if the CRM’s ways and method are different from the business culture of the organisation and if the change in the business processes is not managed properly, there will be threats to successful deployment of CRM.
- Technology
Most common technical challenges are integrity issues. First, some companies would like to integrate new software with their legacy system. However, the approaches that two different CRM vendors take might be different from each other. Also, Data migration could be difficult too. Besides, some newer CRM software connects with emails, calendars and other related systems,but all those features might not be supported by software currently in use.
- Security
Nowadays, information is the most valuable asset for any business. CRM records customer and sales details. Therefore, security is one of CRM customers’ biggest concerns. Especially to keep in mind that most of the CRM providers have adopted cloud for more scalable web-based services. When data is accessed remotely via Internet, information is more vulnerable to security threats. Hackers are geniuses! CRM service providers have to keep up with the new technologies and release patches.
Interesting reads for the literary inclined geeks and references
- Band, W. (2016). William Band's Blog. [online] Blogs.forrester.com. Available at: http://blogs.forrester.com/william_band/12-03-01-dont_let_crm_pitfalls_trip_you_up [Accessed 29 May 2016].
- Davey, N. (2015). 3 problems every B2B brand solves with CRM. [online] The Future of Customer Engagement and Commerce. Available at: http://www.the-future-of-commerce.com/2015/08/03/crm-b2b-trends/ [Accessed 28 May 2016].
- Fpb.org. (2016). Forum Private Business. [online] Available at: https://www.fpb.org/business-support/ten-problems-solved-using-crm [Accessed 29 May 2016].
- Fuke, I. (2015). 15 Practical Challenges in CRM Implementation. [online] SimpleCRM Blogs. Available at: http://www.simplecrm.com.sg/blog/15-practical-challenges-in-crm-implementation/ [Accessed 29 May 2016].
- Schultz, P. (2016). Advantages and Disadvantages of CRM Software. [online] Marketingweekly.com. Available at: http://www.marketingweekly.com/crm/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-crm-software/?mode=featured [Accessed 29 May 2016].
- Sites.google.com. (2016). Challenges of CRM - Customer Relation Management (CRM) Systems. [online] Available at: https://sites.google.com/a/siena.edu/customer-relation-management-crm-systems/challenges-of-crm [Accessed 29 May 2016].
- Worketc.com. (2016). Part 2: Who actually uses CRM Software?. [online] Available at: https://www.worketc.com/crm_101/part_2_who_actually_uses_crm/ [Accessed 28 May 2016].
- CRMNext, (2016). CRM Strategies | CRM Challenges. [image] Available at: http://www.crmnext.com/media/1551/cloud-crm-challenges.png [Accessed 30 May 2016].
