CRM: discover the advantages and the best tools on the market

It is a software that manages the relationship with the client, ensuring their satisfaction and loyalty from the automation and organization of processes, helping to reduce costs, and increasing business profits.

What is or at least should be the main focus of companies today?

If you answered that it must be the customer, you were completely right! Now, how is it possible to do this without neglecting the many gears that are part of a business?

In the end, it is important to think about the assembly of qualified teams, the training given to them, the Digital Marketing planning, sales process, etc.

Even so, without the customer as the center of attention, none of that would make sense, and as a company grows it is more difficult to organize everything.

Therefore, tools such as CRM end up being essential for the development of entrepreneurship.

Don’t you know anything about this matter? Find out everything you need to know about CRM and why it’s worth using one.

What is CRM?

The term CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management or customer relationship management.

But, the first thing we must understand is that when we talk about CRM we are not referring only to software, but to a business strategy focused on the client.

Through the CRM system, a company manages to maintain a detailed database of each customer, as well as a history of interactions that helps enrich and personalize future services.

Through the information received in real-time from the CRM, the teams are better able to prepare the leads for the sale.

How does a CRM system work?

After knowing what exactly a CRM is, it is important that you understand well how it works and some of the principals involved in using this tool.

Among the main features of CRM we can highlight that:

Operate in the cloud

The vast majority of today’s CRM works through cloud systems, which ends up becoming a requirement due to the benefits that this brings us.

For example, being in the cloud, the information always remains safe on an external server and if something happens with your team, you will not lose the work done.

In addition to that, being in a 100% online environment, it is possible to access the CRM information from anywhere, which allows working with mobility without losing precision.

Automate part of the tasks

If at first, you think that the CRM does not go beyond a contact list with some extra resources, you should know that it does much more than this.

Some of the common tasks that you would have to perform manually, without the use of a tool like this, are automated, allowing you to spend more time on other important activities.

Among the automated actions are customer registration and the search for certain relevant information while you attend, for example.

Integrate different areas

Another characteristic of CRM is that it does not benefit just one part of the company, it also manages to integrate different areas and generate equal value for each one.

So don’t think of it as a sales or marketing automation system. In truth, it also helps a lot with customer support and success.

All of this also facilitates dialogue between professionals from different teams, who come to better understand each other’s situations and collaborate with each other.

It has solutions for every type of company

In the end, a CRM is not one of those solutions that only serve a market segment or for companies of a specific size.

From small companies to large multinationals, from agribusiness to smartphone app development, everyone can use a CRM with equal success.

This happens because the system is not too specific and offers everything you need to manage your clients in the best possible way.

5 benefits of using a CRM in your company

If you are still in doubt about the value of having a CRM system in your day-to-day business, this doubt will disappear now.

We select nothing more and nothing less than 5 benefits that accompany the use of this important business tool. See what they are:

1. Centralized information in real-time

The first benefit is the centralization of information, that is, everything you need to know about all customers is in the same place.

Besides that, because it is a cloud solution, everyone can quickly access information from anywhere in the world and at any time.

What if someone updates the customer record? The update will appear for everyone in real-time, avoiding any headache.

2. Broader view of the business

Because of this centralization and integration between sectors that we already talked about, managers and team leaders can have a much broader vision of the business.

This leads to smarter decisions, which take into account several important aspects that would not even be taken into account otherwise.

Therefore, the opportunity to make the right decisions with the use of CRM is much greater.

3. Helps to retain customers

Greater organization of information, better internal collaboration, and smarter business decisions. They do not only have an effect on day-to-day work, they also have an effect on customers.

All of this translates into better service, better quality products, more effective marketing strategies, and successively improved sales processes.

All these factors are essential to retaining customers.

4. Increase productivity

Another great advantage of working using CRM software is the productivity gain and this does not only happen due to the automation of some tasks.

To deliver reports on each area (sales, marketing, service, etc.) the CRM helps to improve processes and make them more efficient.

In this way, it is possible to perform more meaningful tasks, which pay off for the business in less time.

5. Improvement according to needs

Finally, following the mold of most modern software, a large part of today’s CRM systems work on the SaaS (Software as a Service) model.

This means that you only pay for what you use and if you need a more elaborate solution over time, just move on to a more advanced plan.

Thus, when choosing a CRM it is important to evaluate if it offers you this option, in order not to run out of option in the event that you need something more elaborate.

How do you know if you need a CRM?

Even with so many benefits, you need to consider if a CRM is what your business needs, in the end, every investment must have a basis to be made.

So how do you know if your company is in need of this system? Here are 5 signs that make this clear:

1. You waste too much time ordering worksheets and notebooks

The first sign that you need to purchase a CRM software is if you find that you are spending too much time organizing spreadsheets, agendas, or notebooks to manage your customers.

These solutions are not scalable, so as the relationship with the customer advances, it becomes increasingly difficult to record everything that is relevant about him, using any of these means.

2. You are not serving all customers in the same way

It is very important that you establish a pattern of attention and achieve it by interacting with each of your clients.

If you are not managing to maintain that pattern and you see that the quality of service varies too much, there is the second indication that you need to use a CRM.

By having everyone’s information available quickly, as well as the tools to add any new important data, it will be easier to maintain the quality of care.

3. You have already lost business for not having important information at hand

You know that at certain times it is necessary to have the information at hand, in order to convince the client to make an important decision, don’t you?

Well, if you learned this the worst way, losing a business due to lack of that information at a critical moment of negotiation, CRM is knocking on your door.

With it, you will have all the information you need, no matter if you are in the company or at a business fair 3,000 km away.

4. You have difficulty personalizing customer service

Attending is one thing and personalizing care is another. So even if you are getting good care, as we talked about before, is it difficult to personalize it?

If your answer was yes, you have time to change. In the end, nowadays the client does not accept just the basics, they need solutions made to measure.

How does CRM software help in this case? He was made for this! The database of each client ensures precisely to note their needs and anticipate their demands.

In other words, it was made to personalize your attention and consistently generate more value.

5. You need an integrated team that works remotely

Does your team work remotely? Maybe you travel constantly to make deals or network with potential clients?

Even if this is not your case, perhaps you have resolved, in a correct way, to align the marketing and sales of the company or bet on the success of the client.

The mobility of remote work, the transparency for good integration, and the data needed to help the customer in a deeper way require a robust technological solution, such as CRM software.