Am I using my CRM correctly?

CRM is a great tool, IF you use it right. Yes, you get to organize your relationships and interactions with customers, leads, and contacts. But are you doing everything you should? Are you making sure the information is consistently updated?

A CRM can be valuable to businesses of all sizes. From small mom-and-pop stores to large corporations, CRMs can help companies improve their sales, create better customer service, and most importantly keep valuable information in one place. However, without the proper setup, training, and attention it deserves, your CRM will quickly become a mess and possibly more of a burden than an asset.

Here are 5 steps to effectively utilize your CRM:

1. Know what you’re dealing with.

Start by asking yourself these questions:

• What problems am I looking to solve by implementing a CRM?
• What are my goals when implementing a CRM solution?
• Who will be using the CRM?
• What will each person use it for?

You need to answer these questions before proceeding to the next step. Do your research and prepare before you invest in a CRM.

2. Setting up and customizing your CRM

Once you have a CRM for your business, you need to customize your CRM according to your business needs. Here are the steps in setting up your CRM:

• Create your customer journey map
• Define your company’s sales and marketing strategy
• customize fields, stages, and pipelines
• Migrate customer data
• Integrate the tools that you use and automate manual process
• Add users and set up permissions

3. Train your employees

Why is CRM training important? 

CRM training improves users’ knowledge of features, functions, and usage to enhance their experience in using the system and improve productivity and efficiency. It prepares you for a smooth and effective use of your CRM and leading to a better return on investment.

4. Appoint a dedicated user to monitor and maintain your CRM regularly.

Just like spring cleaning for your garage, where you empty out the clutter and organize everything where you can easily find it, your CRM needs the same sort of attention. Your CRM needs to be cleaned up periodically. Delete old email templates, remove contacts without full details, eliminate excess reports, and review your integrations and automations to confirm they are still valid.

Your dedicated user will be the point of contact for the CRM vendor.  They will also be the first to learn about new features and enhanced functionality to share with the rest of the team.

5. Organize/create a Sales and Marketing Blueprint

Write or create a sales and marketing blueprint to accomplish more effectively to utilize your CRM. Your sales and marketing plan will help you maintain a good process and ensure each customer is getting a consistent and quality experience while engaging with marketing content and the sales team.

Your clients and customers should be the center of your business. The most important thing you can do to utilize your CRM effectively is to keep learning and gaining knowledge about your CRM. Your CRM will help you increase in profits and will help you maintain good relationships with your customers and clients. 

If you’ve read this and still aren’t sure where to start, give us a call and we will work with you through each step of the process.