Why should small businesses use CRM?
When you start and your business is just coming on the market, you probably have a handful of customers and you may even know them personally. You do not need a system or tool to manage this information.
But as your business grows, you can run your own site and recruit more customers and hire more employees. Managing all customer data using spreadsheets, sticky notes, a notebook, and other tools simply does not work in the long term. You need a system to organize and maintain all customer data in one place.
And that is where CRM appears for small businesses.
Small Business CRM is software designed for growing companies to organize and store customer data in one place. Unlike CRM solutions for large businesses, small business software is easy to install, easy to use and has a feature designed for small businesses, all at an affordable price.
Choose CRM for your business
Before you look for the right CRM tools, you must clearly define your business goals and know what you want from CRM, and how CRM can help you achieve these goals, because there are many large and tricky CRMs that deliver what they promise.
Your business objectives can be:
- Increase sales
- Follow better performance
- Improve customer relationships and retention
- Identify trends in the sector and improve your strategy
- Measure the ROI of marketing activities.
- Once you have obtained this information, you can start evaluating various CRM solutions on the market
Search factor in CRM software
Not all CRM solutions are built the same. There are several factors that play an important role in
making decisions about choosing the best CRM solution for your business.
1. Local Cloud
When considering a CRM system for your company, you may come across various options. But before you make a decision, the deciding factor depends on how you want to implement and use CRM: cloud versus premise.
Although both have advantages in meeting specific business needs, cloud CRM preferences have increased due to the need to access CRM data everywhere.
In 2009, only 12% of companies used CRM in the cloud, while in 2019 this increased to 91%.
Now, what is the difference between them?
Cloud CRM
The CRM system and data are hosted and managed by the provider and can be accessed via the internet via a web browser and/or mobile application.
Local CRM
System and CRM data is hosted locally on the server and corporate computers and is available via the local network.
CRM has other benefits in the cloud:
- Cloud solutions offer a pricing model that you can pay in advance without paying for software or hardware installation..
- Since the data is stored in the cloud, users can access it anytime, anywhere
- Data in the cloud is secure and can always be recovered if it is lost.
2. Ease of use
One of the biggest challenges for companies that want to use CRM is user permission
Why is it a major challenge?
First of all, many solutions on the market are complex to test and even harder to use, and most require IT support installation.
CRM software must be intuitive and user-friendly so that vendors can easily import and export all kinds of data without the help of endless consultants and training hours. It is important to choose CRM flexible enough to synchronize it with your existing sales process.
Tip: To make the application process quick and easy, CRMs like MLeads have a free trial period that is sufficiently long. During this time you can understand whether the CRM system meets your requirements.
3. Correct functionality
The best CCRM for small businesses is one that helps solve business problems and brings you closer to your goals.
Choosing a CRM for a small company with the right functionality is one of the most important factors when buying a CRM…
For example, if you are a broker, you need a CRM system that manages lists and inventory, registers potential customers of the site, monitors pipeline transactions, supports automation and much more.
Tip: compile a checklist of the functions you need in small business CRM, then compile a list of CRM providers and start the evaluation.
4. Adjustment
Every company is unique. You need CRM software that your unique business needs and that effectively supports your sales processes. You must have the ability to adapt CCRM to your process.
Things like designing information, adding new fields, defining sales flows, adjusting automation and reports, and determining who sees which information is an important component of your CRM.
You also need to look for a solution that integrates seamlessly with the websites and applications of your company.
While it is important to find one that meets your preferences, some solutions are associated with an excellent, customizable price.
Customization is an important function when choosing CRM, yes. However, adjustment should not be a mandatory factor in the operation of the system. Did you know that 17% of users find this a challenge in their current CRM solution?
Tip: find the best combination of customized and ready-to-use CRM system. You can rarely find a customized CRM for your company without large upfront costs and long programming time. The latest CRM systems are easy to install, but not all can be adjusted. Choose a ready-made system with matching options in CRM.
5. Scalability
Your business may be small at the moment, but as you grow and enter new markets, you can double your sales team and invest more in marketing to increase sales.
As your business needs grow, you may need more than a CRM system. You cannot transfer data to the new plan and convince the sales team to use it because they may already be used to the current solution.
Choose CRM for an expandable small business that grows with your business.
Tip: most CRM systems have different subscribers in different company sizes. As your business grows, it becomes easier to upgrade to higher plans and save data.
6. Mobility
According to the 2017 research survey, mobile application users for companies reported a 74% increase in customer satisfaction, an 87% increase in revenue and a 73% improvement in skills.
The sales team is constantly on the move and usually spends more time on mobile devices and tablets. It is important to choose CRM software that is available in the field.
Most CRM systems include free iOS and Android versions for download.
The key here is to ensure that the mobile CRM version is just as efficient as the desktop version, so you don’t miss functionality.
Tip: Some of the basic functions that should be noticed in the mobile version of CRM are: access to the customer database, meetings, transaction flows, taking notes, real-time alerts and continuous data synchronization.
7. Security
The most important information stored in CRM is customer data. That is why it is important to choose a CRM solution that puts safety first and meets security standards.
Because many CRM solutions are currently hosted in the cloud, they work hard to protect your data and can also assess risks and prevent potential cyber-attacks.
Your data is regularly archived and is strongly encrypted. If you limit it and choose CRM for a small company, you can be sure that your data is secure.
Tip: ask the seller about the data security settings rules. More information about how your data is stored and stored in their data center. This information can be usually be found on the website of the sellers.
8. Reasonableness
About 31% of respondents who reported said that expensive initial costs were a major challenge for their current CRM system.
The budget naturally plays an important role in every business decision. That’s why when investing in small business CRM software you need to calculate the long-term costs and analyze what benefits you get from the money spent.
One way is to ensure that the supplier knows in advance what additional benefits you will receive thanks to the reward package.
You can also check for yourself whether the quotation entails additional costs for training, implementation, adjustment, and support.
Tip: discover whether a small company seamlessly integrates CRM with other applications without major architectural hinges. You better make sure you don’t have a pay extra.
9. Good Support
According to 20% of entrepreneurs, poor support is an important part of replacing their current CRM solution.
There are often problems when using software for small businesses. But if you do this, the CRM provider must be a good customer service team that responds quickly and offers help.
One way to be sure of this is to contact their support during the evaluation period. If customer service is not direct and has to wait a long time, it makes no sense to continue with the same provider.
If you are looking for a CRM solution for small businesses, look no further than MLeads CRM.
MLeads offers excellent functionality, adjustment options, good support, security, and a very affordable price. Moreover, thanks to MLeads you can set different formats, depending on your business needs. So when you switch to another program, your data remains intact.
MLeads provides the best tool for CRM as well as Lead Management
We can customize all-in-tool for your business. Ready to begin your Free trial account today?
The key takeaways here are the importance of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to increase productivity, collaboration and customer satisfaction.
All of these increase the company’s revenue and speed.
If you are not using a CRM to manage your leads and business processes. Today is the time to start with MLeads.
Get MLeads paid subscription just in $3.99/month.
For more information on CRM and Lead Management plans, check it out our blogs.
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